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Wharton does the business at Anfield
Joachim Andersen was named Sky's man of the match at Anfield, and with good reason. But while the Danish centre-back won header after header and scored ball after ball, and while the front three of Jean-Philippe Mateta, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise repeatedly caused problems on half-time, there was one figure who stood out in midfield. his composure: Adam Wharton, perhaps the brightest of the hugely promising generation produced by Tony Mowbray at Blackburn. The 20-year-old moved to Palace in January for an initial fee of £18 million and has played at least a part in every Crystal Palace match since. No other Palace player came close to his 88% completion rate and although they tried their luck to some extent in the second half, they would have had to drive a lot more had it not been for his distribution, which helped prevent Liverpool is building up a head of steam. Jonathan Wilson
Familiar sinking feeling for Arsenal
A year ago, almost to the day, Arsenal conceded a 2-0 lead at Anfield, and while that didn't settle the title, the feeling at full-time was that they had missed their chance just as it came. Villa's ultimately comprehensive victory in the Emirates. It's harsh to pin the blame on the strength of one game - Mikel Arteta's men have had another excellent season - but when things got too big they cowered. To deal first with the players on the pitch, Arsenal lacked discipline in defense - both goals they conceded were eminently avoidable - while in attack they still lack ruthlessness and a modicum of imagination, unable to finish when they are on top and create something when they are struggling. Their manager, meanwhile, opted to leave Jorginho out - presumably to spare him for a midweek trip to Bayern - with the problem being that when Villa started playing, his team did not have the resources to regain control. So City led the way again and the feeling is that Arsenal have blown it - once again. Daniel Harris
The story continues
Different season, same problems?
We've read and heard countless paeans to a three-way title race that saw only Liverpool and Arsenal hand control to Manchester City, jeopardizing a season's work and the legendary denouement in one afternoon. Nevertheless, on the face of it this is an improvement: City can end the season with a maximum of 91 points, far less worrying than the 98-100 recorded by the league winners between 2017/18 and 2019/20. This is because the palaces and villas of this world - along with almost every team in the division - have several players who can hurt the best, which is a good thing in theory, but in practice mainly possible because those clubs have more legendary European rivals can outbid on talent. , while the elected champions, champions in six of the past seven seasons, have ties to a nation-state with human rights issues. While no one can dispute the riveting entertainment of it all (Sunday was another fantastic day in Premier League Football™), the same problems remain, just in slightly different forms. DH
Kovacic emphasizes depth for slick City
On the day Rodri got the rest he wanted, Mateo Kovacic did exactly what was needed as a substitute for Manchester City's alpha midfielder: anchoring the game and scoring a memorable first league goal for the champions. City, who were only 1-0 up, needed the purest of volleys from 20 yards that met Julián Álvarez's rebounding corner in the 64th minute to completely break Luton, who they then routed. Kovacic said: "It's very nice to score. For me that is not the most important thing, but it is of course nice to be on top of the scoresheet with my family." Expect Rodri to be reinstated for the visit of Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, with the tie delicately poised at 3-3. But Kovacic has shown Rodri - and Pep Guardiola - that he can certainly replace his teammate. Jamie Jackson
Ten Hag tries to stay positive, but fails
Erik ten Hag's first defense of a limp performance at Bournemouth was to highlight that Harry Maguire, his only available senior centre-back, picked up an injury during a one-sided first half. That explanation certainly hasn't done much harm to Manchester United supporters, who have grown tired of the despicable displays that have left their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League in tatters. For the first time in the history of the Premier League, United is in danger of finishing below seventh place. When presented with that possibility at the end of his press conference, Ten Hag insisted it was an irrelevant question before getting up from his seat and heading for the nearest exit. "I'm not commenting," he said. "That's not important right now." With United trailing Newcastle and West Ham with Chelsea not far behind them, that could happen soon. Ben Visser
Pereira makes limited Hammers pay double
