Van Dijk vulnerability exposed by Fulham
Arne Slot came to the defence of Virgil van Dijk after Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Fulham, saying any defender can have difficult moments against strikers as physical as Everton’s Beto and Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz. But this was another display to show vulnerability in the 33-year-old.
Van Dijk, normally imperious, struggled to cope with Beto’s running in the 1-0 win over Everton in midweek and Muniz got the better of him too easily for the goal that proved decisive at Craven Cottage. The striker’s touch was brilliant. Van Dijk’s positioning was not.
He was not the only Liverpool defender who struggled in the game. In fact, they all did. Ibrahima Konate was mercifully substituted by Slot midway through the second half but the Liverpool boss would have been justified in taking off any one of them.
Curtis Jones could only direct Timothy Castagne’s cross into the path of Ryan Sessegnon for the opening goal and Andrew Robertson was culpable for the second, his slack pass across his own goal allowing Alex Iwobi to score. Robertson rushed across to try and rectify his error but only ended up deflecting Iwobi’s shot beyond Caoimhin Kelleher.
Van Dijk’s error, getting the wrong side of Muniz and allowing him to pluck a high ball out of the sky, capped a calamitous 14-minute spell which leaves Liverpool with work to do to get over the line. Their title is not in jeopardy but a third defeat in four games in all competitions, and more defensive shakiness from usually dependable players, is cause for concern.
Nick Wright
De Bruyne situation sums up Man City’s need for rebuild
This was not how Kevin De Bruyne was meant to end his Manchester derby career.
The script was written for the Man City midfielder to give the club’s fiercest rivals one last blast of magic. It did not come in the goalless draw at Old Trafford.
De Bruyne came into the game with the best chances created per 90 record in the Premier League this season. But playing in a free false nine role, he failed to create a single chance. He had two routine efforts straight at Andre Onana, in a largely ineffective display.
And it sums up where City are at the moment. Without Erling Haaland, there is a lack of a threat up front and it also highlights the age problem with City.
De Bruyne started a big game for City at 33. Behind him in the City midfield was Ilkay Gundogan, 34, Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic, both 30. Everyone in the attacking spine of City is just that one or two years too old. And it showed.
City were overrun in the midfield, losing 76 per cent of the first-half duels – with United a real threat on the counter. It was not the first time City have been exposed like this, highlighting the need of a rebuild.
Sam Blitz
Casemiro rolls back the years with monstrous showing
Player-of-the-match awards are of course a subjective beast and Gary Neville knows more about football than I ever will. But Bruno Fernandes, player of the match, Gary? Really?
The Portuguese maestro is in great form at the minute and looked the most likely to unlock a game that was already forgotten once the full-time whistle was blown, but there was only one outstanding player on that pitch who deserved accolades and that was Casemiro.
I have given the Brazilian a fair bashing in the last year. He looked finished last season and it is perhaps surprising he is still playing in the Premier League. Well, based on this performance, he is still a Premier League player.
He put in a phenomenal performance in front of his back four. He snuffed out danger. He made tackles. He led by example.
The 11 tackles he made was the most made a single player in the Premier League this season. He also won 13 duels, the most of any player and the joint-most won by a United player in a single game this season.
It was monstrous.
Lewis Jones
Maresca’s selection gamble backfires
Eyebrows were certainly raised when the Chelsea team sheet came in at Brentford with no Cole Palmer or Nicolas Jackson in the starting XI.
Both players returned from injury in the win over Spurs on Thursday and, with the quick turnaround to Sunday, Enzo Maresca left his key attacking options on the bench. What is he saving them for? The Conference League quarter-final against Legia Warsaw on Thursday?
It was certainly a gamble, especially with Chelsea handed the chance to cement their position in the top five and close the gap to third-placed Nottingham Forest after their defeat to Aston Villa.
What ensued was a lacklustre first-half performance from Chelsea, who lacked cutting edge without Palmer and Jackson.
