In what was the final round of fixtures before the Premier League paused for the World Cup, clubs put on a show for fans. We had goals galore, statement victories and shock results, and we’re here to take a look at some of the biggest talking points.
It wasn’t that long ago that Everton found themselves in mid-table with the best defensive record in the Premier League. However, the underlying numbers suggested it was a false position and that a rapid decline was on the agenda. Frank Lampard’s men are now just a single point above the relegation zone following the 3-0 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Cherries racked up an xG total of 2.45 despite having just 36% of the ball as they put on a counter-attacking masterclass. The visitors, by comparison, had just one fewer shot in total but managed to create chances worth just 0.83 xG.
Darwin Núñez delivers
The Liverpool forward scored twice in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday. The No.27 put on a finishing clinic due to his shot placement. Núñez had chances with an xG value of 0.71 but an xG on target value of 2.21. He has been accused of being wasteful in previous matches but he was the complete opposite of that against the Saints.
The £64million summer signing also created two chances and on another day both of those are converted and he finishes the game with four goal involvements. He has now created eight chances in his last three Premier League outings, proving that his all-round game is improving.
Bee sting at the Etihad
Manchester City have not looked convincing over recent weeks but they have managed to eke one-goal wins over Leicester City and Fulham to keep pace with Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League.
Against Brentford on Saturday, however, they weren’t able to extend that run of good fortune to three matches. After Phil Foden smashed home an equaliser just before the break, the expectation was the hosts would push on in the second half. It didn’t happen though. Instead, the visitors continued to push for a goal and they carved out six big chances in the game.
Ivan Toney scored what turned out to be the winner in stoppage time and had an opportunity moments after to claim a hat-trick, only to see Kevin De Bruyne clear his effort off the line.
City had 29 shots to Brentford’s 10, but managed to create just one big chance. It was no smash-and-grab, it was a calculated gamble that paid off for Thomas Frank’s men.
Tottenham’s unlikely hero
Rodrigo Bentancur has three goals in his last three appearances for Spurs. He has been the match-winner in two matches and these six points have ensured Antonio Conte’s men are in fourth place as we head into the World Cup break.
The Uruguay international scored twice in two minutes to give Spurs a 4-3 win over Leeds United at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. The 25-year-old also completed 100% of his dribbles and made a remarkable 12 ball recoveries on the day as he finished with a 9.1 rating on the FotMob app.
Pulling the strings for Manchester United
There is a lot going on at Old Trafford right now. Cristiano Ronaldo is trying to engineer a move away while 18-year-old Alejandro Garnacho is making a splash. The latter scored the winner against Fulham and now has four goal involvements in his last four appearances for the Red Devils.
However, the star of the show at Craven Cottage was Christian Eriksen. Deployed alongside Casemiro, the Danish playmaker scored the opener and assisted the winner as Erik Ten Hag’s side found a way to claim all three points in what was a thrilling, end-to-end contest.
The 30-year-old created two chances on the day and won all of his tackles in what was an all-action display.
The honeymoon period is well and truly over
Chelsea have now lost three consecutive Premier League games and are winless in five matches. They have slipped to eighth in the table and have a goal difference of zero. The Blues are averaging just 1.2 goals per 90 and they have the worst offensive record out of the teams in the top ten, netting just 17 times.
Against Newcastle, they mustered just five shots and finished with an xG total of 0.30. Graham Potter needs to figure out a way to get his team firing.
(Images from IMAGO)
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🏴 It’s going to be an action-packed day in the Premier League with a total of eight fixtures lined up – including games for the top two, meaning that we’ll find out whether it’s Arsenal, or Manchester City that lead the way heading in to the World Cup break.
Arsenal must bounce back from their shock midweek defeat to Brighton in the Carabao Cup when they travel to Wolves in the day’s late kick-off. The West Midlanders have started to find the net in recent weeks, scoring four in their last three after a run of two goals in their previous six, and they were triumphant in their Cup game – beating Leeds 1-0 on Wednesday night.
The Gunners will have the advantage of playing last, knowing exactly what result they’ll need, as Manchester City take on Brentford in the lunchtime game. Pep Guardiola’s side come in to this one on the back of four straight wins while the Bees have stagnated of late – and were #Cupset by fourth tier Gillingham during the week.
Among the other fixtures; new Southampton boss Nathan Jones takes charge of his first Premier League game as the Saints go to Liverpool, fourth placed Spurs will look to shake off recent set-backs when they entertain Leeds, and Graham Potter’s misfiring Chelsea face Newcastle United, the side with the joint-best defensive record in the division.
