Liverpool show strength in depth as West Ham’s hopeless attack should worry Graham Potter – Premier League hits and misses | Football news
Strength in depth key to Liverpool’s title challenge
For a long time it seemed that it would not be Liverpool’s day.
Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold did not have their shooting boots as the ball continued to flash wide of the goal. Darwin Nunez – the hero of the moment for Liverpool – headed home a free-kick from Andy Robertson’s cross before sending a horrendous shot over the bar from 30 yards as the Reds looked to be heading for a third consecutive league draw to start 2025 and beyond. dropped points in the Premier League title race.
But Nunez and Liverpool were good in the end, and Arne Slott’s ability to empty Liverpool’s bench with fresh attacking options could be crucial in their bid to win a first title in five years.
Liverpool, who were even without the injured Diogo Jota, scored a staggering 37 shots on Brentford – a record for an away team in the Premier League – but it was their ability to withstand that pressure with fresh legs that got them over the line in the end. .
Nunez stepped in to help on this occasion, but Harvey Elliott, who does not have as many minutes this season as he would like, played a key role from the bench, with an assist for the second.
If Mo Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo don’t get you, Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott will! And with other sides in the league struggling with injuries and depleted squads, that depth could be a key factor in Liverpool’s bid to bring the title back to Anfield.
Oliver Yew
Blunt West Ham provided an alarming attacking game
West Ham fans were able to smile at the stats they scored from all three goals against Fulham on Tuesday. But few saw the funny side of their side’s attacking play against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
No shots on goal and almost no threat in the final third. Mohammed Kudus led the line this time in place of Lucas Paqueta, but whatever Graham Potter was up to, this was an alarming display.
Groans could be heard around the pitch as Lukasz Fabianski and his centre-backs repeatedly exchanged passes in the first half, with seemingly no intention of going forward. Palace can be hard to break down, but at times West Ham were disinclined to even try. Better to keep possession than to attack and risk losing?
Of course, the absences of Jarrod Bowen, Niclas Fullkrug, Crysencia Summerville and Michail Antonio have reduced their attacking options. But West Ham fans expect far more from their teams, regardless of who is at their disposal.
It is still early in Potter’s reign and he will be hoping that more practice time will lead to more cohesive performances. But according to this evidence, the mentality of the group needs to shift to a more offensive mindset.
Peter Smith
Mateta continues his hot form in front of goal
Beware the corner flag, Jean-Phillipe Mateta is in red-hot form.
His game against a dismal West Ham means the Crystal Palace goalscorer now has four goals in his last three games. It’s a streak that began at the turn of the year, and four of them match his return in the season before 2025. After a slow start to the season, he looks back at his best, linking up with Eberechi Eze to burst the new West Ham managerial bubble as they linked up for another goal.
With the reinstatement of Mateta, Eze has now secured eight Premier League assists for Mateta, and no Palace player has assisted a team-mate more often in the history of the competition. The tally matches the previous record held by Michael Olise who also assisted Eze eight times.
Mateta’s form may have dipped towards the start of the season, but his overall consistency is what delights Palace boss Oliver Glasner. Speaking after the match, he told reporters: “When he gets the ball somewhere around the penalty area and gets a free kick, it’s very often a goal. He was the same, but he’s also very valuable, like all our strikers.
“He always needs players around him who can give him the ball, but then when he gets it in the right zones, which is what we work on day in and day out with the whole team, then we know he has an incredible finish.”
William Bitibiri
When Bournemouth click, it’s magical
Justin Kluivert will rightfully steal the headlines, his contribution to victory made all the more impressive by his display of all the action. The Dutchman was happy to run hard yards from possession, pushing in his defensive half before coming alive when Bournemouth launched their characteristic counter-attack.
But such a defeat – Newcastle have not lost by three goals at home since December 2021 – was only possible with the synchronization of the entire pitch. As Andoni Iraola admitted after the game, Bournemouth produced a wonderful ‘complete’ performance. They made Newcastle look average in every department. Aleksandar Isak was anonymous.
Bournemouth did what very few teams have done or will do to Eddie Howe’s side at St James’ Park. To have the guts to go head-to-head, in constant pursuit of big losses, with a team that has won nine straight in all competitions is audacious. We are talking about the club with the most form in the Premier League.
But Iraola knows only one way. His transition style is fascinating to watch when it clicks, and Saturday’s display was a great example of how everything clicked perfectly.
Laura Hunter
Newcastle’s pursuit of the club record proved to be a step too far
All good things must come to an end – but for Eddie Howe it just had to be his old Bournemouth ending a nine-game winning streak in stunning style.
The Cherries’ victory means Howe is yet to beat his former club, having lost twice and drawn four of six league games against them since leaving.
Howe blamed “fatigue” for the heavy defeat and it looked a step too far for his side as they set their sights on a club-record 10th straight win in all competitions.
Their extremely disappointing performance saw in-form striker Alexander Isak, who had scored in his previous eight Premier League appearances, fail to register a shot from open play.
Fortunately for Howe and his team, they now have a full recovery week to take a much-needed break and recover from a grueling run of games.
Howe will also be pleased that Southampton are away next, which gives the Magpies the perfect opportunity to quickly get back on the winning track and put this huge defeat behind them.
Declan Olley
The pressure on Ruud is growing
These are tough times for Ruud van Nistelrooy, the worst run of results Leicester City has suffered in more than two decades – and that’s right at the start of his reign. The Foxes were not even in the relegation zone when he arrived. In this form, they seem doomed.
His predecessor Steve Cooper was not very popular with the fans at the King Power Stadium, but this was the lowest point he had to endure. There were multiple chants of the board being fired and others directed at athletic director Jon Rudkin.
But Van Nistelrooy did not escape. The ongoing frustration over the inclusion of James Justin is likely to end soon after the signing of Woya Coulibaly, but Jordan Ayew is also a target for fans, while fans’ favorites have been denied minutes.
Ayew was jeered when Facundo Buonanotte finally came on for him, while there was anger at the removal of Bilal El Khannouss. Picking what fans consider the ‘wrong’ team may not always make headlines, but the toxic scenes that follow tend to.
Van Nistelrooy says his players have to deal with it, but the problem is that when things go wrong, there is a lack of resilience and things unravel. They were in it against Fulham, but there is a fragility to this team. Foxes never give up. But they lose seven in a row.
Adam Bate
Europe on the horizon for Fulham?
Having eased their way into the King Power showdown, Fulham cruised to victory without ever getting out of second gear.
Emile Smith Rowe marked his 100th Premier League appearance in style as he headed home the first shot, quickly followed by Adama Traore coming off the bench to have his effort expertly – which is not often said about his style of play – in the lower corner, put it to the side. .
Marco Silva’s side always seemed to be in control of the game and have now cemented their place in the race for European football after climbing to ninth – just two points behind Aston Villa and Man City ahead of them.
It’s been 13 years since the Cottagers last dusted off their passports for a trip to Europe, but with Raul Jimenez back to his best form, Harry Wilson shining on the right and Antonee Robinson and Alex Iwobi flying on the opposite flank, you dreams could become reality by the end of the season.
Patrick Rowe
