After every Premier League weekend, BBC football pundit Garth Crooks gathers his thoughts and gives you his Team of the Week.
Here are this week’s choices and, as ever, Garth also discusses the game’s big talking points in the Crooks of the Matter.
Jordan Pickford (Everton): What a save by Jordan Pickford from Chris Wood. The point-blank save from the Nottingham Forest centre-forward was crucial. Everton were 1-0 up at the time and, with both teams desperately in needs of points, the save was a turning point for the Toffees. I’ve said it before, in circumstances such as these, you need a goalkeeper who has nerves of steel and a performance to match.
Forest were unfortunate, although they didn’t do enough to win the match, to have three penalty appeals waved away by Anthony Taylor – the worst being a handball by Ashley Young which looked nailed on. However, the referee felt otherwise and that’s his prerogative.
Meanwhile, the statement released on social media by Nottingham Forest, criticising the officials, is a poor one. There are official channels for that. The great Brian Clough would never had countenanced such nonsense.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool): This wasn’t the best Liverpool performance I’ve ever seen but it didn’t matter – it did the job. The man at the heart of this victory was Virgil van Dijk.
He didn’t score any of their goals in the 3-1 demolition of Fulham but he’s the player who keeps it all together at the back for the Reds, and the one who can always be relied upon. This is a vital period for the Merseysiders, who have a brutal run-in.
Nothing would give Everton fans more pleasure than to see their team beat Liverpool on Wednesday to stop them winning their 20th league title. Meanwhile, Aston Villa have their eyes firmly set on a Champions League spot and will almost certainly need to beat Liverpool in the penultimate game of the season to secure it.
Manuel Akanji (Man City): With Ruben Dias left on the bench, it was left for Manuel Akanji to hold the fort against Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final. With Kyle Walker, a traditional full-back, on one side and Nathan Ake on the other, Pep Guardiola had enough faith to put his defenders up against a side that had just put six goals past Everton – and they still kept a clean sheet.
However, it might have been a different story if Nicolas Jackson could handle the big occasion. The striker missed three gilt-edged chances and on each of them never looked like scoring.
Meanwhile, Akanji played with an authority and purpose, especially in the dying minutes of normal time, that was quite astounding. It was the Switzerland defender who played Doku in, which provided the opening for Silva to score the winning goal. What possessed the centre-back to find himself so far up the pitch in open play says everything about the mindset of a team that is programmed to win.
William Saliba (Arsenal): William Saliba has not only played every minute of every Premier League game so far, he looked like he could go through another entire season again without taking a break, his performance was so comfortable against Wolves.
He made one poor clearance throughout the entire match and was so determined to make up for the mistake. By the time Hugo Bueno realised he had a free shot at goal Saliba was on to him in a flash – forcing the Spaniard to shoot wide.
The fixture schedule may have a determining factor in the title race but Arsenal seem to be coping. Manchester City boss Guardiola can scream all he likes about the packed football schedule but, as long as clubs keep taking the money, television companies are entitled to their pound of flesh.
Kevin de Bruyne (Man City): A lot was made of Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland asking to come off against Real Madrid in the latter part of normal time in midweek, because of knocks and bruises – and with so much still at stake. What nonsense. It would have been irresponsible and reckless if either had put themselves before the team by remaining on the pitch, knowing they couldn’t give their best.
Haaland never made the FA Cup semi-final three days later, while De Bruyne not only recovered in time to play against Chelsea, but played a starring role.
What was also conspicuous, in a week where so much has been written about Cole Palmer and his willingness to leave Manchester City to develop his career, is it was clear both parties made the best decision. This was the kind of game to really assess Palmer’s progress and, while meteoric, it is still not good enough to merit a regular spot in a Manchester City side. Not with De Bruyne around.
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal): For Arsenal to bounce back from their defeat against Aston Villa in the title race, and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, to beat a very dangerous Wolves side was impressive. No wonder Mikel Arteta couldn’t hide his smile, which in reality signified his enormous relief that his team had come through their most difficult period in the club’s season.
Martin Odegaard scored a brilliant goal and once again provided a calm to a situation that a special player brings when faced with a crisis.
This latest victory takes them back to the top of the Premier League, one point above Manchester City – who have a very tricky game in hand against Brighton on Thursday. Now the scene is set for the Gunners’ big showdown next Sunday against Spurs. The atmosphere will be febrile as usual but with Odegaard in the side, Arsenal may come out of this encounter with their title hopes still very much intact.