🇩🇪 Bayern München finally overhauled Union Berlin at the top of the Bundesliga last weekend and they further cemented that position with a 6-1 win over Werder Bremen on Tuesday, while Union dropped points again, drawing 2-2 at home to Augsburg. Bayern, therefore, will definitely go in to the World Cup sitting pretty whatever the result of their final fixture – away at Schalke. The hosts are still bottom of the league despite ending a run of seven defeats with a much needed win over Mainz during the week.
Meanwhile, in-form Leipzig are the next side to go up against Bremen. The Red Bull club are unbeaten in 12 games across all competitions and recent wins over Hoffenheim and Freiburg have seen them move in to the European places after a poor start to the campaign.
🇮🇹 Like Bayern, Napoli are assured of their position at the top of Serie A heading in to the break. Luciano Spalletti’s side are eight points clear of the rest of Italy’s giant clubs and they remain unbeaten in the league – that recent Champions League loss, to Liverpool, still the only blot on their copybook this season. On Saturday, they play Udinese, who despite failing to win their last seven, are actually unbeaten in six away games.
🇪🇸 LaLiga wrapped up early for the World Cup break, playing a full midweek round in order to squeeze in the first round of the Copa del Rey over the weekend.
The four sides set to compete in the Supercopa do not enter at this stage (this includes Barça and Madrid) so the most high profile team involved are ‘crisis club’ Atlético Madrid. Without a win in five and having been beaten by Mallorca during the week, Diego Simeone will be desperate to avoid further embarrassment as they play at fifth tier, semi-pro Almazán.
🇵🇹 Elsewhere, there’s a local derby in Liga Portugal as Boavista host city-rivals Porto. The defending champions haven’t slipped up against Boavista in 17 meetings – or in other words, as long as FotMob and thus, our records have been going. Porto have, however, been a little more fallible this season, losing two of their 12 domestic games, having only lost once across the entirety of last season and only twice in the season before that.
Boavista would have to snap a six game run without a win but just imagine what it would mean to their fans if they could.
Sunday
🇮🇹 All five of the sides currently massing below Napoli in the Serie A table feature in Sunday’s games. Lazio head the pack, on goal difference, and they’ll face perhaps the toughest fixture as they travel to in-form Juventus. Max Allegri appears to have weathered the storm at the Turin giants – at least domestically speaking – and the Old Lady have won all of their last five without conceding a goal.
Inter – who Juve beat convincingly in last weekend’s Derby d’Italia – bounced back with a 6-1 win over Bologna in the week and they now face an Atalanta side with whom they sit level on points in the table. After their positive start to the campaign, Atalanta have lost three of their last four – against Lazio and Napoli understandably, but also at strugglers Lecce.
For their part, defending champions Milan will welcome back key man Olivier Giroud (following his suspension) for their clash with tenth placed Fiorentina at the San Siro.
🏴 There are two further games in the Premier League that’ll wrap things up until the league re-starts on 26 December. Both Brighton and their opponents Aston Villa will be desperate for a win to keep up their respective resurgences – albeit, Unai Emery’s winning start over Manchester United may have been undone a little by Villa’s defeat to the same side in the Carabao Cup four days later.
Erik ten Hag’s United feature in the final fixture – against a Fulham side they’ve not lost to since 2009. A win for the Red Devils will ensure that they finish this portion of the season in the top five.
Further down the English pyramid, there’s a huge clash in the Championship. Burnley vs. Blackburn Rovers isn’t just a battle between the sides currently sat first and second in the league, it’s a meeting between Lancashire rivals who’s grounds are separated by just 11 miles, as the crow flies. Vincent Kompany’s Clarets lost their 17-game unbeaten run quite spectacularly – losing 5-2 at Sheffield United last weekend but they did recover to win their Cup game in the week while Blackburn took West Ham to penalties but ultimately lost out to the higher league opposition.
🇩🇪 It’s third vs. second in the Bundesliga on Sunday as the now deposed early-season pacesetters Union Berlin head in to the Black Forest to face Freiburg. With now identical W8, D3, L3 records and the same amount of goals conceded (16), it’s only Union’s superior strike force (23 goals scored to Freiburg’s 21!) that separates the two sides. On paper, this should be a close one.
