Is this the weekend that Manchester United’s bid for the top four came to an end? Iain Macintosh rounds up another dramatic Premier League weekend with the latest edition of Heroes & Villains.
Arsene Wenger was at the peak of his powers in the summer of 2004. His “Invincibles” had just won the league and the future seemed bright. And then Jose Mourinho arrived at Chelsea and everything went wrong. It has taken 13 years and a number of humiliations but finally, Wenger has the upper hand on his tormentor. Arsenal needed that. They needed to restore some pride. And they may yet do more than that. Win their game in hand and they can drop Mourinho’s United down into sixth …
For the first time since those heady days of summer, we got a glimpse of what Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are supposed to look like. An irresistible blue wave crashing over everything in its path, all flicks and turns and pace and shot after shot after shot after shot. It was (and we’ll understand if Palace fans decline to agree) spectacularly entertaining to watch. This is what we expected when Guardiola took the job. Not 4-0 defeats at Everton and goalkeepers made of smoke and mirrors. More of this next season, please.
That was the performance that Swansea City needed, from the manager to the players to the fans. The Welsh club came together, unified and vocal, and won themselves three crucial points in their fight for survival by beating Everton 1-0. Do not underestimate the pressure that the players had been under. They had seen Crystal Palace lose, they had known that Hull lost. It would have been clear that this was the chance that they could not afford to miss. And they held their nerve to win.
You have to hand it to West Ham – they do have a knack of ruining Tottenham’s big nights. Last season, they disrupted Spurs’ title challenge by beating them at Upton Park, while on Friday night, they effectively ended another one by beating them at the London Stadium. It shows an outstanding commitment to trolling, but at the same time, you do wonder how much higher up the table they’d be if they could put this sort of effort into games against everyone else.
What dark magic is this? Hull City, a team whose manager hasn’t lost a home game for over three years, lose at home to Sunderland, a team so resolutely inept that you suspect the only way they’ll achieve their aim of getting out of the Championship next year is by getting relegated into League One. Was this the players’ way of endorsing David Moyes’ decision to stay? Or was it perhaps a last chance for some of them to put themselves in the shop window and get out before the ship goes down? Either way, it’s a win.
Finally, Manchester United’s long unbeaten run comes to an end with a splutter. They hadn’t lost a league game since October, but they’d certainly drawn a few, and the best they looked capable of here was another one until Ander Herrera cowered from a Granit Xhaka shot and deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper. In truth, United didn’t deserve much more. Their injury problems have been bad, but this was a strong enough XI to at least trouble Arsenal.
While Manchester City were very much a team in the image of their manager on Saturday, Crystal Palace were precisely the opposite. Without Mamadou Sakho, their defence looks distinctly rickety and it was noteworthy that Sam Allardyce chose to play an attacking full-back, Jeffrey Schlupp, as a centre-back instead of Damian Delaney. Not that it did any good. City were always going to win – they made chances to win three or four games – but Palace really didn’t help themselves. They’ll have to defend better than this against Hull. It’s unlikely now, but they could still go down.
Kyle Walker’s reported desire to leave White Hart Lane has made him a scapegoat for crestfallen Tottenham fans, and his performance on Friday against West Ham only furthered his usefulness as a lightning rod for discontent. You can reluctantly understand why Walker might want to maximise his earning potential, but you do wonder whether he might have been better off staying quiet and keeping his head down until the end of the season. And if he really is desperate to get out, he’ll have to play a lot better than this or no-one will want him.
Was it really such a surprise that Liverpool failed to beat Southampton? They hadn’t even scored against them in 270 minutes this season, and after another flat performance at Anfield, that total is now up to 360 minutes. Plus stoppage time. Jurgen Klopp’s side are ending the season in very mixed form and offering very mixed performances. They may still snatch a Champions League place, but think back to the first half of the season, when they were racing through defences with impunity. This season could have closed out with so much more at stake than that.
We’ve got a lot of sympathy for Hull City here. They’ve done so well to still be in the conversation. They were so catastrophically ill-prepared for the start of the season that it’s incredible they weren’t relegated in March. And they didn’t do much wrong on Saturday, did they? Jordan Pickford was exceptional for Sunderland, they had one cleared off the line and that second goal was clearly offside. But … they lost to Sunderland. Sunderland! At home! That’s unforgivable.
Iain Macintosh covers the Premier League and Champions League for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @IainMacintosh.
