Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
Haaland’s off-day nothing to fret about
Erling Haaland had nine shots and failed to score a single goal against Chelsea. It will get many people supremely worked up, so they can knock down one of the best strikers in the world. Has Haaland lost his powers? No, he’s just had an underwhelming game. There were a couple of poor finishes, a fine save and a few last-ditch blocks to prevent Haaland adding to his 16 Premier League goals this term. How will Haaland recover from this heinous 90-minute slump? Probably by taking his frustration out against Brentford on Tuesday where he should get a similar number of chances. He is the top scorer in the league for a reason and has the best goal-to-game ratio around, so there’s little need to be too harsh.
Annoyance might have taken hold on Saturday but Haaland knows how to harness that. Will Unwin Match report: Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
Casemiro looks a liability for United
Luton were entitled to wonder how Casemiro escaped a second yellow card as they began to overrun Manchester United towards the end of the first half. Perhaps his tackle on Ross Barkley was below the required tariff for a bookable offence but the Brazilian, struggling to replicate the influence of last season, had become a liability, his half-time substitution a necessity. A leading item for whoever becomes United’s sporting director is how to solve a midfield problem for which Casemiro cannot be the long-term answer. Sir Dave Brailsford, looking on, surely noted it down. Erik ten Hag could point to a truckload of missed chances and a fivegame winning streak but his team continues to lack control. The previous week Luton were dominated in midfield by rock-bottom Sheffield United but there were spells when Ross Barkley and Albert Sambi Lokonga lorded it as Luton rained 22 shots on their visi
tors’ goal. John Brewin
Match report: Luton 1-2 Manchester United
Havertz thrives on Arsenal’s fluency
Asked to explain Arsenal’s transformation into a rampant, dominant machine that have averaged 4.2 goals per game over the past five matches, Mikel Arteta replied: “The connection of the players is flowing.” There was no clearer demonstration of that at Burnley than the understanding between Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz. Arsenal’s captain deserved the plaudits but the £65m summer signing who cannot be pigeonholed was also unplayable. Havertz’s movement from his midfield pocket disrupted Burnley time and again, and Ødegaard’s ability to find him resulted in a punishing afternoon for Vincent Kompany’s outclassed side. The Germany international heads back this week to Porto, where he scored Chelsea’s winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final, in perfectly timed form. “We all trust ourselves and we know what quality we all have,” said Havertz on Arsenal’s recent improvement. “You know, it’s not the end now. We keep being focused because I know you guys – after one game without five goals you’re going to write we need a striker!” Andy Hunter
Match report: Burnley 0-5 Arsenal
Caicedo must step up for improving Blues
Finally, Chelsea resemble a football team. This should not be a surprise - – they have good players and Mauricio Pochettino is a good manager, just one forced to disentangle the different facets of Todd Boehly’s football genius. But three weeks ago, when they lost 4-1 at Anfield, it was impossible to see how they could even compete in Sunday’s League Cup final, and now, three decent performances and results have completely changed the complexion. Football, as the saying goes, is a simple game when underpinned by a billion pounds, and the last few weeks have shown that defending with strength and attacking with enterprise can take you a long way. The form of Moisés Caicedo, though, will be a concern, his passing unreliable, his tackling erratic. He left one of football’s best-run clubs for one of its worst, having made two huge careersteps in very little time but at Wembley his team need him near his best. Daniel Harris
Versatile Gross puts Blades to sword
For all the eye-catching wing-wizardry of Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma, it was yet another Pascal Gross masterclassat the heart of Brighton’s Sunday dismantling of Sheffield United. Versatile enough to play in midfield before the break and at right-back after it, Gross completed 110 passes and created eight chances for his teammates. One such chance was a cross for Adringa that landed Gross, signed seven years ago for just £3m, his ninth league assist of the season. No one has bettered that tally for Brighton in a Premier League campaign. “I’m not surprised, because Pascal is a top player,” said Roberto De Zerbi when that statistic was put to him. “Pascal is important in terms of performances but mentality as well. He is a great, great player.” Sam Dalling