In the day’s other game – Eintracht Frankfurt go to Mainz hoping to ride the high of recent successes in to the league’s extended World Cup and traditional winter break. A record of one defeat in eight since the middle of October has seen them progress in the DFB Pokal, move in to the top four in the league, and reach the knockout stages of the Champions League – where they’ll meet Napoli next February.
🇫🇷 It’s been business as usual for PSG in Ligue 1 – a few scares along the way but largely dominant and still unbeaten as we head in to the 15th round of the season. They face Auxerre, at home on Sunday with coach Christophe Galtier promising not to rest the club’s stars despite the likes of Lionel Messi nursing injuries ahead of the World Cup.
Also on the agenda, two of Ligue 1’s most famous sides – Monaco and Marseille meet in the Principality. A win for either could move them in to the top three and keep them vaguely in touch with the league leaders.
🇧🇪 And there’s also two big games in Belgium. The format of the country’s top league often means that the side dominating at this point doesn’t actually go on to lift the trophy but things might just be different this time around. Later, the league will split with the top four going on into a mini-league where their regular season points are halved and more often than not, Club Brugge win the title! At least, that’s been the case for the past three years.
At the moment though, the champions sit down in fourth but that could change again if they’re able to beat second placed Royal Antwerp. Antwerp were unbeaten for the first nine rounds of the season but have consequently lost four while most of the sides around them have also dropped points.
The same can’t be said for current leaders Genk, who face struggling giants Anderlecht in their game on Sunday. Genk took off when Antwerp faltered and remain unbeaten since the opening round – a run now totalling 15 games. That means they start the weekend nine points clear of the pack.
Just lastly, if you’re looking forward to the World Cup, try out our tournament predictor game – here.
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Leverkusen’s 5-0 thrashing of Union Berlin shook up the title race and meant four of their XI made our line-up – including two-goal Moussa Diaby. But it’s Diaby’s fellow Frenchman Christopher Nkunku that picked out our top rating (9.2).
Ahead of the midweek action in Italy, here are three talking points from the round of games played over the weekend; Juventus on the uptick, Olivier Giroud in the goals and Hellas Verona in deep relegation trouble.
Juventus came into the their biggest domestic match of the season against Inter with a mixed bag of results. Their Champions League group stage has been a disaster, while they’ve gone on a more solid streak in Serie A. Ever since their 2-0 loss at San Siro against Milan a month ago, the Bianconeri have won four consecutive league matches without conceding a single goal. Once again, the defence kept a clean sheet against an Inter side that did have a few chances in the first half, but was kept quiet in the second.
It was in this second half that we saw glimpses of what Juventus can be in 2023. Federico Chiesa made his first appearance in Serie A in ten months, with Ángel Di María also coming off the bench after an injury of his own. It was the brilliant work of Filip Kostić that made the difference, however. The Serbian winger was once again an assist machine – playing in two wonderful crosses that led to both goals; the second, yet another from the 21-year-old Nicolo Fagioli.
The Italian has now scored in his last two games and looks to be one of the main beneficiaries of coach Max Allegri giving increased time to the youth. Juventus were smart to send Fagioli out on loan last season, where he played 33 matches for Cremonese and helped them get promoted to the top flight. This type of experience in a competitive league like Serie B seems to have served Fagioli well – he’s made the most of his time and looks to have the necessary technical tools to become a more steady part of the Juventus rotation.
With that win comes a newfound excitement surrounding the team. Perhaps Juventus can make a run in the Europa League and Serie A, if they’re able to show that form from the second half against Inter. The team looked dynamic and surprisingly offensively minded even after going up a goal. The so-called “corto muso” style (or winning by a slender margin) that Allegri has joked about in the past seemed a distant memory in Turin over the weekend. Juve were purposeful with their possession and the fans got behind them very quickly. Did I mention that they also have the best defensive record in the league? That’s right, with a backline that only had one natural centre back in Bremer and two fullbacks flanking him, the Bianconeri have only conceded seven goals total in Serie A.
The biggest question now is whether or not they can sustain this level of play given the inconsistencies they’ve shown this season.
Giroud is ageing like a fine wine
Oliver Giroud has become somewhat of a cult hero at Milan. At first, he seemed like an alternative to Zlatan Ibrahimović, but has now cemented his place as the Rossoneri striker with Ibra permanently injured. Giroud has continued to score the important goals – whether it was last season in the Scudetto deciding games, or this campaign in the last two Champions League matches, which booked their ticket to the round of 16.
