Premier League Game of the Week: Aston Villa 7-2 Liverpool

When final scores used to come through on television years before the internet and phones and apps, this was our only source of knowing the results and quick. When big scores came through that fact had to be reminded by spelling out the actual score. If a game was 6-0 next to the 6 would be spelt out SIX just so you knew. Doubly great if you supported the team, rubbing salt into wounds if you didn’t. This past weekend that would have been used again, only this time with a sentence of exclamation marks.

To be sure and just to remind us that we are indeed on planet Earth, Aston Villa beat Liverpool 7-2, SEVEN goals past the reigning champions, seven goals past the team who have reached the Champions League final twice in the last 3 years and won one of them, seven goals past the reigning World Club Cup holders, seven goals past a team who had gone up until the end of February last season without defeat. It was an astounding result, in an incredible game of which wrapped around it is an incredible season so far.

Liverpool were the odds on favourites to beat Aston Villa and make it four wins out of four. The script Gods had it that Liverpool would ease to victory, that the two rival Merseyside teams would be 1st and 2nd in the league, both unbeaten and would play each other next on October 17th for what would have been billed as the most important Everton-Liverpool derby in a generation. Whilst that match still remains of high interest a shine was taken off who would lose their 100% record when Villa put Liverpool to the sword at the weekend.

Had Villa beaten Liverpool in a struggling all out defending 1-0 game, that would have been seen as a surprise, after all Villa just escaped relegation last season and Liverpool finished 60 plus points in front of them. But this was an all out slaughter which to be fair was over by half time.

New signing Ollie Watkins from Brentford emerged as the hero as did Villa veteran Jack Grealish so ever criticised as being good but not as good as he thinks he is, well at the weekend both were Lionel Messi level good.

Watkins scored a hat trick in 39 minutes all in the first half and opened up the scoring for the hosts in the 4th minute. By the 22nd minute it was 2-0. In fact in 17 first half minutes Villa had put 3 goals past what should have been an impregnable Liverpool defence. Whilst it’s true that Liverpool were dearly unlucky to have lost first choice goal keeper Allison in the warm up for the game, one could well argue his absence may wouldn’t have made much difference even if Liverpool may have kept the score down with him. Adrian, his replacement was absolutely at fault for the 1st goal but he shouldn’t be made the scapegoat Liverpool all round were just very very poor.

Grealish had already provided two goals in the first half and in the 2nd half he would become goalscorer as he netted twice and even new signing Ross Barkley a former Evertonian of course scored. For Liverpool the ever dangerous Mohamed Salah tried his best and personally one couldn’t fault him here, he actually scored 2 goals himself, but these will certainly be two goals that Salah would rather forget in a hurry.

It was interesting to note that possession wise Liverpool dominated and yet conceded so many goals. What does this all mean? Was it simply a one off blip much like their 3-0 defeat at Watford last season? Was it because a couple of regulars were missing, especially captain Jordan Henderson? Was it simply a little complacency and fatigue?

As for Villa they have started the season in brilliant form and have 3 wins from three and have kept intact their own 100% start to the season even after their Liverpool test.

This season just feels unique and very much unlike any other, Villa may slump as the weeks and months take hold, but they have already looked like a team who won’t be involved in a relegation dog fight for that manager Dean Smith must be commended for his summer buys. For Klopp the international break has arrived and he will have 10 days to try and understand what just happened.

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Premier League: Player of the Week: Alisson

Alisson earned 8 points and is our player of the week in the Premier League.

The Liverpool goalkeeper much like his team has been unbelievable this season, and the Brazilian put in another magnificent display at the weekend. Liverpool were playing a potential difficult game when they came up against old rival Manchester United at Anfield. In the reverse fixture earlier in the season Manchester United had held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw. That draw remains the only blemish on Liverpool’s unbeaten season so far. They have won every other game and have 64 points from a possible 66. We can talk about the quality that Liverpool possess up front, in midfield and in defence but there is no denying that Alisson has been the bedrock of this side.

Against United he made some sterling saves and important ones and rode the storm well. In the end Liverpool won the game 2-0 and got even more bragging rights over one of their greatest rivals. Alisson naturally earned another 7 points as a result, but he got even more as he assisted in his sides last minute goal, a rarity for a goalkeeper. Kicking the ball out, it found striker Mohamed Salah who has been quiet for his standards this season and the Egyptian international made no mistakes in sealing the win. The goal was important for killing off the game, as at 1-0 it was always going to be on a knife edge.

