The 10 things we learned from the Premier League
Arsenal can’t afford any more slip-ups, Chelsea return might not have been wise for Frank Lampard and the Sean Dyche effect is quickly fading at Everton… 10 THINGS WE LEARNED from the Premier League
- Manchester City closed the gap to Arsenal to just four points at the top
- There were impressive wins for the likes of Brighton, Aston Villa and Liverpool
- Elsewhere there were poor defeats for the likes of Leeds, Everton and Tottenham
It was another fascinating weekend of action in the Premier League, as the title race between Arsenal and Manchester City continues to spice up.
Just over a week ago, the Gunners would have been feeling a lot more confident about their chances of a first title in 19 seasons.
However, consecutive 2-2 draws with Liverpool and West Ham – both games they held a 2-0 lead in – will have Man City feeling very confident that they can retain their title.
Elsewhere, the fight for the top-four continues to heat up, while a number of sides are starting to pull themselves away from the fierce relegation scrap.
Mail Sport’s Kieran Lynch takes a deeper look and picks out 10 things that we learned from the weekend’s action.
Arsenal’s inexperience starting to show
Talk of Arsenal ‘bottling’ the title has heightened after they threw away a two-goal lead for the second week in succession, meaning they are just four points ahead of Man City – who have a game in hand, and are also due to play the Gunners at the Etihad.
A draw at Anfield is far from a disaster, but there will be big concerns that they failed to hold onto a lead against a West Ham side who have struggled this season and lost their last game at home 5-1 to Newcastle.
Pundits including Gary Neville have long suggested that this would be the time of season where Arsenal’s inexperience would start to show and he has not been wrong so far.
Four dropped points has left them vulnerable to Man City behind and they will need to hold their nerve if they are to end their long title drought. That starts with what should be a comfortable three points against bottom of the league Southampton on Friday, before they face City in what could be the pivotal game of the season next week.
Arsenal have put themselves under more pressure after giving away 2-0 leads in two games
Man City’s confidence growing by the match
While the pressure of the title race appears to be getting to Arsenal, Man City’s confidence is growing by the match.
In their last six games they have scored 27 goals and they look unstoppable. Their 3-1 victory over Leicester at the weekend never looked in doubt.
Next week’s clash with Arsenal could prove decisive, and then Pep Guardiola’s side have a favourable run-in towards the end of the Premier League.
The Spaniard will be keen to ensure the Champions League is not a distraction and with Erling Haaland scoring goals for fun and the way the team is playing – they stand a real shot of an incredible treble.
Meanwhile, Haaland matched Mohamed Salah’s record of 32 goals in a 38-game season and it’s a matter of if not when the Norwegian breaks the all-time Premier League record set by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.
Erling Haaland made it 47 goals in all competitions for Man City with a brace against Leicester
Chelsea return not wise for Lampard
It doesn’t matter who Chelsea sign or bring in as manager, nothing they do seems to help in turning their miserable season around.
Frank Lampard’s return to Stamford Bridge has caretaker boss has not gone well, and their 2-1 loss to Brighton makes it three defeats on the bounce – and they deserved to lose to the Seagulls by a bigger margin.
It would be a big surprise going off their current form if they can overturn a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League and they still have the likes of Man City, Arsenal and Newcastle to play this season.
It raises the question of how wise it was for Lampard to return to Stamford Bridge at a time where it was clear that it was going to be a massive job to turn things around and with the Blues likely to hire a permanent manager to replace him.
His last 17 games as a manager at Chelsea and Everton has seen him win just one game out of 17 – a 6% win record. That will need to change to boost his own managerial hopes if his time at Chelsea is a short one.
Frank Lampard has been unable to turn around Chelsea’s fortunes since rejoining the club
Antony offers reminder of his potential
It has been an interesting debut season for Antony at Manchester United.
There is no question that he is supremely talented and can cause problems by cutting in from the touchline, gliding past defenders and showing great on-ball skills.
However, his performances have been inconsistent, he has given the ball away a lot and hasn’t scored the number of goals he should have.
But against Nottingham Forest the Brazilian scored his first Premier League goal since scoring in three consecutive games at the start of the season. He also created the second with a perfectly weighted pass.
There were some flaws in his performance though but at 23 in his first Premier League season, his performance against Forest was a reminder of what he can deliver and is a player who can make a difference at United for years to come.
Antony had one of his better games in a Manchester United shirt against Nottingham Forest
Brighton midfielders could be Bellingham alternative
Liverpool were disappointed to have to pull out of the Jude Bellingham race, but in their search for other midfield recruitments, then Brighton pair Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister should be near the top of their list.