We shouldn’t be surprised, after all, Giroud has scored everywhere he’s gone. He’s only two goals behind Thierry Henry on the all-time goal scorer list for the French National Team and the latest reports say that Giroud’s performances for Milan this season might have ensured him a spot at the World Cup with his country.
Giroud not only brings plenty of experience on the field, but he’s the consummate professional off of it. Behind the scenes, he’s a beloved teammate that has been lauded for his ability to lead and be an ultimate example for the Rossoneri youngsters to follow. As a player, Giroud is the perfect sidekick to the goalscoring winger Rafael Leão. The French striker is very unselfish, often times giving up a chance to turn and shoot on goal for a simple layoff to the wingers streaking into the box. His intelligence is also evident with his movement inside the box. Giroud does a great job of making himself an option as an aerial threat, or making the right runs with his back to goal to always give Milan an outlet when they’re building from the back. His play has allowed Milan fans to temporarily forget about Ibrahimovic’s absence. Milan was able to win a Scudetto with Giroud leading the line, and now it remains to be seen how far the hitman can take them in the Champions League, where they face Antonio Conte’s Tottenham in the round of 16.
Verona are in deep trouble
Hellas Verona are a mess. Dead last in the standings with eight straight losses in the league, the team hasn’t been able to find any sort of spark even with their new manager, Salvatore Bocchetti. It was always going to be hard for Verona after losing their top goalscoring trident over the summer consisting of Gianluca Caprari (Monza), Giovanni Simeone (Napoli) and Antonín Barák (Fiorentina), who combined for 40 league goals last season in Serie A – the best goalscoring number of any trio in the league. Add to that the loss of their best centre-back Nicolò Casale, who was bought by Lazio and now anchors the second best defence in the league statistically, and you can see why Verona look destined for relegation. The club did their best to try and replace these players with their modest funds, but the results haven’t been anywhere near the same.
Thomas Henry was brought in from Venezia after managing nine goals last season for the relegated club, but he’s only been able to score twice in 13 matches so far. The midfield strength seemed to be enough for be to keep them just above the drop zone during the summer, as Adrian Tameze, Ivan Ilić and Miguel Veloso are still a complementary set of midfielders that are definitely stronger than what their opponents near the bottom of the table have in that department. But the statistics point to a different tale – this midfield unit currently has the second lowest possession percentage in the league and the least amount of completed passes. Adding to the demise when they’re on the ball, the numbers on the defensive end are even more worrying – the club has committed the most amount of fouls and has gotten booked more than any other team in the league.
Despite all of this, it seemed, perhaps, like the club was ready to turn the corner in their 2-1 loss against Milan, as they performed admirably under their new manager, despite the strength of their opponent. However, their latest 2-0 loss to newly promoted Monza suggests otherwise.
Verona is leading the most negative statistics on both sides of the ball. The nervousness of their play hints to a team that isn’t settled behind the scenes and relegation worries on the horizon certainly won’t help calm those nerves.
(Images from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Serie A season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
Juve were the big winners of the weekend after beating Inter in the Derby d’Italia, and we’ve included Nicolò Fagioli, who made his full league debut in that game. In a week of low/harsh ratings, Filip Kostić top-scored with 8.8.
With Mallorca winning at Villarreal, and Valladolid on the rise, both sides are well represented in our line-up. Leaders Barcelona also feature following their win over Almería but it’s Osasuna’s Chimy Ávila who takes our top rating.
After a round of games where the drama ran right through to the Monday night fixture in Madrid, we’ll try to round up all the main talking points in this article.
Gerard Piqué announced on Thursday that Barcelona’s game against Almería on Saturday would be his last for the Catalan club. Coach Xavi then revealed the following day that the centre-back would be involved at Osasuna on Tuesday as well, but Saturday was the 35-year-old’s final game at Camp Nou. Piqué started the match in front of 92,605 fans and when Barcelona won a penalty after six minutes, many of those supporters chanted his name in the hope he would take the kick. But Robert Lewandowski stepped up instead, paused in the run-up, and missed. Later in the half, Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a fine save to deny Largie Ramazani one-on-one. Barça were otherwise dominant though and missed a couple of superb chances before breaking the deadlock early in the second half with a fine individual effort from Ousmane Dembélé. Frenkie de Jong later struck from close range to wrap up a routine win after Ansu Fati’s shot had hit the crossbar and rebounded into his path.
