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mancitynoise · 7 years

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Last weekend was something of a paradise for fans of English football. While Saturday saw the incredibly competitive relegation battle unfold in the Premier League, Sunday witnessed Manchester United take on Chelsea in a tight affair at Old Trafford, followed by a Carabao Cup final that has created talking points for predominantly the wrong reasons.

As ever in football, the weekend produced its winners and losers – so here’s a look back with a rundown of those who triumphed and those who toiled.

Losers – Arsenal

Arsenal have suffered countless lows during the declining years of Arsene Wenger’s tutelage but the grandness of their stage on Sunday made the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final particularly significant. While there’s no disgrace in losing to easily the best side in English football if not Europe this season, the manner of the defeat was the ultimate issue at Wembley.

Arsenal gave as good as they got until the first goal went in, but Shkodran Mustafi’s pathetic reaction to Sergio Aguero’s challenge before the Argentine latched onto Claudio Bravo’s pass and lobbed David Ospina epitomised their performance from that point; toothless, spineless and without any real conviction.

Out of the FA Cup already and way behind the rest of the Big Six, Arsenal’s domestic season has ended in February. It’s hard to tell where the north Londoners and Arsene Wenger go from here.

Winner – Gary Neville

Speaking of Arsenal, a mid-game rant may have etched Gary Neville’s name into commentary and punditry folklore on Sunday.

Some would prescribe the Manchester United’s critique as overzealous but it perfectly encapsulated how pathetic Arsenal’s performance was in the Carabao Cup final, branding the Emirates outfit an ‘absolute disgrace’ and particularly targeting an engine room of Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil, who Neville all accused of walking just moments before some ingenuity from David Silva sealed City’s third goal and the first trophy of Pep Guardiola’s reign.

Delivered with real passion and genuine anger by the former right-back, Neville’s swipe at Arsenal won’t be forgotten quickly.

Winner – Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku will be hoping Sunday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea proves to be something of a turning point when he looks back on his Manchester United career in the years to come. This was Lukaku’s first goal against a member of the Premier League’s big six since moving to Old Trafford and it set the Belgium international on his way for his best performance against such calibre of opposition as well.

Continuously growing into what was an incredibly cagey game, Lukaku occupied Chelsea’s three centre-halves and provided a second moment of magic when he curled in a cross for Jesse Lingard to head home the winner.

Come the final few minutes, as Lukaku jinked past one defender and attempted to charge through Chelsea’s entire defence single-handed, the United faithful let out one of the loudest roars heard at Old Trafford this season, laced with encouragement for and acceptance of the club’s £75million purchase.

Loser – Jonjo Shelvey

Just when Jonjo Shelvey appears to be on the verge of a breakthrough, eradicating the long-standing inconsistencies in his game, the Newcastle United midfielder is picked up by Match of the Day for his refusal to track back.

And it was hard to argue with the scathing assessment; after allowing Adam Smith to maraud his way inside from the left back position virtually uncontested, Shelvey loitered aimlessly outside the box, seemingly waiting for the ball, as Dan Gosling charged into it and completed Bournemouth’s comeback after going two goals down.

For all of Shelvey’s undoubted technical quality, he cost his side two vital points on Saturday. That could be incredibly costly come the summer; not only are Newcastle in relegation bother, but Gareth Southgate is still running the rule over England’s engine room options.

Shelvey’s performance on Saturday will have bumped him down the pecking order.

Loser – Serge Aurier

Many Tottenham fans argued their club had pulled off some of the best business the transfer market has seen this century when they sold Kyle Walker for £50million and replaced him with PSG man Serge Aurier, but Serge Aurier is no Kyle Walker.

Not only did the Ivorian miss a glaring chance to score as Tottenham battled it out in a subdued early kickoff with Crystal Palace on Sunday, somehow overstepping and stopping the ball dead two yards out from goal, but he also became the first player in Premier League history to commit three foul throws in the same game.

It’s a dishonourable record to be the proprietor of, and isn’t exactly the first instance of inexplicable stupidity Aurier has been involved in this season.

Winner – Willian

It’s been an incredible week in the life of Willian, even if it did end in defeat at Old Trafford. The Brazil international was Chelsea’s driving force on Tuesday night as they drew with Barcelona in the Champions League, finding the net after twice hitting the woodwork, and Willian was at his explosive best once again on Sunday, blasting the ball past David De Gea to open the scoring after instigating the counter-attack in his own penalty box.

Jose Mourinho even reserved special praise for his one-time player after the match and considering how performances haven’t even guaranteed him a spot in what has been an unspectacular Chelsea side on the most part this season, the 29-year-old might just take that as encouragement from the Special One to seek a summer move up to Old Trafford.

