Anthony Gordon and Dominic Solanke both on target as England boss Thomas Tuchel has busy day – Premier League hits and misses | Football News happymamay

England players shine against Tuchel

England coach Thomas Tuchel was watching the match from the stands at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

On his fourth day in charge, the German chose to attend Tottenham’s match against Newcastle as his first match – before traveling to watch Brighton host Arsenal – and he was not disappointed.

All of Newcastle’s English team shined, especially Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento. The former brilliantly finished the visitors’ equalizer and was a constant threat, while the latter performed well at right-back.

Tottenham’s England international Dominic Solanke also impressed with a well-placed goal, while his exceptional work rate and pressing were on display.

Tuchel’s presence has made a positive impact in north London and other clubs across the country will hope his emergence will inspire such positive performances.
Declan Ollie

Savinho, Man City star

Manchester City have had to be patient with Savinho since his arrival in the summer, waiting until the 2024 final for him to score his first goal for the club, but fans – and opponents – are now seeing what makes the young Brazilian winger so good. private.

Pep Guardiola had suggested that Savinho would prefer the right wing and deploy him there regularly early in the season, but it was on the left where he did his best work for Girona. He occupied that space against West Ham, and was the best player on the pitch.

It was Savinho who provided the spark that was needed during an awkward opening for his side, struck by confidence in what turned out to be a comfortable enough 4-1 win at the Etihad Stadium. Muhammad Quddus wasted his opportunity and Savinho punished them.

He caused Vladimir Coufal all sorts of problems for the first two goals, turning him outside for the second before crossing for Erling Haaland to score. His assists for the third, which he made to the same player, showed that he is capable of selecting passes as well as crosses.

There are still issues for Guardiola to address at this club, and the need to build a new team is now clear. But Savinho, 20, has certainly not been responsible for the dramatic decline this season. He looks like an obvious candidate to be part of the next great City team.
Adam Pat

Lack of faith has cost Chelsea

When Enzo Maresca says no one expected Chelsea to be in the title race, he’s right. Levi Colwell echoed his manager’s sentiments, downplaying their nickname acumen. Against Crystal Palace, we saw a Chelsea side relinquish control when in charge just as they relinquished their brief title ambitions.

The festive period can be tough for most teams, but it ended a 12-match unbeaten run as things started to look up under Maresca. However, despite reaching second place before relegation, both players and manager refused to get involved in the title fight.

They may not be chasing the title but certainly, Chelsea now believe they are not. The freedom and expression with which Chelsea played went out the window after they appeared to take their foot off the gas. They now seem to be withering due to their lack of self-confidence, which is reflected in their miserable celebrations.
WILLIAM PETTYBERRY

Munoz deserves his flowers

It looked as if Daniel Munoz was going to have a big afternoon when he and Chris Richards were beaten by Jadon Sancho in Chelsea’s opener. But for the issues he had defensively, he made up for it moving forward.

He pulled Palace up the pitch at times, enjoying some space on the right wing where he could consistently pass balls to teammates inside the box.

Much has been made of the threat Crystal Palace poses in attack, and plaudits given to other members of their backline, but Munoz is quietly going about his business as one of Palace’s key players this season.
WILLIAM PETTYBERRY

Spurs’ depleted season is now make or break

Given that Spurs played the second half defending a third goalkeeper (Brandon Austin), a centre-back (Jed Spence), a teenage centre-back (Archie Gray) and a left-back. Given that they had no future at the club last summer (Sergio Reguilon), Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was right to be ‘proud’ of his performance in the 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle.

Injuries and suspensions have hampered Spurs significantly this season, although there has been criticism that Postecoglou’s playing style has contributed to a long list of injuries.

It meant the Australian, amid a backdrop of illness among the squad, fielded Tottenham’s youngest Premier League starting line-up (23 years and 336 days) in nearly a decade against Newcastle.

But despite their inexperience, Spurs gave it a try against the in-form visitors and will feel unlucky to get nothing out of the game, especially after Newcastle’s controversial opener.

After all, this is their 10th league loss of the season, leaving Spurs in 12th place and 12 points off the top four.