But the evening was all about Piqué. The defender was substituted to an ovation with five minutes left and addressed the fans after the game in an emotional speech. “It was a great day,” he said after the match. “These six months haven’t been easy. I think that has shown. But today was a liberation: to play from the start, in front of the fans, to do it like that… I take with me an unforgettable memory.”
“It was a historic night and a perfect one for everyone, mainly for Gerard,” Xavi said later. “He played a great match. We want to give him the best possible farewell. The bigger the match for him, the better he performs. I have already told him he is a Barça legend and we are very grateful to him.”
Pique played his part in an impressive win which saw Barça move provisionally two points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of the table.
“The result doesn’t reflect the superiority of the team,” Xavi added. “But it gives us three points to stay in the fight.”
Madrid beaten by Rayo
And those three points did more than keep Barça in the fight because on Monday night, Real Madrid – still missing Karim Benzema and without the suspended Toni Kroos – were surprisingly beaten by Rayo Vallecano. The home side took the lead after five minutes thanks to an excellent first-time finish from Santi Comesaña and although the champions turned it around later in the first half with a Luka Modrić penalty and an Éder Militão header, Álvaro García made it 2-2 just before the break. Rayo then won a penalty in the second half as Dani Carvajal handled in the area. Thibaut Courtois saved Óscar Trejo’s spot-kick, but could not repeat his heroics after a retake was ordered. The Belgian goalkeeper looked to have been penalised for being very slightly off his line, but it was because Carvajal had been encroaching when the first penalty was taken.
“We made mistakes,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said afterwards. “We were not strong enough. In this type of game, quality is not enough.”
In his post-match press conference, it was put to Ancelotti that some of his players had already been thinking about the forthcoming World Cup. “I don’t think that’s the reason [we lost],” he said. “We’re not as fresh as before because we have played a lot of matches. We’re not in the same shape as before, but that’s normal. LaLiga is long.”
Heading into the previous weekend, Los Blancos led Barcelona by three points but now trail the Catalans by two after a disappointing draw at home to Girona and this defeat in Vallecas. “We are disappointed to have lost the lead,” Ancelotti said. “It’s not a physical problem. We had some strategy problems. I have no problem with sending long balls forward and we should have done that on more than one occasion.”
Vinícius Júnior was unable to influence the game as he usually does and the Brazilian symbolised Madrid’s struggles against Rayo. “It was a difficult match for him and for all of us,” Ancelotti said.
But Rayo’s performance was admirable again under Andoni Iraola, whose side have now beaten Sevilla and Valencia and drawn against Barcelona at Camp Nou this season. “I feel proud of my players,” he said. “They showed personality. It was an amazing effort.”
Atlético held by 10-man Espanyol; Sevilla Derby end even
Champions League elimination, missing out on the Europa League as well and defeat to Cadíz made it a nightmare week or so for Atlético Madrid prior to their game at home to Espanyol on Sunday. Things did improve slightly for Diego Simeone’s side, though not by much. A comfortable win appeared to be on the cards when Espanyol’s Leandro Cabrera was shown the red card for a foul on Álvaro Morata inside half an hour. But the visitors scored first when Sergi Darder volleyed home at the far post after 62 minutes. Simeone sent on João Félix shortly afterwards and the Portuguese rescued a point for the Rojiblancos with a fine run into the area and finish inside the near post. He then twice came close to a late winner and surely should be starting these games. “At least we didn’t lose,” a sober Simeone said afterwards. “We could have won and we earn a point which keeps us in the top four.” Small mercies at the moment.
Real Betis remain level on points with Atlético in fourth after a fiery Seville derby ended even on Sunday. Betis went a man up in El Gran Derbi after Gonzalo Montiel was sent off for a cynical foul on Álex Moreno and then a goal up in bizarre circumstances as an attempted clearance from Nemanja Gudelj ricocheted off Jesús Navas and looped into the back of the net. But Betis later saw Nabil Fekir dismissed for catching Papu Gómez in the face with his arm and Borja Iglesias red carded for a stamp on Joan Jordán. Gudelj then hit an unstoppable strike from distance to level the scores after 82 minutes and the Serbia midfielder – playing in defence here – twice came close to a late winner, smacking a brilliant volley against the crossbar before forcing a fine save from Claudio Bravo deep in added time. “I have the feeling that we lost two points,” Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini said. “When we played 11 against 11, the difference was enormous.” “But Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli saw it differently. “The team played well,” he said. “We had personality and we clearly deserved to win the game.” Sevilla, still down in 17th place, need to start winning games.
