Premier League Week 23: United Shock Arsenal; Chelsea Soar; Liverpool Get Their Wind Knocked Out
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Estevao produced a match-winning performance for Chelsea in a week where Liverpool slipped, and Arsenal took a body blow from United, writes Manik Sharma.
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United shock Arsenal with craft and courage IF A HANDFUL OF OPTIMISTS predicted United would get something away to Arsenal, no one could have visualised the nature of their performance. United, predictably, played with a low-block and on the counter but rarely looked concerned by Arsenal’s attempts to break them open. Instead, it was at the other end that the Gunners looked rattled, almost stunned by the intensity with which United approached this game. On a day when even Declan Rice looked slow and tired, Bruno Fernandes stood out as the exceptional player on the pitch, orchestrating the game, beating the Arsenal press and playing key passes that relieved pressure at key junctures. For Mikel Arteta’s incredible squad and depth, this was a curiously hamstrung performance. Both of Arsenal’s goals were fortuitous, whereas all three of United’s goals showcased elements of class. It’s not how everyone looks at the present state of both clubs. The gunners need not panic, but they need to find a solution for goals beyond set-pieces. WATCH | Arsenal vs Manchester United (2-3) match highlights |
City’s new signings make their mark in awkward home win In the dying minutes at the Etihad, a moment of defensive grit caught the eye. New signing Marc Guehi and left-back Nico O Reilly slid in tandem to block a last-ditch shot on goal. Both bore the brunt of the ball’s force, and both got back up, jubilant at the synchronised act of bravado. These are bizarre days at City, where defensive resilience has suddenly taken the mantle of identity. Or at least replaced Guardiola-ball with a more urgent, if unsexy brand of football. Both of City’s January signings — Semenyo scored a brilliant goal — impressed, but the larger writing on the wall is a bit of a scrubbed line that can neither claim its attacking nor declare itself defensive; neither masterly in midfield nor fierocious in attack. Haaland has gone off the boil, Rodri looks a shadow of his old self, and City’s defensive woes have already forced them to dip into the market and poach an overnight fix in the form of the former Palace captain Guehi. Both signings have already started paying the club back, but this version of City feels more patched together than engineered in Guardiola's genius lab. Psst...You can watch the match highlights here on JioHotstar, now available with your OTTplay Premium subscription. Fulham’s Harry Wilson must be the MVP of the season so far What more must Harry Wilson do to make everyone’s Premier League team of the season? His catalogue of goals is a highlight reel that most elite footballers would be proud of over a career. His touch, pace, inventiveness and cutting edge have made him the fulcrum of a Fulham team that is punching well above its weight. So wild and ferocious has been his rise, the 28-year-old must be on the radar of bigger clubs come the summer. Against Brighton — the better team on the night — Wilson produced another moment of brilliance: a stunning free-kick in the dying minutes. He has bloomed late, but Welshman’s next move could decide how he looks back on a career that has found a new upper ceiling this season. For now, the lack of transfer talk around the Wilson must give the Cottagers hope that he could, much like his form, lift the London club to a place in the table they haven’t experienced before. |
Liverpool rediscover familiar failings in last-ditch loss For Arne Slot, the lasting image of this not-too-surprising loss away to Bournemouth would be the lethargic, tired frame of Virgil Van Dijk trying to passively block a pullback, only to concede the game’s first goal. Against a Bournemouth side, without their attacker-in-chief, Antoine Semenyo, Liverpool began horridly, got better in the second half to reclaim parity before being blown away by an attacking blitz that only underlined just how feeble their backline is. Mo Salah returned to the starting line-up, Szoboszlai scored another peach, but familiar failings found their way to creep into a performance that never really took off. For Slot, most alarmingly, his captain and inspiration looks past his best. Van Dijk redeemed himself with a headed goal, but his races look run against teams willing to go toe to toe with the Reds. WATCH | The Best Saves & The Best Goals of Matchweek 23 here only on OTTplay. Estevao steps up to steer Chelsea past Palace It’s hard to tell if Chelsea’s new manager, Liam Rosenior, has had any creative or strategic impact on the team yet. The system and patterns seem familiar. The issues, too. Chelsea need an established striker, better defenders and certainly a more reliable keeper. Neither of those problems will be addressed in the January transfer window. Rosenior must reinvent the wheel with the exact raw material the previous manager was asked to work with. Away to Palace, Chelsea produced a dominant, if somewhat incoherent, performance where the brilliance of Estevao pulled them over the line. Frustratingly, rarely do all of Chelsea’s attacking players click together. While Estevao and Jao Pedro scored, Pedro Neto struggled. No bucket has been kicked yet, but one must wonder what Rosenoir could eke out of a good but inconsistent squad. Managers can, after all, only recycle the sum total of the strengths and weaknesses in front of them. Getting the most out of his promising but underperforming wingers would be a start. Watch the Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (3-1) match here on OTTplay. |
Postscript: Unai Emery for the United job Is there a better manager in the league than Unai Emery? Considering how Aston Villa started the season, it’s a minor miracle where thje club finds itself with more than half of the season gone. Emery will surely lead Villa back into the Champions League, with a tenth of the resources that bigger clubs around him can turn to. Villa’s lack of transfer activity in January and meagre but intelligent additions prove just how good a coach Emery has been. His spell at Arsenal did not go as planned, but for a United hot seat that doesn’t exactly need a title tilt, but simply the foundation of a new legacy, Emery ought to be the step-up guy. He can work on shoestring budgets, and United are unlikely to hand out a blank cheque to whoever replaces Michael Carrick in the summer. Premier League matches come to you live and exclusive on JioHotstar, with an OTTplay Premium subscription for only Rs 149 per month. Don’t miss a minute! |
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