Leicester City made itself proud on Saturday, Manchester City is still pretty ridiculous and Chelsea’s struggles in front of goal proved costly against Everton.
Here are five winners and five losers from Matchday 12 in the Premier League.
WINNERS
King Power Stadium
The focus of all Premier League fans was fixated on the King Power Stadium on Saturday. It was Leicester City’s first home match since the passing of club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who was one of five victims in the devastating helicopter crash just outside the venue.
The pre-match ceremony was absolutely breathtaking and chilling at the same time. From the wreaths being laid to the moment of silence, it was impeccably observed.
The players and staff deserve immense credit for being able to play a full 90 minutes directly after the emotional ceremony. Leicester and Burnley split the points in a 0-0 draw, which was the fair result as neither side pushed too hard after the opening stages.
It will be worth monitoring Leicester’s performances over the next few weeks, because the Foxes are only three points adrift of a Europa League spot, plus they are in the last 16 of the League Cup. Surely the squad will want to achieve something of note in honour of Srivaddhanaprabha.
Man City’s 44-pass sequence
Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Manchester United was fairly routine for the Premier League leaders, although there was nothing customary about Man City’s third goal.
Come to think of it, a 44-pass sequence leading to a goal is very City-like. But this build-up play is impressive, even for this team.
That level of control and precision becomes emotionally draining for the opposition. That is one reason why Man City is so dominant. The mental strength and — at times — luck to overcome a side of this quality is unquantifiable. This is partially why City rarely slips up.
For now, there is a title race as only five points separate Man City from fourth-place Tottenham, which continues to grind out wins. However, with the dreaded holiday fixture list fast approaching, that could quickly change.
Yerry Mina
Amid a summer of massive change, Yerry Mina was almost the forgotten man among Everton’s new signings. The Colombian defender returned late due to his involvement at the World Cup, then was injured to start the season.
Therefore, it was very surprising that Everton manager Marco Silva handed Mina his first appearance with the club on Sunday, and against unbeaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, no less.
However, Mina was fantastic. He was named the man of the match as Everton earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw.
“He did everything I expected,” Silva told Sky Sports after the match. “It was his first official match in maybe three or four months and he showed his quality. He is very good on the ball and he is a player who will give us quality on the ball. Even without the ball he did what we planned, our defensive organization and process.
“I think he did really well.”
Because of Mina’s unorthodox movement and aerial prowess, he’s not often regarded as a capable ball-playing defender. If he delivers performances like Sunday’s, he’ll quickly dispel that myth.
Liverpool’s full-backs
Full-backs are crucial in the modern game. They are more involved in the attacking build-up, and still maintain their defensive responsibilities.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson provided both in vast quantities in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Fulham.
Both defenders assisted Liverpool’s goals, were heavily influential in the final third and worked hard to win possession whenever Fulham tried to break forward. Alexander-Arnold and Robertson finished the match with a combined 15 ball recoveries.
The defensive duo also received the majority of their passes in the attacking half, which allowed them to be in a position to assist the goals.
As long as Liverpool’s full-backs are clicking like this, there’s practically no stopping the Reds.
Charlie Austin
It’s always refreshing when a player or coach is honest in a post-match interview. That’s why Southampton’s Charlie Austin is in the ‘winners’ column this week.
Southampton settled for a 1-1 draw with Watford after a late equalizer from Jose Holebas, although a highly controversial decision ruled out a second goal for the Saints that would’ve likely wrapped up the win.
Maya Yoshida was adjudged to be offside when he touched the ball before Austin struck it past Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster. However, Yoshida didn’t actually touch it.
Austin, understandably, was furious and did not hold back in the post-match interview.
Well done, Charlie. We appreciate the honesty.
LOSERS
Chelsea’s attacking presence
Yes, Yerry Mina was fantastic. Everton deserves full credit for the draw. But Chelsea still should’ve mustered a few more chances at home.
The mid-week trip to Belarus might’ve contributed to the lacklustre showing, yet Alvaro Morata, Willian, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante either did not play on Thursday or earned a maximum of 28 minutes in Barysaw.
Chelsea didn’t lack shots, as the Blues generated 15 attempts and eight were inside Everton’s penalty area. Unfortunately, they were low-quality attempts, according to expected goals (xG).
xG map for Chelsea – Everton. On another day probably Chelsea finish one of these chances, but it was hardly a dominant performance. pic.twitter.com/sbtfMPbcTG
— Caley Graphics (@Caley_graphics) November 11, 2018
Had one of those shots ricocheted into the goal, this might be a different conversation. However, when a match finishes in a draw and there aren’t too many quality opportunities to show for it, it’s tough to avoid.
Wolves’ front three
Speaking of poor finishing, Wolverhampton Wanderers might’ve picked up a huge win over Arsenal if the front three was more accurate.
Wolves actually managed this game brilliantly. They kept Arsenal’s free-flowing attack at bay and were able to exploit the defensive frailties. Unfortunately for manager Nuno Espirito Santo, his forwards couldn’t capitalize.
Raul Jimenez, Helder Costa and Ivan Cavaleiro had six shots in the match. Second-half substitutes Diogo Jota and Adama Traore added another four, yet Wolves still couldn’t add to their tally.
Wolverhampton heavily out-chanced Arsenal, but as has been the case in a few matches this season, Wolves just didn’t have the composure in front of goal.
xG map for Arsenal – Wolves. Arsenal lucky to escape with a point from this one. pic.twitter.com/wnhd7T0MJZ
— Caley Graphics (@Caley_graphics) November 11, 2018
On the bright side, Wolves is actually underperforming its xG by a full five goals, per Understat.com, so there should be an uptick very soon. When exactly that will occur is another matter.
Brighton defence
Brighton & Hove Albion is among the worst defensive teams in the Premier League in terms of shots conceded, allowing 18.4 per match, via WhoScored.com.
For the third time in the last four matches, Brighton conceded at least 20 shots, this time to Cardiff City. Sure, 17 of the 20 were generated after the red card to Dale Stephens, although it’s not exactly an anomaly.
Brighton also allowed 27 shots against Newcastle United on Oct. 20. For context, WhoScored.com has Newcastle (18th) and Cardiff (14th) as two of the lowest-ranked teams in the league in attempts per match.
Teams who concede high volumes of shots can succeed. Sean Dyche’s Burnley is evidence of that, but that side has a history of repeating this trend over multiple seasons, unlike Brighton.
Let’s see if they can match Burnley in that regard.
Marko Arnautovic
West Ham United really needed Marko Arnautovic to deliver up front. While Felipe Anderson did, the Austrian striker was shockingly ineffective in the 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town.
Arnautovic wasn’t lacking touches, either. He had 45 in the game and faced a woeful Huddersfield defence that’s allowed 22 goals this season.
West Ham’s top scorer wasn’t very active in the box, although Anderson, Robert Snodgrass and Pedro Obiang tried their best to pick out Arnautovic. A number of passes were launched into the box, only to be cleared by a Huddersfield defender.
It won’t be any easier for Arnautovic and West Ham after the international break. The Hammers have Manchester City when the Premier League returns from its hiatus.
Eddie Howe
It’s performances like these that divide opinions on Eddie Howe.
Howe is clearly forward-thinking and intelligent. The English media occasionally mention his name when a ‘big’ job opens up, like Arsenal before Unai Emery was hired. His players love him, too.
The odd slip-up shouldn’t make or break anybody. But losing 2-1 to Newcastle United isn’t exactly flattering, especially with the Magpies outshooting Bournemouth.
The defence has been leaky over the last two games, and with matches against Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool coming up, it will be put through the gauntlet.
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