ESPN FC’s Craig Burley recaps Chelsea’s dominant performance against Tottenham on their way to claiming the Capital One Cup trophy.
Matchday 27 of the Premier League is in the bag, so it’s time to run the rule over the Heroes and Villains of the weekend …
HEROES
Diego Costa stole the headlines, but it was John Terry who won the man of the match at Wembley. Harry Kane has caused problems for teams all season, including Chelsea. Terry and an improved Gary Cahill kept him quiet. Terry’s perfectly timed late sliding tackle on Kane, executed without fear in his own penalty area, typified his performance. Were it not for off-the-field controversies, he would be a very good bet for the Player of the Year award. A cup winners’ medal, and the possibility of another league title will doubtless provide adequate consolation.
Arsene Wenger demanded a reaction from his players after their midweek capitulation to Monaco and it was duly delivered at the Emirates Stadium. “We came back to our basics,” said Wenger. Everton, whose domestic form provides a polar opposite of how they fare in Europe, were vanquished as Arsenal reimposed the gap between themselves and a resurgent Liverpool. Once again, you wonder what this club might achieve were they able to find any sort of consistency. Two or three good signings in the summer and they could win the title. But we’ve been saying that since 2008.
Philippe Coutinho is making a habit of scoring dramatic, long-range goals. He did it to Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup, he did it to Southampton in the league. This weekend, it was Manchester City’s turn to feel the force of Coutinho’s boot. The Brazilian is emblematic of the rising confidence at Anfield, where progress has been reassuringly steady and, for Liverpool’s rivals, worryingly relentless. Even now, Liverpool aren’t at the levels they were a year ago. But they are getting there. And they want that top four spot. With no European distractions, would you bet against them claiming it?
For the second season in a row, Crystal Palace are making a surge out of the drop zone and into the safety of the middle of the table. With 30 points on the board, you would be very surprised if they slipped back down now. This is no mean feat for Palace who, up until last season, had been relegated at the end of each of their four Premier League campaigns. And the credit has to go to Alan Pardew. It’s one thing to beat a Sam Allardyce side, it’s another to do it through the medium of set pieces. Newcastle supporters won’t like it, but he has made a real difference to this team.
Another manager having a seismic effect on his new club is Tony Pulis. He’s only been at the club for two months, but the Baggies have been quickly assimilated. Surly starlets have been slapped down, centre-backs are playing as full-backs and the players have been drilled to within an inch of their lives. The 1-0 victory over Southampton was their fourth clean sheet in a row and, like Palace, their 30 point haul insulates them against all but the most surprising of late season collapses. Pulis is the best firefighter in the business.
Despite his suggestion that Everton played well in their 2-0 loss to Arsenal, one fact cannot be disputed: Roberto Martinez’s men have just one Premier League win to their credit since Dec. 15, 2014.
VILLAINS
It’s all going wrong for Sam Allardyce. Those heady autumnal days when West Ham briefly threatened to push for Europe seem so very long ago now. Saturday’s capitulation at home to Crystal Palace extended the Hammers’ winless run to six games and the mood in Upton Park is grim. With his contract at the club entering its final months and with so many reports of conflict behind the scenes, it looks like a separation is now inevitable. Allardyce will be fine. There will always be a medium-sized club in search of salvation. But his exit draws close.
After a brief burst of exhilarating football, first in the lions’ den of the Britannia Stadium then against the docile kittens of Newcastle, normal service has been resumed at Manchester City. This has been a most tepid title defence. Chelsea must have feared that their prior commitments at Wembley might lead to a sudden shortening of their lead. It did not. City completed a miserable week with a miserable display and were deservedly beaten at Anfield. Roberto Mancini was sacked for a season like this. Manuel Pellegrini should tread carefully.
How the Newcastle fans enjoyed this moment. Back in 2009, as their team tumbled out of the Premier League at Villa Park, the home supporters goaded them with banners and gleefully mocked their demise. The boot was on the other foot at St James’ Park on Saturday. Aston Villa were beaten by a Newcastle side with little to play for anymore, their seventh league defeat on the bounce. Tim Sherwood has an enormous job on his hands and the Villa fans have learned an important lesson about karma. She really is a bitch.
Another defeat for Everton and more worries for Roberto Martinez. This isn’t the first time that the club followed a European game on a Thursday with a disappointing result on the Sunday. In fact, Everton have only won twice in eight Europa League weeks. Just as concerning is the fact that they have won just once in the league since December 15. They are only six points ahead of Queens Park Rangers, Burnley and Aston Villa. Martinez desperately needs to put a few victories under his belt. What’s next? Oh. It’s Stoke away. Oh dear.
ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop, Craig Burley and Raphael Honigstein react to the Bundesliga announcing it will introduce goal-line technology next season, but Burley cannot help and crack a few jokes along the way.
To avoid a protracted argument, let us say that we have a simple choice over the future of refereeing. Either we accept that human beings are fallible and we all agree to take their decisions with stoicism and dignity, or we give them the help they need. There is video technology available that would not cause delay or distraction during games. The Dutch FA have been testing it. It would have quickly cleared up the case of mistaken identity at Old Trafford. It would do the same for countless other incidents in countless other games. Repeatedly dissecting the decisions of officials is dull. We need to make a decision and move on.
Iain Macintosh is a writer for ESPN FC and editor of @thesetpieces. Follow him on Twitter @IainMacintosh.