Tottenham Hotspur's Jermain Defoe (centre) celebrates scoring his teams second goal of the game with teammate Clint Dempsey (left) as teammate Gareth Bale (right) looks on. John Walton/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Opinion
5 talking points from this weekend's Premier League action
Gareth Bale was in inspired form once again, while Luis Suarez landed himself in hot water for the umpteenth time.
While today is not the first time Luis Suarez’s career has been enshrouded in controversy, at least in the past, there was often a case to be made in his defence when such trouble arose.
There is no doubting that Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas really earned his money today.
At the start of the second half, his side were 1-0 down and struggling to unlock what looked to be an impermeable City rearguard.
However, the introduction of Lewis Holtby, Tom Huddlestone and Jermain Defoe swung the encounter in Tottenham’s favour, with the former two contributing assists and the latter blasting home his side’s all-important second goal, while Gareth Bale was in his usual inspired form.
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The 3-1 result means the race for a Champions League place remains as interesting and unpredictable as ever, while if there was any doubt about United winning the title before, there is surely none now, with a win tomorrow set to confirm Fergie’s side as champions.
3. Talk of sendings off “spoiling games” is an irrelevant platitude
Following yesterday’s Fulham-Arsenal match, Martin Jol was far from the first person ever to lament a referee’s red card decision by arguing that it “spoiled the game”.
While it’s true that football matches are often less interesting to watch when one side is down to 10 men, the inference that the subsequent level of entertainment should be a foremost concern in the referee’s mind is nonsense.
The referee’s main obligations are, and should always be, to make the correct decision irrespective of the emotions of the occasion, and to do his utmost to protect players’ safety.
Steve Sidwell’s poor challenge thus received the appropriate punishment, and for Jol to suggest it could have been a yellow seemed a little disingenuous.
4. Di Canio effect has saved Sunderland
What a difference a few weeks has made at Sunderland.
The negative press that greeted Paolo Di Canio’s arrival as manager has swiftly been forgotten, proving that in football, results are really all that matter.
Against Everton yesterday, his Sunderland side played with a level conviction, confidence and energy that rendered them almost unrecognisable from the nervous-looking men that routinely took to the field under Martin O’Neill.
While Di Canio admitted that his side still lack technical quality, he rightly praised their efforts amid what was a well-earned victory.
The boss surely warrants praise too, for the attitude he has instilled that has seemingly encouraged the team to adopt a braver approach, enabling them to consistently force the opposition back into their own half when the opposite was occurring a few weeks ago.
5. More needs to be done to curb tactical fouling
Increasingly of late, the phenomenon of what could be termed ‘tactical fouling’ has been apparent in Premier League matches.
Today’s game between Tottenham and Manchester City was a prime example of a trend that has become prevalent in recent times, with both sides ostensibly guilty of such behaviour.
The challenges in question are made to appear innocuous enough, thus ensuring the guilty player invariably avoids a caution.
And such cynicism diminishes the game as a spectacle, and is normally as frustrating for the viewer as it is for the opposition manager.
A definitive limit on the number of fouls a player can commit before being booked is one potential way of stemming the growing influence of this unwelcome strategy.
5 talking points from this weekend's Premier League action
1. Luis Suarez’s behaviour indefensible
While today is not the first time Luis Suarez’s career has been enshrouded in controversy, at least in the past, there was often a case to be made in his defence when such trouble arose.
Today’s incident, which Liverpool and Suarez have at least apologised for, left little ambiguity even in the eyes of hardcore Liverpool supporters.
His inexplicable decision to bite Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanović even had some of the club’s fans calling for the Uruguayan to be sold.
While it’s unlikely that Liverpool will take such a drastic measure, they can no longer downplay Suarez’s attraction towards controversy.
Biting an opponent is not normal human behaviour and the club should, at the very least, seek professional help for their beleaguered star, particularly as it is not even the first time he has been found guilty of this infringement.
2. Substitutions win the game for AVB
There is no doubting that Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas really earned his money today.
The 3-1 result means the race for a Champions League place remains as interesting and unpredictable as ever, while if there was any doubt about United winning the title before, there is surely none now, with a win tomorrow set to confirm Fergie’s side as champions.
3. Talk of sendings off “spoiling games” is an irrelevant platitude
YouTube credit: TheSteelhead0
Following yesterday’s Fulham-Arsenal match, Martin Jol was far from the first person ever to lament a referee’s red card decision by arguing that it “spoiled the game”.
While it’s true that football matches are often less interesting to watch when one side is down to 10 men, the inference that the subsequent level of entertainment should be a foremost concern in the referee’s mind is nonsense.
The referee’s main obligations are, and should always be, to make the correct decision irrespective of the emotions of the occasion, and to do his utmost to protect players’ safety.
Steve Sidwell’s poor challenge thus received the appropriate punishment, and for Jol to suggest it could have been a yellow seemed a little disingenuous.
4. Di Canio effect has saved Sunderland
What a difference a few weeks has made at Sunderland.
The negative press that greeted Paolo Di Canio’s arrival as manager has swiftly been forgotten, proving that in football, results are really all that matter.
The boss surely warrants praise too, for the attitude he has instilled that has seemingly encouraged the team to adopt a braver approach, enabling them to consistently force the opposition back into their own half when the opposite was occurring a few weeks ago.
5. More needs to be done to curb tactical fouling
Increasingly of late, the phenomenon of what could be termed ‘tactical fouling’ has been apparent in Premier League matches.
Today’s game between Tottenham and Manchester City was a prime example of a trend that has become prevalent in recent times, with both sides ostensibly guilty of such behaviour.
The challenges in question are made to appear innocuous enough, thus ensuring the guilty player invariably avoids a caution.
And such cynicism diminishes the game as a spectacle, and is normally as frustrating for the viewer as it is for the opposition manager.
A definitive limit on the number of fouls a player can commit before being booked is one potential way of stemming the growing influence of this unwelcome strategy.
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