With Premier League football heading into its final month, Nick Miller looks back at all the highs and lows in the Premier League this weekend.
Goal of the weekend
It won’t be remembered as fondly as the last time a Newcastle player lobbed a Schmeichel, but technically speaking Ayoze Perez’s goal against Kasper in 2018 was better than Philippe Albert’s over Peter in 1996.
There is something very pleasing about a lob. Maybe it’s the time we have to appreciate the skill — with most goals we don’t know they’re going in until they do, but as the ball sailed towards the Leicester net on Saturday, we had time to drink it in.
Performance of the weekend
The great thing about Paul Pogba’s performance in the Manchester derby is that it provides ammo for whichever opinion you happen to hold about the midfielder. In the first half he did little while looking like he was trying to do a lot — too much perhaps, trying too hard do everything himself. Then after the break he scored two goals against the best team in the country, turned the game and saved United from having to watch their rivals win the league in front of them.
This showed why people are both dazzled and infuriated by Pogba, frustrated that he can be so bad then so good in the same game. But it also showed something else, that when he is ticking United have the capacity to beat anyone, but when he isn’t they can barely beat anyone.
Still, at least this might shut up anyone complaining about his blue hair.
Assurance of the weekend
Manchester City are still going to win the Premier League.
Manager of the weekend
Votes have probably already been cast for the end of season awards, and few would have a problem with either Sean Dyche, Pep Guardiola or maybe even Carlos Carvalhal being named manager of the year. But perhaps the outstanding candidate is Rafa Benitez.
He was very much trying to avoid tempting fate after Newcastle’s win over Leicester put them on 38 points, 10 clear of the bottom three, but that tally would have been enough for survival in all but three seasons since West Ham went down with 42 in 2003.
They’re not only fine, but they’re in the top-half of the table and could finish there. All this comes with a squad very similar to that which won promotion from the Championship — not out of managerial choice or loyalty, but because Benitez has been broadly hamstrung by factors beyond his control. Hopefully Newcastle’s current owners, and more importantly whoever follows, realise how lucky they are to have him.
Pass of the weekend
Dele Alli got the assist for Christian Eriksen’s opener for Tottenham, but he wouldn’t have been able to do anything were it not for the brilliant ball by Mousa Dembele to carve a hole in the Stoke defence. He is, as Mauricio Pochettino will repeatedly tell you, quite good.
Defensive performance of the weekend
The eye-catcher was obviously leaving a cross alone to allow Shane Long’s goal, but Shkodran Mustafi was lucky not to gift Southampton a goal in the a few minutes before the first after, for some reason, attempting a head-high clearance with his right foot. Whoever is Arsenal manager next season, one of their main tasks will be to either replace or revitalise Mustafi.
Troubling trend of the weekend
Josh King’s late equaliser for Bournemouth on Saturday was the fourth time in the last six games Crystal Palace have conceded a goal in the last 10 minutes of a match. Against Liverpool, Tottenham or Manchester United you could write it off as simply a good team eventually wearing a struggler down, but it’s less easy to explain away against Bournemouth.
It’s a curiosity that in those four games Roy Hodgson has only made a substitution before the 80th minute once, and against Bournemouth he didn’t make any at all. The obvious explanation is that his squad is so thin there’s little point in bringing on inferior players, but it’s perhaps not a surprise that a weary team without the help of fresh legs keeps letting late goals in. Coincidentally or otherwise, both of Bournemouth’s goals were scored by substitutes.
Surprising development of the weekend
Is Joe Hart good again now? In the fast-paced world of football, where judgements are reached with indecent haste then rapidly made to look foolish, it probably isn’t wise to herald his return to form too emphatically. But Hart was clearly much closer to his old self against Chelsea than he has been for much of his West Ham tenure.
At the very least, a few more games like that will certainly help Hart’s chances of going to the World Cup, which looked in some jeopardy.
Unwelcome point of the weekend
In theory, a hard-fought away point after scoring a goal for the first time in over seven hours of Premier League football should be celebrated. But it isn’t enough for Huddersfield. Only one win since the start of the year means they’re fifth-bottom of the table and looking over their shoulder.
They could really have done with a victory against Brighton, because after upcoming home games against Watford and Everton, their last three fixtures are against Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. They need at least one more win, preferably two, and they can’t bank on getting them against those three.
Substitution of the weekend
In the second half of Saturday’s stultifying Merseyside derby, Sam Allardyce brought on Idrissa Gueye for Wayne Rooney and Beni Banigimine for Tom Davies, bringing the total of defensive midfielders in the Everton team to three.
This against a Liverpool side who, as Jurgen Klopp basically admitted after the game, were just trying to survive ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Manchester City. If you want a neat summary of why Allardyce is not universally popular at Goodison Park, there it is.
Nick Miller is a writer for ESPN FC, covering Premier League and European football. Follow him on Twitter @NickMiller79.
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