Premier League and beyond: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
1) Tierney leaves Klopp bemused by decisions
Jürgen Klopp spent much of the pulsating 2-2 draw with Tottenham frothing with rage at some of the refereeing decisions and his anger was more than justified. We all have bad days at the office, but certain elements of Paul Tierney’s display were inexplicably poor. Diogo Jota was denied a blindingly obvious penalty in the first half, before Harry Kane escaped with a yellow card for a potentially careerending tackle on Andy Robertson. Robertson was smart enough to jump, without which the damage would have been severe. “That’s definitely a red card ... if Robbo’s leg is on the ground, it’s a broken leg,” Klopp correctly told Sky Sports after the match. Robertson was subsequently sent off in the second half for kicking Emerson Royal, a blatant act but far less serious, in terms of the level of danger to his opponent, than Kane’s tackle. Referees have a hard job, and Tierney should have been better supported by the VAR, but consistency and common sense were nowhere to be seen at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. Luke McLaughlin
Match report: Tottenham 2-2 Liverpool
2) Spurs’ forgotten men given chance to shine
Dele Alli made his first Premier League start since a 45-minute appearance in a north London derby drubbing in late September during Nuno Espírito Santo’s failed reign. He was joined in the side against Liverpool by Tanguy Ndombele who was also starting his first league game under Antonio Conte, as the Italian looked to give his squad players a chance to demonstrate he does not need to do much business in January. Considering their lack of action, they both acquitted themselves well in a frenetic match, as Alli earned two chances by getting beyond the Liverpool defence, the first saved superbly by Alisson and the second ended with him getting a hand in the back from Trent Alexander-Arnold. It is those runs that Alli has struggled to make in recent years, coinciding with his downturn in form. He was struggling physically in the second half but made the effort for the 80 minutes he was on the pitch, which should give Conte hope that he should persevere with Alli for the rest of the season. Will Unwin
3) Cancelo excels as most modern of full-backs
As the Manchester City fans sung the name of Pablo Zabaleta high up in St James’ Park, they witnessed their latest all-action full-back score his third of the season to go with seven assists. João Cancelo has proved himself on both sides of the defence, from where he wanders into midfield - and anywhere else he wants - to wreak havoc against unsuspecting opposition. He created the first goal thanks to his determination (and Ciaran Clark’s incompetence) – it is that level of desire that made Zabaleta a cult hero in east Manchester. Cancelo’s goal was everything he has shown going forward this season, as he moved into space in the centre of the pitch, before dribbling at defenders who refused to commit, giving him time and space to drill a precise shot beyond Martin Dubravka. Maybe City fans should come up with an iconic song for a soon-to-be club icon. Will Unwin
Match report: Newcastle 0-4 Manchester City
4) Howe needs to work with what he’s got
“All that money and you’re going down,” chorused Manchester City fans as they watched their side canter to a 4-0 win on Tyneside. Eddie Howe’s problem is that he has not had a chance to spend any of the Saudi millions and, when he gets the opportunity next month, Newcastle’s league position is likely to remain too dire to attract top players. Right now all Howe can do is work with the existing personnel and his transformation of Joelinton from shot-shy centre forward to the sort of midfield enforcer who might fancy his chances against Roy Keane bodes extremely well. Conversely, Joe Willock has regressed and Newcastle’s defence is as bad - if not worse - than ever. It was surely unwise to stick with a back four rather than revert to a five against City. When Federico Fernández recovers from injury Howe must recall his Argentinian centre-half. Louise Taylor
Manchester City enjoy Sunday stroll in their north-east happy place
5) Ødegaard shows his worth by unleashing Arsenal’s attack
First, the caveat: inferior teams to
Arsenal would have had fun against a decimated Leeds in the first half on Saturday, such was the hosts’ determination to persist with a high-risk game their resources simply could not sustain. Now that is out of the way, it feels appropriate to celebrate the best player on the pitch. Martin Ødegaard was in irresistible form, using the space he was given to create a near-endless stream of chances in that opening 45 minutes, and got the assist he deserved late on with a delicious scooped pass for Emile Smith Rowe. It is hard to believe Ødegaard is only 23 and, after a relatively quiet start to his permanent deal at Arsenal, over the last month he has shown why Mikel Arteta’s pursuit of his services was justified. The Norway captain could even be a contender to take Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s relinquished armband in the medium term and seems, at last, en route to fulfilling his lavish potential. Nick Ames
Match report: Leeds 1-4 Arsenal
6) Tuchel needs to be more flexible
Thomas Tuchel has been wedded to a back three since taking over at Chelsea. He feels that the system guards against Thiago Silva’s ageing legs in central defence and ensures that Jorginho is not overpowered in central midfield. However that approach can reduce Chelsea’s options in attack. Perhaps Tuchel needs to be more flexible. He could have adjusted his formation after seven players were forced into isolation before the goalless draw with Wolves. With Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz missing, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech were an unconvincing front three. Meanwhile Ben Chilwell’s knee injury has dimmed Chelsea’s threat from left wing-back and there are rarely any goals from Tuchel’s two No 6s in midfield. In that context why not tweak the approach for what was a mustwin game? Could Chelsea have given themselves more threat by dropping a defender and starting Ross Barkley in midfield?
