Loads to get through here due to the busy fixture list over Christmas. It feels like last weekend’s games were about a month ago as so much has happened since, but I’ll pick up where I left off last time.
First up was “El Kitmanshittingonthedressing roomfloorico” as Brighton and Palace played out a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park on the Thursday night.
That Michael Olise is really fucking good. So silky and that left foot of his is as good as any in the league. He’s so good he actually produced a ball so perfect that not even Jordan Ayew could fail to score. That’s his one goal for the season anyway, so opponents need not worry about him again.
Brighton brought that on themselves by getting caught playing out from the back. That does my head in and I see it every week, but it’s hard to criticise Brighton for it when they’re so good at it and hardly ever caught. This was just a bad mistake by the keeper more than anything else.
Brighton equalised with a header from the Harrods Jordan Ayew, Danny Welcrap. Fucking brilliant header that though, just lovely. Right in the top corner.
Onto Friday now and Aston Villa had the chance to go top. All they had to do was beat bottom club Sheffield United, who had only taken one point away from home all season.
Villa have been getting so much slurping lately from the media and out of nowhere they were now being talked about as title contenders. I can’t take them seriously, partly because of how bad they were at Anfield, partly because of that stupid high line they play even when they have no pressure on the ball, partly because I don’t think they’re anywhere near the level of us, City and Arsenal and partly because, well, they’re Aston Villa. You can never trust Villa.
In fairness they’ve bucked that trend this season and beat both Arsenal and City recently, but I just think maybe there was some sort of collective amnesia thing going on. As soon as they remembered they were Aston Villa normal service was resumed. They’re the Midlands equivalent of Spurs.
They needed a 98th minute equaliser to even get a point against the Blades. That sums Villa up. Could have gone top, instead they shit down their own leg.
Villa thought they’d gone ahead through Bailey but VAR spotted a foul on the keeper in the build up. The question here is how did Anthony Taylor not see that at the time? The keeper tries to punch it with his wrong hand and gets nowhere near it, but you could tell he must have been being held as it was so weird looking. It’s an easy take for him but a Villa player had hooked his right arm to stop him catching it. Taylor somehow missed it, and needed VAR to tell him. Bet he’d have seen it if it had been a Manc goalkeeper or a Liverpool forward.
Chris Wilder’s side went ahead with a lovely goal, as Hamer ran in behind the Villa backline and sent Konsah for the Echo before picking out Archer who buried it against his old club.
Unfortunately they couldn’t hold out and Zaniolo headed in the equaliser right at the death. Isn’t he meant to be banned for betting on matches? Or did I dream that?
*just googled and he’s still being investigated, but reckons he only used illegal gambling platforms for poker and blackjack, and didn’t bet on footy.
Saturday now, and the Mancs went down to defeat at West Ham despite completely controlling the game and creating chances against Moyes’ side. At least so Eric Ten Jarg says. I didn’t watch the game so I’ll take his word for it as I’m sure he’s got no reason to lie.
Bowen got West Ham’s first when he latched onto a wonderful pass by Paqueta and got a bit lucky with the finish. Minutes later Kudus added a second.
Another blank for the Mancs and I was shocked when MOTD revealed that after this result only Sheffield United have scored fewer league goals than them. That’s an incredible stat I think. Imagine scoring fewer goals than Luton and Burnley after 18 games! How much have they spent on forwards? Scandalous that, it’s astonishing that he’s still ion a job, but I’m not complaining.
Goldbridge has been complaining for months that when United concede a goal they shit themselves and usually concede again soon after, and when this happened he went off on one and described them as “panicking like a nonce in a prison riot”. Sensational.
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