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Premier League Team of the Week XXXIV feat. Man City and Sunderland stars
The excitement refused to let up in the Premier League this weekend, after a fine couple of mid-week results for English sides in Europe. There were dramatic twists and turns in the race for the Premier League title, with refereeing decisions more than playing their part. The relegation battle was shaken up too, now almost ensuring that the eventual outcome will be unknown until the last couple of games. Three points cover a trio of teams surrounding the edge of the relegation zone, and each will feel immense pressure in the weeks to come. Read on to relive the major talking points from the weekend’s action, and discover who made it into The Boot Room’s Premier League Team of the Week.
Leicester City returned to the KP Stadium after a successful visit to the North East last weekend which produced a vital three points. You had to imagine that high-flying West Ham United would provide a much sterner test, although the Londoners had exerted themselves in mid-week, eventually going out of the FA Cup at the hands of Manchester United. This philosophy did indeed prove to be true, although it was the home side who opened the scoring on the day. A mere 16 seconds after Kasper Schmeichel had caught an attempted cross by Dimitri Payet, Jamie Vardy had found the back of the net for Leicester City. This was an absolutely typical goal for The Foxes, but the game did not proceed in an equally similar manner.
With a 1-0 score-line at half-time, you could be forgiven for thinking that Ranieri’s men would hold out for that very same final result, having become specialists in that field in recent weeks. However, after 55 minutes of the match, Jamie Vardy was sent off after picking up a second yellow card for simulation. He will now miss Leicester’s next match against Swansea City, and it will be a real test of their title credentials to see how they perform without their star striker. West Ham United had endeavoured to break down Leicester’s defence, but had made no real head-way until they were awarded a penalty for Wes Morgan tugging back Winston Reid in the area from a corner. There had been threatening signs from a dead-ball throughout the game; with Payet delivering wicked balls into the 18-yard box, and referee John Moss had been signalling the possibility of such a decision in the action that immediately preceded it. Only a couple of minutes after Andy Carroll had slotted home the spot-kick, Michail Antonio broke free near the by-line on the right-hand side and when his cross found fellow full-back Aaron Cresswell, the left-footer thumped a volleyed effort into the top corner from the edge of the area. The home team had undergone a rapid transformation from a 1-0 lead to losing 2-1, and down to ten men. Despite their numerical disadvantage, they had to throw everybody forward in search of an equaliser. It looked as though Spurs would have a great opportunity to close the gap at the top by three points until a fairly clumsy challenge from Andy Carroll; the man who had put The Hammers in front of course with a penalty of his own, on Jeffrey Schlupp, resulted in a chance from 12 yards for Leo Ulloa. With almost the last kick of the game, a goal-scoring hero who has often grabbed late strikes this campaign did so again to earn a point that will have felt like three for Claudio Ranieri and his men.
The stereotypical relegation six-pointer took place at Carrow Road on Saturday lunch-time, with both Norwich City and Sunderland acutely aware of how important a win would be for either side. A tightly-fought encounter began in exactly that manner and both goalkeepers were active contributors in the first few minutes. A rasping drive by Martin Olsson from fully 35 yards out caused Mannone to palm the ball over the bar. With only five minutes remaining in the first half, Andre Wisdom’s somewhat clumsy challenge on Fabio Borini gave away a penalty which the Italian coolly converted. The home crowd felt hard done by, but there was little doubt that justice had been done.
Only a few minutes after the interval, with Norwich intent on getting back into the game, a lackadaisical piece of play by Sebastien Bassong allowed Jan Kirchoff to feed Borini in the right channel who in turn provided the assist for Jermain Defoe. Alex Neil’s men faced a mountain to climb in the second half and did not help themselves by looking increasingly leaky at the back. Despite an almost innumerable amount of penalty claims by Norwich – some more justified than others – Sunderland held on firm to earn an invaluable three points, even widening the margin of victory in injury time through the hard-working Duncan Watmore. Sam Allardyce has taken a significant step towards maintaining his record of never being relegated from the Premier League.
In recent times, Chelsea have become a far more difficult team to face and at Stamford Bridge; formerly their almost impenetrable fortress, Manchester City would not have anticipated having everything going their own way. However, in a display which was described by Graeme Souness as , the Citizens romped to a 3-0 win in London, with Sergio Aguero able to grab a hat-trick – his fifth in the Premier League for Manchester City. Already in an almost irredeemable situation at 2-0 down in the second half after the first two of Aguero’s goals, Thibaut Courtois was sent off for bringing down Fernandinho in the penalty area. The Blues finished the game with ten men and offered a disappointing lack of resistance to a resurgent City, who must now fancy their chances of Champions League qualification for next season, even if it does not come as a result of winning this year’s competition.