Caicedo in particular produced a dominant performance against Chelsea with a game-leading nine tackles – compared to Chelsea’s entire midfield who combined for just two. He was also tenacious off the ball and cool and composed while on it.
Argentine World Cup winner Mac Allister also had another fine display and both he and Caicedo will be attracting top clubs across Europe for their performances.
However, it won’t be easy for Liverpool, or any other club to swoop the pair up given Brighton have a strong chance to qualify for Europe next season – with an outside shot of the Champions League.
They would demand huge money to lose either of their two valuable assets.
Moises Caicedo (right) was arguably the star of the show in Brighton’s victory over Chelsea
Liverpool find Alexander-Arnold solution
On the other hand, Liverpool might have found one way to sort their midfield issues out as Trent Alexander-Arnold put in an incredible performance during Liverpool’s 6-1 victory over Leeds.
Starting at right back, he has drifted more centrally and played in a more advanced role in games and on Monday night, Alexander-Arnold had over 140 touches and was able to showcase his passing dexterity as he dictated the play to help rip Leeds apart.
The 24-year-old has often been criticised for his defensive displays this season but the hybrid role Jurgen Klopp has used him in over the past two games has shown the best qualities of the Liverpool star.
Liverpool will need to spend a lot of money on their midfield this summer, but with Alexander-Arnold perhaps they don’t need to spend quite as much as they would have thought.
Trent Alexander-Arnold put in a stunning performance in his new hybrid role against Leeds
Stars staking England claims
Gareth Southgate was at Villa Park on Saturday to see Aston Villa take a hugely impressive 3-0 victory over Newcastle.
One man who would have caught the eye was striker Ollie Watkins, who has scored 14 goals this season – 12 of which since the World Cup under Unai Emery.
If there is any player deserving a call-up after some time away from the England senior squad, it’s the Villa striker.
Tyrone Mings also could be back in the mind of Southgate as he has also been playing some of his best football since Emery was appointed.
Eberechi Eze scored both goals for Crystal Palace against Southampton, and if he continues his recent performances then he will give the Three Lions boss something to think about.
Ollie Watkins has helped fire Aston Villa into contention for Europe as they now sit 6th in the table
Dyche impact starting to fade
Towards the bottom of the table, the new-manager bounce that Everton got after the appointment of Sean Dyche, already appears to be fading.
The Toffees collected six points from his first three games in charge and have gathered only six more from their last eight outings.
Fulham arrived at Goodison Park on the back of a five-game losing streak and departed with a massive 3-1 victory over Everton.
The Toffees were undoubtedly weakened by the absences of Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucoure, but there was a worrying lack of creativity.
There was a fear of relegation in the air at Goodison Park following the match. Other results kept them out of the bottom three but on current form there is a real chance they could lose their top-flight status for the first time in 69 years.
Everton are in real danger of losing their top-flight status for the first time in 69 years
Relegation race starting to slim down
Just a few weeks ago there was talk that anybody from 12th to 20th could be relegated in the Premier League.
However, a number of those sides are now starting to pull themselves away from danger.
Crystal Palace now have a nine-point gap after their risky decision to bring Roy Hodgson back to the club has led to them picking up three wins on the bounce.
Wolves and Bournemouth have also picked up two wins on the bounce and are starting to close in on safety, while West Ham now have a four point gap to the bottom three after their draw with Arsenal – with a game in hand.
On the other hand, there were defeats for Leeds, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Leicester and Southampton and it looks at present the relegation scrap is between those five teams.
Leeds are among the teams who can’t pull themselves away from the relegation fight
O’Neil should be a manager of the season contender
After Bournemouth’s 9-0 loss to Liverpool in August – their third defeat in a row – many had already written their chances of surviving relegation off.
The decision to replace Scott Parker with Gary O’Neil wouldn’t have excited many Cherries fans and by mid-January it looked as though Bournemouth could be on their way down.
But five wins in their last nine games – including over the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham at the weekend – has meant that they have opened up a six point gap to the bottom three.
Though there is still work to be done, if they are able to maintain their current pace and ensure survival, O’Neil would have to be a contender for manager of the season.
Their depth is not as good as some of those teams around them in the relegation fight, and O’Neil is getting everything out of his players to make sure they play Premier League football for the second season in a row.
Bournemouth are closing in on Premier League safety in a season where little gave them a chance
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