David Moyes' future beyond the end of this season remains uncertain. His contract expires this summer and his team's performance against Fulham has not done him much good. Despite their success in Europe and a lofty position in the top half of the table, there is a sense that West Ham fans have never really bought into his pragmatic style. The team's lack of swagger and attacking conservatism have failed to win over the supporters and this lackluster defeat highlighted his side's limitations. Apart from a lively start, West Ham quickly ran out of ideas, with Lucas Paquetá lacking his usual creative influence, and there is no doubt they were sorely missing the injured Jarrod Bowen. The England forward's availability for the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday is still in doubt and West Ham looked one-sided without him. Fulham produced a commendable away performance - suggesting a top 10 finish is not unrealistic - with midfielder Andreas Pereira cementing his reputation in an excellent display capped by his two goals. Simon Mail
Newcastle have fun on Maddison's day off
James Maddison had a choice last summer, but the England midfielder opted to leave Leicester for Tottenham instead of Newcastle. On the evidence Spurs lost 4-0 on Tyneside, Eddie Howe had a fortunate escape. Maddison was awful and certainly one of the key figures his manager, Ange Postecoglou, had in mind when he complained about his side's "lack of courage on the ball". Maddison's main involvement was escaping a booking for body checking on Anthony Gordon before being booked for fouling Jacob Murphy. He was withdrawn after 81 minutes with the taunts of the Newcastle fans ringing in his ears. They didn't appreciate Maddison's preference for life in the capital, but it would have been intriguing to see whether Howe's coaching could have infused his often prodigiously gifted game with the consistency it apparently lacks. The excellent, rapidly improving Alexander Isak, who scored two goals on Saturday, could tell him how good the Newcastle manager is. Louise Taylor
Danilo impresses for Forest because wolves don't bite
Despite Matheus Cunha scoring twice for Wolves in Saturday's 2-2 draw, his Brazilian counterpart Danilo was much better as he once again played a key role for Nottingham Forest. Danilo is one of only four players to have started all of Nuno Espírito Santo's victories as Forest manager, despite not retaining a regular place this season. Danilo won 100% of his matches in what proved to be a crucial midfield battle and continued to show his worth. The midfielder also created the most chances (four) and scored a crucial goal. Wolves struggle to capitalize on dominating possession statistics; they had 54% of the ball at Forest, but Gary O'Neil has seen more success from his team when they have less possession. Wolves have had less than 45% possession in eleven games this season; they have won five and lost only three. Conversely, in the nine league games this season in which they have had more than 55% possession, Wolves have won two and lost six. Peter Lansley
Burnley offers hope for the future despite the threat of decline
Burnley have lost once in their last six games, winning one and drawing four. It won't keep them in the top flight, but it does show that there has been improvement over the past month. Vincent Kompany's team lacked experience in the Premier League at the start of the season and acquired it the hard way. Even after his latest blunder against Brighton, the error-prone Arijanet Muric has improved the back five since replacing James Trafford in goal, helped by the form of Maxime Estève ahead of him. As a team they pass better and look calmer when faced with attacks, without causing the defensive panic seen earlier in the campaign. Wilson Odobert was a threat on the wing all Saturday and would have provided two assists had his teammates been more clinical. Burnley will almost certainly start in the Championship next season but there are green hopes despite being second from bottom with 20 points from 33 games. Will win
Arblaster gets high marks despite own goal
Chris Wilder's contract at Sheffield United runs until the end of next season and, judging by the away games at Brentford, he retains the approval of the diehards. Next season, almost certainly played in the Championship, the club will start with minus two points due to financial mismanagement. Wilder said the reaction from his fellow Blades was "humiliating" as he has failed to stop the dire situation he inherited. The rebuild starts here and includes players like young midfielder Oliver Arblaster. "I thought he was excellent, he has nothing to apologize for," Wilder said of a local boy who has been impressive since being introduced from a loan to Port Vale last month. Arblaster provided Brentford's opener with an unfortunate own goal, but Wilder marked the teenager as "9.5/10... he dominated their midfield, I thought he was the best player by a long shot. Brentford have some good players and Ollie was one of them." John Brewin
