'Special' Phil Foden is Man City's star as Tino Livramento becomes Newcastle's playmaker - Premier League hits and misses

‘Special’ Foden star of Man City show

With Erling Haaland on a three-game barren run – a drought by his requirements – it is vital Man Metropolis’s different forwards rise up and be counted. The striker’s look ahead to his one hundredth Premier League targets goes on, however Phil Foden added one other two to his private tally within the 3-2 win over Leeds in a season steadily rising in grandeur.

Pep Guardiola referred to as Foden “particular” post-match, and mentioned Metropolis are usually not a crew to win “these kinds of video games lots”. When Metropolis concede management, as they did in a chaotic second half in opposition to Leeds, they usually find yourself shedding. It has occurred twice within the final week alone. However Foden had different plans.

“It was massively essential for our temper after two defeats,” Guardiola added. Metropolis have closed the hole on Arsenal to 4 factors and are again as much as second for now, whereas proving they nonetheless have the resolve and high quality to reply to setbacks. Often it’s Haaland’s heroics that will get them out of tight spots, extra continuously this season it has additionally been Foden.

“I used to be so hungry simply to play right now, not show to anybody however myself that I can nonetheless rating,” he instructed Sky Sports activities afterwards. The 25-year-old is turning into a pacesetter on this new-look Metropolis crew, a pillar of dependability for Pep, and a match-winner when team-mates are struggling to ship.
Laura Hunter

Livramento becomes Newcastle’s playmaker

Tino Livramento didn’t simply play right-back in Newcastle thumping 4-1 win over Everton – he was their supply of creativity.

The playmaker.

This was a Trent Alexander-Arnold impersonation with a Tyneside twist, the type of hybrid, inside-out, playmaking masterclass that ought to get the Newcastle followers very excited.

Particularly within the first half, Livramento operated in such intelligent positions off the proper.

He stored Jack Grealish in his pocket then sliced Everton open along with his passing. Newcastle’s form morphed every time he stepped inside – at instances he was a No 8, then a quarterback, then flying away on the overlap. Everton couldn’t pin him down. In fact, they by no means obtained shut. No participant accomplished extra passes within the ultimate third than Livramento (18).

Newcastle’s finest strikes flowed via him. Their tempo quickened when he obtained on the ball. Your complete tactical blueprint Eddie Howe rolled out was supercharged by this tactical tweak to get Livramento on the ball at each alternative. It utterly revamped the Toon’s fortunes on the highway.
Lewis Jones

Sunderland prove squads win games – and having Xhaka helps

There have been in all probability a number of eyebrows raised when Sunderland splashed the money in the summertime. Influxes of recent gamers right into a newly-promoted crew has not at all times proved efficient.

However Regis Le Bris has discovered the combination that works. Sunderland went fourth with their 3-2 win over Bournemouth, and stay unbeaten at dwelling within the league this season.

The way of their win was fairly exceptional. Even when Le Bris says he was a bit nervous at 2-0 down, you at all times sensed there was a comeback on. It was the style of the sport itself, coupled with the cauldron of the Stadium of Mild, that meant something was potential.

And the Black Cats’ type this season has been a crew effort. They’ve now scored 5 targets by way of substitutes within the Premier League, with solely Brighton (seven) having scored extra, due to Brian Brobbey’s successful objective lower than 10 minutes after approaching.

He was a summer time arrival from Ajax – as was fellow scorer Bertrand Traore – but it surely was Granit Xhaka who shone as soon as once more for Sunderland.

He has now assisted 4 targets for the Black Cats this season – joint high for the league – along with his management, ardour and expertise spearheading not solely Sunderland’s comeback, however their season.

Chatting with Sky Sports activities after the sport, Le Bris mentioned: “Our finishers have been as soon as once more actually essential.

“It signifies that even when we have been according to our beginning XI, these gamers are nonetheless linked and can get the alternatives after we repeat video games as a result of this league is hard.

“Granit is so essential for us. He provides us his information but in addition this willingness to alter the sport, to be proactive, to take dangers. Typically tactically, you may talk about however on the pitch, it is so spectacular.”

Sunderland now have a troublesome run of fixtures that features Liverpool, Man Metropolis and Newcastle to essentially check themselves as a squad.
Charlotte Marsh

Calvert-Lewin shows his worth to Leeds

They could not have walked away with any factors, however the truth that Leeds managed to make Manchester Metropolis sweat on the Etihad was spectacular in itself – and it was down to 1 man.

The introduction of Dominic Calvert-Lewin for Dan James at half-time appeared a wierd one. James’ tempo was Leeds’ largest weapon within the first half. However the former Evertonian put in what would have been a man-of-the-match efficiency in only one half, if not for Foden.