Danny Ward: The match away to Bournemouth on Sunday was Danny Ward’s club debut, and the man who has been on loan at Aberdeen earlier this season impressed his German manager. Ward was able to enjoy a straightforward first half, but he was a much more important part of the action after the interval. Two sharp saves had to be made from efforts by the lively Josh King, the latter being the most impressive of the bunch. Callum Wilson and Lewis Grabban were also foiled by the young Welshman, before he was finally beaten by a King effort in injury time. Given his opportunity in the top flight by Jurgen Klopp, Ward demonstrated that he is a more reliable understudy to Simon Mignolet than Adam Bogdan. He is unlikely to put the Belgian under pressure between now and the end of the campaign, but should Klopp decide against recruiting a new ‘keeper in the summer, Mignolet may have his work cut out to keep Ward away from the starting eleven.
DeAndre Yedlin: Sunderland’s American flyer continued a fine run of form against Norwich City in the early kick-off on Saturday, with his stoic defensive display being a crucial part of why The Black Cats were able to come away with such a resounding victory. DeAndre Yedlin made nine clearances and blocked a goal-bound effort, epitomising the togetherness which Allardyce’s side needed to show in order to stave off the stark fears of relegation. Yedlin also demonstrated great attacking ambition that was refreshing to see in a game of such magnitude. With Fabio Borini’s tendency to come in-field and look to support Jermain Defoe in more central areas, Sunderland looked to Yedlin to maintain their width on the right flank. He did so with aplomb, and may find that he is a highly sought-after player in the summer transfer window, should Tottenham decide that he is surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane.
Nicolas Otamendi: Manchester City’s 3-0 defeat of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge may be remembered for The Blues’ ineptitude or City’s ruthless counter-attacking, but it also displayed Nicolas Otamendi at his best, as he exhibited all of the traits which persuaded the owners to part with so much cash in order to bring him to The Etihad in the first place. The Argentine is a rare breed among defenders, as he looks to operate on the front foot, much like his club-mate Vincent Kompany. Otamendi looked to engage the opposition as early as possible against Chelsea. This can be a dangerous tactic which leaves his team exposed if he misjudges a challenge, but when it does function correctly, it is supremely effective. A prime example of this was seen on Saturday evening, when the former Valencia man nipped in to make seven interceptions, but was also back defending his own 18-yard box when necessary too. Otamendi cleared the ball from danger eight times and furthermore, made three blocks, one of which was right on the goal-line.
Ramiro Funes Mori: Everton’s summer addition to their ranks has more than proved his worth this season at both ends of the pitch. Often, Funes Mori has actually been The Toffees’ most reliable defender, while John Stones suffered from error-prone displays and Phil Jagielka struggled to get back up to speed following a return from injury. The Argentine was on such form again against Southampton, making 13 clearances and one block. Another important aspect to his contribution to this Everton side has been his goals, scoring four during the campaign which puts him only one behind the leading defender in this category – Scott Dann. Funes Mori grabbed Everton’s only goal of the game when the ball bounced back to the defender and he produced a clean strike to divert the ball home, thanks in part to a deflection off Virgil van Dijk.
Aaron Cresswell: Aaron Cresswell was not quite as progressive as he has been known to be on some occasions both this season and last, but that is only understandable given Leicester’s proficiency at grabbing goals on the counter-attack, exposing the space left in behind their opponent’s back-line. Nevertheless, the former Millwall defender more than played his part in a thoroughly entertaining afternoon’s football, and without some high-profile refereeing decisions, his pile-driver of a strike inside the final few minutes could possibly have been the primary talking point of the game. This effort very nearly won the game for The Hammers but even so, Cresswell’s defensive efforts to stop Riyad Mahrez from running amok will have been equally as appreciated by Slaven Bilic.