In the fantasy rankings Alisson has 49 points and is ranked as number 1 in the Premier League goalscorers list. He has 10 more points than 2nd placed Kasper Schmeichel. Alisson is good value to add to your team and would cost 10m. From 14 starts this season he has kept 7 clean sheets and so every time he plays Liverpool has a 50% chance of not conceding, and that is an impressive statistic.

Whilst Alisson has picked up no yellow cards he has received a red card this season but that is a rarity for the player. Liverpool have also only conceded 7 goals this season when he has been between the sticks. An early season injury did keep him out for over a month when Adrian filled the position.

If we count all major European leagues Alisson would rank as 5th but this is down to the fact that he missed a chunk of the season through his injury.

Liverpool have two testing games coming up. Both are away and the first is against Wolves tonight. They will finally play their game in hand against West Ham on January 29th and the club has a 13 point lead over 2nd placed Manchester City.

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Premier League: Player of the Week: Adrian

With the Premier League taking a break this past week attention turned to the historic FA Cup, in a few years time the famous cup will be celebrating its 150th anniversary and the pick of the 3rd round games was clearly the Merseyside derby and Liverpool v Everton.

Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian who came from West Ham would not have thought too much about the game when the draw was made given that he is playing second fiddle to the excellent Brazilian Alisson. But Reds manager Jurgen Klopp promised to change his team up. After all Liverpool’s major priority this season is the league title which they haven’t won for 30 years. Also there are Champions League games starting up soon and the German coach has to be aware of injuries. This has given Adrian the chance to shine.

Adrian of course has already impressed in the league this season. Near the beginning Alisson was unfortunate to get injured and had to miss a number of games giving Adrian his big chance in goal, and he relished it. Adrian has started 8 games and earned 11 points, he was also able to keep 2 clean sheets. All of this would have given reassurance to Klopp to start Adrian against Everton and he now looks set to be Liverpool’s number 1 goalkeeper for the cup competition which would be the right thing to do now.

Against Everton, Liverpool were in the rare situation where they started as underdogs even though they were at home. The reason was that just four regulars had been picked by Klopp and most of the team were made up of Liverpool’s youth players. Everton picked a full strength side, this did not look like it would end well for the Reds.

Of course in the end it did and they won the game 1-0 denying Everton their first win at Anfield since 1999. The hero of the game really went unnoticed, and arguably it was Adrian. His saves in the first half kept Liverpool in the game in the first place and it was impressive to see how energetic and elastic he was given that he doesn’t get much game time. It just underlines how strong Liverpool’s squad are this season that Adrian is their number 2 goalkeeper where for most teams he would be first choice.

Had this game been a league one, Adrian’s exploits may have been more championed. He certainly would have earned his 7 points for keeping a clean sheet if a league match. And above all he is our player of the week in England. His current value is 6m.

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Best 11 players from the 3rd round of the FA Cup

The 3rd round of the FA Cup took place in England at the weekend and this is the round where most football fans see it as the beginning of the cup competition when the big teams from the Premier League enter it.

Below we take a look at the best 11 players from the 3rd round who showed commitment and passion and caused a few upsets. The FA Cup has given managers the chance to play some of their younger players and that is reflected in this line up.

Goalkeeper: Adrian- Liverpool

Adrian got a foot in the door at Liverpool when Alisson was injured at the beginning of the season and he impressed. Manager Jurgen Klopp has opted to play him in the FA Cup and he came under a lot of pressure against Everton and yet was on hand to make vital saves and kept a clean sheet as Liverpool won 1-0 with a fairly young team.

Defender: Jayden Bogle- Derby County

Bogle was at the heart of everything as Derby playing in the Championship caused one of the biggest upsets of the 3rd round as they went to Premier League side Crystal Palace and won 1-0. Bogle’s confidence will grow as he was able to keep a clean sheet.

Defender: Rob Holding- Arsenal

Arsenal played Leeds United and this was never going to be an easy game as Rob Holding was shifted into central defence. He was the key man that the back 3 were and goalkeeper were looking too as he held his nerve and had a superb assured game.

Defender: Osaze Urhoghide- Sheffield Wednesday

Urhoghide looks like Sheffield Wednesday’s future as he had a brilliant game in defence and helped his side to a 1-0 win away to Premier League team Brighton in a shock win. The young defender stole the headlines after with his happier than happy interview that went viral.

Defender: Neto Williams- Liverpool

Williams has put a case down to manager Jurgen Klopp to be a part of Liverpool’s defence in the coming years with a superb display that saw Liverpool field a young side and yet beat a full strength Everton one in the crunch derby. It was also impressive that they kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win and Williams was at the heart of keeping Everton quiet in the 2nd half.

