1. Don’t write off Leicester
PREDICTABLY, FOLLOWING THEIR 2-1 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates, people were suddenly writing off Leicester as title contenders as they have been for much of the season.
Yet despite Sunday’s disappointment, Claudio Ranieri’s side remain top of the league, two points ahead of Tottenham.
Moreover, three of the Foxes next four games are home matches against Norwich, West Brom and Newcastle — if they win those encounters, as most would expect them to, they will considerably enhance the already strong position they find themselves in at the top of the league.
And beforehand, if you’d offered Ranieri six points in games against Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal, he may well have taken it, so as crushing as this afternoon’s defeat to the Gunners must have been, it is by no means a fatal blow to their title prospects.
Man City lost a similarly important match against Liverpool two seasons ago before going on to win the title — this Leicester side have the resilience to do the same.
2. Arsenal and Tottenham defy stereotypes
Both Arsenal and Tottenham have gained a reputation for being flaky over the years.
While both sides have produced some brilliant football in recent times, when the pressure is on, they tend to collapse all too often.
Yet the North London sides’ fragile mentality was not in evidence on Sunday — Arsenal, who have a reputation for struggling in big games, showed good character to recover from the concession of a goal stemming from a controversial penalty decision to secure a vital last-gasp victory.
Similarly Tottenham, who have been on the end of a few thrashings by Man City in seasons past, rode the storm brilliantly at the Etihad to earn a classic smash-and-grab victory.
3. Aston Villa playing as if they’re already relegated
“They’re an embarrassment, Villa, and they have been for a few years. If that team were in the Championship, they’d be closer to the bottom than the top. Thinking of how difficult it is for young kids whose dream it is to play in the Premier League, well that gives anyone hope.”
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher had some harsh words for Aston Villa after their humiliating 6-0 home loss to Liverpool, also suggesting they could be the “worst side in Premier League history”.
Yet few Villa fans will disagree on the evidence of Sunday’s dismal performance, and it’s no exaggeration to suggest that certain individuals are playing like the club have already been relegated.
After the second goal went in yesterday, the hosts effectively threw in the towel, and there was a conspicuous fecklessness about some of the defending thereafter.
If 40 points is the tally needed to be sure of avoiding the drop, then Remi Garde’s men need to win eight of their remaining 12 matches to secure safety.
Even the most optimistic Villa fan will surely now recognise that the situation is a hopeless one.
4. Man City have reason to be aggrieved
It was hard not to feel some sympathy for Man City after their title hopes suffered another big blow amid a 2-1 loss at home to Tottenham in Sunday’s 4pm game.
The hosts were the victims of a poor penalty decision that enabled Harry Kane to give Tottenham the lead from the spot.
Even Manuel Pellegrini, not normally one to complain about referees, failed to hide his annoyance at the decision in post-match interviews.
Interestingly though, this moment turned out to be the point in the game that sparked City into life.
Following a lethargic first-half display in which they had less than 40% possession, Pellegrini’s side dominated much of the second half and the equaliser, when it came, was fully deserved.
Yet City were perhaps overly eager to get the winner thereafter, as Yaya Toure’s ill-advised solo run into a sea of Spurs bodies was punished, with Tottenham retrieving possession and striking a clinical killer blow on the counter attack in the form of Chritian Eriksen’s exquisite touch and finish, following an inch-perfect Erik Lamela through ball.
5. The Sturridge dilemma continues
Daniel Sturridge started his first Premier League match for Liverpool since 4 October on Sunday.
A succession of injury problems has meant Sturridge has barely played at all in the past two seasons, to the point where critics are beginning to question whether the hugely talented striker is worth persevering with owing to his continual fitness issues.
Yet somewhat remarkably, given how long he’s been absent for, the 26-year-old England international looked extremely sharp on Sunday at Villa Park, scoring the crucial opening goal in the 6-0 hammering.
If he can stay injury free, Sturridge will surely regain his status as one of the best strikers in the Premier League. Yet the next few months are crucial for the ex-Chelsea forward — it seems unlikely that Liverpool will continue to indulge a player on such extravagant wages, who makes only occasional goalscoring cameos, and they may go searching for a replacement in the summer if the situation shows no signs of considerable improvement in the coming weeks.
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