Buendía the architect of City’s bad day, Arsenal were woeful in defence and Maguire deserved better from Leicester fansThe Dozen: our pick of the weekend’s best picturesThe way in which Norwich turned a negative into a positive was quite something. With nigh-on a full team of players out injured, the odds of stopping Manchester City looked insurmountable. Instead Daniel Farke’s men gave their best performance of the season by far, not only cutting the champions open but looking solid at the back for the first time. There was kudos for the debutants in defence, Sam Byram and Ibrahim Amadou, but also for more seasoned Norwich players. Emi Buendía and Marco Stiepermann were central to a buccaneering style in the Championship...
Bruce might have what it takes at Anfield, Manchester United and Spurs under pressure and a six-pointer at the Amex?Newcastle don’t have much of a record at Anfield. They’ve not won there since Steve Watson knocked Roy Evans’s side out of the League Cup in 1995; they’ve not tasted league victory there since Andrew Cole and Robert Lee secured a 2-0 win in 1994. It’s been mainly defeats ever since, though they did get a point three years ago against a starting XI featuring Alberto Moreno, Connor Randall and Kevin Stewart. The Magpies won’t be flying down the A1 with too much hope in their hearts, then. Liverpool are on a 13-match Premier League winning run, and Mo Salah and...
Tottenham were outlasted by Arsenal in the 2-2 draw at the Emirates, a turnaround from the declining years of Arsène Wenger’s reignIt was undeniably thrilling, but was it any good? The north London derby ebbed and flowed, swept from one end to the other, was replete with thrills and spills, shots and saves, big tackles and defensive errors, but in the anarchy and the fun, perhaps, lay the reason neither of these sides will seriously challenge for the title this season. Ultimately, neither could enforce anything resembling control. Related: Aubameyang completes comeback and earns Arsenal draw against Spurs Continue reading...
There are defensive issues for Arsenal, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Manchester City, while Fabinho shone for Liverpool The Dozen: our pick of the weekend’s best photos You have to wonder what was going through the minds of the Arsenal hierarchy over the summer when they belatedly decided that David Luiz was the answer to their defensive issues. There is no doubting the positives of the Brazilian’s play; David Luiz can change games with his passing and prowess in the opposition box but his propensity for switching off is there for all to see. Unai Emery played three defensive midfielders at home against Tottenham, and one suspects he has limited faith in his defence, as proved by the counterattack for the opener,...
Spurs were an incisive attacking machine thanks to Eriksen but as Arsenal’s influence grew their dependency was evidentBolt the door. Cut the phone line. Gum the Real Madrid email servers with a barrage of online phishing scams. If Daniel Levy really is the master of the dark arts of transfer window brinkmanship, Tottenham Hotspur’s chairman will surely have a few Monday morning plans for Christian Eriksen.A helicopter trip to the Isle of Jura perhaps, or a long drive through the pine forest wastelands in a lead‑lined limousine. Related: Aubameyang completes comeback and earns Arsenal draw against Spurs Continue reading...