It’ll drag on at Anfield
ALEXX HANKIN UNEART UNEARTHS SOME WEEKEND STONKERS...ONKE
AND STINKERS
IN THE search for the ultimate football manager, the Russians are engineering a clone, using the DNA of Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho.
They’re hoping for joie de vivre, tactical genius, and a good head of hair.
They could get Danny La Rue (above) in a tracksuit, with a gob on.
While we await the happy day, Manchester United head to Anfield (4pm) for a fixture that has often been seen as a ‘title six-pointer’.
If you can remember the season it was last anything remotely like that, immediately award yourself a mince pie.
I think Carlos Tevez scored. How Jose could use that eager little Argentine scrapper now.
Expect a war in slowmotion. It’s arguably the game shape that most troubles Liverpool anyway.
Get on the DRAW at 7/2 – more than fair.
I like the 6/5 UNDER 2.5 goals for a shortie.
Worldie hunters can split a stake between ‘no scorer’ at 14/1 (Fred) and United 1-0 at 19/1 (Betvic). Last week: Winner at 11/1 CLAUDIO RANIERI will have to reassess Fulham’s place in the food chain after calling on his men to perform like lions, not lambs.
They weren’t exactly put to the slaughter by Manuel Pellegrini’s men, but, if one side could be likened to a big cat, then it was the Chilean’s West Ham.
They let their hosts play with the ball for long periods and run around as much as they wanted. And then they killed off their hopes with a couple of goals, which they pretty much struck at will.
First, Robert Snodgrass scored an excellent goal and then Michail Antonio put the game beyond Fulham shortly before the half-hour mark.
Snodgrass said: “It is good to contribute and try and help the lads up front. I’d been lacking in that department since the start of the season, so to play a part on this run is great.”
Indeed, Snodgrass has been directly involved in five goals in his last four Premier League games (two goals, three assists), after going 16 games without a goal or assist.
On a miserable night in west London, it was another miserable result for Ranieri and his club – and they know they are in serious, serious trouble.
The expected bounce, following Ranieri’s arrival, just hasn’t happened.
West Ham, on the other hand, arrived with confidence on the back of three successive wins and they extended it with a solid away performance. But Fulham took the game to their visitors.
Aleksandar Mitrovic was a real handful for Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop and when the big Serb forced a turnover in possession, the ball fell to Andre Schurrle whose strike wasn’t too far over.
Fu lham skipper Tom Cairney then released Aboubakar
Kamara, but, one-on-one with Lukasz Fabianski, his effort was too close to the Pole and he got down to save.
It was all Fulham until the Hammers struck on the counter.
And what a goal it was in build-up and execution.
Skipper Mark Noble played a delightful ball inside Denis Odoi to Felipe Anderson and, when he stabbed a pass back to Snodgrass, the Scot applied a thumping firsttime finish from