Best Games of Matchweek Twenty-Four!

Leicester City 3-1 Liverpool

Liverpool came into this game in very poor form. They knew that if they lost this match, their chances of defending the title would be next to nothing. Leicester City were in fine form coming into this game, and are looking to go 6 points clear of the champions.

Liverpool’s horrific form continues as they were taken apart by Leicester City. Liverpool started very strong in this game. They showed signs of their 4–0 drubbing of the Foxes on Boxing Day last year, as tonight they dominated every part of the pitch for much of the opening stretch. Jordan Henderson may have been playing as a center back to fill in for injuries, but his natural midfielder instinct came out for much of the game. His astounding through ball to Mo Salah would have been one of the assists of the season, if the Egyptian hadn’t fluffed his lines at the last moment, burning the chance. However, I think that Salah was the best Liverpool player on the night. The 28-year-old scored again, for his 17th goal of the season. Such consistency should be celebrated, but unfortunately his side is losing every week. His goal of the night came after the hour mark, when Roberto Firmino freed up space in the box with some lovely footwork. Salah curled the effort into the corner; no chance for Kasper Schmiechel.

HOWEVER: there’s a reason why they aren’t in third place. One of the worst collapses in Premier League history happened in this game—and within 7 minutes. Right after they had scored, a lack of concentration and another VAR screw-up caused Liverpool to concede from a free kick. Alisson was also to blame for the second goal. After a horrid game against Manchester City, he is again responsible for goals. A long cross from Youri Tielemans could have been dealt with by debutant Ozan Kabak, but Alisson went full sweeper-keeper mode and tried to get it first. Kabak and Alisson collided with each other, neither actually safeguarding the ball. The miscommunication allowed for the ball to slip under both of them, and roll to Jamie Vardy. The Englishman passed the ball into an empty net. A disastrous goal really broke the Reds’ spirits, and they conceded one more, surely the final nail in their Premier League coffin.

The Foxes were flying high at the King Power Stadium. Brendan Rodgers FINALLY gets a win against his former club, and what a win it could prove to be. T

he Foxes are now in third place, and their Champions League hopes could really come to life this year. Vardy was again a menace all game after coming back from his surgery. James Maddison was fantastic in his midfield role, he was able to disrupt plays with his high press and bring life into Leicester's attacks. That being said, the Foxes were pushed back for much of the first half. They weren’t able to create much, and that Liverpool pressure also transferred over into the 60th minute, when they conceded a great Liverpool goal. I personally believe that they should have closed down Firmino and Salah, because there were a lot more Leicester players than Liverpool players in the box.

However, despite their shortcomings for much of the game, nobody can disagree about their will and tenacity to fight back. Right after falling behind Liverpool, in the 78th minute, a good run from Harvey Barnes won him a free kick on the edge of the box, after being sandwiched by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thiago. Maddison whipped in a low shot, which found its way into the back of the net. Replays show that Alisson didn’t have a good view of the ball through the crowd of players, so he couldn’t get to it in time. The third goal happened only a few minutes after the Alisson calamity, in the 88th minute, when Harvey Barnes latched on to a great pass from Wilfred Ndidi. Barnes coolly rolled the ball under Alisson to make it 3–1. This time, Allison couldn’t do much about it. Rodgers and Leicester City go 6 points clear of Liverpool. Could this be the year they come back to Champions League football?

Liverpool are yet again beaten in the Premier League, and for the 3rd game running. Their title hopes are definitely over, and now they must look to the Champions League for silverware this season, as well as cement a top four Premier League finish. Leicester, on the other hand, have just gotten a huge boost of confidence.

Fulham 2–0 Everton

Fulham NEED points, and they need them now. The gap between 17th and 18th places is continuing to widen, with Brighton putting up improved and much more consistent performances. Everton need points as well, but for European qualification.

Fulham bossed this match for the whole 90 minutes. The Cottagers were able to push Everton back into their own half, and were just as good in defense. Alphonso Areola didn’t have a lot of work to do today, as his back four protected him nicely. Harrison Reed was sublime all game long. He pressed well, had accurate passes, and his shot from distance set up Fulham’s second goal of the night. Reed deservedly earned man of the match honors because of how influential he was today. What really amazed me was how strong the Fulham bench was. Players like Zambo Anguissa and Ivan Cavalireo, who would normally be in the starting 11, were subbed on fairly late in the match. I haven’t even mentioned Alexander Mitrovic, who was out due to testing positive for Coronavirus. This is really good news for Fulham, because now their squad has some depth to it, and I can actually see a source of goals. 

Fulham may be known to squander their chances, but you wouldn’t know it by their performance on the night. Their new signing from Bordeaux, Josh Maja, was one of the shining stars on the field. The 22-year-old made quite the impact today, scoring both of Fulham’s goals. The first goal started on the left flank, when Ademola Lookman and Ola Aina did a one-two, freeing up space just inside the box. Aina then squared the ball right across goal for Maja to tap into the net, a real striker's instinct. The second goal happened when Reed took on the shot from 25 yards, only for it to smash off the post. However, Maja again was able to get past his markers, and tap the rebound into an empty net from close range. Now that Fulham have goals in them, they can actually win more games. Survival is the only thing on Scott Parker's mind. Could this win spark their fight to stay in the Premier League? 

Everton were very poor all game long. They couldn’t hold onto the ball without being surrounded by Fulham players, who usually dispossessed the Toffees. Carlo Ancelotti's side was riddled with injuries, having Allan, Jordan Pickford, and goalscoring machine Dominic Calvert-Lewin out. That being said, they should have put up a much better fight than this. André Gomez, who normally is so efficient all over the field, was blunt, and didn’t produce much. I did like his movement off the ball, so that’s a positive there. On the other hand, this was a really bad performance from Robin Olsen, Everton’s backup goalkeeper. He looked to be unsure of every play he got involved in, which is a bad sign for any player, never mind the most important position on the team. 

On the attack, there wasn’t much. Many of Everton’s best chances were long shots that were easily held onto by Areola. Seamus Coleman actually had the best chance of the game, when his shot from distance smacked off the post. Coleman also tried to get a header in from a free kick, but the cross was poor, and couldn’t generate enough power. Seamus Coleman is a center back. A CENTER BACK. What does that say about Everton’s attack? I don’t think I need to say much more. Speaking of center backs, Everton’s defense was only slightly better than their front two. Olsen, in my opinion, should have smothered the squared ball for the first goal. Or at least Mason Holgate should have, as he was supposed to be marking Maja. Holgate just let the ball roll across goal, and that mistake cost his team the game. Carlo Ancelotti knows that his team blew 3 points that were there for the taking.

A disappointing night for Everton means that they stay in 7th, having wasted a chance to go level on points with Liverpool, and into a European spot. For Scott Parker and his men, they couldn’t have asked for a better performance.