Analysis

Liverpool physicality a worry as Oliver Glasner looks to repair relationship with Crystal Palace fans - Premier League hits and misses

The Sky Sports football writers analyse Sunday's Premier League action as Liverpool's worrying physicality problem is highlighted after being "monstered" by Nottingham Forest and Oliver Glasner has work to do to repair the relationship with Crystal Palace fans

Sunday 22 February 2026 20:09, UK

Liverpool's physicality is still a worry

Arne Slot was right to praise Liverpool's mentality in their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Alexis Mac Allister stepped up. Dominik Szoboszlai showed tremendous composure. Rio Ngumoha made a big impression after coming off the bench.

But it will take even more than Mac Allister's magical moment in the 97th minute to shake off the memory of a first-half performance that Slot conceded was the worst that he has seen by his side. There is the lingering sense that it revealed Liverpool's flaws.

Physically outmatched by Forest, they were "monstered" in the words of Jamie Carragher and far too passive on the ball. Even amid the praise, it was a theme throughout Slot's post-match press conference afterwards at the City Ground.

Ngumoha is learning to deal with the Premier League and its physicality. Florian Wirtz had to withdraw because "in this league, he understands that no matter how good you are on the ball, you need to be 100 per cent" to be able to cope with its demands.

Liverpool did turn the tide but both managers agreed that Forest's exertions in Turkey on Thursday evening were a factor. Slot's side had a free week. But with Liverpool still in the FA Cup and the Champions League knockouts to come, there will not be many of them.

If this Liverpool team must rely on such advantages to be able to handle the physicality of the opposition, then while this was a welcome win, it could be too soon to call this a pivotal moment in their season. There is a long way to go and lots for Liverpool to prove.
Adam Bate

Arsenal are a duel winning machine

What makes Arsenal such a relentless Premier League team that pick up points at a ratio akin to most title winners is their ability to do the dirty stuff better than anyone.

They aren't always a delight to watch, and play pretty football, but this is a team that earn the right to play with their level of conviction and tenacity out of possession. The win over their north London rivals was all about winning that battle of physicality which then allowed their better players to take over in the final third. Arsenal won 58.3 per cent of duels. A big figure. It's what you need in a derby match.

Between Declan Rice, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhães, they won 28 of their combined 34 duels, with the outstanding Gabriel winning all 10 of his. That is a phenomenal effort, especially up against an opponent like Randal Kolo Muani, who played with great endeavour but couldn't quite get the better of this Arsenal machine.
Lewis Jones

Glasner has work to do to repair relationship with fans

A first Premier League home win since November and some welcome positivity for Crystal Palace but on the evidence of events at Selhurst Park on Sunday, Oliver Glasner has work to do to repair his relationship with the club's fans.

A banner reading 'fans disrespected - Glasner finished' told the tale of the frustration among the home fans, who were told to "be humble" by the Palace boss after they turned against him during the Conference League trip to Bosnia in midweek.

Glasner offered an apology of sorts after Sunday's game at Selhurst Park. But the main message, in another lengthy press conference, was that he didn't feel he had shown disrespect.

He didn't back down, in other words. Palace got the result they needed thanks to Evann Guessand's goal at the end of an unconvincing performance, but it's fair to say we haven't heard the end of Glasner's fued with the club's fans.
Nick Wright

The curious case of Fulham - European contenders or not?

It's curious to find Fulham as high as 10th after a run of three straight league defeats, conceding eight goals in the process. But that is how compact the middle third of the Premier League is, loaded with chasers and chancers, all who fancy their shot at Europe. Fulham remain one of them.

Marco Silva spoke before breaking that losing streak at Sunderland about lifting the ambition of the club he's been in charge of since 2021, not just in terms of the table but also by the measure of reliable performances. What he watched during a casual first half at the Stadium of Light won't have done much to inspire him.

But the uplift in the second offers something to get behind. Raul Jimenez was the hero in conventional style, scoring once with his head and once from the penalty spot to bag the three points. Jimenez' 100 per cent spot-kick record from 13 taken is the best in Premier League history, while his four headers are also a league high this term.

The creative forces were involved, too, with Alex Iwobi and Harry Wilson combining devastatingly for Fulham's third goal. Only Erling Haaland (17) and Bruno Fernandes (15) have been involved in more goals than Wilson's 12 since November.

Silva is not short of quality to draw on, but to realise his ambition Fulham need to find better consistency. Two wins in five is hardly European-worthy form. The Portuguese boss needs to find a formula that allows his side to go on a winning run between now and May, with the hope that those around them aren't able to go the full distance.
Laura Hunter

Xhaka return timely for 'sloppy' Sunderland

Sunderland have been the Premier League's surprise package this season and were threatening to mount an unlikely European charge after promotion from the Championship. A fourth defeat in five has put a big dent into those hopes and banished the excitement.

This miserable run has only reinforced that Granit Xhaka has been the most impactful signing of the season. Sunderland's captain missed four of those games through injury - and was only able to play the final 20 minutes in Sunday's defeat to Fulham.

His presence on the pitch lifted the Stadium of Light crowd and brought about Sunderland's best period of the game, albeit their hope was short-lived after Enzo Le Fee's penalty and ended by Alex Iwobi's classy counter-attacking goal.

Sunderland lacked poise in possession and precision in the final third without Xhaka, whose four assists from line-breaking passes is more than anyone in the Premier League this season. Head coach Regis Le Bris is under no illusion about the reliance on his captain.

"We have his leadership but also his quality as a footballer," said the Sunderland boss after the game. "He fits really well in this position and gives us more confidence on the ball.

"When we settle in this part of the game we can express ourselves properly and we can express our qualities. In the first half we were too sloppy in the first half to impose our ideas. It was more a chaotic flow than something more controlled.

"With Granit we have this opportunity [to be controlled], less energy is spent to recover the ball after a bad pass for example. Granit gives us this consistency."

Restoring that consistency will be crucial if Sunderland are to get their season back on track. There is a chance Xhaka starts Sunderland's next game at Bournemouth but his return from injury must be managed. Le Bris cannot afford to lose him again.
Zinny Boswell

Hope for Wolves only compounds the misery after 20th defeat

Rob Edwards put on a brave face in his post-match interviews while saying there were positives Wolves can take from this loss - but it's hard to see them from a neutral point of view.

The 17-point gap for Premier League safety remains and their relegation is all but sealed. Losing a game in this manner is just kicking a team while they are already down.

For the vast majority of the game, Wolves were the better side. Tolu Arokodare's penalty miss was a poor one but they always looked like the team more likely to break the deadlock.

A moment of madness - three minutes and 16 seconds to be exact - from Ladislav Krejci who was shown two yellow cards in quick succession meant a promising performance will be quickly forgotten.

Twenty defeats in just 28 games is a miserable season but defeats like today, which offered hope, will hurt a lot more.
Patrick Rowe

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