Defender: Taylor-Harwood Bellis- Manchester City

The 17 year old centre back made just his 7th appearance for Manchester City and really impressed as manager Pep Guardiola gave him the chance. City won beating Port Vale 4-1 and Harwood Bellies made some great tackles and kept his head.

Midfielder: Pedro Chirivella- Liverpool

Chirivella was one of Liverpool’s best players as they stunned Everton 1-0 in the FA Cup even though Liverpool had a young and inexperienced side playing. The midfielder earned praise from former player Lucas on social media, and he looks like one to watch for the future.

Midfielder: Callum Hudson-Odoi- Chelsea

As good as Hudson-Odoi is he rarely gets a start at Chelsea, but he got just that as the Blues ran out 2-0 winners over Nottingham Forest and Hudson-Odoi scored and looked dangerous throughout the game. He has laid down a marker now for manager Frank Lampard to play him every week.

Midfielder: Philip Billing- Bournemouth

Bournemouth ran out 4-0  winners over Luton and the team who have been struggling in the Premier League got a much needed win. Billing was the hero of the day and scored a brace. Still only 23 Eddie Howe seems to have a really good player on his hands.

Forward: Adam Idah- Norwich

Everyone had nothing but praise for Adam Idah who scored a superb hat-trick as Norwich beat Preston North End 4-2. The Irish player is just 18 and was so impressive. His confidence at this age shows he could be around for a very long time and a pivotal figure.

Forward: Alex Mighten- Nottingham Forest

True Mighten was on the losing team as Forest lost to Chelsea but he had a very good game. Scoring a disallowed goal, getting involved in VAR and coming close on a few other occasions. He gave Chelsea something to think about, and he could be getting scouted very soon for the top tier.

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La Liga Team of the Week

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Want to see our team of the week from La Liga’s most recent action? Check it out here!

Daniel Gimenez, Real Betis – seven points

The keeper has played twice for his club this season, keeping consecutive clean sheets in the process.

The 34-year-old’s performance helped his side to a 1-0 win over Girona and he will be hoping his run can put him in the frame as a first team contender for next season.

Damian Suarez, Getafe – nine points

The 29-year-old scored the decisive goal in his side’s fiery 1-0 win in which Flamini saw red in the second half.

The side’s ability to dig in for the win symbolised a mentality that has seen Suarez earn eleven clean sheets and 45 points across the season.

Sime Vrsaljko, Atletico madrid – seven points

The Croatian international has not always been a fixture this season but always dependable when called upon.

With 11 clean sheets and four assists in his 17 games, Vrsaljko  remains more than valuable to Diego Simeone.

Diego Godin, Atletico – five points

The Uruguayan has kept a highly impressive 17 clean sheets this season, helping him to 78 points so far across the campaign.

His exploits helped Atletico onto an impressive 3-0 win this weekend as they look to run the campaign in with a flourish.

Victor Laguardia, Alaves – five points

Another player to be named in our team of the week for consecutive turns, his Alaves side ran out 1-0 winners against an uninspired Eibar.

Laguardia now has six clean sheets this season, an impressive tally when considering the fact he has managed just 14 appearances over the campaign.

Casemiro, Real Madrid – four points

The Brazilian scored what proved to be a pivotal second goal for his side as they ran out 2-1 victors against an all-but-relegated Malaga.

Casemiro may not have had the best of campaigns over 2017/18 but his goal saw him hit 35 points for the season.

Daniel Parejo, Valencia – four points

Parejo has managed 49 points across the campaign, his seven goals and seven assists seemingly likely to help Valencia to a Champions League spot for next season.

Parejo scored a late penalty during the weekends action, but it was not enough to facilitate an unlikely come back at the Camp Nou.

Philippe Coutinho, Barcelona – four points

Coutinho is finally starting to find his groove for Barcelona, setting up his one-time Liverpool team mate Luis Suarez to score the games opener.

The Brazilian now has nine goals and 11 assists across La Liga and the Premier League, seeing him hit 77 points across the two competitions.

Angel Correa, Atletico Madrid – eight points

The Argentine midfielder has been a valuable member of the Atletico side this season, making 32 appearances for Simeone’s men.

Correa now has 75 points, thanks in part to his 15 goals – one of which game in their comprehensive win over Levante.

Isco, Real Madrid – six points

It’s been a tough campaign for many in the white of Madrid but Isco has arguably been one of the better performers.

He got the opener against his old side Malaga as he hit six goals and six assists in his 27 games.

Adrian Lopez, Deportivo La Coruna – eight points

It’s been a disappointing season for relegation threatened La Coruna but Adrian’s brace in the 3-2 victory over Bilbao gives them a sniff at survival.

If they are to stay up then the form that has seen him secures nine goals in 25 appearances will prove crucial.

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