The season is now make or break, with all eyes on Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home to Liverpool, live. Sky Sports.
Declan Ollie

Will Billy return to Villa?

Leon Bailey ended his 19-game Premier League run without scoring a goal, and he could arrive at the right time.

As evidenced by Villa’s interest in versatile Borussia Dortmund striker Donyiel Malen in the January transfer window, production from the right wing has been an issue this season.

After scoring 10 goals and adding nine assists in the Championship last season, expectations were high for Billy ahead of the current season.

It’s safe to say he hasn’t lived up to those lofty standards yet – but there have been positive signs over the last two games.

His goal against Leicester could be the confidence boost the Jamaican winger needs, which could prove crucial in propelling his side to the top of the table once again.

If Villa can get him back to half the levels he showed last season, contributions like today could be crucial at the end of the season.
Patrick Rowe

The form of Brentford’s front three is pivotal in any European push

There wasn’t much to shout about for Brentford in December. Injuries began to pile up and one win out of five slowed the climb towards a comfortable 10th place. Their astonishing form away from home – where they are winless in nine games – has made the trip to Southampton a more daunting prospect than it would normally be.

On paper at least.

Indeed, Thomas Frank’s side used the trip to the south coast to claim their first away win since May 11 in ruthless fashion, with their front three showing just how powerful they can be when in unison.

Kevin Sheedy scored brilliantly for his fifth goal of the season and first since 7 December, while Yoan Wessa scored his 10th goal of the season with his eighth shot of the match, and Brian Mbeumo scored two goals of his own. The latter pair provided an assist each as well.

Between them, the trio have scored more than 100 goals for Brentford: Mbeumo (63), Wessa (40), Shadi (8). This season, they have contributed 28 of the Bees’ 38 goals in the Premier League – only Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have scored more.

With an attack as strong as this, if Brentford start to lock things down at the back, there could be a real boost for Europe.
Dan Long

Lister’s survival symptoms

There have been signs of a fight in their battle to once again survive outside Leicester, but it is not enough.

He took the lead against Liverpool, fought to the bitter end against Manchester City and now concedes late against Villa.

It was a resilient performance from the Foxes, but it’s another game in which they come away empty-handed.

Two early results against West Ham and Brighton started the Ruud van Nistelrooy era in impressive fashion, but after seeing the points dry up, despite their improved performances, it is clear to see that reinforcements are needed if they are to have any chance of improving. alive.
Patrick Rowe

Kerkez penetrates Everton and hits a shot for Dyche

When they don’t keep a clean sheet, Everton don’t win football matches. This has been the case under Sean Dyche for almost his entire reign. The 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, the team’s first win of the season, was a rare example of his side’s ability to do things the hard way.

From the moment David Brooks curled the ball into the far corner of Jordan Pickford’s net, the writing was on the wall. Another trip to Vitality Stadium, another pointless trip. Everton’s inability to win here in the league predates Daiche’s rise, but his failures in display have been in keeping with the current boss’ faltering reign.

Dyche can make a case for the job he did so well in his first full season given the distractions off the pitch. the Noise. But now with a better team, and new owners on top, he’s cold in January.

Daiichi’s side look increasingly drawn into the relegation battle as they failed to have a single shot on target within 90 minutes. It is now one goal scored in the last five matches.

Their inability to trouble the hosts looked comical given the ease with which Bournemouth broke them down time and time again, and another emphatic display resulted in five wins in eight for Andoni Iraola’s side.

The winning goal summed up everything Everton was not. Milos Kerkez sent a perfect cross into the box as it reached the perfect height for David Brooks to leap into the air and, with the kind of confidence that his side’s impressive season has brought to life so far, slotted the ball beyond Pickford into the far corner.

It’s easy to see why Jamie Carragher would be keen on the Hungarian joining Liverpool. The 21-year-old has once again excelled at left-back, and if he continues to believe in his ability, he will be a choice among Europe’s elite clubs. Something that cannot be said for the eight Everton squad members whose contracts currently expire in the summer.
Penn Grounds