A winning feeling – but United’s problems still plain to see
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Ruben Amorim had stressed the importance of the result over the performance before Man Utd’s 1-0 victory at Fulham and his hope will be the momentum of picking up three points on the road can give his side a boost.
They certainly looked like they needed one during the majority of this match. United’s caution was plain to see as they defended in numbers and looked for the safe option in possession. It was notable before the game that Fulham had been listed as favourites – and the visitors played up to their underdog tag.
This result won’t mask the problems Amorim has to solve. He himself noted the lack of thrust in the final third and the question marks over both Rasmus Hojlund and his replacement Joshua Zirkzee remain. Alejandro Garnacho, a player they could well sell before the deadline, looked the most likely to provide a spark amid an otherwise uninspiring attack. Fulham, despite a poor attacking set-piece record themselves, almost exposed that well-documented United weakness late on.
Yet, with a Europa League trip to Bucharest on Thursday followed by home games against Crystal Palace and then Leicester in the FA Cup, perhaps there is a chance for United to build some positive rhythm to improve their short-term outlook. The bigger picture remains a major work in progress.
Pete Smith
‘Boring, boring Tottenham Hotspur?’
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Ange Postecoglou is famed for his attack, attack, attack style. You score two, we’ll score three, mate.
It has been the bedrock of why he has got to the top table of football management. But there are signs starting to emerge that his football is quite easy to stop. Even Leicester, who have conceded on average 2.5 goals per game in their last nine games, managed to restrict Spurs to crumbs in terms of chance creation in their 2-1 victory.
Yes, fatigue is a big issue for Postecoglou and his injury-hit squad but to create 1.1 worth of expected goals against a team that are odds-on to be playing Championship football again next season is not good enough when you consider the highs this team have hit under the big Aussie.
As the clock ticked down with Spurs chasing an equaliser, even the boost of having seven added minutes in their favour did not kickstart any sort of momentum. That figure could have been 70 minutes and still Spurs would not have found an equaliser. Their attacks were predictable and lacking quality. Across their last 13 games Spurs are only averaging 1.3 expected goals per 90 and have struggled to break down the likes of Wolves, Ipswich and now Leicester.
Are you not entertained? No, I wasn’t today.
Lewis Jones
West Ham show improvements under Potter
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Four games in and West Ham are starting to show signs of life under Graham Potter. After a tepid performance against Crystal Palace last weekend, something was needed to prove things are headed in the right direction.
And the Hammers fans might have feared the worst in the opening 10 minutes of the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa – but once their team found a foothold, they did not let go.
They were perhaps aided by Villa’s disarray once Tyrone Mings was substituted, but taking advantage of those situations is not to be passed up.
Max Kilman should be credited with keeping West Ham in the game when they were under pressure, and Lucas Paqueta for spearheading the Hammers’ comeback.
Since Potter came in, West Ham’s numbers have been steadily increasing. Their performance, particularly in the second half, is more akin to what Potter does and what the Hammers want to see.
Now it is a case of consistency. Can they forgo the slow start? Can the draw be turned into a win? Hopefully these questions will be answered in the coming weeks.
Charlotte Marsh
Quirky Brentford penalty trick sums them up as a club
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Brentford are a football club constantly looking for marginal gains and in the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace, we saw another.
With Bryan Mbeumo stepping up for his retaken penalty, both Yoane Wissa and Keane Lewis-Potter were seen celebrating even while the Brentford talisman was strolling up to make contact with the ball.
“That’s like a distraction thing to maybe put off the goalkeeper,” said Jamie Redknapp. “I’ve never seen that in my life, it’s crazy!”
Asked if it is a tactic, or just confidence, Thomas Frank added: “They are very good friends, they know each other very well and so probably a bit of both.”
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So no wonder Brentford have a 95-per-cent penalty success rate in the Premier League, the joint-best ratio in the history of the competition.
Alongside the scoring-in-the-first-minute reputation they have delighted fans with this season, it is another in a long list of quirky tactics up the Bees’ sleeve.
Sam Blitz
Esse’s dream Palace debut
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For two seasons, Romain Esse had been tearing it up in the Championship as one of Millwall’s most promising players and, by the time he left the club on January 18, he had played 66 times for the Lions. He does not turn 20 until May.
So there was no surprise when he was snapped up by Crystal Palace for a fee that could reportedly rise to £14.5m.
Esse has been immediately integrated into the Eagles’ first-team squad and made his debut as a late substitute in the game against Brentford, with Oliver Glasner’s side trailing 2-0. His impact was almost instant, with his first goal coming just 119 seconds after his introduction.
He became the first teenager to score on his Premier League debut (19 years, 258 days) since Rayan Ait-Nouri for Wolves in October 2020 (19y 146d).
It did not spark the comeback Palace wanted, but it immediately endeared Esse to the Selhurst Park faithful and as a new player, you cannot ask for much more than that.
Dan Long