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace): This was an excellent win for Crystal Palace and builds on their excellent performance at Anfield against Liverpool recently.
Eberechi Eze was in sparkling form again and scored the most exquisite scissor-kick goal. The height he achieved in order to make contact with the ball so sweetly was superb. This lad is a player and one can only hope he continues to develop.
However, as good a performance as this was for Palace, it was a shocking performance by West Ham – and one that has monumentally let David Moyes down in light of the fact that his players are well aware that the manager has not signed a new contract at the club.
It’s well known that he is not universally liked by the majority of their fans and this result would have not helped him one bit. The Hammers have some important fixtures left to play and winning some of them is the least they can do before his inevitable departure.
Bernardo Silva (Man City): Manchester City might have lost their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid in midweek but the best teams always bounce back, and quickly. Bernardo Silva missed the penalty that contributed to their demise, but he too wasn’t in the least bit deterred by the spectre of that miss and more than made up for it in a performance where he never gave up the ghost.
His perseverance in what he or his team could achieve against Chelsea in the semi-final of the FA Cup never weakened. Pep Guardiola made substitutions but he knew he could rely on Silva to stand firm – even when the game was looking like it might lead to penalties and Silva might have to face taking another one. Instead the Portugal international got one chance in the game and buried it.
That’s why the best players play for the best teams. They are physically and mentally tough.
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa): For me, Aston Villa are the team of the moment, and Ollie Watkins the striker. The development of Watkins this season under Unai Emery has been quite phenomenal. His touch wasn’t bad with his back to goal and neither was his hold-up play. He could also see the pass and play people in.
However, against a very dangerous Bournemouth, Watkins was laying on goalscoring chances for others and forging partnerships. The way the England striker spun Illia Zabarnyi in the middle of the park before setting up Villa’s third goal was reminiscent of Gary Shaw in their 1981 title-winning season.
Villa look to have their eyes firmly fixed on the fourth Champions League spot, and Watkins looks like he might be the player who takes them there.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace): He scored two well-taken goals but his second was the pick of the bunch. The nutmeg by Eberechi Eze on Kurt Zouma must have been painful for the West Ham defender, but delightful to watch.
Jean-Philippe Mateta played his part in another excellent performance by Crystal Palace. The Frenchman was outstanding last week against Liverpool and led the line brilliantly.
It’s clearly noticeable that since the arrival of Oliver Glasner the Eagles are playing with a freedom I haven’t seen for quite some time. They play with three at the back and look exciting again. I’ve no doubt the return of Michael Olise has something to do with it but it’s Mateta who seems to be reaping the real rewards.
Yoane Wissa (Brentford): This win against Luton has practically sealed another season in the Premier League for Brentford. The Bees exposed the frailties of the Hatters in a number of ways.
Firstly, Luton are starting to look tired and understandably so, having punched well above their weight in this division for some considerable time. The season was always going to catch up with them and, with four games left to play, they have to win at least three to stand any chance of survival.
Brentford, meanwhile, have Yoane Wissa, who was entitled to be absolutely furious at being subbed having scored two goals and looking to complete his hat-trick. Thomas Frank needs to be careful how he treats the DR Congo striker. He held the fort for the club when Ivan Toney was suspended and Mbeumo was injured. He deserves a little special treatment.
The Crooks of the Matter
When I watched the game between Chelsea and Everton last Monday, I was keen to acknowledge their six-goal triumph and the extraordinary performance of Cole Palmer. Whenever a team has a night like that, and let’s face it Chelsea haven’t had a night like that for some considerable time, nothing should be allowed to overshadow it.
However, the incident surrounding their 64th-minute penalty, with team-mates trying to wrestle the ball from each other to take a spot-kick in order to obtain a cheap goal for themselves, needs some perspective.
The incident was something straight out of the school playground, and certainly not worthy of a Premier League fixture. Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson are two young Chelsea players who know how to play football, but clearly they haven’t been taught how to conduct themselves.
It was their squabbling that created the unedifying spectacle in the first place. The captain on the night, Conor Gallagher, showed a distinct lack of leadership by not being much more assertive and acting far sooner by admonishing the two protagonists and taking control of the situation. If he had done, Palmer wouldn’t have had to get embroiled in a pushing match in order for him, the official penalty taker, to eventually convert the spot-kick.
One thing that has never changed in the game is the bigger the club, the more you need senior players to control those who get too much too soon. If not, some footballers forget that they are ‘professionals’, and the weight of responsibility that comes with it. When that happens, then it is incumbent on the club to step in and remind them – with heavy fines if necessary.
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