1
Foden and Rodri liven up the riotous city
Manchester City is inevitable. It is the quality that instilled so much fear in manchester united in a derby that rarely seemed destined to be anything other than victory for the champions. And that includes the 48 minutes in which United were a goal ahead. Liverpool and Arsenal could only watch in vain hope, even as Erling Haaland made one of the biggest mistakes in Premier League history. The city remained calm. The humiliation of United's latest derby reminded that there is much more to Pep Guardiola's team than the Kevin De Bruyne-Haaland partnership. At 23, it may seem like there are no more worlds to conquer for match-winner Phil Foden. And Rodri, who performs the same safety duty that Sergio Busquets provided for Guardiola's Barcelona team, stayed on in the final seconds to rob Sofyan Amrabat and set up a clean-up goal for Haaland. The United players left the field exhausted as they tried to coexist with the untouchables. John Brewin
2
Rashford fades after lightning
Erik ten Hag sought “small margins” as he lamented a derby defeat that he said could have favored his team. His suggestion that his team's defense was “brilliant” might also raise eyebrows. Ten Hag's credibility is further damaged by 11 first division defeats. Maybe one day a United team can play at the Etihad, Emirates or Anfield and not simply try to defend deep. That seems like some time away. To follow his heartfelt contribution to the Players' Tribune, Marcus Rashford, isolated up front and supposedly playing through injury, showed the best and most frustrating sides of himself. His first-half goal was a thunderbolt for a player who often takes center stage in the derby. Then came a second half in which he struggled as a ball out to United's overstretched defense before playing an unfortunate role in City's equalizer by losing to the greater speed and muscle of Kyle Walker. J.B.
3
Clattenburg in the center of the storm
Presumably Mark Clattenburg, hired by Nottingham Forest as a referee analyst, he is about to earn his money, although how remains to be seen and, in any case, Saturday's events at the City Ground have added several rows to his times chart. The image of Clattenburg, a former Premier League referee, being prevented from entering the referees' locker room after the final whistle (a refuge for his former colleagues after Liverpool's controversial 99th-minute winning goal) serves to reflect on his apparently limited powers. His main task after him was to ease the pain of the club's owner, Evangelos Marinakis. The surreal sight of Clattenburg (also the pantomime villain referee in Gladiators, the rebooted teatime TV show) on the pitch in the mixed zone, an area usually reserved for elite players to make low-cost claims to The media after the match, should they wished, also raised the question: what exactly do Forest think they can gain with his help? ben fisherman
4
The Ferguson syndrome of the second season
Evan Ferguson is a fantastic prospect, physically gifted and blessed with tact, imagination and composure. But it is often said that young players get their first season for free, exploiting opponents unfamiliar with their style, and Ferguson is experiencing that decline now, 10 goals in 25 appearances last season dwindling to six in 32 so far. What's this about? He hasn't scored since November and, while he is too good not to correct himself, he lacks confidence and desperately needs a break. So the question for Roberto De Zerbi is whether that break should constitute a break, Ferguson removed from the team for his own good, or something that suits him, a solution available only if he continues to play. Meanwhile, Brighton are struggling: a home draw with Everton followed by FA Cup elimination against Wolves and a convincing defeat against Fulham, meaning whatever he does, De Zerbi must urgently revive his young striker. Daniel Harris
5
Watkins' acquaintance at Kenilworth
Having first played at Kenilworth Road in 2016 as a young winger at Exeter City, Ollie Watkins knew what to expect. But he still needed substitute Lucas Digne to seal a vital victory for Aston Villa after two first-half Watkins goals were ruled out by a resurgent Luton. The 28-year-old, who played against Luton four times in League Two before facing them again with Brentford in the Championship, now has 16 Premier League goals this season and looks a certainty for England's Euro squad. 2024. “It's an amazing story and I pinch myself all the time and just enjoy it,” Watkins said. “I feel confident, if I miss an opportunity I don't think about it too much. Now it's on to the next one. My mindset is totally focused on the next action and believing in my ability. I am now established in the Premier League. “I am at the level of the top scorers and I really enjoy my football.” Ed Aaron
6
Chelsea fans make their feelings known
“I don't want your shirt, I want you to fight for ours,” said a banner brandished by two young Chelsea fans while Mauricio Pochettino and Todd Boehly bore the brunt in Brentford. Their players also don't have much at stake in terms of popularity. “I can't comment because I don't hear him,” Djordje Petrovic said. The goalkeeper had the excuse of being on the other side of the stadium from the hotbed of discontent that the Chelsea winger became. “We all believe in the coach and we all support him,” the Serbian continued, an answer that might not pass the smell test. Nicolas Jackson scored a good header but was also guilty of mistakes and a loss of ball control in the first half that would have stinked Hackney Marshes. “It's not enough, because I miss a lot of things,” Jackson said, disarmingly honest. While Pochettino had to shoulder the burdens, Boehly spent his weekend at the Bahrain GP. J.B.
