Arsenal overcame a significant hurdle in their title quest, in large part thanks to the England winger’s excellent first goalAs Bukayo Saka sheep-crooked the ball away from Vitalii Mykolenko with his left foot, then pushed it on with his right, finding a clear, crisp square of green inside the Everton penalty area, Jordan Pickford crouched low in front of him, hands funnelled between his knees, sensing the danger close to the ground, the obvious target by his feet.Saka took one quick step and changed the subject, going high instead, pinging the ball with a thrillingly pure contact towards the smallest available space, near post, top corner, and bullseye-ing the square of netting beyond Pickford’s belatedly raised left hand. Continue reading...
Graham Potter pleads for patience, while Trent Alexander-Arnold’s form is a cause for concern – at least to someCasemiro wins things. Before arriving in Manchester he had claimed five Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles, one Copa América and 15 other trophies for club and country. He’d won 10 of the 12 major finals he’d played. Now he has a Carabao Cup. Manchester United signed a player with an intimate knowledge of that winning feeling. But would any of that experience count in a team that had forgotten what was required to get over the line? Without him they had lost three finals in five years while finishing second in the league on two occasions. How fitting that his headed...
Graham Potter pressure intensifies, Newcastle’s goalkeeping nightmare and civil war at LeedsStamford Bridge was not a happy place after Chelsea’s insipid defeat to Southampton. There was no holding back. Loud boos greeted the final whistle and the mood near the dugout was ugly. A fair few fans were bellowing abuse at Graham Potter and the worry for Chelsea’s head coach, who has been in the job only since September, will be that he has already lost the crowd. Chelsea supporters loved Thomas Tuchel and many do not see Potter as an upgrade on the German. There is talk of giving the Brighton manager time to build but he is not doing a good job of winning over the sceptics. Chelsea...
Manchester City face a tricky test, it’s a good time to visit Stamford Bridge and will Pedro Porro get a second chance on Sunday?With Arsenal travelling to Villa Park for Saturday’s early kick off, Manchester City will have the opportunity to capitalise on any slip-up from Mikel Arteta’s side when they take on Nottingham Forest in what might, on paper, seem a fairly straightforward assignment at the City Ground. It is one they should not take lightly following their win at the Emirates, as Forest are unbeaten in seven league matches at home, taking 15 of the past 21 points available. City’s shortcomings are few and far between but before their win over Arsenal they had lost back-to-back matches on...
Spanish teenager was brave on the ball, as was Cody Gakpo, although Liverpool also enjoyed the luck against EvertonWell, they always say the form book goes out of the window on derby day. At the conclusion of this game, as Liverpool’s players shared backslaps and embraces on the pitch, as Jürgen Klopp strode over to the Kop to punch the air with his harpoon-fist, as Anfield buzzed to the strains of “going down, going down, going down”, it was possible to sense a curious and unfamiliar vibe around this place. Two-nil against Everton. Salah on the scoresheet. Was this … normality?Things have not felt normal at Liverpool for a while. It’s not just the football, which has been cold and...