Lee Cattermole: It will take a long time for Lee Cattermole to lose the reputation as something of a hard-man, and one who picked up yellow cards in almost every appearance. For nine matches on the bounce before Sunderland’s visit to Carrow Road, their captain had astoundingly avoided seeing his name in the referee’s note-book. Although this run ended at the weekend, it did not detract from his overall performance at all. Cattermole was aggressive in the middle of the park, but to the right extent rather than ever over-stepping the mark, and did not allow Norwich’s midfielders to settle on the ball. He made six clearances and as ever, was prepared to put his body on the line, making a couple of blocks on the day. The combative performer was also surprisingly progressive, not afraid to leave Yann M’Vila and Jan Kirchoff to hold the fort while the veteran midfielder was keen to support Defoe and Borini. Allowing Defoe in particular to become isolated would have been a poor choice for Sunderland, and Cattermole ensured that this did not happen.
N’Golo Kanté: Having been announced as one of the Premier League’s six contenders for the PFA Player of the Year this week, N’Golo Kanté put in another stellar display against West Ham United, continuing to amaze fans and pundits alike with his boundless energy and phenomenal work-rate. The leader in the tackle charts for the Premier League was ratting around West Ham’s midfield as he has done so effectively all campaign long, lending a hand in defensive areas whenever necessary while also being one of the first on the scene when The Foxes progressed into attacking areas. His five clearances partnered with the assist for Jamie Vardy’s goal are a tribute to this. Kanté is a certainty to make it into the Team of the Season, and is one of the leading candidates for signing of the season too.
Kevin De Bruyne: Kevin De Bruyne ran the show for Manchester City against his former club on Saturday evening, despite the fact that Chelsea must have identified him as one of the key men to stop if they were to be able to secure even a point from the game. He picked up pockets of space that were left vacant by Cesc Fabregas and John Obi Mikel, with his first thought always to go forward and look for the lively Sergio Aguero, recognising early on that the Argentine had the beating of Chelsea’s defenders on Saturday evening. It was De Bruyne’s ball into City’s number 10 that resulted in the game’s opening goal and then the Belgian was integral in the counter-attack which ended up in The Citizens snatching their second of three goals against Hiddink’s side. The summer signing also created two additional chances during the game, terrorising the Chelsea defence and proving once more how much of a poor decision it was to let him go from Stamford Bridge in the first place.
Fabio Borini: Fabio Borini had one of his best games in a while when Sunderland beat Norwich City 3-0 at Carrow Road, being a constant thorn in the side of the Canaries. The Italian forward operated primarily from the right flank but had most of his joy when picking up the ball further infield. Indeed, it was from the inside-left channel that he won a penalty for Sunderland. Borini himself scored from the spot, smacking the ball firmly inside the post and would then turn provider later in proceedings. After sprinting away into space on the right-hand side, he produced a great whipped low cross for Jermain Defoe, and the serial goal-poacher applied the finishing touch, as everyone knew that he would. Until Saturday’s game, Fabio Borini had only bagged three goals in the entire season, but could the former Liverpool man be the one to make the difference for The Black Cats and secure an unlikely survival?
Jordon Ibe: Jordon Ibe has been out in the cold of late, with Sheyi Ojo being much closer to first-team action. For the majority of recent weeks, the young Englishman has failed to even make the match-day squad, but seemingly imbued with fresh enthusiasm, he was a lively influence throughout the game against Bournemouth. Ibe produced five successful take-ons and created four chances for his team-mates, clearly benefitting from a strong understanding that flourished since the early minutes. He linked up well with the other attacking components of Liverpool’s side and was able to claim the assist for both Firmino and Sturridge’s goals. His performance could well have persuaded Klopp to involve him in some of Liverpool’s more important matches coming up, in particular the double-header against Villarreal in the Europa League semi-finals.
Sergio Aguero: With his hat-trick against Chelsea, Sergio Aguero has now scored 12 goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances, proving; as if it was still required, that the diminutive Argentine is right up there with the very best strikers in the world game. This was the fifth time that he has bagged three goals in a Premier League match for Manchester City, and the opposition defenders simply couldn’t maintain a handle on him all game long. All three strikes were arguably typical of Sergio Aguero. He employed his low centre of gravity and terrific power from very little back-lift to snatch the first. City’s fluid counter-attacks were devastating all game and Aguero’s pace and movement took him away from the Chelsea defence, into a position where he could caress the ball over an advancing Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian stopper could do nothing about the number 10’s third, as by that point, he was off the pitch for bringing down Fernandinho. Aguero dispatched the resulting spot-kick with the minimum of fuss to cap off a fine day’s work.
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