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 mentioned earlier than the sport that his Arsenal crew thrive once they “show their teeth”. As a substitute, this was a toothless show on the street.

One shot on course, 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 online at St James’ Park. However the overwhelming majority of the full 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 had 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 shortly. 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 offered 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 alter your screens: Erling Haaland is formally probably 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 to date 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 probably the most under-performing Premier League participant when it comes to Anticipated Targets since that date – by fairly a ways. Group-mate Bernardo Silva is third on that checklist.

He had the possibility to attain a leveller as Metropolis utilized intense stress 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 successful a throw-in – cue exuberant fist pumps. Joelinton outmuscling Gabriel on the far put up – carry on the roar in entrance of 1000’s of baying house followers.

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

The Magpies had been too simple to run by means of, too simple to attain in opposition to and too simple 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 will likely be again within the combine for the highest 4.
Joe Shread

Semenyo exhibits why he has high six suitors

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

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

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

Semenyo – who was taking part in for Tub 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 total package deal

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

Whereas he stays a artistic drive, 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 checks a full-back can undertake within the Premier League is a sport in opposition to Karou Mitoma however Alexander-Arnold stood sturdy all through.

His sort out depend of 9 was probably 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 high 4 – why not?

It’s all going proper for Forest, at present. Chris Wooden has remodeled himself into probably the most deadly strikers within the high 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 means of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ola Aina and the expertise they known as upon from the bench.

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

They’ve all the mandatory parts 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 will likely 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 throughout the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.

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

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

Lopetegui was fast to level out after the sport that the end result didn’t solely fall on the shoulders of Alvarez and as a substitute 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 crimson card. If they’re to forestall this season from tapering off 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 course.
Patrick Rowe

Useless Phillips crimson prices Ipswich dearly as lengthy look forward to top-flight win continues

It will have been a protracted 20 minutes within the Portman Highway 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 had 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 an absence of self-discipline value them expensive.

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 every week and this time it was the much more skilled Phillips who let his crew down, forcing them to paly out the ultimate 20-odd minutes a participant brief 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’ look forward to 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 battle to earn many extra with related performances.

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

As a substitute, the large Beto moments went Southampton’s approach. 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 battle is more likely to proceed.
David Richardson