West Bromwich Albion are on a roll and their forceful manager’s ability to get the most out of a modest team has an admirer in José MourinhoTony Pulis recently said something very difficult to believe and it had nothing to do with that high court imbroglio. He said it after Salomón Rondón headed a hat‑trick against Swansea City on Wednesday, when the Venezuela striker offered a timely reminder of his expertise before Saturday’s home game with Manchester United, against whom Rondón scored the winning goal on their last visit to The Hawthorns.The odd remark Pulis made amid his praise for his striker was this: “He finds it extremely difficult to understand how hard every game is in the Premier League.”...
The balance shifts from Arsenal to Manchester City, Chelsea could take a defining step away from the pack and Jack Wilshere’s chance to crack onGiven Chelsea’s rampaging form at the top of the table, the first Premier League meeting between Pep Guardiola and Arsène Wenger feels hugely significant, particularly for Manchester City who could find themselves 10 points off the title pace should they suffer defeat at the Etihad. A week ago Arsenal might have started this contest as favourites, but their 14-game unbeaten streak in the league came to an end in the midweek defeat at Goodison Park, while City rectified their recent slump with a confident 2-0 win over Watford. City’s performance was enhanced by Raheem Sterling’s return...
One defeat in 11 games shows an upturn under the latest manager but problems remain with the reliance on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Michael Carrick, both 35A win secured late against a struggling side, in a game blighted by a series of baffling refereeing decisions that afflicted both sides. A performance that was often slow and disjointed. The gap to the top still 13 surely insurmountable points. If this was the start of an upsurge, it was a low-key, unconvincing one but Manchester United’s victory over Crystal Palace at least confirmed a level of tenacity and fight. It wasn’t another draw – and there have been six of them in the past 10 weeks – and it meant United have won...
Jürgen Klopp was right to take Loris Karius out of the spotlight, Tottenham’s back three can set their full-backs free and Marcos Rojo has not learnedIn truth, Simon Mignolet did not have much to do during Liverpool’s 3-0 victory at Middlesbrough, but Loris Karius was taken out of the spotlight nevertheless. The saga involving Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper before the midweek fixtures overshadowed all else at the club, but Jürgen Klopp’s team responded with a convincing performance, one of their best this season. On Karius, the Liverpool manager said: “I’m not interested in public pressure, I’m interested in the boy and there’s no reason to push him through this situation.” Mignolet appears set for an extended run in the team while...
Injuries have blighted Jones’s Old Trafford stay but the defender is again looking like the player Sir Alex Ferguson said could be the club’s ‘best ever’ signingA heartening strand of Manchester United’s campaign has been the return to fitness and form of Phil Jones.When he suffered medial knee-ligament damage in September, it was the 28th separate injury or illness he had suffered during his five years at the club. Rotten luck is an apt way to characterise a plague of problems that cast doubt over his robustness and seemed to permanently blight Jones’s hope of a rise to the very top, as once predicted by Sir Alex Ferguson. Related: Wayne Rooney not guaranteed to replace Mkhitaryan, says José Mourinho Continue...