The Premier League completed up their break up spherical, in what constitutes their winter break. So let’s run by each sport that went down Saturday and Sunday, which doesn’t even permit us to get to our traditional 5 bullet factors! It’s our break, too, we guess. And sorry to any Brighton or Wolves supporters, you’ll be out within the chilly this week. However we do know that you just exist.
Liverpool 4, Bournemouth 0
I’ve spent lots of time mocking how Manchester United haven’t actually grown out of their habits underneath Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, which was only a sequence of chaotic wins or chaotic losses. There was no throughline or sample to them, extra than simply their utter silliness. Which type of blinded my red-tinted coronary heart that Liverpool, for the previous month or longer was form of doing the identical factor. They have been simply manner higher at it.
For a crew on the prime of the desk, and now 5 factors clear, Liverpool haven’t performed that factor most champions do of late and that’s put collectively a cushty win with out ever wanting like they needed to get out of the straightforward chair. Every little thing has had a degree of drama or chaos, and as Arsenal final yr discovered, that may get just a little draining come the spring.
Return by the schedule, and Liverpool’s fixtures, and also you’ll see the 4-2 win over Newcastle that statistically was probably the most dominant efforts in Premier League historical past, however that they one way or the other made fairly nervy by getting caught chilly twice, as soon as on the counter and as soon as on a set-piece. The 2 attracts at house towards Arsenal and United. Away wins at Burnley, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace the place they have been largely terrible and simply barely pulled it out. Earlier than that was the didn’t-do-the-reading-but-aced-the-test 4-3 comeback win over Fulham. You must go all the way in which again to November twelfth to a 3-0 win over Brentford at house to search out the final match that was one thing of a yawner.
Bournemouth is a form of marker. Certain, they threw in some smelly stretches. The primary half wasn’t all that good and was too fixated on bypassing Bournemouth’s press (which has develop into ferocious the previous two months) with direct and lengthy balls. At halftime, Jurgen Klopp shifted his frontline round, transferring Darwin Nunez to the center with Diogo Jota ranging from the best, however moving into the hole behind Nunez on a regular basis, and 4 objectives within the second half later, it was a waltz. They strung collectively passes with ease.
Liverpool weren’t dangerous – Nunez, Jota, and Alexis Mac Allister have been good – they usually weren’t nice both. Most weeks of a season, groups aren’t going to be both. Once they end in 4-0 wins, then you already know you’ve bought one thing price having.
Arsenal 5, Crystal Palace 0
On the alternative facet of the spectrum, can a crew have a 5-0 win that they will’t be ok with? Arsenal actually tried.
The issue for Arsenal is that they haven’t seemed all that spicy in assault of late, and two first-half objectives off corners permitting a second half the place they may simply decide off Palace on the break doesn’t actually return a verdict on that drawback. Palace took a cue from what different opponents have performed of late to the Gunners, and even switched to a back-three so they may crowd Bakayo Saka always. Marc Guehi and Tyrick Mitchell have been just about stapled to the left touchline and Saka all by the half. Arsenal had one shot on track within the opening 45 minutes.
Nonetheless, it’s 5-0, and set-play objectives rely the identical as 25-pass strikes in open play. Get your aim the way you get them. Different groups gained’t be as welcoming in these spots as Palace, although.
Brentford 3, Nottingham Forest 2
Did you hear that Ivan Toney is again? This one had a wierd air about it, a few of it due to the bizarre emotional welcoming again of Toney, who had been suspended as a result of he dedicated the last word no-no in betting on soccer. It didn’t simply occur to him, he’s accountable. And but it was apparent how necessary he’s:
The opposite side including a wierd surroundings to this, and can so as to add to any match the remainder of the season that has relegation ties to it, is that we don’t know the way a lot relegation will hinge on the outcome on the sphere. The largest consider who can be in a relegation combat and who isn’t, will go on in some convention room/Zoom assembly when Forest’s and Everton’s newest FFP violations earn punishments, and what these punishments can be. Brentford had been sliding towards the relegation zone, however we don’t know if the relegation zone will slide again away from them if these two groups are docked factors. Are courageous and scrappy performances from Forest and Everton indicators of security? Or are they pointless when these factors earned are simply taken away by one thing away from the bottom?
Each match these two play goes to have that bizarre really feel to it, as a result of a very powerful factor to each will not be what occurs on the sphere, which isn’t the place a sport ought to wish to be. Video games with Luton or Sheffield United or Burnley or Palace goes to be uneasy however unsure. It’s not one thing that the Premier League ought to wish to cling round for the remainder of the season, however it’ll.
Sheffield United 2, West Ham 2
This isn’t a penalty, huh?
West Ham will really feel aggrieved and indignant they gave away a degree to the worst crew within the league, however contemplating they’re with out Michail Antonio, Lucas Paqueta, and Mohammad Kudus, that’s nearly all of their artistic fulcrum. It is going to get hairier for them with all these gamers out, as their subsequent three video games are Bournemouth, Manchester United and Arsenal. However that’s in all probability why they’re ruing these two misplaced factors.
Observe Sam on Twitter @Felsgate and on Bluesky @Felsgate.bsky.social