Elsewhere, Chimy Ávila scored two golazos as Osasuna beat Celta Vigo 2-1 at Balaidos to move to within a point of the Champions League places, while Girona followed up their 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu with an impressive 2-1 win over Athletic Club and Mallorca stunned Villarreal with a 2-0 victory at the Estadio de la Ceramica, which featured an incredible second from Senegal winger Amath Ndiaye.
(Images from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the 2022/23 LaLiga season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
With Salah & Núñez clicking for Liverpool and Tielemans & Maddison pulling the strings for Leicester, can we expect both to continue their rise up the table? It’s Maddison that takes our top rating after the win over Everton (9.1).
In truth, we could write a column’s worth of words about the MLS Cup final and still not do it full justice, but we’ll try to cover some other matches too. Those include Aston Villa’s win over Manchester United, some big rivalries across Europe and the J.League title decider.
Well, where do we even begin? Let us set the scene first: The Banc of California Stadium hosted the MLS Cup final between LAFC and Philadelphia Union on Saturday. The knockout format of the MLS Cup has often drawn criticism (especially from purists), but on this occasion, it was the two sides who finished level on points in the Supporters’ Shield, so the winner would certainly be fully deserving of the accolade.
If you had to pick a favourite, you would probably say LAFC as their squad looked stronger on paper and their underlying numbers over the course of the regular season looked more impressive too. They started the match on the front foot and were eventually rewarded for their efforts when Kellyn Acosta’s free-kick took a deflection off the wall and went in just before the half-hour mark.
The Union were forced to be more attacking in the second period, so they kept more possession on the other side of the half-time break and tried to make things happen. They got exactly what they wanted in the 59th minute, as Daniel Gazdag equalised after a set-piece. A little later, the madness began.
Jesús Murillo was celebrating in the 83rd minute after scoring a go-ahead goal from a corner from LAFC, but before the home fans had somewhat calmed down, Jack Elliott responded in kind after a set-piece to take the game to extra time.
The first 20 or so minutes were relatively uneventful, but then there was a massive twist in the tale. LAFC had a man sent off after Maxime Crépeau took out Cory Burke in a bid to reach a loose back pass, but more concerningly, he suffered a horrific injury in the process. That led to a long break in play which left us with eight minutes of stoppage-time, where Elliott scored from a set-piece situation again to seemingly win the Cup for Philadelphia.
The 10 men of LAFC desperately searched for an equaliser, and somehow, they eventually found one in the 128th minute through summer signing and extra time substitute Gareth Bale, who has quite a habit of scoring important goals in the biggest games. That meant that after 120 minutes of drama, we were off to penalties.
Crépeau’s injury meant that Philadelphia-born John McCarthy was in goal for LAFC. In his time with the Union, he had made a name for himself as a penalty specialist, and that reputation was set to be tested against his hometown club on the biggest of stages. Both sides failed to convert their first attempt, but then McCarthy rose to the occasion as he made two saves while his teammates buried their next three attempts, sealing the MLS Cup in the process.
With that, LAFC lifted their first-ever piece of postseason silverware, and also became the eighth side to do the Supporters’ Shield-MLS Cup double.
Sunday marked the return of Unai Emery to the English Premier League, almost three years since he was sacked by Arsenal. After a successful stint at Villarreal, the Spaniard returned to England when Aston Villa came calling after dismissing Steven Gerrard.
Emery named his first XI in what could be described as a 4-2-3-1 formation.
However, the usage of Jacob Ramsey and Emiliano Buendía in the wide attacking positions meant that this system looked quite unique in possession. Those two players are midfielders by trade so they tucked infield to the half-spaces, creating quite a narrow shape. This was not too dissimilar from what he had done at Villarreal.
Another similarity to his work at Villarreal was Aston Villa’s defensive shape, which was a compact 4-4-2 block. That worked pretty well, as Manchester United were restricted to an xG tally of 0.52 from 8 shots, scoring only through an own goal.
To be fair, Villa themselves did not look exceptional going forward as they only managed to get 6 shots away, but half of them went in including Leon Bailey’s early strike, Lucas Digne’s free-kick and Jacob Ramsey’s finish early in the second half. That was enough for what was just Aston Villa’s second win since the start of October.
Next up, they will be facing United again in the League Cup in midweek before travelling to Brighton for their last pre-World Cup league fixture. Then, a six-week break should give Emery enough time to implement his ideas properly with this squad.
