Plus: Kevin De Bruyne shows what Man City have been missing; Armando Broja fails audition as Chelsea's stand-in No 9; Newcastle's mounting injury list catches up with them in Manchester City defeat; goal-shy Fulham fall short at Stamford Bridge and Burnley's survival bid takes another hit
Monday 15 January 2024 08:34, UK
There were positives for Manchester United in a game they twice led and still took a point from against a team that were four places above them in the Premier League table before kick-off. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, following his partial takeover, saw a game worth watching.
But two fine finishes from Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford were not enough to mask how the ambitions of this great club have eroded. The draw sees them clamber up to seventh but they did so playing on the break rather than dictating to Tottenham.
They will surely dream of more than this but it is the reality that Ratcliffe walks into. It is the counter-punching style that earned United their victory over Aston Villa, their only win over any of the half a dozen teams currently placed above them in the table.
When it was put to Erik ten Hag in his press conference afterwards that his midfield looked lightweight, he responded by naming the trio of Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen and Kobbie Mainoo. In doing so, his point was that their quality is obvious.
That is true. And yet, they completed only 55 passes between them. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg alone completed 74 passes for Tottenham. There is more to the game than keep-ball, United proved that, but it made for awkward watching for many inside Old Trafford.
United are not really trying to play the kind of football that the better teams are playing. Maybe once the key positions above Ten Hag have been filled, once the off-field infrastructure is in place, that will change. Until it does, it looks a long road back.
Adam Bate
If Ratcliffe and the rest wanted a glimpse of a team with a clear idea of how to play exciting football then it was offered up by the opposition at Old Trafford. Spurs did not win the match but they won the argument, dominating the ball, playing a more intricate game.
Ange Postecoglou was heartened by his side's spirit. Rodrigo Bentacur had rushed back from injury because the team needed him. So too, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Destiny Udogie and Oliver Skipp overcame illness. Timo Werner had trained just twice.
But what will have many owners casting envious glances is that no matter the personnel - Heung-Min Son, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski were among those missing - and regardless of form or fitness, Spurs have a style worth celebrating now.
Skipp had one of his most impressive matches, slipping seamlessly into the system in midfield, handling the ball with confidence throughout. Postecoglou's commitment to playing out from the back and through the thirds is clear. There is an idea.
It has taken Tottenham to fifth, although nearer to top spot than the team in sixth. There are some issues to address, challenges that are inevitable against opposition with the pace of United on the counter-attack. Son would surely have made them more clinical too.
But the overriding emotion for the Spurs supporters applauding their team at the final whistle is one of pride. They came to Old Trafford and left with a point, having made their point. They played the better football. Entertaining, effective and upwardly mobile.
Adam Bate
The seconds, the minutes and hours keep ticking for Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Sixteen hours and counting without a Premier League goal since notching the winner at West Ham all the way back in September.
Everton are performing and coping admirably without him, but they need their forward talisman firing again and fast. Another big chance, another blank. He is now lumbered with the worst performance relative to his expected goals tally of any player in Europe's top-five leagues.
Had he scored the number of goals an average forward would expect from the chances he has been presented, he would have been celebrating for an eighth time against Aston Villa on Sunday.
As it is, he is now approaching a fourth full month without the back of the net rippling, and has only three goals to his name all season.
He had to score his first-half one on one, whose xG of 0.67 was more than double any other chance either side created all game. It would have been harsh on Aston Villa, but ruthlessness is what wins games. And Calvert-Lewin hasn't been doing that for some time.
Everton need wins to drag themselves away from their FFP-induced woes and the England man instead cost his side two valuable points in a game lacking much else in the way of clear-cut chances.
Manager Sean Dyche, who defended his front man ahead of the game, continued to support the beleaguered striker in public afterwards too.
"It was a good save, that's what stopped him today," he said. It was a generous take to avoid any additional heat from a striker whose confidence is clearly taking a significant hit with every miss and every scoreless game.
The question for Dyche longer-term is how long he gives the 26-year-old to play his way back into form. Beto and Youssef Chermiti are not prolific alternatives, but there has to be some culpability, or an alternative solution, at some point.
Everton should still have well enough about them to beat the drop given they would be 12th in the table without their 10-point deduction.
But with winnable games against Fulham and Crystal Palace, twice, coming up over the next month, something has to change in front of goal.
Ron Walker
It didn't take long, did it?
Any team would miss Kevin De Bruyne. Even a team of the quality of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. He's just that good and he showed his full repertoire in 25 minutes on the pitch at St James' Park.
With City trailing 2-1, Guardiola called upon the Belgium international in the 69th minute. He was straight into the action. Precisely four minutes and 34 seconds after his introduction, he found space in between the lines before driving at the heart of the Newcastle defence. You knew what was coming next as the ball flashed between Fabian Schar's legs and beyond the dive of Martin Dubravka to nestle in the bottom corner.
Despite Newcastle's grit and determination in defence, a City winner felt inevitable. De Bruyne's contribution felt inevitable and this time it was an inch-perfect angled pass for Oscar Bobb to convert for the winner.
