Newcastle depth exposed by ruthless Villa
Newcastle named the same side for a seventh consecutive match and ran out of legs – Aston Villa showed them why it is a squad game with their 4-1 win.
Unai Emery made four changes from Villa’s Champions League second-leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain having lit a fire under those who were left out.
Ollie Watkins and Ian Maatsen both staked their claims for starting spots as Villa’s freshness took the game away from the visitors in the second half.
Newcastle had also looked unstoppable, scoring nine goals in two games against Manchester United and Crystal Palace this week despite being without head coach Eddie Howe.
How could assistant Jason Tindall have changed the team after those victories? It would have been a brave call to drop either Harvey Barnes or Jacob Murphy, who have both been in superb form, for Anthony Gordon or change one of their midfield three for Sean Longstaff or teenager Lewis Miley.
Howe’s squad lacks the same depth as Villa’s as they turned to Marcus Rashford, Amadou Onana, Jacob Ramsey, Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen from the bench. Newcastle’s second-half changes were Emil Krafth, Matt Targett, Joe Willock, Callum Wilson and Gordon.
Emery’s ability to rotate without losing momentum gave Villa the edge, while Newcastle’s bench simply could not offer the same impact. As the season enters its defining stretch, it is squad strength – not just starting-XI quality – that can make all the difference.
David Richardson
O’Reilly provides Man City glimmer of hope
In a season that has given Manchester City fans very little to shout about, they can look to 20-year-old Nico O’Reilly as they seek a glimmer of hope for a resurgent next season.
After netting his first City league goal during their comeback 5-2 win against Crystal Palace last weekend, his second put City well on their way to earning the 2-0 victory at Everton that will strengthen their chances of securing Champions League football for a 15th straight season. His recent run of games has also seen a crucial goal against Plymouth in the FA Cup before his two assists off the bench helped his side fight back against Bournemouth in the same competition.
Guardiola is not hiding O’Reilly’s desire to play further forward, but when he is ghosting through the lines and popping up with a goal like he did at Goodison Park or volleying home from the edge of the area like he did at Palace, he is able to use his natural attacking capabilities anyway.
City were far from inspiring at Everton, and have been distant from their convincing selves this season as a whole. But O’Reilly’s versatility, dynamism and youthful exuberance could help City find a way back to their best.
William Bitibiri
Does Hurzeler know what he’s doing?
When the away end decided to greet Fabian Hurzeler’s decision to substitute Danny Welbeck with a rendition of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ it was awkward enough for the Brighton head coach. That is not even including the fact that Brighton owner Tony Bloom, the man who hires and fires, was sitting in that very away end.
It is usually tough for a manager to come back from such ridicule from your own fanbase. And Hurzeler did cut a prickly figure in the post-match press conference after the 4-2 defeat at Brentford, being quite short with journalists on certain subjects, but he did in fairness answer the questions on that chant from the away end.
He said: “That’s fine. They have their opinion. The team played well after that [the substitution].”
Not quite Ange Postecoglou level of ear cupping but he certainly was trying to make a point. This friction between head coach and fanbase, triggered by some very inconsistent home form this season that has seen them draw to Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich, plus now a run of five games without a win, will be giving Bloom plenty of food for thought.
Lewis Jones
How will Everton cope without stalwart Tarkowski?
There is no doubting that David Moyes’ impact at Everton has been stark. Despite defeat against Manchester City, his side’s display showed the strides they have taken since his return to Merseyside, but James Tarkowski’s hamstring injury will be the thing playing on Moyes’ mind.
His withdrawal meant Michael Keane was thrown into action and struggled to keep up with the pace of the game, and was booked within minutes of his introduction. With the pressure mounting before City took the lead, Keane nearly gifted the away side a goal with a lax header back towards his goal that Omar Marmoush almost capitalised on, only to be denied by Jordan Pickford.
Not only is the drop off in terms of match fitness stark, the composure that Tarkowski brings to his back line was also lost. Centre-back options are thin at Goodison with Jake O’Brien able to fill in, but after performing so well at full-back of late, it would require more change than Moyes would like. Tarkowski’s potential absence has provided a dilemma for Moyes.
William Bitibiri
Bournemouth falter in race for Europe
Bournemouth surpassed their record Premier League points tally with the 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace but the overwhelming feeling for Andoni Iraola’s side after a forgettable afternoon of football must surely be one of disappointment.
Crystal Palace were down to 10 for the whole second half after Chris Richards’ red card and had shipped 10 goals in their past two games, yet Bournemouth could barely lay a glove on them. A measly 0.3xG was all they could muster after the break.
This will go down as a big opportunity missed in their pursuit of European football – even more so when you consider Brighton, one of their rivals for qualification, were beaten at Brentford. These results open the door to Fulham.
Monday’s win over Fulham had reignited Bournemouth’s hopes of European qualification after a six-game winless run in the league. Now Iraola’s side are on shaky ground heading into the final five games and in their worst moment of the season.
Bournemouth have had the beating of their next opponents, Manchester United, over the last few games at Old Trafford but face a testing run after that with games against Arsenal, Aston Villa and Man City, before they host Leicester on the final day.
Eighth is expected to be enough to earn a route into the UEFA Conference League play-offs, unless Crystal Palace win the FA Cup this season. Bournemouth have come so far under Iraola, as underlined by breaking their record points tally, but more is required to make history.
Zinny Boswell
Dull West Ham frustrate their fans again
The West Ham supporters were not impressed with the performance from their side in the 1-1 draw against Southampton at all. Booed off at half-time, booed off at full-time.
Their team were well off it in the first half, when Southampton had the best chances. Jarrod Bowen’s goal gave the Hammers a flying start to the second half and they were unfortunate not to add another.
But Graham Potter opted to hold on to the 1-0, going to a back five and making defensive substitutions… and then they conceded anyway. Against a Southampton side set to post one of the lowest Premier League points totals ever.
The West Ham supporters turned up on Saturday expecting to be entertained in the sunshine; wanting their side to cut loose against a Southampton team that have been so poor all season. They did not get that at all.
West Ham stepped away from the David Moyes era last summer in a bid to deliver more exciting football but only four teams have scored fewer goals and their supporters seem as dissatisfied with the product on the pitch as ever before.
Peter Smith
The deadliest of duos?
Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa are a phenomenal duo. The numbers are quite staggering considering they play for a team not in the top half. Mbeumo’s double against Brighton means he has now scored 18 times this season – only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak are ahead of him in the Golden Boot race.
His mate Wissa is just two behind him on 16 goals. If you throw their assists into the mix too then Mbeumo and Wissa have 43 goal involvements between them this season. Only Isak and Jacob Murphy, who have 46 goal involvements, can better that return when it comes to club team-mates and goal involvements.
The result kept alive Brentford’s outside hopes of qualifying for Europe. That is the level their fantastically deadly duo should be playing at.
Lewis Jones