It was time for De Topper in the Netherlands, as league-leaders Ajax hosted second-placed PSV on Sunday.
The home side started off well, but 23 minutes in, a typical PSV goal that saw Cody Gakpo deliver a right-footed cross from the left to a tall man in the box (namely Luuk de Jong on this particular occasion) gave them the lead. A few minutes into the second half, this advantage was doubled when Erick Gutiérrez netted from close range after a corner. Substitute Lorenzo Lucca pulled one back for Ajax in the 83rd minute, but by then it was a case of too little too late.
Tempers did flare up on a couple of occasions in this match as there were some scuffles from time to time including after the full-time whistle, but some relatively lenient refereeing enabled everyone to avoid a sending-off. So, despite creating little in the way of attack, PSV came away with a crucial win that takes them to top of the table.
Sunday was derby day in Serie A, as two huge fixtures were scheduled back-to-back. First, Roma took on Lazio in the Derby della Capitale, and after that, it was time for the Derby d’Italia between Juventus and Inter.
Both sides had begun the season in an underwhelming fashion which left them 13 and 11 points away from the league leaders Napoli respectively, so if either of them still harboured hopes of participating in the title race, they were already close to must-win territory.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side were arguably having the worse season so far as they also crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage, but they had some reason to be positive of late. In these tough times, youth team players such as Fabio Miretti, Nicolò Fagioli, Samuel Iling-Junior and Matías Soulé were coming to the fore and helping the side get some good results.
Miretti has somewhat become a regular starter, while Fagioli was given his full league debut in this match after scoring the winner against Lecce in midweek. He made the most of this opportunity by getting on the scoresheet once again late on in the match to cap off Juventus’ victory after Adrien Rabiot scored the opener in the 52nd minute.
Truthfully, the story of this match was more about a really bland performance from Inter than a great showing from the home side. The 2020/21 title winners missed some big chances in the first half, but more concerningly, showed a real lack of fight after going down and looked well beaten by the end.
This result leaves Inter down in seventh and outside the European spots as it stands, so perhaps they should shift their focus from gunning for the title to securing a Champions League spot next season.
Juventus vs Inter might not have had all the feistiness you would typically associate with a derby, but over in Spain, El Gran Derbi more than made up for it. Fourth-placed Real Betis were hosting Sevilla, who were down in 19th going into this fixture but were looking to set things right under recently-appointed head coach Jorge Sampaoli.
After a relatively peaceful first half an hour, the drama kicked off after the referee was called to the monitor by VAR to review a dangerous tackle by Sevilla right-back Gonzalo Montiel, who was subsequently sent off. Jesús Navas was sent on to plug the gap, but he ended up scoring an own goal with his (inadvertent) first touch of the ball.
There was more to come before half-time, as Nabil Fekir was sent off in stoppage time following a VAR review for a stray arm in an opponent’s face. So, Betis began the second half a goal up but with 10 against 10 in terms of players on the pitch – although that quickly changed when the referee completed his VAR-assisted hat-trick of red cards in the 49th minute. This time, Borja Iglesias was given his marching orders for stamping on an opponent’s foot.
With a 10-9 numerical advantage on the field, Sevilla then proceeded to pepper the Betis goal with shots, but some poor shooting and great defending meant that they could only score once through Nemanja Gudelj’s long-range screamer in the 81st minute and had to settle for a disappointing draw.
The headline act of the final matchday of the J.League season was the title race, which had gone right down to the wire after leaders Yokohoma F.Marinos were really stumbling over the line. Having lost two and drawn one of their last five league fixtures, they missed the chance to seal the title with a little breathing room to spare, so the pressure was well and truly on now.
They still maintained a two-point lead over Kawasaki Frontale, so their task was to visit Kobe and come away with at least a point, which would most likely have been enough for the title thanks to their goal difference advantage. The equation for Kawasaki, therefore, was to beat FC Tokyo and hope for a huge favour from Vissel Kobe.
Toru Oniki’s side held up their end of the bargain in the first half by taking an early lead, although going down to 10 men thereafter was not ideal. The trouble for them was that the Marinos took the lead before the half-hour mark too, but Kobe equalised in first half stoppage-time to make things really tense.
The numerically disadvantaged Kawasaki Frontale fought admirably in the second half where they clawed the lead back on two separate occasions after conceding an equaliser, but their efforts were in vain because Yokohoma F.Marinos retook the lead in the 53rd minute, and went on to add a third 20 minutes later to effectively seal the title.
