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Premier League Team of the Week IXXX feat. Liverpool and Manchester City stars
With every team in the division now having ten games or fewer remaining until the season is over, tensions are starting to rise to incredibly high levels both at the top and bottom of the table. The title race and competition for Champions League qualification was shaken up in mid-week and that continued over the weekend too. Read on to discover which individual performers have forced their way into The Boot Room’s Premier League Team of the Week and how they influenced some of the key moments over the last couple of days.
Billed as the biggest North London derby in recent memory due to the potential impact on the Premier League title race for both clubs concerned, the early match on Saturday was an intriguing watch to say the least and certainly lived up to the billing. As the home team, Spurs made by far the better start to the game and asserted their dominance in the opening 20 minutes or so but could not make the all-important breakthrough. The first big moment came when a loose ball on the right was fizzed into the six-yard box, deflected towards goal by Erik Lamela, and David Ospina passed his first test with flying colours. Despite making all of the early running, it was Arsenal who burst into a shock lead towards the end of the first half, with Aaron Ramsey converting with a back-heel flick to finish off a flowing attacking move.
Less than ten minutes into the second half, Arsenal shot themselves in the foot when Francis Coquelin picked up a second booking in a fairly danger-free zone. Down to ten men with more than half an hour to go, Wenger’s side would be struggling to contain an invigorated Spurs team and this proved to be the case almost instantly. Two goals in the next seven minutes through Alderweireld and Kane; with the strikes themselves only separated by a couple of minutes, put the home team a goal to the good. Harry Kane’s superb strike was his first since breaking his nose in a training session and with that sumptuous effort, it looked as though he had given his side the win. However, Arsenal refused to lie down and immediately after a tactical switch from Arsene Wenger, they drew level. Alexis Sanchez bagged what could prove to be an integral goal for them and the away side even looked the more threatening as the game drew to a close, with Aaron Ramsey having the final chance in the dying minutes. Now both teams would have to wait until Saturday evening to see just how well Leicester City would manage against Watford, although it was guaranteed that The Foxes would be at least two points clear at the top of the table.
After a couple of their Premier League title rivals shared the spoils earlier on Saturday, Leicester City had the opportunity to extend their advantage at the top of the table. The first half was fairly uneventful with only a smattering of half-chances troubling Gomes and Schmeichel, the game lit up in the latter 45 minutes. A switch of personnel and tactical approach paid dividends for Claudio Ranieri and Leicester only ten minutes into the second period. A couple of changes at half-time which on the face of it, may have appeared defensive, in fact allowed for greater support in and around Jamie Vardy. A sumptuous strike by Riyad Mahrez; who had been distinctly quiet until that point, put the title-chasers into a 1-0 lead. A spirited fight-back followed from Watford but despite all of Flores’ efforts to change the outcome of the game, The Foxes recorded a 1-0 victory to send them five points clear of the rest.
Romelu Lukaku scored in his eighth game in succession against West Ham United, retaining his title as perpetual tormentor of the club based in the East End of London. Despite a sending off for Kevin Mirallas, The Toffees extended their advantage through the in-form Aaron Lennon and all seemed set fair on their path to three points. However, an all too frequent story for Everton repeated itself, conjuring up memories of last gasp disappointments against Bournemouth, Stoke City, and Chelsea earlier in the season. Their two goal lead held firm until three goals in the last 12 minutes from Antonion, Sakho and Payet consigned them to another defeat at Goodison Park, with their leaky defence being their downfall once again. The Hammers are on the march towards European qualification for next season’s competition, something which was unprecedented at the start of the campaign.
Selhurst Park was the setting for another dramatic encounter between Crystal Palace and Liverpool, as yet another game was settled by a last minute winner. The Eagles had made more clear-cut chances in a first half where Liverpool dominated possession but could do nothing with it and little more than a few minutes into the second half, Joe Ledley fired the home team into the lead. James Milner’s dismissal for a second bookable offence appeared to seal the three points for Pardew’s men but an unfortunate slip from Palace ‘keeper McCarthy allowed Roberto Firmino to slot home. From that moment on, it was The Reds who looked the more likely to go on to win the match. Klopp’s decision to call on Christian Benteke rather than Daniel Sturridge in their search for a winning goal was questionable at the time, but the big man stepped up after being felled by Damien Delaney in the area and slotted home from the spot. After this latest 2-1 defeat, Palace have endured 12 games without a win and their stalling form continues.
West Bromwich Albion welcomed a recently resurgent Manchester United to the Midlands on Sunday evening, with The Baggies; who have enjoyed a period of better form too in the last few games, prepared to fight for every ball. When Juan Mata was sent off for two unnecessary bookings in quick succession inside the first half, United were transformed from favourites to underdogs. West Brom; although enjoying more possession after this point, were not able to create chances at a consistent rate and so there was a huge sense of elation at The Hawthorns when Salomon Rondon converted from 10 yards out just after the hour mark. Under Tony Pulis, West Brom are typically stoic in defence and were able to hold on against Van Gaal’s side to arrest their four game winning streak.
After the elation of their dramatic win over Liverpool in the Capital One Cup last weekend, Manchester City were humbled by The Reds at Anfield in mid-week and their topsy-turvy form continued on Saturday afternoon. Running out 4-0 winners at The Etihad against Aston Villa, they took full advantage of a completely demoralised side who appear to have lost all semblance of fight or resistance to the inevitable. Sergio Aguero grabbed a brace and these strikes were sandwiched by one each from Yaya Touré and Raheem Sterling. Pellegrini’s side are still in contact with leaders Leicester, but are hanging on by the slimmest of threads and must keep winning for the rest of the campaign to stand much chance of overhauling the advantage.