CHELSEA’S SHOCK LOSS to Sunderland this evening has unquestionably put Liverpool in a far stronger position in the league, however the title race remains finely balanced and to suggest otherwise would be disrespectful to the teams that the Reds have yet to face.
All that’s fundamentally changed is that Brendan Rodgers’ side now can afford to draw one of their forthcoming games.
Nevertheless, Chelsea have been excellent when under pressure this season, especially against the big teams, so for the Anfield outfit to get even a point in that game will be a sizeable task.
Moreover, as Sunderland illustrated today, teams who are desperately battling relegation tend to raise their game, so Norwich could easily emulate the superb performance of Poyet’s side against Liverpool tomorrow.
2. Mourinho’s behaviour is playground stuff
Increasingly in recent times, Jose Mourinho has shown a conspicuous lack of class in post-match interviews.
Undoubtedly, the Portuguese manager was hugely disappointed by his side’s shock loss today, but that’s no excuse for the indulgent, petulant behaviour that followed.
Granted, the Chelsea boss takes pressure off his players with his comments, but to continually blame the referee for his side’s misfortune is not only highly unprofessional, but an insult to the intelligence of those who watch the game.
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Sunderland’s penalty today was debatable, but of course, Mourinho neglected to mention the incident whereby Ramires blatantly slapped an opposition player off the ball and should have been dismissed as a result. Thus, if anything, the officials favoured Chelsea to a degree this evening.
Yet Mourinho will still insist his side were the victims in this case, as he continues to give uncanny impressions of the schoolboy who sulks off in a huff every time he doesn’t get his way in the playground football game.
3. If Brendan Rodgers is Manager of the Year, then Tony Pulis can’t be far behind
Stephen Pond
Stephen Pond
(Tony Pulis has guided Palace to safety after they looked odds-on for the drop at one point)
When Tony Pulis took over at Crystal Palace, they had earned just seven points from 12 games and looked odds-on to be relegated.
They were a team with very little resources whose players patently lacked the self-belief necessary to stay up in the Premier League.
Yet since Pulis took over, the turnaround has been as swift as it has been remarkable — they simply look a different team to the one that lost defeat after limp defeat under Ian Holloway, with the 56-year-old gradually reinvigorating the side without doing anything drastically different from his predecessor.
In addition, following their 1-0 over West Ham today, they jumped up to 11th place on 43 points, and therefore Pulis, as he also showed during his tenure at Stoke, once again demonstrated his incredible knack of getting the best out of limited players.
Consequently, after five straight victories, Palace are now contemplating the possibility of a top-half finish rather than relegation, having miraculously beaten Chelsea, Everton, Aston Villa and Cardiff among others in recent times.
Accordingly, if their increasing confidence and incredible form is not a stark warning to title favourites Liverpool, who they face at Selhurst Park on 5 May, I don’t know what is.
4. Eriksen provides light at the end of the tunnel for Tottenham
Given the millions Tottenham spent last summer, it’s ironic that the £11 million they paid for Christian Eriksen — a relatively modest fee compared to some of their other pieces of business — is at the moment looking by far and away their best deal.
The Dane, while having a difficult, injury-interrupted season, is now beginning to show the kind of consistent form that earned him rave reviews at Ajax.
Eriksen was at the heart of Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Fulham, who moved a step closer to relegation following a brave display in which the opposition’s superior class ultimately proved pivotal.
The 22-year-old midfielder was key in killing off Felix Magath’s men — not for the first time of late, he provided sumptuous deliveries for two of Spurs’ goals and in general, produced an influential performance to inspire his side to victory.
5. Villa not safe yet
Aston Villa currently sit on 35 points in 15th position after drawing 0-0 with Southampton, however they surely need at least one more win to be entirely safe.
Sunderland’s victory over Chelsea underlined that nothing can be taken for granted at the bottom of the table, with a number of teams fighting valiantly to avoid the drop.
Villa, while not quite emulating the Black Cats’ magnificence, showed some backbone after a difficult week that saw the suspension of assistant boss Ian Culverhouse and head of football operations Gary Karsa.
Southampton were undoubtedly the better side, dominating the territory battle and enjoying as much as 71% possession in the first half.
Yet while a point still leaves them in a somewhat awkward position, Villa can certainly take encouragement from this spirited display, particularly after being so comprehensively outplayed in the first half against an impressive Saints outfit.