Losers – West Brom

Alan Pardew is a dead man walking, and at this point his stay of execution has become unbearably painful. The sacking of the two men who appointed him in the same week as four of his players were cautioned by the Spanish authorities for commandeering a taxi amid a drunken rampage at McDonalds has created a hellfire at the Hawthorns, one that they failed to extinguish against Huddersfield on Sunday.

Despite the Terriers’ modest record on the road, they still scored twice before the Baggies managed to respond and eventually sealed a huge victory that could well determine their fate come the end of the season. West Brom though, now appear dead in the water as they’re seven points adrift of safety with just ten games remaining. Next up are Watford.

Winner – Vincent Kompany

When Vincent Kompany swung his foot at an Ilkay Gundogan shot to prod home City’s second goal, the emotion quite simply poured out of him. His celebration was anything other than co-ordinated, City’s skipper flailing his limbs like a man possessed and bellowing out towards the fans who’d travelled all the way to London.

It was a deserved moment considering Kompany, still a world-class centre-back when fit, has endured so many injury problems over the last few years.

But the goal also highlighted the key difference between the two teams at Wembley; no Arsenal player came close to replicating the leadership, physicality and ability to organise that the Belgium international brought to this City team during the most important match of Guardiola’s era so far. If anybody thought Kompany was just along for the ride this season, Sunday’s performance showed how important he still is for the Premier League’s champions in waiting.

Loser – Antonio Conte

Would it be a stretch to suggest Antonio Conte has fallen victim to what Jose Mourinho does best? Since the two exchanged verbal blows at the start of 2018, Chelsea have endured a modest run of form and while their performance at Old Trafford yesterday was hardly embarrassing, the Blues did end up conceding three valuable points to a divisional rival that they hope to beat to second place come the end of May.

Mourinho shook the hand of every Chelsea player before the match, seemingly in attempt to agitate his successor, and Conte’s decisions proved to be the more costly of the two – a few minutes after bizarrely taking off Eden Hazard, Jesse Lingard netted United’s winner. What’s the lesson here? Don’t get involved in mind games with Mourinho.

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footyplusau · 7 years

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Gold Coast Suns rise to occasion of Gary Ablett’s 300th game

GOLD COAST 6.3 11.5 13.6 18.10 (118) NORTH MELBOURNE 4.5 5.8 8.13 14.15 (99) GOALS Gold Coast: Lynch 5, Ainsworth4, Sexton 2, Swallow 2, Martin 2, Fiorini, Wright, Miller. North Melbourne: Waite 4, Brown 3, Mullett, Daw, Wood, Hrovat, Clarke, Atley, Higgins. BEST – Gold Coast: Lynch Martin Lyons May Ablett Swallow. North Melbourne: Waite McDonald Goldstein Brown Higgins Mountford. INJURIES – North Melbourne: Williams replaced in selected side by Thomas; Waite (calf). Gold Coast: Hanley (hamstring). UMPIRES Ryan, Hay, Haussen. CROWD 12,779 at Metricon Stadium.

Come the (eventual) milestone, come the man. Driving his team forward, chopping off the opposition time and again. But enough about Steven May, the Suns’ co-captain playing his 100th game. The man he and Tom Lynch supplanted, Gary Ablett, has played three times that many.

In the end his team saluted, but it didn’t come without a scare, with the Kangaroos cutting what had been a 40 point lead to 14 late in the last quarter. Lynch was superb for his team with five goals. No. 4 draft pick Ben Ainsworth was deadly with four, and Jack Martin played his best four-quarter game for the Suns.

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Geelong draw after Hawkins’ misses post-siren shot

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Suns celebrate Gary Ablett’s 300th game …

Suns celebrate Gary Ablett’s 300th game in style

The Gold Coast Suns win over the Kangaroos ensured Ablett celebrated his 300th game with a victory.

Geelong draw after Hawkins’ misses post-siren shot

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Geelong draw after Hawkins’ misses …

Geelong draw after Hawkins’ misses post-siren shot

The Greater Western Sydney Giants escaped with a draw with Geelong on the back of a fourth-quarter surge.

Gary Ablett’s 300th game

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Gary Ablett’s 300th game

Gold Coast Suns veteran Gary Ablett played his 300th game against North Melbourne.

Eagles resist Bulldogs fightback

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Eagles resist Bulldogs fightback

The West Coast Eagles have resisted a Western Bulldogs fightback to claim an upset win, 12.15.87 to 11.14.80.

Crows hold off Blues fightback

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Crows hold off Blues fightback

The Crows eventually snuffed out a spirited fight from Carlton to run away with the match at the MCG.

Swans make it four in a row against Dees

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Swans make it four in a row against Dees

Sydney are knocking on the door of the top eight with yet another solid victory over a disappointing Demons side.

