Premier League hits and misses: Liverpool take benefit as Arsenal and Man Metropolis stumble | Soccer Information

Toothless Arsenal crying out for Odegaard return

Mikel Arteta stated earlier than the sport that his Arsenal crew thrive once they “show their teeth”. As an alternative, this was a toothless show on the highway.

One shot on track, none from open play and Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope was not required to make a save all sport. Arsenal’s assault went utterly lacking.

The Gunners created 1.11 anticipated objectives, so ought to have discovered the web at St James’ Park. However the overwhelming majority of the whole got here from Mikel Merino’s blocked shot and Declan Rice’s late miss. For lengthy durations of the sport, Arsenal failed to interrupt down Newcastle’s mid-block and so they have been lacking one thing.

It seems that if Arsenal have any ambitions to win the Premier League title, and even problem for it, then Martin Odegaard must return from harm rapidly. Even after lacking the final six weeks of the season, the Arsenal captain has extra possibilities created from open play than any top-flight participant.

Odegaard would have supplied that killer contact Arsenal missed at Newcastle. He could return in midweek for Inter Milan, however has his reintroduction to the aspect come too late?
Sam Blitz

One other off-day for misfiring Haaland

Don’t regulate your screens: Erling Haaland is formally essentially the most wasteful Premier League striker proper now.

It appears wild to be saying that a few striker who has scored 14 objectives in 14 video games in all competitions thus far this season, however the stats don’t lie.

Following Man Metropolis’s shock defeat to Bournemouth, the Norwegian striker has now missed six huge possibilities in 5 matches since September 28. He has only one aim in that interval.

Haaland is essentially the most under-performing Premier League participant when it comes to Anticipated Targets since that date – by fairly far. Staff-mate Bernardo Silva is third on that record.

He had the prospect to attain a leveller as Metropolis utilized intense strain deep into stoppage time, however his header was saved by Cherries goalkeeper Mark Travers. So as to add insult to harm, he put his rebound onto the put up from point-blank vary. The primary effort had an xG of 0.21, the second had an xG of 0.35.

It was an off-day all spherical and a reminder that Haaland is, in actual fact, human. However Metropolis may do with him returning to his robotic finest sharpish.
Dan Lengthy

Pumped-up Newcastle bruise flat Arsenal once more

Twice within the second half, Newcastle gamers celebrated profitable defensive actions as if they’d scored a aim. Bruno Guimaraes profitable a throw-in – cue exuberant fist pumps. Joelinton outmuscling Gabriel on the far put up – convey on the roar in entrance of 1000’s of baying residence followers.

This was the form of Newcastle efficiency that has made Eddie Howe’s aspect such a tricky nut to crack throughout most of his time in cost – and in addition served to remind us what they’d been lacking throughout a five-game winless run.

The Magpies had been too straightforward to run by, too straightforward to attain in opposition to and too straightforward to overpower for a lot of this marketing campaign. However this all modified in opposition to Arsenal, who’ve now suffered defeat – and failed to attain – on three of their final 4 visits to St James’ Park.

Newcastle appear to relish taking over Arteta’s aspect, embracing the chance to frustrate, battle and bruise their title-chasing opponents. Keep this stage, and Howe’s outfit shall be again within the combine for the highest 4.
Joe Shread

Semenyo exhibits why he has prime six suitors

On Saturday morning, we reported Liverpool have been scouting Bournemouth ahead Antoine Semenyo, with the Ghana worldwide seen as a possible substitute for Mohamed Salah, ought to he go away Anfield when his contract ends on the finish of the season.

Many may have already been conscious of what the ahead is able to producing regularly, however in opposition to Man Metropolis, he put himself within the highlight.

Semenyo was a continuing thorn in Metropolis’s aspect, each defensively – he received eight of his 9 floor duels and 100 per cent of his tackles – and in an attacking sense, with one aim from 4 pictures, three possibilities created and quite a few bursts ahead on the counter.

Semenyo – who was taking part in for Bathtub within the Nationwide League South in 2017/18 – has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water over the previous two seasons and, at 24, nonetheless has loads of room to enhance. Whether or not that’s at Bournemouth stays to be seen.
Dan Lengthy

Alexander-Arnold changing into the complete package deal

The velocity at which Arne Slot has set to work at Liverpool has been spectacular – none extra so than his work with Trent Alexander-Arnold. His defensive work, usually criticised prior to now, has been one of many standout elements of Liverpool’s superb begin to the season.