It was not simply the actual fact he scored and received the penalty – his mere presence terrified the Metropolis defence. They may not bully Calvert-Lewin off the ball, which gave Leeds somebody to play off.

When he joined the membership, the 28-year-old insisted he nonetheless had one thing to supply within the Premier League. His cameo was proof of that.

There may be nonetheless a protracted method to go for Leeds, and Calvert-Lewin’s damage report could be a trigger for concern for anybody. Nevertheless, if he can keep match and produce performances just like the one in opposition to Metropolis frequently, you may be trying on the distinction between taking part in Premier League and Championship soccer subsequent season.
Callum Bishop

Problems at Tottenham are deep – Frank now has to address them vs Brentford

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank was fast to level out in his post-match press convention after the 2-1 defeat to Fulham that followers have each proper to boo, however in his eyes, concentrating on a person participant comparable to Guglielmo Vicario, overstepped the mark on what was one other dismal day on the workplace.

The reality is, even when Vicario had not rushed out of his penalty space and made that mistake, Fulham would have discovered one other avenue to double their benefit.

Spurs stumbled out of the gates and appeared misplaced at sea. The issues plaguing this facet are far larger than particular person errors.

Going ahead, they’re stagnant and disjointed. On the defensive finish, they’re open and disorganised.

The truth that these points appear to worsen on dwelling turf, after selecting up their tenth defeat on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium within the calendar 12 months, highlights the deeper issues at play.

Solely Nineteenth-placed Burnley (9) have recorded an xG complete decrease than one in additional Premier League video games than Tottenham (8), whereas the squad are additionally averaging their lowest quantity of pictures since data started in 2003.

Frank’s former facet, Brentford, are the following crew Spurs will host.

What might presumably go improper?
Patrick Rowe

Chukwueze can supercharge Fulham revival

Samuel Chukwueze was “knocking on the door” for some whereas earlier than he was handed his first Fulham begin, in line with head coach Marco Silva, however he has firmly wrenched it off his hinges along with his efficiency at Spurs.

Having performed simply 103 minutes of Premier League soccer previous to Saturday’s recreation owing to a mixture of accidents and Silva’s personal tentativeness to incorporate him, the Nigerian winger confirmed no indicators of rust in nearly doubling that tally on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Solely a world-class sort out from Micky van de Ven stopped him including the objective he deserved in a continually threatening exhibiting, catching out Pedro Porro on the break repeatedly and racking up extra opposition-box touches than anybody on the pitch.

Whereas fellow winger and summer time arrival Kevin was a transparent Silva recruit, Chukwueze’s Deadline Day signing didn’t instantly seem orchestrated by the top coach in fairly the identical method.

Regardless, the indicators are already good that he’s shopping for into and thriving within the Silva type – with two assists in these earlier cameos, and now a effective efficiency at Tottenham from the off.
Ron Walker

Unstoppable Thiago delivers again

Igor Thiago had a quiet first half on the Gtech, with little to feed off. He didn’t have an terrible lot within the second half, both. The truth is, he solely had 23 touches of the ball all through the whole lot of the sport.

However, like all good strikers, he delivered when it mattered.

His first objective was a coolly taken penalty after 81 minutes; the sixth he has taken in a Brentford shirt, and the fifth he has scored. That objective took him to double figures within the Premier League in 13 video games. No Brentford participant has ever reached double figures that shortly within the division.

The second was an instinctive end on the far publish – Thiago’s eleventh of the season. No Brazilian participant has scored greater than 15 targets in a single Premier League season. He now solely wants 5 extra league targets to surpass that.

And who’s to say, with 25 extra video games nonetheless to play within the Premier League, he can’t make a real problem for the Premier League Golden Boot?
Dan Lengthy

Bournemouth’s slump in form continues

“We knew the sport was going to be tough and if you end up 2-0 up and taking part in properly, you wish to end it, but it surely was undoubtedly too early.”

That was the evaluation of Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola after the sport at Sunderland, and he’s in all probability proper.

Having such a lead inside quarter-hour in opposition to a crew like Sunderland on their very own patch was at all times going to be a troublesome ask.

However maybe extra worrying is that Bournemouth have now gone all through November with no win, and are steadily sliding down the Premier League desk.

They’ve conceded at the least two targets in every of their final 4 video games, and whereas they’re nonetheless scoring, they’re leaking targets on the different finish.

Many questioned how Bournemouth have been performing so properly at first of the season having let some massive names go in the summertime. Now, it appears, these losses are beginning to present.

Subsequent up is 2 dwelling video games in opposition to Everton and Chelsea to try to rediscover their type forward of a busy Christmas interval.
Charlotte Marsh

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