Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Posted by author February 24, 2025 Football

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Salah easily outshines De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah have mirrored each other as leading men in the Premier League. They even share the status of being discarded by Chelsea, but Sunday’s match may be where their paths finally diverge. Salah delivered a goal and an assist while De Bruyne was a shock selection, unused by Manchester City in Madrid. On Friday Pep Guardiola hinted the Belgian’s time at the club was done. If Sunday was a last hurrah, De Bruyne misfiring passes and chasing shadows was a brutal reminder of how time catches up with even the very best. Where the Belgian exhibits physical decline from sheer miles on the clock, Salah, just a year younger, played to his peak, often buzz-sawing into midfield areas De Bruyne once commanded. The Egyptian king’s contract situation remains at an impasse, the sense being he awaits the right offer from Liverpool. De Bruyne may now be reduced to mere cameos as Guardiola rebuilds, a sad coda. John Brewin

Mohamed Salah with Dominik Szoboszlai after setting up Liverpool’s second goal at City. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

Arsenal lose heads in costly defeat

You could sense the anxiety creeping in at the Emirates on Saturday before Jarrod Bowen scored what proved to be the winner for West Ham. That had only increased by the time Mikel Arteta hauled off Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori after 10 minutes of the second half, with Myles Lewis-Skelly lasting 17 minutes from the bench before being sent off. It was the fifth red card for Arsenal this season in the Premier League – two more than anyone else – and once again contributed to them dropping points as they desperately try to make up ground on Liverpool. Arsenal’s lack of composure this season when they go behind or are reduced to 10 men may prove to be their downfall and Arteta will hope they can regroup in time for the crucial trip to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday evening. “We have to keep going, still many points to play for,” said the captain, Martin Ødegaard. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves and have to learn from this.” Ed Aarons

United face long road back to elite

Manchester United club staff, some with decades of loyal service, have lost their jobs for this? Cost-cutting by Sir Jim Ratcliffe is not going to re-establish the club among the elite any time soon, given how far they have fallen behind and how onerous the task confronting Ruben Amorim is. Everton should have condemned Amorim’s team to a third consecutive league defeat long before they were left bewildered by the 96th-minute penalty incident. The video assistant referee’s failure to show Matthijs de Ligt’s shirt-pull on Ashley Young to referee Andrew Madley on the pitchside monitor, and to instead focus purely on Harry Maguire’s tussle with the veteran, was inexplicable. It was a huge let-off for United and Amorim, who again spoke of needing to “survive this season” before planning ahead. “We have so many problems,” he added. A squad unsuited to its manager’s requirements is one of them, and United do not have the resources for the extensive rebuild needed. It is a long way back from here. Andy Hunter

Maresca searching for net gain

Enzo Maresca stopped short of saying Filip Jörgensen would keep his place after the goalkeeper’s howler gifted Aston Villa victory. Maresca dropped Robert Sánchez last month after a series of errors but now the Chelsea manager must decide whether to restore him in goal against Southampton on Tuesday. With Kepa Arrizabalaga and Djordje Petrovic out on loan, third-choice Marcus Bettinelli – whose only appearance for the club was more than three years ago – is Maresca’s other option. Jörgensen made a couple of smart stops at Villa Park, chiefly to deny the substitute Donyell Malen before the corner that led to Marco Asensio’s winner, but his error ultimately cost Chelsea. Asked if he would keep faith with the 22-year-old, Maresca replied: “I don’t know. It’s not [because of] today’s mistake that I’m going to change the idea about Filip. This is a moment where we need to support each other and continue to work hard.” Ben Fisher

The Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen saves a shot by Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa. His error cost Chelsea the game. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Bergvall benefits from Spurs injury woe

If it hadn’t been for Tottenham’s injury crisis, Lucas Bergvall almost certainly would not have featured in 19 league games this season. Over the past six months he has visibly matured from an uncertain, almost ephemeral presence to a player of real substance, a tireless runner and aggressive tackler but also a passer of genuine quality; his pass completion rate against Ipswich was 85%. Saturday was only the 19-year-old’s seventh start in the league, although he has been picking up experience in the Carabao Cup and the Europa League, but he is already an assured figure alongside Rodrigo Bentancur. Ange Postecoglou’s preferred midfield at the moment appears to be Bergvall and Bentancur plus a creator. There hasn’t been much good to come out of this season for Tottenham but it may be that, in time, the case hardening of their fleet of teenagers will work to their advantage. Jonathan Wilson

