AFTER A SCINTILLATING opening game of the day at White Hart Lane and some surprise results in the 3pm games it was probably too much to ask for an entertaining Merseyside Derby but it was still a good day of football.
Here are five talking points from today’s action…
Harry Kane looks to be the real deal
After the 21-year-old’s demolition of Chelsea on New Year’s Day the hype around England’s new star striker went up a gear or three. After today it will have gone up about ten gears.
Much was expected of the Londoner playing in his first North London Derby and he certainly didn’t disappoint, taking the game by the scruff of the neck and ensuring Spurs beat Arsenal for the first time in five games as well ensuring that he now must be considered one of the best current Premier League players.
The likable striker scores some incredible goals, takes up great positions and passes the ball with a slick beauty. However, the best thing about Harry Kane is that he comes across as a fan playing for his favourite club. The work rate and passion that he shows in every game can’t help but make you smile when watching.
There are plenty of things to be disgruntled about in the modern game of football but Harry Kane is a refreshing beacon of light who offers a glimpse of what the game really is about — passion and a never-ending will to win.
Talk of a move to sunnier climbs were well and truly put to bed during the week when he signed a brand new five and a half year contract. This is a man who loves everything about the club he plays for and, if things go right for him over the rest of his career, he will go down in that club’s folklore as one of the absolute greats.
Milner comes to City’s rescue yet again
The Premier League is littered with unsung heroes and generally underrated players, none more so than James Milner.
City were poor today and deserved to suffer their first home defeat to Hull City in 85 years but were saved by a late free-kick from Milner, who had started on the bench.
It’s the second time in recent games that the English midfielder has got his side out of jail — the previous time being his two late goals against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup third round last month.
Today’s match exposed yet more huge cracks in the City side however. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have now not won in the league since New Year’s Day. Yes, they are missing Yaya Toure but today they were playing a team that are tipped by many to go down while City are, apparently, Chelsea’s only legitimate title challengers.
In previous season this game would have been a case of how much for last season’s champions. It certainly wouldn’t have been a game in which they were booed off by their own fans at half-time, as happened today.
David Meyler’s opener was the result of shambolic defending, along with a floundering Joe Hart. £40 million signing Eliaquiam Mangala had been left on the bench, Pellegrini instead opting for Martin Demichelis.
The same duo nearly combined to gift Hull a second minutes later. While they certainly are missing Toure it’s clear that most of City’s problems lie with the back four.
Is this the end of the road for Leicester?
Go back just a few weeks and optimism was abound that Leicester might just pull off a miracle and stay up. That optimism is now well and truly dead.
If their staying up was to be the case surely a win today was vital. As it was they created a number of good chances, didn’t take them and succumbed to a loss to the in-form bottom half of the table team.
The win for Palace was their fifth in six games and the Alan Pardew train shows absolutely no sign of stopping. They now sit six points above the drop zone and look to be well on their way to survival.
On the other hand the situation looks bleak for Nigel Pearson. His side are still just one win away from pulling themselves out of the relegation places but that win doesn’t look to be coming any time soon with their next three fixtures seeing them travel to Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City.
Spurs must now be considered real top four candidates
Arsenal didn’t perform horrendously badly today. Indeed, in the first half they were quite good — taking the lead and looking comfortable and organised in a similar defensive strategy to the one Arsene Wenger had deployed against Manchester City.
Despite that however they were outclassed by an inspired Spurs side that have hit a run of form which shows no sign of ending.
In their current form Harry Kane and Cristian Eriksen are two of the best players in the league. Eriksen’s smooth elegance on the ball complements the English striker’s work rate and their telepathic ability to find each other on the pitch is a joy to watch.
With Liverpool to play on Tuesday and then Fiorentina in the Europa League the following week this could be a season-defining fortnight for Pochettino’s side.
Top four is key but, with the form his side is in, the Argentinian will have his sights set on winning the club’s fourth European title.
Hard to see any QPR resurgence
It’s becoming a regular trend in football that a team will see a resurgence after their manager departs — West Brom and Crystal Palace are both examples this season — but that wasn’t the case with QPR.
That lack of resurgence is really surprising however. Under Harry Redknapp the team didn’t look to have the heart to fight a relegation battle and that doesn’t look to have changed since he left.
Today’s defeat was somewhat unlucky in that it took a stoppage time Sadio Mane goal to do it but it’s still yet another loss and a loss at home — where they have actually looked good on occasions this season.
The news that Charlie Austin left Loftus Road on crutches amid fears of a broken bone in his foot, along with the injury picked up by Richard Dunne will further compound Rangers’ misery.