Bugg reported for striking

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Bugg reported for striking

The AFL Tribunal could be required for the second time in two weeks after Melbourne’s Tomas Bugg was reported for striking Sydney’s Callum Mills.

Suns celebrate Gary Ablett’s 300th game in style

The Gold Coast Suns win over the Kangaroos ensured Ablett celebrated his 300th game with a victory.

If that sounds like Ablett was somewhat overshadowed in a game that was really all about him, it’s true. And that’s the way it should and must be, if the Suns are ever going to progress beyond their current status in the competition as a flakey and hopelessly uneven side.

But he was still a force, finishing with 36 possessions, 13 of them in a crucial final quarter to make sure of the result he deserved.

Gary Ablett sings the song with his Gold Coast Suns. Photo: Jason O’Brien/AFL Media

His kicking is not what it once was – he missed two shots that he would once have made short work of – but his 10 clearances were golden.

The Suns went tall in defence to counteract the Kangaroos tall forwards Jarrad Waite, Ben Brown and Majak Daw. Rory Thompson took Brown and was given a run-around, while Jack Leslie took Majak Daw and mostly took him out of the game. The most fascinating match was between Waite and May. Here the Suns gambled. May provided both offensive drive and defensive pressure, but often it wasn’t on Waite, who kicked four goals and was a key player in his side’s recovery until, in a twist than can perhaps only be described as Waite-ian, he was benched in the last quarter with ice on his calf.

Caught flat-footed at the opening – the Roos winning the first clearance and Ben Brown making good after doubling back on a long lead, then adding a second when Jarrad Waite found the equally hard-running Shaun Atley – the Suns sparked into life when Peter Wright opened their account.

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It was fast, open free-flowing football, and the lead changed three times in the opening quarter as the ball zipped from end to end. That sort of game can make the Suns look good – better than they are when a team forces them into a scrap. It certainly allowed their most skilful players to shine.

Like Martin, who curled in identical snaps off his right foot from marks taken on the boundary. And Ainsworth, who put in a strong case for a Rising Star nomination with three first-half goals, two kicked from opposite pockets, the third a soccer out of mid-air, the shot of a pure talent.

Lynch was dominating too, running tirelessly and getting on the end of three majors; lower-profile but effective was former Crow Jarrod Lyons, who won 22 disposals for the half as the Suns opened up a 33-point lead at the main break. Ablett to that point had 18.

In unhappier news, poor Pearce Hanley was off, another hamstring pinged in what’s been a wretched year, both personally and physically. The third quarter settled into more of a wrestle, and the Kangaroos gave themselves a chance to challenge when Ryan Clarke floated through a snap.

But Alex Sexton and Lynch found the necessary replies, and from there the Roos looked like kicking themselves out of the contest with four consecutive behinds before Brown finally added his second from an excellent overhead mark in the goal square.

Then Waite split an apple over the umpire’s hat from deep in a pocket, making the margin 23 at the last change, then 17 when he rolled through another. The game was on, but the Suns dug deep, even after being challenged a second time, before chairing the champion off.

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footyplusau · 7 years

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Team of the week, R6: Did we get it right?

ADELAIDE’S title as the only undefeated team six rounds in has seen three Crows named in this week’s Team of the Week, brought to you by Accor Hotels.

Two of their Rory’s – this week, Sloane and Laird – made cases for themselves with commanding performances against Richmond, while Sam Jacobs was the round’s standout ruckman with 50 hit-outs.

Unlucky to miss out were big men Ben McEvoy, Brodie Grundy and Melbourne’s stand-in ruck solution Cam Pedersen, with Jacobs’ game too big to overlook.

Squeezed out of the midfield by the likes of Gary Ablett, Scott Pendlebury and Jack Steven were Patrick Cripps, Clayton Oliver, Shaun Higgins and Matt Crouch, while Zach Tuohy, Tom McDonald and Elliot Yeo were unlucky in defence.

While it was a round for taggers with Levi Greenwood and Connor Blakely doing jobs, they were left out in place of Marcus Bontempelli, Christian Petracca, Taylor Adams and Jason Johannisen, who made up the interchange bench.

Johannisen narrowly edged out Heath Shaw in the fan vote for the final spot, after both played excellent rebounding roles on Friday night in Canberra.

ZAC WILLIAMS (Greater Western Sydney) – Gave the Giants plenty of run from defence with 25 touches, which were moved with 80 per cent disposal efficiency. Also laid six tackles and had three one per centers.

LYNDEN DUNN (Collingwood) – Played on Tom Hawkins and kept the in-form Geelong forward to one goal, which was kicked from the goalsquare. Was excellent in one-on-one contests in his first AFL game for Collingwood, after being called up for the rested Ben Reid.