5 talking points from Saturday's Premier League action
1. Liverpool’s title to lose?
CHELSEA’S SHOCK LOSS to Sunderland this evening has unquestionably put Liverpool in a far stronger position in the league, however the title race remains finely balanced and to suggest otherwise would be disrespectful to the teams that the Reds have yet to face.
All that’s fundamentally changed is that Brendan Rodgers’ side now can afford to draw one of their forthcoming games.
Nevertheless, Chelsea have been excellent when under pressure this season, especially against the big teams, so for the Anfield outfit to get even a point in that game will be a sizeable task.
Moreover, as Sunderland illustrated today, teams who are desperately battling relegation tend to raise their game, so Norwich could easily emulate the superb performance of Poyet’s side against Liverpool tomorrow.
2. Mourinho’s behaviour is playground stuff
Increasingly in recent times, Jose Mourinho has shown a conspicuous lack of class in post-match interviews.
Undoubtedly, the Portuguese manager was hugely disappointed by his side’s shock loss today, but that’s no excuse for the indulgent, petulant behaviour that followed.
In his post-match interview with Sky, Mourinho sarcastically congratulated the referee for his performance, clearly implying that he was at fault for the loss.
Granted, the Chelsea boss takes pressure off his players with his comments, but to continually blame the referee for his side’s misfortune is not only highly unprofessional, but an insult to the intelligence of those who watch the game.
Sunderland’s penalty today was debatable, but of course, Mourinho neglected to mention the incident whereby Ramires blatantly slapped an opposition player off the ball and should have been dismissed as a result. Thus, if anything, the officials favoured Chelsea to a degree this evening.
Yet Mourinho will still insist his side were the victims in this case, as he continues to give uncanny impressions of the schoolboy who sulks off in a huff every time he doesn’t get his way in the playground football game.
3. If Brendan Rodgers is Manager of the Year, then Tony Pulis can’t be far behind
(Tony Pulis has guided Palace to safety after they looked odds-on for the drop at one point)
When Tony Pulis took over at Crystal Palace, they had earned just seven points from 12 games and looked odds-on to be relegated.
They were a team with very little resources whose players patently lacked the self-belief necessary to stay up in the Premier League.
Yet since Pulis took over, the turnaround has been as swift as it has been remarkable — they simply look a different team to the one that lost defeat after limp defeat under Ian Holloway, with the 56-year-old gradually reinvigorating the side without doing anything drastically different from his predecessor.
In addition, following their 1-0 over West Ham today, they jumped up to 11th place on 43 points, and therefore Pulis, as he also showed during his tenure at Stoke, once again demonstrated his incredible knack of getting the best out of limited players.
Consequently, after five straight victories, Palace are now contemplating the possibility of a top-half finish rather than relegation, having miraculously beaten Chelsea, Everton, Aston Villa and Cardiff among others in recent times.
Accordingly, if their increasing confidence and incredible form is not a stark warning to title favourites Liverpool, who they face at Selhurst Park on 5 May, I don’t know what is.
4. Eriksen provides light at the end of the tunnel for Tottenham
Given the millions Tottenham spent last summer, it’s ironic that the £11 million they paid for Christian Eriksen — a relatively modest fee compared to some of their other pieces of business — is at the moment looking by far and away their best deal.
The Dane, while having a difficult, injury-interrupted season, is now beginning to show the kind of consistent form that earned him rave reviews at Ajax.
Eriksen was at the heart of Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Fulham, who moved a step closer to relegation following a brave display in which the opposition’s superior class ultimately proved pivotal.
The 22-year-old midfielder was key in killing off Felix Magath’s men — not for the first time of late, he provided sumptuous deliveries for two of Spurs’ goals and in general, produced an influential performance to inspire his side to victory.
5. Villa not safe yet
Aston Villa currently sit on 35 points in 15th position after drawing 0-0 with Southampton, however they surely need at least one more win to be entirely safe.
Sunderland’s victory over Chelsea underlined that nothing can be taken for granted at the bottom of the table, with a number of teams fighting valiantly to avoid the drop.
Villa, while not quite emulating the Black Cats’ magnificence, showed some backbone after a difficult week that saw the suspension of assistant boss Ian Culverhouse and head of football operations Gary Karsa.
Southampton were undoubtedly the better side, dominating the territory battle and enjoying as much as 71% possession in the first half.
Yet while a point still leaves them in a somewhat awkward position, Villa can certainly take encouragement from this spirited display, particularly after being so comprehensively outplayed in the first half against an impressive Saints outfit.
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Analysis Barclays Premier League Chelsea Crystal Palace Liverpool Sunderland Tony Pulis