1. Funes Mori deserves lengthy suspension for horror challenge
JURGEN KLOPP ADMITTED that Liverpool’s convincing 4-0 victory over Everton at Anfield last night was overshadowed by a bad injury to young striker Divock Origi.
Having scored Liverpool’s opener, Origi was stretchered off after an awful challenge from Ramiro Funes Mori on 50 minutes, with the 21-year-old Belgian striker suffering a potentially season-ending injury.
Funes Mori caught Origi late on the ankle and received a deserved red card as a result.
And to add insult to injury, the Argentine defender ill-advisedly kissed his badge as he departed the field.
The Everton player’s behaviour was inexcusable and surely merits longer than the customary three matches usually given for red-card offences.
Moreover, after the match, Klopp clearly wasn’t happy with the incident.
“I can’t say too much about Origi but they say it is disgusting, awful pictures,” the German manager told reporters.
“But it’s not broken, it is a twisted ankle, he is on crutches walking around so we will have to see.
“When you want to have success you need luck with injuries. Seeing him on the floor is not too nice so I couldn’t enjoy the second half too much.”
2. Is Wayne Rooney’s best position now in midfield?
Since his return from injury, Wayne Rooney has been deployed in a somewhat deeper role than usual by Louis van Gaal, and Wednesday’s routine win over Crystal Palace was no exception.
Rooney has said in the past that his ideal position is as the main striker, though Van Gaal conceded after last night’s match that Marcus Rashford’s form meant the England international had to be content with a more central playmaking position.
It is not the first time that the Dutch coach has been faced with this dilemma — Rooney was similarly deployed in midfield last season at times, with Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao often played up front.
But with Marcus Rashford continuing to show excellent form in attack, Rooney may have to get used to playing in behind the attacker on a more regular basis this time around.
And it may be no bad thing. Rashford provides United with a dynamism in the final third that an ageing Rooney can no longer emulate, while the 30-year-old brings a level of creativity and range of passing to the centre of the pitch that few of the Red Devils’ other midfielders can match.
3. West Ham keep faint Champions League hopes alive with victory
With Liverpool picking up three points this evening, it was vital that West Ham did the same to stem the likelihood of their season petering out.
The Hammers consequently beat Watford 3-1 to remain in the race for an unlikely Champions League spot.
With four games to play, Slaven Bilic’s side are three, four and five points behind United, Arsenal and City respectively.
If they can keep up their current momentum, however, then their penultimate match of the season against the Red Devils could be very interesting indeed.
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