It was like De Bruyne had never been away.
City's celebrations after the dramatic win centred around the 32-year-old. His team-mates know his importance. Guardiola knows his importance and his return makes the Premier League title favourites even stronger.
"He's a special player, a legend," Guardiola said. "He's stretching his mind, five months is a long time and hopefully he can help us be there until the end in the second half of the season."
Despite some uncharacteristic results this campaign, many have found it difficult to turn their back on City when predicting the winner of the race for the title. A few bravely did, but after seeing De Bruyne's impact, it will be difficult to find anyone backing against City now.
Oliver Yew
After opting against fielding a natural No 9 in Chelsea’s shock 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough in midweek, Mauricio Pochettino restored Armando Broja to the starting XI against Fulham.
With Nicolas Jackson at AFCON and Christopher Nkunku injured again, Broja is the only striker currently available to Pochettino. This is his chance to stake a claim to regularly lead the line for Chelsea.
But after scoring his first goal since October on his last start - the 4-0 win over Preston last weekend - Broja endured a frustrating afternoon at Stamford Bridge.
Up against the powerful Issa Diop and Tosin Adarabioyo, Broja won fewer than half of his 17 duels. Some home supporters began to voice their frustration as Fulham’s centre-halves regularly nipped in to beat him to the ball.
The 22-year-old seems to be lacking decisiveness in the final third, taking slightly too long to make decisions when in possession. One occasion in which he dribbled past Joao Palhinha but decided to try to beat the Fulham midfielder again, therefore losing possession instead of driving into the box, summed up his muddled thinking.
It wasn’t all bad for Broja. He linked the play nicely, completing all but one of his passes, while he demonstrated the penalty-area movement that eludes many of Chelsea’s attackers to get on the end of his chances.
But those chances went awry and the striker was removed just after the hour mark. Pochettino has encouraged Broja to improve his body language but, with goals hard to come by and doubts creeping in among the fanbase, remaining positive is easier said than done.
Joe Shread
When Pep Guardiola looked round to his dugout for reinforcements to help rescue a result at St James' Park, he had the luxury of one of the Premier League's all-time greats to draw upon.
Oliver Yew has already rightly eulogised over Kevin De Bruyne's cameo, but this was a tale of both substitutes' benches.
Had Eddie Howe looked to fight fire with fire with Newcastle leading 2-1 at the time, the options to refresh his overworked line-up included two goalkeepers, an untested left-back, four more defenders and a pair of teenage academy products.
It did not present an ideal squad rotation, and though Manchester City left it late to complete their turnaround Newcastle's race felt run long before Oscar Bobb's 91st-minute winner.
"We probably ran out of gas in the second half," said Eddie Howe. It could sound like an excuse, but the reality was clear as day.
There will be little sympathy for Howe or the Magpies, of course. Saudi PIF have spent significant sums in every window since the pair have worked together, further aided by the surplus left by the Mike Ashley regime which could be politely described as comprehensively frugal.
But any hostility doesn't affect the fact Newcastle's injury absences, particularly in attacking areas - Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes, Joelinton, Joe Willock, Elliot Anderson, Jacob Murphy, Sandro Tonali will do for starters - have left his squad out on their feet.
Newcastle have played 10 games in the last 37 days. Seven players have started seven or more, and one of those is 17-year-old Lewis Miley, who only made his full Premier League debut in November.
Given that investment from Newcastle's ambitious owners, five league defeats from six will always invite pressure on their manager but it's difficult to see what more Howe's team could do on this occasion.
There have been embarrassments, like the 3-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest. But stopping Manchester City at any point is a task in itself. When you've run out of gas in the tank, you've got a real task on your hands.
Ron Walker
Fulham's failure to find a way past Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic made it a fourth Premier League game out of five in which they have not managed to find the net.
Their struggles in front of goal are becoming an issue as they veer between extremes. Before this barren run, remember, Marco Silva's side had smashed 16 goals in four games, including back-to-back 5-0 victories over Nottingham Forest and West Ham.
How do you explain the struggles that have followed? Raul Jimenez's suspension, following his red card against Newcastle, did not help. But having marked his return with a goal in the win over Arsenal, the Mexico international was poor at Stamford Bridge.
His ill-advised decision to shoot from inside his own half as Fulham charged forward on the counter-attack in the second half summed up the visitors' wastefulness.
With the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool and an FA Cup tie against Newcastle to come next, following by Premier League meetings with Everton, Burnley and Bournemouth, they need to rediscover their scoring touch swiftly.
Nick Wright
Carlton Morris' goal may prove to be a defining moment in Burnley's season. They were set to close the gap on safety to two points but now head into a daunting schedule with their Premier League status fading.
Manchester City, Fulham, Liverpool and Arsenal await them in their next four which could see Vincent Kompany's side cut well adrift at the bottom.
Their torrid home record - one win, one draw and nine defeats - must improve if they are to beat the drop. And a little bit of luck with refereeing decisions would not go amiss either.
David Richardson
