Key events
Jonathan Wilson
Some fixtures just don’t sound right. Maybe it’s just about conceivable that, had things gone slightly differently in the 70s, Malcolm Allison or Terry Venables could have been leading their side behind the Iron Curtain for a crack at Valeriy Lobanovskyi’s cybernauts, but Dynamo Kyiv against Crystal Palace is still a clash that provokes a double-take. It feels like a category error: how can those two clubs possibly be in the same competition?
But this is the modern world. Ukraine is battling invasion, its teams diminished. The Premier League is extremely rich. And Crystal Palace are managed by one of the rising talents of the European game. They didn’t just play each other on Thursday, but Palace won with a degree of comfort. It was their third straight win, their 19th consecutive game without defeat.
And so, because no mid-size club can even just be allowed to enjoy a good run, all the talk is of where Oliver Glasner might go next. His contract expires at the end of the season and he has refused to sign an extension. He is 51; if he is going to take over a major club with the possibility of an extended spell in charge, he doesn’t have a huge amount of time to secure a move. Could he then be the solution for Manchester United? He does, after all, play the same 3-4-2-1 as Ruben Amorim, just rather more successfully.
Read Jonathan Wilson’s column in full here:
Have you got Erling Haaland in your fantasy team? Of course you have, he already has eight goals in the Premier League and is running away in the golden boot race. Here’s the full list of the Premier League’s top scorers:
After Estevao’s late winner at Stamford Bridge last night Chelsea Enzo Maresca set off on a manic touchline dash to celebrate with his team. It was maybe the most fun thing Maresca has ever done and he was sent off, meaning he will watch Chelsea’s next match from the stands, but Barney Ronay writes that it is his opposite number yesterday, Arne Slot, who has bigger issues to address when he is next on the touchline:
At Old Trafford, the dark clouds lifted lifted on Saturday as Benjamin Sesko clicked with his teammates and as he Mason Mount got themselves on the scoresheet. Post-match Mount insisted that the club are “100% behind” embattled boss Ruben Amorim:
Arsenal, the latest team to inherit the moniker of champions in waiting, handily saw off West Ham on Saturday but they are counting the cost of that victory. Martin Ødegaard picked up a knee injury and had to come off before half time again. Declan Rice, who scored the game’s first goal, also departed early with a back injury.
More from Ed Aarons here:
Liverpool’s third defeat in a row has seen the spotlight move on to the relationship, or lack thereof, between Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak. The Reds couldn’t break down a Chelsea team missing almost all of their first choice centre-backs. Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is not concerned, yet: “The more they play together the more they will connect,” the Liverpool manager said. “You have to work really hard to reach a certain level and then it’s very hard in football because you also play against very good teams to keep that level going. What I mean by that is consistency.”
More from Slot here:
Preamble
Hello, good morning and welcome to Sunday’s Matchday live! Before we head of on our international breaks we have one more action-packed day of Premier League action, with five fixtures and the opportunity for UK viewers to go multiview on their Sky boxes with four of those at 2pm.
Before any of that, four fixtures in the WSL. The pick of those is Tottenham v Brighton, two teams hoping to break into the European places.
Then, the East Anglian derby is a lovely little midday livener. Amazingly Ipswich haven’t beaten Norwich since 2009. If you want some bizarre pop culture context, the last time the Tractor Boys won this fixture Kanye West hadn’t yet interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for winning best female video at the MTV Awards (for what it’s worth, Beyoncé did have one of the best videos of all time!).
In the Premier League, the narrative comes from St James’ Park but not the home team, who are simply going about their business. Yes, I am of course referring to Ange Postecoglou and the threat hanging over his continued employment as the man in the dugout for Nottingham Forest. The chances of another game without a win are high for the Australian gaffer, with Newcastle nothing if not solid.
Did you know that Crystal Palace haven’t lost in ages? They take that proud record to Everton, where the Eagles’ ability to recover from a gruelling European away day will be tested. Likewise Aston Villa, who are playing Burnley in a game for the soul of the colour claret.
Quite why Wolves v Brighton is being played on a Sunday at 2pm is not clear. Neither had a European game in midweek, but here we are. Wolves were better at Tottenham last time out, Brighton won at Stamford Bridge. This one is anyone’s guess.
Then in the headline slot, Brentford look to be the Manchester slayers for the second week in a row. City will probably be less accomodating than United, but they are vulnerable, as was evidenced at the Stade Louis II in midweek.
But before we jump into today’s action, let’s quickly recap some of the headlines from Saturday…
