José Mourinho has little to show from big away days, Vincent Kompany talks up the Pep Guardiola revolution, and Tony Pulis points to the bottom lineManchester United’s run of 25 unbeaten league games came to an end at Arsenal where José Mourinho once again set up his team with the focus on nullifying the opposition. Asking Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata to follow Arsenal’s wingbacks wherever they went meant sacrificing two of his most creative talents in an attempt to deny the Gunners control. This of course is the Mourinho way, to be reactive, to never make the first mistake, but against their direct rivals away from home it simply hasn’t worked: United have failed to score in 360 Premier...
Gabriel and Arsenal falter under pressure, Crystal Palace have a problem with fan behaviour, Sunderland must keep Didier Ndong while Hull’s Harry Maguire continues his excellent formSean Dyche laughed off the fact James Tarkowski had been struck by a plastic cigarette lighter as Burnley’s players celebrated their first goal but Crystal Palace will find the incident far from amusing. This was the third time a visiting player has been struck by an object thrown from that corner of the Holmesdale stand since the club returned to the Premier League in 2013. Wayne Rooney and more recently Fabricio Coloccini were the others hit and the Metropolitan police appealed for witnesses over the coin flung at the Newcastle defender. The Football Association...
With Idrissa Gueye marking the Belgian it fell to Pedro to break the deadlock at Goodison Park, showing why Antonio Conte’s team have the look of championsTo judge by the celebrations at the end the Chelsea players and fans think it is all over. After this it probably is. Not just because Everton seemed to represent the only serious obstacle to a smooth run-in, but because Chelsea already have the look of champions.The very best sides, it is often said, have a hundred different ways of winning a match. Related: Pedro sparks emphatic win against Everton as Chelsea close in on title Continue reading...
Lukaku and Barkley owe Koeman a lot, Wilshere’s Bournemouth loan has proved a damp squib and Mignolet finally proving a positive game-changer for LiverpoolThe focus so often fixes upon Wilfried Zaha at Crystal Palace but over their seven-game revival under Sam Allardyce, they have posed as much threat from the opposite flank. Andros Townsend had rather grumbled through his first seven months at Selhurst Park, unhappy to be operating from the left and only offering flashes of his quality. The past seven weeks have been more reflective of a winger with 13 England caps. “Against Arsenal, Andros shut down three Arsenal players on his own, one after the other,” Allardyce said. “He ran from the right side to the left,...
Liverpool manager insists he feels no pressure as he looks to extend winning run against Everton in a match for which both sides’ preparations have been joltedJürgen Klopp has said Liverpool do not feel under pressure against Everton despite describing Saturday’s Merseyside derby as the most important of his Anfield reign.Klopp is the only manager in Liverpool’s history to win his first two derbies having overseen a 4-0 destruction of Roberto Martínez’s side last season and a 94th-minute victory at Goodison Park in December. “Maybe I’m a genius at understanding derbies because I didn’t need a second to understand the importance of this game,” he said. Since Sadio Mané’s stoppage-time goal at Goodison, however, Everton have closed the gap on...