Whereas he stays a inventive power, his function has modified underneath Slot. Ryan Gravenberch’s introduction in midfield has allowed the Liverpool boss to make use of Alexander-Arnold extra like a standard full-back and he is answering the decision. One of many hardest exams a full-back can undertake within the Premier League is a sport in opposition to Karou Mitoma however Alexander-Arnold stood robust all through.

His deal with rely of 9 was essentially the most made by a participant in any sport this season within the Premier League whereas Mitoma solely accomplished three of his eight dribbles within the sport.
Lewis Jones

Forest for prime 4 – why not?

It’s all going proper for Forest, presently. Chris Wooden has reworked himself into one of the vital deadly strikers within the prime flight of English soccer and the crew have ascended into the highest three of the Premier League.

The sky is the restrict for this aspect. They’ve heaps of high quality surrounding their in-form striker and confirmed that by Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ola Aina and the expertise they known as upon from the bench.

You’d be naive to assume this was only a purple patch of kind – we have seen that sides like Aston Villa can problem prime groups for Champions League soccer, so why cannot Forest be the most recent to do that?

They’ve all the mandatory elements on the prepared and proceed to churn out performances and outcomes in opposition to strong opponents.

The upcoming conferences in opposition to Newcastle and Arsenal shall be essential in figuring out what the ceiling for this crew actually is.
Patrick Rowe

West Ham should enhance throughout all areas

It was a 3rd formation change of the season from Julen Lopetegui, as he returned to the 3-4-3 he used through the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Within the early levels of the sport, it seemed as if the mixture of Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos may maintain the in-form Wooden quiet after he was restricted to only eight touches within the first 25 minutes.

Nevertheless, the Forest ahead nodded within the opener moments later and it was not lengthy earlier than West Ham have been lowered to 10 gamers and the sport spiralled out of their management.

Lopetegui was fast to level out after the sport that the consequence didn’t solely fall on the shoulders of Alvarez and as an alternative checked out his crew as a collective by insisting they have to be higher throughout all fronts. And he was proper.

West Ham began nicely however unravelled even earlier than the purple card. If they’re to forestall this season from really fizzling out into mid-table mediocrity – or one thing a lot worse – they’ve to enhance throughout all areas.

For the time being, they appear like a crew missing route.
Patrick Rowe

Useless Phillips purple prices Ipswich dearly as lengthy watch for top-flight win continues

It might have been an extended 20 minutes within the Portman Street dressing room for Ipswich City’s on-loan midfielder Kalvin Phillips after his sending-off helped flip the match on its head in opposition to Leicester Metropolis.

Till that time, Kieran McKenna’s aspect have been in full management and cruising to a primary league win since their promotion again to the Premier League, however for the second week in a row a scarcity of self-discipline value them pricey.

Final week, it was Harry Clarke’s dismissal that acted as spur for Brentford to go on and win a seven-goal thriller with a 96th-minute strike on the Gtech to interrupt Ipswich hearts.

Quick ahead per week and this time it was the way more skilled Phillips who let his crew down, forcing them to paly out the ultimate 20-odd minutes a participant quick in Suffolk and, boy, did the Foxes take benefit.

The guests ought to have already got been stage, however for a sensational goal-line clearance from Cameron Burgess to disclaim that man Ayew with two minutes to go, though the substitute was to not be denied, levelling issues within the fourth minute of stoppage-time because the Tractor Boys’ watch for a top-flight win, which stretches again to April 2002, continues.
Richard Morgan

Saints win papers over cracks

Southampton claimed their first league victory and clear sheet in 10 makes an attempt, however they may wrestle to earn many extra with comparable performances.

The hosts managed possession, as standard, but have been second-best to Everton in all of the attacking stats other than closing third entries.

As an alternative, the large Beto moments went Southampton’s means. Jan Bednarek’s foul on the striker, who then missed from 5 yards and had a late equaliser dominated out adopted instinctive saves by goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale – Southampton’s Participant of the Match.

Russell Martin praised his aspect for “sticking with what we want to be and who we want to be” though their wrestle is prone to proceed.
David Richardson