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7
West Ham can enjoy Europe
It was fitting that Goodison Park showed the difference David Moyes can make, although, as they ran through their desperate repertoire of “check in” and “sit down if you're unemployed”, perspective was probably not West Ham fans' strong suit. present. As Moyes' former club faces a third successive relegation battle and the threat of a second points deduction, with terrible football served up at the top, his current employers have the latter stages of the European competition on their minds third consecutive year, more points than the previous one. season and the promise of more to come with Lucas Paquetá returning to form alongside Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus. A Europa League last 16 trip to Freiburg on Thursday generates further anticipation. As Moyes said: “I hope we can start to take advantage of the fact that we have a bit more experience in Europe. I thought that the first season we were not very sure, we lost in the semi-final due to a bit of naivety and how to play the games and the referees. I think we have learned from that. And the money the club must have made from European racing has been huge for them.” andy hunter
8
O'Neil is wrong about Newcastle
After superb counter-attacking goals from Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento secured Newcastle a 3-0 home win against Wolves, a verbal brawl began. While visiting manager Gary O'Neil claimed his team's dominance of possession was down to their “quality” and the defeat attributable to “bad mistakes”, Eddie Howe kept Newcastle's first clean sheet and the 2024 home victory was a “tactical” issue. change.” Few locals would disagree; Instead of the enthusiastic pressing that, in recent weeks, led to the conceding of too many goals, Newcastle retreated into safety-first, contain-and-counter-attack mode. With right-back Kieran Trippier rare Once venturing down the halfway line and the lately vulnerable left back Dan Burn well protected by Joe Willock, Fabian Schär was able to show stellar distribution skills by creating three goals from central defence. O'Neil continued to insist that Howe choreograph the teams in a way but, for once, he was largely wrong. Louise Taylor
9
Eze stands out at the right time
Eberechi Eze only played 65 minutes after returning from a hamstring injury, but he still made a huge impact. It was his drive that led to the free-kick he scored and, as Palace sat deep and looked to contain Spurs, every touch he made felt like a potential threat. If he returns to fitness after a stop-start season, he may be just in time to secure a place in England's Euro squad. England will probably take four or five forwards to Germany. Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden will surely leave, but the other positions are up for grabs, with Jack Grealish struggling to stay fit and in shape and Marcus Rashford in a bad mood. Anthony Gordon is another obvious candidate but has yet to be called up to the senior team, while Eze was selected for the matches against Malta and North Macedonia in June. “All of England knows that Ebs is a great player who can decide games,” said Oliver Glasner. jonathan wilson
10
Berge shows top-level quality
Considering that Sander Berge's second full season in the Premier League will almost certainly end in relegation, like his first, the Norwegian is proving that he is more than capable at this level. He was first relegated with Sheffield United and Burnley are going down the same path, but he seems the Clarets player with the best chance of moving away from the championship. He has the physicality, intelligence and quality on the ball to make a difference at this level, but it is often difficult to show it in a struggling team. Against Bournemouth He often disrupted play and propelled Burnley forward, helping to create good chances. But Vincent Kompany's attackers are direct when it matters. Berge enjoyed promotion with Sheffield United last season, but he will surely prefer another chance in the Premier League sooner rather than later. won't win
