The Premier League weekend began with a thriller in Manchester, so it was fitting that it ended with another Mancunian side losing to their fierce rivals.
Manchester City temporarily topped the table, but Liverpool reclaimed the lead after shutting down Manchester United on Sunday. The Reds are the only unbeaten side left in the league, yet they only own a one-point advantage over City. A near-perfect season from either club should see them lift the title, seeing as how it’s uber competitive in the top two.
Here are four winners and four losers from Matchday 17 in the Premier League.
WINNERS
Fabinho
The Brazilian continues to dominate in the heart of midfield for Liverpool, especially in big games. That was the case again on Sunday at Anfield.
Fabinho set up Sadio Mane with a wonderful chipped ball over the top Man United’s defence to get things started. The former Monaco midfielder isn’t normally a distributor in Zone 14, yet you wouldn’t know it by watching that assist.
Due to Man United’s setup, it was difficult for Liverpool to string passes through the lines. That wasn’t an issue for Fabinho, who constantly dribbled through United’s midfield and unlocked space around the box as a result.
It was always a matter of transitioning into Jurgen Klopp’s system, which is why Fabinho didn’t earn a consistent run of games until November. Now that he’s settled into the side, we’re seeing his Monaco form shining through in England.
Ralph Hassenhuttl
After losing to Cardiff City in his Premier League debut, Ralph Hassenhuttl had a much tougher task on his agenda: Stopping a red-hot Arsenal team that hadn’t lost since August.
No problem for Hassenhuttl and Co., who earned a late 3-2 win over the Gunners, snapping a 22-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Even though it’s only been two matches, Southampton is starting to morph into a Hassenhuttl side. They hounded Arsenal in the middle of the pitch with an energetic fervour and it created the winning goal in the 85th minute.
@SouthamptonFC @Arsenal Is this the goal that ends The Gunners unbeaten run ? Charlie Austin super sub pic.twitter.com/ReFEf03EDE
— Robin K D Midgley (@chippingexpert) December 16, 2018
The win moves Southampton out of the relegation zone and into 17th. However, Saints are only above Burnley by virtue of a superior goal difference. With a hectic holiday fixture list upcoming, Hassenhuttl has to create some breathing room.
Gabriel Jesus
With no goals in his previous six appearances and Sergio Aguero injured, Gabriel Jesus needed to score. He ended up bagging a brace in Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Everton and eased the pressure on his shoulders.
It’s easy to forget that Jesus is still 22 years old because of how seamlessly he settled into the Premier League. Jesus had seven goals and four assists in 10 appearances in the second half of the 2016-17 campaign, plus he was a regular starter for Brazil.
While a striker is mainly judged based off his scoring output, Jesus contributes in other areas as well. For example, the Brazilian was able to spread the pitch with his passing and ensured every forward was involved in the final third.
Rafa Benitez
Fresh off winning the Premier League manager of the month award, Rafa Benitez and Newcastle United snapped a three-match winless skid by toppling Huddersfield Town.
Suddenly, Newcastle finds itself in 14th place, four points adrift of the relegation zone and with only two defeats in its previous eight games. Salomon Rondon scored the winner and has now been involved in three goals in his last three appearances.
Credit Benitez for sparking the turnaround. Rondon is more comfortable with his teammates, he’s utilized as a proper target man and the Magpies remain defensively stingy. A brief collapse might change the narrative, although the Spaniard is working wonders given the dearth of resources invested into the squad.
LOSERS
Manchester United midfield
David De Gea and Manchester United’s defence must’ve been furious, because conceding 36 shots is a symptom of an overwhelmed midfield.
With Liverpool pressing high up the pitch and United deployed deep in their own defensive third, coupled with the litany of giveaways, the defence was swamped.
Starting a midfielder who could control possession, be it Paul Pogba or Fred, might’ve helped United alleviate the pressure on the defence. Instead, Liverpool kept pushing and eventually found the winning goals.
Laurent Koscielny
It had been nearly eight months since Laurent Koscielny started a Premier League match and it showed.
Recovering from an Achilles injury is one of the most gruelling rehabilitation processes an athlete will ever experience. It takes several games until a player is match fit. Koscielny definitely isn’t there yet.
The French centre-back lost Charlie Austin for the winning goal and didn’t appear too confident with his positioning, either.
Koscielny was also the only available centre-back due to suspension and injuries. Granit Xhaka had to fill in next to the Frenchman because manager Unai Emery had no other alternatives.
It’s a bit harsh to include Koscielny here but it’s difficult to ignore given the basic errors.
Eddie Howe
Remember the discussion over Eddie Howe landing a “big” job in the Premier League? Bournemouth only has one win in its last seven league matches since that talk began in the third week of November.
In Howe’s defence, Bournemouth has missed Callum Wilson over the past two weeks and faced Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in this seven-game span. However, losing to Newcastle and Wolverhampton isn’t as justifiable.
While Bournemouth outshot Wolves in the 2-0 defeat, most of those attempts barely threatened Rui Patricio in goal, as evidenced by the expected goals.
Even mired in this downturn in form, Howe’s work with Bournemouth is unquestionably brilliant. Plus, with Wilson returning, perhaps the Cherries can return to winning ways versus Brighton & Hove Albion.
Fulham defence
Look up “bad luck” and you’ll probably see this expected goals chart from Fulham’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham United.
West Ham only generated six attempts to Fulham’s 16, but when Michail Antonio is left alone in front of goal like this, it’s easy to see why the Hammers were victorious.
Woof.
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