FORMER Saints youth coach Anthony Limbrick is the new boss of Eastleigh’s National League rivals Woking.
He replaces the experienced Garry Hill who has left the Cards after six years as manager.
Limbrick was appointed Southampton’s under-18s coach in July 2014, filling the void left by Jason Dodd and Paul Williams.
The Australian had spent the previous two years working with Saints’ under-16s and, prior to that, was the under-14s coach.
Limbrick left St Mary’s two summers ago for personal reasons having served Saints under the reigns of Nigel Adkins, Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman.
He went on to become England under-17 assistant coach before moving on to coach at West Ham. He is currently working towards his UEFA Pro Licence.
A Woking statement said: “Geoff Chapple (director of football) will continue in his role, working very closely with Limbrick, and bringing his unique skills, knowledge and experience to the team. Other appointments will be made in due course.”
Claude Puel leapt to the defence of his side as they showed real defensive character to grind out a point at Anfield.
Southampton had been booed and damned by their own fans after a shocking performance against Hull last week.
But the response from their supporters this time was very different despite a repeat of the 0-0 scoreline a week ago, and the French coach insisted criticism of his side is harsh when they are still such a young team.
“It was important after our game against Hull to correct it. I am satisfied, of course with this game, a strong game, with a strong defensive unit, it was important to play like this against this team, a good team with good play,” he said.
“I know we were booed last week, but I said the team did not have bad spirit against Hull, it was just that they needed to improve their concentration. We have a young team, we have to improve to find good consistency on the preparation of the game.
“But that is what happens with a young team. I am pleased because we showed good discipline, good spirit.”
Puel also insisted it was only justice that James Milner missed a penalty that would have given Liverpool victory, when he claimed it was a bad decision from the official in the first place.
His keeper Fraser Forster was accused of sportsmanship for roughing up the spot before Milner took the kick, but the manager replied:
“I think it’s harsh this penalty, because Jack turned and the ball hit in his arm. It was unintentional, it was too harsh to give this penalty, so it was an important save, because for me it was not a penalty.”
Alberto Moreno has got familiar with life on the substitutes’ bench this season for Liverpool with just 11 starts to his name.
The left-back has struggled to gain the trust of Jurgen Klopp this season and has lost his place to James Milner down the flank, reports the Liverpool Echo.
And as he watched on during Sunday’s goalless draw with Southampton, the boredom appeared to get the better of him.
As his teammates toiled to try and secure a win that would increase their hopes of Champions League qualification, Moreno became distracted - by bottle flipping!
The Spaniard seemed more interested in try to flip a bottle of water over as he sat on the bench, clearly bored of being a sub.
And the antics clearly didn’t go down too well with the Liverpool fans, who tweeted their frustrations.
Others, meanwhile, saw the funny side.
As it turned out, Moreno remained on the bench as manager Jurgen Klopp opted to use Marko Grujic , Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana instead.
The Reds are keen to snare Fulham’s teenager Ryan Sessegnon in the left-back role next term, and it is unclear if Moreno is part of Klopp’s long-term plans at Anfield.
Manchester United fans are not happy - and not just because their side were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on Sunday.
Those who opted to watch rivals Liverpool in action against Southampton ahead of their game spotted something that made their blood boil.
An animated Jurgen Klopp was seen getting increasingly frustrated on the touchline at Anfield during his side’s 0-0 draw with the Saints until suddenly he lost his temper.
TV cameras kept track of the Reds boss as he screamed at his players before smashing a water bottle against the ground.
The German then continued to rant and rave before pacing up and down on the spot.
Liverpool fans suggested the act was a sign of the manager’s passion for the game and determination to win every week. And there has been no suggestion Klopp could be in any trouble for the action.
However, Man United fans brought attention to something that happened back in 2016, and well, they’re not happy.
During the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw at home to West Ham in November, Mourinho angrily kicked a water bottle next to his dugout.
The Portuguese was subsequently banned by the Football Association, and fined £16,000, because his actions “endangered people around him”.
And well, this is the bit the United fans don’t like. But don’t fear, they were quick to bring attention to the ‘injustice’ on social media.
| Liverpool 0-0 Southampton: Milner left to rue penalty miss as Saints hold Liverpool againVIVAFOOTBALLCALCIO |
| Point against Southampton will be valuable - KloppSPORTSKEEDA |
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games to go!