Howe’s boss sees Newcastle hang on

Eddie Howe might have chosen a different performance for the Newcastle chair, Yasir al-Rumayyan, to witness after flying from Riyadh. Although his team beat Nottingham Forest 4-3 at St James’ Park they were clinging on at the end having led 4-1. “It was good to see the chairman but he might have heard a couple of swear words from me,” said Newcastle’s manager. “I think he was in the same sort of emotional state though.” Al-Rumayyan is also here for talks on whether Newcastle stay at a rebuilt St James’ Park or seek planning permission for a new home nearby. Several of Howe’s team may have retired by the time a new stadium is built, but do not bet against Lewis Miley having established himself as the star of England’s midfield.

Louise Taylor

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Saints stuck in chasm between leagues

After 26 league games Southampton – battered again this weekend, this time by Brighton – have accumulated nine points, scoring 19 goals and conceding 61; still, the respective Premier League nadirs of 11 points (Derby 07-08), 20 goals for (Derby 07-08, Sheffield United 20-21) and 104 goals against (Sheffield United 23-24) do not seem in jeopardy. However, it is certain that – to the presumed relief of Manchester United and West Ham – for the second consecutive year, the three promoted clubs are surely going back down. More troublingly still, at no point has there been much more than an outside chance that Ipswich, Leicester or Southampton might survive. Two seasons may be a small sample size, but with Leeds, Sheffield United and Burnley contesting the Championship’s automatic promotion slots, the sense is that the top division is increasingly hard to access and even harder to remain in. That is not the sign of a healthy competition. Daniel Harris

Dejected Saints players during their latest heavy defeat. Photograph: Matt Watson/Southampton FC/Getty Images

André a giant presence for Pereira

Victory at Bournemouth was a coup for Vítor Pereira, with Wolves unrecognisable from the tactical anarchy that was often on display under Gary O’Neil. It also offered a blueprint for those looking to stop Andoni Iraola’s previously runaway train. Having Matheus Cunha certainly helped, the Brazilian a magnet for the ball in those moments when Wolves were relieving the pressure on the defence. His winning goal was the finish of a forward full of confidence, but another Brazilian, the midfielder André, was praised by his manager. “I give freedom to the other midfielders but André is the player who balances the space between the lines,” said Pereira. A star of the Fluminense team that won the 2023 Copa Libertadores, André was linked with moves to Manchester City and Liverpool only to pitch up at Molineux. His assimilation at Wolves has been gradual, but the player who had scouts flying to South America has begun to show what he can do. John Brewin

Stylish Lacroix looks a steal for Palace

Maxence Lacroix is a fine player. Tall, imposing and quick across the ground, the Crystal Palace defender was excellent during his side’s 2-0 win at Fulham. Raúl Jiménez was barely given a sniff of goal. The Fulham striker did break through when it was still 1-0 in the second half but he was denied by a superb covering challenge from Lacroix. It was expert defending and it is not a surprise that Palace are so difficult to break down on their travels. Their unbeaten away run in the Premier League stretches back to October and the foundations are laid by their solid back three. Chelsea cutting Trevoh Chalobah’s loan short has not made a difference. Chris Richards is doing well, Marc Guéhi is as smooth as ever and Lacroix, who joined from Wolfsburg last summer, looks a smart buy. Why were other teams not in for him? Jacob Steinberg

Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace (right) celebrates after Daniel Muñoz scored to seal a 2-0 win at Fulham. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Getty Images

Van Nistelrooy may have given up ghost

Is Ruud van Nistelrooy positioning himself to avoid culpability if Leicester are relegated? The team have lost 11 of his 15 matches in charge in all competitions and their league goal difference mushroomed to -34 after Friday’s 4-0 home defeat by Brentford. Only one new player was bought in January, the full-back Woyo Coulibaly, and the manager’s post-match comments seemed to indicate he felt blame should fall beyond his players and, by extension, himself. “You have to look at performing at the maximum of your capabilities, I cannot ask the players to do more than that,” he said. “With the squad we have, it’s a huge, huge, huge mountain to climb to stay in this league.” It does feel like the former Manchester United player is covering his back. He signed a contract in November until June 2027 and it is doubtful the club would countenance sacking a second manager in a season – Steve Cooper lasted only five months – so the director of football, Jon Rudkin, and the owners may have a tough call to make in the summer. Peter Lansley