‘Particular’ Phil Foden is Man Metropolis’s star as Tino Livramento turns into Newcastle’s playmaker – Premier League hits and misses

‘Particular’ Foden star of Man Metropolis present

With Erling Haaland on a three-game barren run – a drought by his requirements – it will be important Man Metropolis’s different forwards rise up and be counted. The striker’s await his a hundredth Premier League objectives 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 “special” post-match, and mentioned Metropolis aren’t a group to win “these types of games a lot”. When Metropolis concede management, as they did in a chaotic second half in opposition to Leeds, they usually find yourself dropping. It has occurred twice within the final week alone. However Foden had different plans.

“It was massively important for our mood 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 answer setbacks. Normally it’s Haaland’s heroics that will get them out of tight spots, extra continuously this season it has additionally been Foden.

“I was so hungry just to play today, not prove to anyone but myself that I can still score,” he instructed Sky Sports activities afterwards. The 25-year-old is changing into a frontrunner on this new-look Metropolis group, a pillar of dependability for Pep, and a match-winner when team-mates are struggling to ship.
Laura Hunter

Livramento turns into 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 best.

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 reality, they by no means received shut. No participant accomplished extra passes within the closing third than Livramento (18).

Newcastle’s greatest strikes flowed by him. Their tempo quickened when he received 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 fully revamped the Toon’s fortunes on the highway.
Lewis Jones

Sunderland show squads win video games – and having Xhaka helps

There have been most likely a couple of eyebrows raised when Sunderland splashed the money in the summertime. Influxes of latest gamers right into a newly-promoted group has not at all times proved efficient.

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

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

And the Black Cats’ kind this season has been a group effort. They’ve now scored 5 objectives through substitutes within the Premier League, with solely Brighton (seven) having scored extra, because of Brian Brobbey’s successful aim lower than 10 minutes after approaching.

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

He has now assisted 4 objectives 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.

Talking to Sky Sports activities after the sport, Le Bris mentioned: “Our finishers were once again really important.

“It signifies that even when we had been in line with our beginning XI, these gamers are nonetheless related and can get the alternatives once we repeat video games as a result of this league is hard.

“Granit is so important for us. He gives us his knowledge but also this willingness to change the game, to be proactive, to take risks. Sometimes tactically, you can discuss but on the pitch, it’s so impressive.”

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

Calvert-Lewin reveals his price 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 at least one man.

The introduction of Dominic Calvert-Lewin for Dan James at half-time appeared an odd 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’s nonetheless a protracted option to go for Leeds, and Calvert-Lewin’s harm file can be a trigger for concern for anybody. Nonetheless, if he can keep match and produce performances just like the one in opposition to Metropolis frequently, you might be trying on the distinction between taking part in Premier League and Championship soccer subsequent season.
Callum Bishop

Issues at Tottenham are deep – Frank now has to handle 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 similar 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 aspect 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 choosing up their tenth defeat on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium within the calendar yr, 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 aspect, Brentford, are the subsequent group Spurs will host.

What may probably go flawed?
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, based on 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 deal with from Micky van de Ven stopped him including the aim he deserved in a always 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 means.

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 once more

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. Actually, he solely had 23 touches of the ball all through the whole thing of the sport.

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

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

The second was an instinctive end on the far submit – Thiago’s eleventh of the season. No Brazilian participant has scored greater than 15 objectives in a single Premier League season. He now solely wants 5 extra league objectives 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 droop in kind continues

“We knew the game was going to be difficult and when you are 2-0 up and playing well, you want to finish it, but it was definitely too early.”

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

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

However maybe extra worrying is that Bournemouth have now gone all through November and not using a win, and are steadily sliding down the Premier League desk.

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

Many puzzled how Bournemouth had been performing so nicely 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 attempt to rediscover their kind forward of a busy Christmas interval.
Charlotte Marsh