Premier League Matchweek 10 Review

Matchweek 10 opened with a Friday night game between Crystal Palace and Newcastle, that ended in a 2-0 victory for the magpies. Callum Wilson and Joelinton struck late on, in the 88th and 90th minute respectively, cruelly stealing the points from a Palace team that amassed 58% possession over the course of 90 minutes. This was followed by the early kickoff game on Saturday which saw a heavily weakened Liverpool side draw 1-1 with Brighton. The game contained a missed penalty from Neal Maupay, who soon after this blunder left the pitch through injury. By the end of the 90 minutes, however, it was clear that not for the first time this season, VAR would steal all the headlines.

A Mo Salah goal was ruled out for being half a fraction offside and Andy Robertson was penalised right at the end for a ‘kick’ on a Brighton attacker Danny Welbeck. There is an argument that this foul was not clear and obvious so therefore it should not have been ruled a penalty by VAR; the other side of the argument is that whilst he was clearly trying to clear the ball, the Liverpool left back has admittedly kicked an opposing player in the foot. The legitimacy of the penalty claims and eventual conversion from the spot is irrelevant now, as Liverpool drop points in yet another matchweek, allowing for a dire and uninspiring 0-0 draw between Spurs and Chelsea to maintain the lily whites’ position at the top of the league. There is no doubt the lack of liveliness and positive attacking football in the game is largely a result of Jose Mourinho’s archetypally negative tactics and gameplan. Spurs clearly settled for a point before the game even began, and except from a few decent chances, they didn’t seem remotely interested in venturing near Chelsea’s goal. In the second half, they didn’t register a single shot on target. Whether the football is pleasing to watch or not, there is no doubt that after going to Stamford Bridge and the Etihad, registering 4 out of a possible 6 points is ideal for Tottenham. These are two of the hardest games Spurs play every year, and whilst previously under Pochettino they may have lost both after fast tempo and evenly matched contests, Jose knows how to grind out results and more importantly, he knows how to win titles. Spurs cannot be written off in this title race, at any point. They have what it takes to win the league.

Elsewhere, Man City beat Burnley 5-0, thanks to a spectacular Riyad Mahrez hat-trick, and Southampton narrowly lost to an Edinson Cavani inspired Manchester United. The 3-2 victory is yet another away win, meaning this is the longest spell of away wins the club has ever gone on in the league. However, this stat will be presented to paper over the cracks that are still present in the club. The defence still looks shaky and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still looks clueless. All the other results from the weekend weren’t surprising, and that judgement includes Arsenal’s result - 14th in the league, Arteta’s on the ropes and it’s not even Christmas yet.