So, Frontale’s bid to win a third-consecutive title failed as the Marinos lifted their first league title since 2019, and their fourth in club history.
It was more of the same this weekend in the Premier League as the title challengers both picked up maximum points while those vying for the Golden Boot added to their tallies. But what were the biggest talking points?
Liverpool went into their game against Tottenham Hotspur knowing they had a great opportunity to claw back some points on rival teams. They went into the half-time break 2-0 up courtesy of a Mohamed Salah double.
The prolific wide forward now has 10 goals in his last 10 appearances across all competitions and 17 goal involvements in 18 matches. For a player who got off to a sluggish start, something we covered in a recent feature, this is an impressive return.
He put on a finishing clinic at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. His two goals had an xG value of just 0.45, but his xG on target total was 1.15. Salah made the most of his chances with some expert finishing.
A home debut to remember
Unai Emery got off to a winning start as manager of Aston Villa as he watched his side romp to a 3-1 win over Manchester United at Villa Park.
However, the game wasn’t quite as comfortable as the scoreline suggests. The hosts racked up opportunities worth just 0.66, just slightly higher than Manchester United’s haul of 0.52. Some superb finishing was the difference on the day, with Leon Bailey, Lucas Digne and Jacob Ramsey all confidently firing the ball past David De Gea.
Emery will no doubt be happy with how his side limited the visitors. This was a United team unbeaten since the 6-3 loss to Manchester City over a month ago. However, he will probably be looking at his team to carve out more repeatable chances moving forward. Still, it was a huge three points and an encouraging performance.
Southampton’s bad luck
At the time of writing this, Ralph Hasenhuttl is still the manager of Southampton. According to reports though, it is a matter of when and not if the Austrian tactician is removed from his post at St Marys (UPDATE: he has now gone!).
The 4-1 loss to Newcastle United on Sunday means the Saints find themselves in the relegation zone. They have just one win in their last eight, a 1-0 win over Bournemouth, and things are not looking good. Only three teams have scored fewer goals (12) this season while only five teams have conceded more (24).
If he does lose his job following the defeat to Champions League-chasing Newcastle, Hasenhuttl can count himself somewhat unlucky. The Saints had more shots and had an xG total that was double that of their visitors. The Magpies scored four of their seven chances in what was a freak result, all things considered.
Another statement victory for Arsenal
Arsenal looked a little uneasy a couple of weeks ago. They eked out a 1-0 win over Leeds United and then played out a 1-1 draw with Southampton. The performances matched the results too, the Gunners weren’t as confident or as dominant as they had been.
Yet they have put in two back-to-back statement performances over recent weeks. They followed up the 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest with a 1-0 win over Chelsea. Their performance at Stamford Bridge, however, deserved much more.
They had chances worth 2.11 Expected Goals and on another day it could’ve been yet another humbling defeat for Graham Potter and his side, just a week after the 4-1 loss to Brighton.
Arteta’s men are serious about their title challenge.
The return of Haaland
Manchester City are serious about their title challenge too.
Pep Guardiola’s side were down to 10-men inside half an hour at the Etihad on Saturday after João Cancelo was shown a straight red card. The resulting penalty was converted by Andreas Pereira and Fulham had over an hour to find a winner away to the reigning champions.
Erling Haaland started the game on the bench but was introduced with a little under 30 minutes remaining. He had the ball in the back of the net soon after but it was disallowed for offside. The goal machine eventually scored the winner, in the fifth minute of added time, after a controversial penalty was awarded. Antonee Robinson was adjudged to have fouled Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland’s tame effort somehow managed to wriggle past Bernd Leno.
It is the sort of result that people look back on at the end of the campaign and claim that is when they knew they’d win the title. It would be hard to argue with that.
A turning point for Leeds
Back-to-back wins have lifted Leeds into 12th position. They managed to build on their momentum following victory over Liverpool last weekend, but at half-time on Saturday it was a different story.
Rodrigo had given the hosts an early lead from the penalty spot but Bournemouth went into the break 2-1 up. Dominic Solanke then added a third not long after the break and it looked as though things could get messy at Elland Road.
The hosts netted twice during a frantic six-minute spell around the hour mark to restore parity and then it felt like a knockout game for the remaining 30 minutes, with both teams going for a win.
Leeds won it, with Crysencio Summerville again proving to be the match-winner, and you have to say they probably deserved it on the day, with more shots and better opportunities.
(Images from IMAGO)
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