The Foxes looked well in control of the game before Jamie Vardy’s controversial red card.
The decision was key to West Ham’s revival, and Vardy has a right to feel aggrieved by the harsh call that put his side down to 10 men.
While awarding a penalty for the incident would have been harsh, there was definite contact between himself and Hammers defender Angelo Ogbonna. Ultimately, it was a coming together rather than a dive. And while Vardy may have been looking to win a penalty, in this instance, the punishment seemed excessive, as by the letter of the law, the English international did not deserve to go.
Still, Claudio Ranieri refused to condemn the referee after the game, perhaps with the generous decision to award his team a last-minute spot-kick in mind.
And if he thought this afternoon’s game at Dean Court was the ideal opportunity to blood a few youngsters, the suspicion proved correct.
Liverpool came up against a Bournemouth side that have already secured their Premier League status for next season, and so perhaps it was hardly a surprise that a couple of their stars already seemed to be on the beach mentally.
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That said, performing in the Premier League is never easy, and a number of young players gave displays that suggested they are capable of competing at this level on a more regular basis.
In addition, another positive was the performance of Daniel Sturridge — the England international scored one and set up another, while he proved a constant thorn in the side of the hosts’ defence.
But more importantly, it was Sturridge’s fourth league start in succession — his best run of games in two years.
3. Another Lescott faux pas compounds Villa’s woes
Joleon Lescott featured as Aston Villa were relegated following a 1-0 loss to Man United at Old Trafford yesterday. Mike Egerton
Mike Egerton
Sometimes, footballers are better off keeping their mouths shut, as Joleon Lescott’s unfortunate reaction to Aston Villa’s relegation proved.
Lescott has already had one PR disaster earlier this season when he tweeted a picture of a £121,000 Mercedes from his official account after the club’s humiliating 6-0 loss at home to Liverpool.
And yesterday, he made another embarrassing gaffe, when he described Villa’s relegation following Saturday’s limp 1-0 defeat at Man United as “a weight off the shoulders,” much to the anger of many fans and pundits.
Both Lescott and Villa’s dire performances this season have been beyond justification, so the 33-year-old defender would clearly be best advised to keep a low profile from now on.
4. Déjà vu as Arsenal’s season set to end in disappointment
Arsenal were left disappointed as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace this afternoon, as Petr Cech failed to keep out a hopeful 81st minute Yannick Bolasie effort, thereby ensuring the London club stayed below Man City in fourth.
Despite trailing Leicester by 13 points before today’s action, Arsene Wenger insisted on Friday that his side were still in the title race.
Yet today’s outcome has surely killed off any hope of glory as far as the Gunners are concerned.
Their failure to kill off a struggling Crystal Palace side in many ways epitomises a season that at one point promised so much but looks set to end in decidedly anti-climactic fashion.
Having won the FA Cup the last two years on the bounce, Arsenal are now more or less certain to end this campaign trophyless (unless you count the Community Shield). So not only have they failed to capitalise in a season where all of the so-called ‘big’ clubs have failed to perform, if anything, they’ve gone backwards of late.
Therefore, it won’t be the first time that Wenger’s position has been questioned, but with an increased sense of frustration apparent around the Emirates of late, his position is likely to be under greater threat than ever come the end of the current campaign.
The Argentine international has now scored 21 Premier League goals this season — only one less than joint-top scorers Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy have managed.
Moreover, while Vardy has appeared in all 34 of Leicester’s league games and Kane has been an ever-present in Tottenham’s 33 matches, Aguero has been involved in just 26 of City’s 33 fixtures, meaning he has scored more goals on average than the English duo.
Nevertheless, despite this unparalleled goals-to-games ratio, very few people suggested the 27-year-old striker was a contender for PFA Player of the Year award this season, and so it was no surprise that, while Vardy and Kane were nominated for the accolade, Aguero was overlooked. And indeed, despite frequently setting the Premier League alight since joining City in 2011 and playing integral roles in two title triumphs for the Etihad outfit, he has still yet to win the award in all his years at the club.
Consequently, in the aftermath of yesterday’s clash, City boss Manuel Pellegrini suggested Aguero doesn’t get the level of acclaim he deserves, and the stats certainly back up the veteran coach’s argument.
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Jamie Vardy unlucky and more Premier League talking points
Updated at 19.35
1. Leicester and Vardy hard done by
LEICESTER WILL CERTAINLY be feeling a little annoyed after dropping points at home to West Ham today.
The Foxes looked well in control of the game before Jamie Vardy’s controversial red card.