Match report: Sheffield United 0-5 Brighton
Klopp benefits from attacking ammunition
If Liverpool’s recruitment has been key to Jürgen Klopp’s successes, then loading the squad with forwards was another sensible policy. The club anxiously await injury updates on Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota; Curtis Jones, too. In their win at Brentford, with Luis Díaz buzzing down the left, Klopp was able to bring on Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah. Gakpo, with a header, thus replicated the flick-on from Jota that sent away Núñez for a superb opening goal. Brentford were the latest team served a reminder that leaving space for Liverpool to go direct can be fatal. In the era of high-pressing, the route-one approach is a key weapon in beating that press; Pep Guardiola has never turned up his nose at doing so. Another reminder: Salah, back after eight matches out, his contract up in summer 2025, remains a killer goalscorer. Klopp’s successor may wish to have such a reliable outlet to hand. JB
Match report: Brentford 1-4 Liverpool
Watkins has rare worth for Villa
Aston Villa are not a champion side so should not be expected to produce championship form. Villa travelled to Fulham with only three wins in their previous 10 games – against Burnley, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United. Last weekend’s defeat to Manchester United meant they arrived in London desperate for any kind of win. That they got it was due in significant part to Ollie Watkins, a rarity in the modern game as an all-round centre-forward able to link play, run in behind and win aerial balls . Like all attackers, though, his contribution is ultimately measured in numbers, and at Craven Cottage
two difficult finishes, emphatically delivered, were augmented by two big chances created for others. Players who make goals happen cover a multitude of flaws, and things are getting tighter for Villa. Daniel Harris
Match report: Fulham 1-2 Aston Villa
O’Neil gives Wolves cause to dream
Gary O’Neil has claimed the scalps of Manchester City, Chelsea twice and now Tottenham for a second time, turning Wolves from relegation favourites into contenders for Europe. Yet he remains a rank 50-1 outsider to be the next England manager, alongside Marcelo Bielsa and Emma Hayes. “We know what we can do against this kind of team and have shown that all season,” the Gabon international midfielder Mario Lemina said. “It is an achievement for the team and for the coach as well, because he deserves his share of the praise.” It certainly won’t stop O’Neil from remaining levelheaded. “I’m not allowed to – but I love the fans dreaming,” he said. “They can talk about a title charge as far as I care!” Matt Dunn
Match report: Tottenham 1-2 Wolves
Clattenburg: from Nitro to Nuno?
Will Nottingham Forest start to get a better rub of the green on big decisions now they have appointed Mark Clattenburg as their referees’ analyst? Forest have complained to the PGMOL three times over officials’ decisions this season. Nuno Espírito Santo, the Forest manager, says he will be glad to receive expert feedback on refereeing decisions such as why a penalty was not awarded when Neco Williams was fouled by Maxwel Cornet. Hired in a consultancy role, Clattenburg was seldom a shrinking violet during his successful refereeing career until 2017 or since; he has turned up in the BBC’s Gladiators and as Saudi Arabia’s head of refereeing. Whether the 47-year-old, also a gun for hire with newspapers and TV, is permitted to voice his opinions about match-turning incidents on other public platforms remains to be seen. Whether he acts more as a conduit to officials or a therapist for club staff should also be intriguing to observe. Peter Lansley
Match report: Nottingham Forest 2-0 West Ham
Burn’s form a pressing concern for Howe
Eddie Howe has done so well at Newcastle that any criticism of his selections or tactics is invariably prefaced with considerable praise. Eventually the “but” is reached. Just lately it has frequently been followed by “Dan Burn”. As in: “But I can’t understand why he picks Dan Burn ahead of Tino Livramento at left-back.” Burn is naturally a centre-half and, with Joelinton injured and unable to protect him from left midfield, the towering defender has recently been targeted, frequently successfully, by several speedy right wingers. The latest was Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo. He beat Burn en route to scoring his side’s second goal in a thrillingly anarchic 2-2 draw on Tyneside featuring the home substitute Matt Ritchie’s point-salvaging stoppage time goal. By then Burn had been replaced by Livramento. Will Howe start the latter at Arsenal on Saturday or, once again, prioritise the former’s aerial ability when defending set pieces? Louise Taylor
Match report: Newcastle 2-2 Bournemouth