7 Things We Learned From a Thrilling Weekend of Premier League Football
Premier League leaders Chelsea fell to their second defeat in four games on Sunday, losing 2-0 at Old Trafford which saw the gap to second-placed Spurs slashed to just four points.
But as the title-race
ramps up a notch so does the pursuit for a place in the top-four, with
both Manchester clubs as well as Everton and Liverpool all picking up
wins in their respective outings.
There were yet more
defeats for the struggling Hull and Swansea at the bottom of the table,
but at least Sunderland were on hand to pick up their first point in
seven games after contesting a 2-2 draw with West Ham.
But as ever with English football there were far more talking points with another action-packed weekend across the country, here are seven talking points
7. Mignolet Redeems Himself With Stunning Display Against West Brom
Liverpool
goalkeeper Simon Mignolet put in a brilliant performance in a 1-0 win
over West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday, making a number of
top-quality saves to keep an all-important clean sheet.
The Belgian shot-stopper
looked as though his time was up at Anfield earlier this season after
being dropped for summer-signing Loris Karius, but he has clawed his way
back into Jurgen Klopp's plans with consistent displays in the
Liverpool goal.
While many are
suggesting that Klopp will look to the summer transfer window to bolster
his goalkeeping options, with a potential move for Man City's Joe Hart
on the cards, Mignolet's inspired form could force him to think again
and show trust in his current options.
6. Can Tottenham Keep Winning And Go the Distance?
Mauricio
Pochettino's Tottenham slashed the gap to league-leaders Chelsea to
just four points this weekend after recording their seventh straight
win.
Spurs now have four
consecutive London derbies against Chelsea in the FA Cup as well as
Palace, Arsenal and West Ham in the league, and if they are to win their
first top-flight title in 56 years they will almost certainly have to
win all four.
With the Blues losing
twice in their last four games momentum is definitely with Tottenham as
the season winds down, star-striker Harry Kane believes his side can
inflict a 'psychological blow' on their rivals in the FA Cup semi-final this weekend.
5. Man Utd Boss Jose Mourinho Proves He 'Is Still Number One' After Beating Chelsea
There
was a war of words between Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho and Chelsea's
Antonio Conte before Sunday's showdown clash at Old Trafford, and with
the Red Devils coming out on top in a 2-0 win, bragging rights are
parked firmly in Mourinho's camp this weekend.
The self-professed
'Special One' tactically outfought his opposite number on Sunday,
stopping the Blues from having a single shot on target for the first
time in 10 years.
The Red Devils also
looked far better than Chelsea going forward, scoring twice through
Rashford and Herrera, but it was the way Man Utd worked off the ball
that particularly impressed.
United are now four
points off City and the elusive top-four, but with the Manchester derby
just over a week away, Mourinho will be hoping his side can trump their
local-rivals and sneak into next season's Champions League.
4. Bilic's Judgement Called Into Question as Randolph Retains Place Over Adrian
West
Ham fans were bemused at seeing Irishman Darren Randolph retain his
place in between the sticks against Sunderland on Saturday, even more so
when the 29-year-old made two howlers to surrender two points at the
Stadium of Light.
Last season's reliable number one, Adrian, hasn't played in the Premier League since November and a number of fans are calling for clarity on the Spanish shot-stopper's position at the club.
Randolph's inability to
command his box at corners proved costly again on Saturday as
Sunderland's Wahbi Khazri floated a ball straight into the top-corner
with Randolph in a muddle on the floor.
He made a similar fault
when Andrea Ranocchia headed in a winner against the Hammers a couple of
weeks ago, and again when West Brom grabbed a 94th minute equaliser at
the London Stadium in February.
With just five games
left Bilic needs to be bold and make the decision to drop Randolph, even
if his side are in the market for a new goalkeeper this summer.
3. Everton Set Sights on Top Four After Leapfrogging Arsenal Into Sixth
Everton,
albeit temporarily, leapfrogged Arsenal into sixth after recording
their second straight win in a 3-1 victory over Burnley.
Ronald Koeman's side
have continued to go from strength to strength this season, sitting just
seven points behind fourth-placed Man City and three points behind Man
Utd in fifth. And while Champions League qualification may be a bridge
too far for the Toffees, they have certainly done enough to be proud of
their performance this season.
Romelu Lukaku scored the
third and final goal in the win at Goodison Park but the Belgian
striker's future at the club remains a pertinent talking points.
The 23-year-old
reportedly rejected a contract offer from Everton, holding out for a
Champions League club, but if Everton can continue their sold form he
may be able to stay put this summer and still play in the competition
next season.
2. Black Cats Squander Survival Hopes After Failing to Beat West Ham
Sunderland
and West Ham are probably the two worst teams in the division at
present in terms of form, which is why it was quite a surprise to see
the two sides contest a thrilling encounter at the Stadium of Light on
Sunday.
The hosts will have felt
hard done by not to take all three points by the end as West Ham looked
totally out of sorts after Sam Byram received a red-card in
stoppage-time.
David Moyes' side hadn't
scored in seven games before Saturday but they were helped by two
goalkeeping howlers from West Ham's Darren Randolph, who did all he
could to help Sunderland's survival hopes.
Sunderland are now nine points away from safety, leading David Moyes to pray to the 'football gods' to avoid almost-certain relegation.
1. Big Sam Redeems Himself With Palace After England Job Humiliation
It's
been a whirlwind season for Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce; he
was appointed a dream role of being England manager after Euro 2016,
only to be sacked 67 days later following a corruption sting.
Big Sam was then tasked
with keeping Crystal Palace in the Premier League after Alan Pardew left
the Eagles in dire straights at the lower end of the table.
Although he started off
slowly in south-east London Allardyce has now lifted Palace eight points
above the relegation zone after this weekend's draw with Leicester, a
worthy position for a manager who is the king when it comes to avoiding
relegation.
POSTED BY:OPUOMONI PRIYE
DATE:04/17/2017
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