The decision was key to West Ham’s revival, and Vardy has a right to feel aggrieved by the harsh call that put his side down to 10 men.
While awarding a penalty for the incident would have been harsh, there was definite contact between himself and Hammers defender Angelo Ogbonna. Ultimately, it was a coming together rather than a dive. And while Vardy may have been looking to win a penalty, in this instance, the punishment seemed excessive, as by the letter of the law, the English international did not deserve to go.
Still, Claudio Ranieri refused to condemn the referee after the game, perhaps with the generous decision to award his team a last-minute spot-kick in mind.
And while Leicester are still in pole position to claim the title, losing Vardy through suspension will be a blow, particularly if his one-match ban is extended after the striker allegedly swore at referee Jon Moss in the aftermath of the decision.
2. Klopp right to give youngsters a chance
With little to play for domestically, Jurgen Klopp opted to make 10 changes as Liverpool took on Bournemouth today, following his side’s Europa League heroics on Thursday night.
And if he thought this afternoon’s game at Dean Court was the ideal opportunity to blood a few youngsters, the suspicion proved correct.
Liverpool came up against a Bournemouth side that have already secured their Premier League status for next season, and so perhaps it was hardly a surprise that a couple of their stars already seemed to be on the beach mentally.
That said, performing in the Premier League is never easy, and a number of young players gave displays that suggested they are capable of competing at this level on a more regular basis.
In addition, another positive was the performance of Daniel Sturridge — the England international scored one and set up another, while he proved a constant thorn in the side of the hosts’ defence.
But more importantly, it was Sturridge’s fourth league start in succession — his best run of games in two years.
3. Another Lescott faux pas compounds Villa’s woes
Sometimes, footballers are better off keeping their mouths shut, as Joleon Lescott’s unfortunate reaction to Aston Villa’s relegation proved.
Lescott has already had one PR disaster earlier this season when he tweeted a picture of a £121,000 Mercedes from his official account after the club’s humiliating 6-0 loss at home to Liverpool.
And yesterday, he made another embarrassing gaffe, when he described Villa’s relegation following Saturday’s limp 1-0 defeat at Man United as “a weight off the shoulders,” much to the anger of many fans and pundits.
Both Lescott and Villa’s dire performances this season have been beyond justification, so the 33-year-old defender would clearly be best advised to keep a low profile from now on.
4. Déjà vu as Arsenal’s season set to end in disappointment
Arsenal were left disappointed as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace this afternoon, as Petr Cech failed to keep out a hopeful 81st minute Yannick Bolasie effort, thereby ensuring the London club stayed below Man City in fourth.
Despite trailing Leicester by 13 points before today’s action, Arsene Wenger insisted on Friday that his side were still in the title race.
Yet today’s outcome has surely killed off any hope of glory as far as the Gunners are concerned.
Their failure to kill off a struggling Crystal Palace side in many ways epitomises a season that at one point promised so much but looks set to end in decidedly anti-climactic fashion.
Having won the FA Cup the last two years on the bounce, Arsenal are now more or less certain to end this campaign trophyless (unless you count the Community Shield). So not only have they failed to capitalise in a season where all of the so-called ‘big’ clubs have failed to perform, if anything, they’ve gone backwards of late.
Therefore, it won’t be the first time that Wenger’s position has been questioned, but with an increased sense of frustration apparent around the Emirates of late, his position is likely to be under greater threat than ever come the end of the current campaign.
5. Is Aguero underrated?
Sergio Aguero made the difference on Saturday evening, as his hat-trick inspired Man City to an impressive 3-0 win at Chelsea.
The Argentine international has now scored 21 Premier League goals this season — only one less than joint-top scorers Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy have managed.
Moreover, while Vardy has appeared in all 34 of Leicester’s league games and Kane has been an ever-present in Tottenham’s 33 matches, Aguero has been involved in just 26 of City’s 33 fixtures, meaning he has scored more goals on average than the English duo.
Nevertheless, despite this unparalleled goals-to-games ratio, very few people suggested the 27-year-old striker was a contender for PFA Player of the Year award this season, and so it was no surprise that, while Vardy and Kane were nominated for the accolade, Aguero was overlooked. And indeed, despite frequently setting the Premier League alight since joining City in 2011 and playing integral roles in two title triumphs for the Etihad outfit, he has still yet to win the award in all his years at the club.
Consequently, in the aftermath of yesterday’s clash, City boss Manuel Pellegrini suggested Aguero doesn’t get the level of acclaim he deserves, and the stats certainly back up the veteran coach’s argument.
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