Match report: Wolves 0-0 Chelsea
7) Supporters forgotten about in postponements
For the second time in a week, Burnley saw their game called off within three hours of the scheduled kick-off. Like Watford’s Wednesday visit to Turf Moor, Saturday’s trip to Villa Park was scrapped because of rising Covid-19 cases among the opposition squad. The Burnley chairman, Alan Pace, said after Saturday’s postponement that top-flight players who remain unvaccinated “may have to choose a different career”. His position might draw sympathy from some Burnley fans who, like Pace, had already arrived in Birmingham, Covid passes loaded up, only to find the game called off. The Omicron variant’s rapid spread has created a chaotic, fast-moving situation with a host of factors involved in making late calls, but fans should be among them. On a weekend where Bournemouth fans expressed their displeasure over a lunchtime kick-off in Middlesbrough, the supporters who spent so long locked out of English grounds cannot simply be overlooked. Niall McVeigh
Aston Villa Covid outbreak forces game with Burnley to be postponed
8) Kyogo will be attracting interest from Premier League
Supporters of either half of the Old Firm do not tend to take kindly to any sense that their players are being ‘sold’ by neutral observers. It is treated as some kind of affront that a footballer’s lifetime ambitions may not begin and end with trips to Ross County or St Johnstone. In the case of Kyogo Furuhashi, it should be taken as a high compliment that a move to the Premier League is wholly legitimate just months after he swapped Vissel Kobe for Celtic. Kyogo has the clear capability to, at the very least, play for teams in the middle rump of England’s top flight. This is a player with wonderful movement, a glorious first touch and a ruthless finishing streak. At £4.5m, he looks an absolute steal for Ange Postecoglou. January desperation means bids of umpteen times that amount are not at all difficult to foresee. It already feels a case of when, not if, the outstanding Kyogo is afforded sterner tests. Ewan Murray
Match report: Hibernian 1-2 Celtic
9) Rovers dreaming of top-flight return
When Fulham won 7-0 at Ewood Park in early November, it looked like the automatic promotion battle would be nothing of the sort. Since then, Marco Silva’s side and fellow pacesetters Bournemouth have stumbled, both winless in their last four. Even more surprising is Blackburn’s revival since that defeat, winning at Bournemouth and Stoke before Saturday’s 4-0 rout of Birmingham sent them third. Tony Mowbray has forged a skilful but solid team made up of young talents, canny loan recruits and secondtier stalwarts. Leading the line is Ben Brereton Díaz, a different player since his unexpected call-up for Chile. The forward has 19 league goals already this season, having scored 17 across his six previous Championship campaigns. He has already been linked with a January move, and Mowbray accepts that big-money offers may prove hard to turn down. The manager is not prepared to ‘mortgage the club’ to end Rovers’ 10-year top-flight exile, but his inexpensively assembled side are already making the promotion race much more interesting. Niall McVeigh
Ben Brereton Díaz stars again as Blackburn hit four
10) Injury-hit Napoli earn their luck in Milan
This may yet become another season when Napoli are left wondering what might have been. But this gritty, narrow success against a strangely lacklustre Milan felt like it carried huge significance in the race for the Serie A title. Luciano Spalletti’s squad is ravaged by injury, with Kalidou Koulibaly and Victor Oshimen both sidelined, among others, but Elif Elmas’s early header from Piotr Zielinski’s exquisite delivery was enough to take three points. Napoli also enjoyed a generous helping of luck when Franck Kessié’s last-minute effort for Milan was ruled out via a marginal offside call against Olivier Giroud. The Rossoneri’s riotous celebrations were brought to an abrupt halt after the referee took a look at the monitor and ruled the goal out – but Napoli had earned that good fortune with their steely performance. Spezia visit on Wednesday, after which fans in Naples should be celebrating Christmas believing that the leaders Internazionale can be caught and ultimately vanquished.
This article was amended on 20 December 2021 because an earlier version referred to the Liverpool v Tottenham game taking place at the London Stadium when the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was meant