Maresca knew it and quickly introduced Jackson and Palmer, and Chelsea’s outlook completely changed. Jackson gave them a focal point and Palmer, along with Pedro Neto, gave the Blues plenty of attacking impetus.
However, in the end, neither player could help help break the deadlock as it ended goalless with the point leaving Chelsea looking nervously over their shoulder at the chasing pack in the race for Champions League qualification.
Oliver Yew
Brentford missed a cutting edge in Chelsea draw
Brentford have waited a long time for a home win against Chelsea. The last time it happened – in October 1938 – World War Two had not even started. And the 87-year wait will go on after the goalless draw at the Gtech.
That is not to say they did not have chances to win. In fact, they had 12 shots fewer than Chelsea, yet generated just 0.1 xG less than the Blues (1.22 vs 1.32).
There was promise, particularly in the first half. Mikkel Damsgaard sent a free-kick whistling just over the bar, Bryan Mbeumo got past Reece James and hit a trademark low shot just past the post, while Kevin Schade was giving Malo Gusto all sorts of nightmares.
They saved their best until late on, with Robert Sanchez making two saves, Yoane Wissa sending a glancing header millimetres past the post and Sepp van den Berg heading over from point-blank range. The net did not ripple, though.
If nothing else, Thomas Frank can be happy with a first clean sheet at home in the league this season – but it could certainly have been more.
Dan Long
Battering ram Muniz makes his mark on Liverpool
Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz took his goal brilliantly against Liverpool, outfoxing Van Dijk with a sublime touch from a high ball, but the striker’s performance was mostly about brute force. He made it a hellish afternoon for both Van Dijk and Konate.
The 23-year-old only completed four passes before his second-half withdrawal but he threw himself into 19 duels in total and won 10 of them. He hustled and harried Liverpool’s defenders, winning fouls and making his mark. The cheer that greeted his name when he was substituted showed how much the home supporters appreciated his efforts.
Muniz continues to play the role of understudy rather than leading man, with Raul Jimenez usually Marco Silva’s first choice up front, but this was just the latest example of his effectiveness and it came only days after he scored as a substitute in the defeat to Arsenal.
He now has eight Premier League goals in only 895 minutes of action this season and 11 goals in all competitions. Van Dijk and Konate will not remember their afternoon against him fondly.
Nick Wright
Juric determined Saints won’t set another unwanted record
Southampton boss Ivan Juric was adamant he and his players will avoid the ignominy of setting a new record for the lowest points total in Premier League history after watching the Saints relegated back to the Championship in record-breaking time following their 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
Southampton became the first team in Premier League history to be relegated with as many as seven games of the season remaining, but it is another unwanted record the south-coast club are absolutely desperate to avoid between now and the end of the season and that is Derby County’s haul of just 11 points when relegated in 2007-08.
The Saints have a paltry 10 points to their name with seven games to play, so need only two more to set a new record and they do face fellow strugglers Leicester City at the King Power on May 3 – however, having won just two matches all season, there is no guarantee they will manage it.
Rich Morgan
Do Spurs have momentum ahead of Europa League QF?
At half-time of Tottenham’s win over Southampton, Spurs appeared to have some real momentum heading into Thursday’s pivotal Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Brennan Johnson’s double had the home side in control at 2-0 up in a first half which saw them have six shots on target, 21 touches in the opposition box and 58 per cent of the ball.
But, by full-time, the doubts and pessimism had crept back in as Spurs conceded late on to set up an unnecessarily nervy finish in an underwhelming second half as they had just two shots on target, four touches in the opposition box and 44 per cent possession.
In fairness to the players, their attentions had probably already turned to Thursday’s crunch first leg.
There were encouraging displays from player-of-the-match Johnson, and midfielders James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall – but Spurs will need more from captain Heung-Min Son, who was one of the first substitutions Ange Postecoglou made.
While the Australian admitted his unhappiness at his team’s second-half display, he acknowledged the importance of only their second home league win of 2025 which makes them “ready for a big night on Thursday”.
But Postecoglou will know deep down that a second half like that against Frankfurt will end their season – and potentially his reign.
Declan Olley