Everton showed grit and defensive nous but they ran out of luck at the death at LeicesterThere is something deeply disconcerting about Everton. They are like some creature of myth, shapeshifting, ethereal, beyond the grasp of mortal perception. Every time you think you have worked them out, every time you think you know what they are and reach out towards them, they slip away. They are a team of the mist, intangible. Related: Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho turns the screw on Everton’s Marco Silva Continue reading...
Flawed City defence meets hapless Newcastle attack, Leicester can end Silvas service and only a miracle can save EmerySteve Bruce said Newcastle were too passive during Mondays sorry defeat at Aston Villa. One thing he can actively do about that is drop Jonjo Shelvey, who was irrelevant in midfield at Villa Park. With Sean Longstaff available again after suspension, and Matty Longstaff in line for a return to the starting lineup, Shelvey should be parked on the bench. Bruce probably wishes he could also make changes up front to try to exploit Citys defensive flakiness. There is not often a good case for starting Andy Carroll but this time there are two: Citys fragility and Joelintons haplessness. At least Allan...
Emery’s Arsenal have lost their direction and Spurs’ problems start at full-back but Burnley’s Dwight McNeil is on songRiyad Mahrez impressed only in spells during his first season at Manchester City but, with Leroy Sané felled by a cruciate injury in August’s Community Shield victory, the onus was on the £60m man to step up. An imperious performance at West Ham on the opening day of the season suggested he would do exactly that, yet he has started only four league games since – two of those being defeats – and with his side desperate for goals in a critical game at Anfield he was not called on at all. Mahrez remains a magical player on his day but the...
From John Fashanu to Andoni Goikoetxea, it is not just the injured who feel the pain of career-threatening tackles‘Take that.” Roy Keane stood over Alf-Inge Haaland, lying in a crumpled heap never to play a full game again, delivered his message and walked away without remorse. As reactions go – as tackles go too, if Keane’s infamous lunge can be called that – it could hardly have been more different to that of Son Heung-Min, who broke down in tears after André Gomes broke his ankle last week. On Wednesday night, Son dedicated his opening goal against Red Star Belgrade to the Everton midfielder. “I’m so sad this happened and that I was involved with this situation. I feel really,...
Liverpool’s resilience faces biggest test, Vardy threatens to deepen Arsenal’s gloom and a welcome dilemma for NewcastleApparently there is a game going on in Liverpool on Sunday. Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Genk in midweek was very much a continuation of a theme – since mid-September they have also beaten Chelsea, Leicester, Tottenham and Aston Villa by the same scoreline, and they last won a league game by more than one goal at home to Newcastle on 14 September. In their last six league games they have a goal difference of only five, yet they have somehow converted that into a mathematically maximal 16 points. The day Liverpool beat Newcastle was also when Manchester City lost at Norwich, but since then...