RORY LAIRD (Adelaide) – Continued to be a force setting up attacking moves off half-back for the Crows with 34 disposals with an efficiency of 94.1 per cent. Also had eight rebounds and took five marks, and gained 707m – the most of any player in the round.

• Nine things we learned from round six

SAM DOCHERTY (Carlton) – Another strong game through the midfield and across half-back, with 39 disposals making him the Blues’ highest possession winner. Moved the ball with an efficiency rating of 87.2 per cent and took 12 marks.

JEREMY McGOVERN (West Coast) – Took an enormous 13 marks – eight intercept – after moving back to defence. Was important for the Eagles in their win over the Dockers with his elite ability to read the play.

DYLAN ROBERTON (St Kilda) – Repelled the ball from defence over and over again with accuracy and reliability, collecting 29 disposals and six rebounds, but also snuck forward for two goals. Took eight marks and moved the ball 610m – the most of any Saint.

JACK STEVEN (St Kilda) – An impressive game from the Saints’ ball-winner. Won 36 disposals, and while his efficiency was a little off (66.6 per cent), worked tirelessly for eight tackles, five marks and five inside 50s.

GARY ABLETT (Gold Coast) – A magnificent performance from the two-time Brownlow medallist. The Suns didn’t win, but there wasn’t much more Ablett could have done with 45 disposals and a career-high 18 clearances making him a lock for this week’s team.

JACK MACRAE (Western Bulldogs) – It was cold in Canberra but Macrae ran hot, with 26 touches (15 contested possessions) and eight tackles. Is second at the Dogs for tackles this season and third for possessions.

CHAD WINGARD (Port Adelaide) – Showcased his potency throughout the midfield and ability to drive play forward for Port Adelaide. Was explosive across the ground gathering 31 disposals, seven clearances and seven inside 50s.

BEN BROWN (North Melbourne) – Announced himself as North Melbourne’s main man in the forward line after booting a career-best six goals. Also gathered 17 disposals and eight marks, and was vital in the Roos’ breakthrough win.

MATTHEW WRIGHT (Carlton) – Was Carlton’s leading goal kicker last year and continued to impress up forward for the Blues. Went on a rampage during the third quarter kicking three of his four goals – his last being an outstanding snap from 45m.

TOBY GREENE (Greater Western Sydney) – After being reported for striking Caleb Daniel he bounced back to become a huge presence in the Giants’ nail-biting win. The talented small forward stood up when needed, booting three goals – including a crucial set shot in the final term – from 17 touches and snatched seven marks.

JOSH KENNEDY (West Coast) – Awarded his second-straight Ross Glendinning Medal for best on ground after a six-goal haul. The powerhouse took 11 marks – eight of those inside 50 – and racked up 17 disposals in the Eagles’ Western Derby triumph.

NICK RIEWOLDT (St Kilda) – Celebrated his 700th career goal with a clever snap midway through the third quarter. Was highly influential in the Saints’ win over Hawthorn, finishing with four goals, 20 disposals and eight marks.

• After the siren: Are the Crows untouchable?

SAM JACOBS (Adelaide) – Commanding game from the big man. Not only dominated in the ruck with 50 hit-outs, but also played a crucial link-up role through the midfield, won 26 disposals for eight inside 50s and kicked a goal.

SCOTT PENDLEBURY (Collingwood) – Form slumps don’t tend to last long for the Magpies skipper, and he put two quiet games behind him to lead his team to victory over Geelong with 32 disposals and nine tackles, despite a five-day break.

RORY SLOANE (Adelaide) – Has rocketed into favouritism for the Brownlow medal with another red-hot performance. Kicked three goals to go with his 33 disposals and laid eight tackles, and leads the competition in the latter statistic with 58 from six games.

MARCUS BONTEMPELLI (Western Bulldogs) – Started slowly but helped swing the momentum after quarter-time to contribute three goals, 22 disposals (15 contested), seven tackles and four inside 50s.

CHRISTIAN PETRACCA (Melbourne) – The Demons had to cover gaps given their outs, and the talented youngster played in the forward line where he lined up against Michael Hurley. Booted a career-high four goals to help get his team over the line.

TAYLOR ADAMS (Collingwood) – It was an Adams-Pendlebury double act in the win over the Cats, with the former finishing with 36 disposals, eight marks, eight tackles and six inside 50s.

The fans’ pick

JASON JOHANNISEN (Western Bulldogs) – Narrowly edged out Heath Shaw in the fan vote with 53 per cent for the final bench position. Was the Dogs’ best defender with 21 touches and seven rebounds.

• Check out the best 22 from previous rounds

The post Team of the week, R6: Did we get it right? appeared first on Footy Plus.

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