\n
1<\/p>\n
Carrick backs Shaw for World Cup<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Luke Shaw\u2019s first goal in over three years for Manchester United was a further reminder of the left-back\u2019s capabilities. This has been his best season at Old Trafford having featured in all 37 league games thus far, leaving his injury-prone past forgotten. Considering Shaw\u2019s experience and quality, he should be considered for a spot at the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel does not have a vast array of riches in the position and Shaw\u2019s consistency has been key to Michael Carrick\u2019s turnaround at Old Trafford. \u201cHe deserves to go,\u201d said Carrick after the win against Nottingham Forest. \u201cHis consistency, his performances, his experience, his qualities. He\u2019s an excellent full-back.\u201d Nico O\u2019Reilly is the current first choice for England and he has a very different profile from Shaw, having converted from playing as a central midfielder under Pep Guardiola. Tuchel may want to take Shaw to provide variety and reliability, which would be a sensible approach. Will Unwin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
2<\/p>\n
More VAR bafflement at Old Trafford<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Let\u2019s get this out of the way, it was handball. In a game with more on the line this latest VAR aberration would be hoisted up by abolitionists as another egregious example of why football is no better for the involvement of Stockley Park. \u201cI think we need to have a meeting together to understand when it is a handball,\u201d said a measured V\u00edtor Pereira post-match. We need a meeting to understand what good process is. Accidental handball was the final ruling; not sure that matters when it leads to a goal, but whatever. From the original incorrect decision to award the goal, it took the VAR three minutes to look at the ball clearly striking Bryan Mbeumo\u2019s hand, then another 60 seconds for the referee, Michael Salisbury, to go over to the screen and look at it again, only to ignore the referral and decide he was right the first time. That is far too long to make the wrong call. Pereira neatly summed it up with another damning understatement: \u201cA lot of the time we don\u2019t understand the decisions.\u201d Tom Bassam<\/strong><\/p>\nBryan Mbeumo handling the ball in less controversial fashion.<\/span> Photograph: Adam Vaughan\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
3<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not over til it\u2019s over, Hammers<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n While it was hard to argue with Nuno Esp\u00edrito Santo\u2019s assessment that West Ham had \u201ca bad performance and a bad day\u201d at St James\u2019 Park, his team are not Championship-bound just yet. Tottenham only need a point against Chelsea on Tuesday to effectively ensure their survival owing to their far superior goal difference, but they last took a point at Stamford Bridge four years ago. Their record against Chelsea is not reassuring: they have lost their past five meetings on the bounce by an aggregate scoreline of 12-4, with eight defeats from their last 10. Chelsea\u2019s players will have the added motivation of auditioning for the newly appointed Xabi Alonso, not that they need another reason to make their opponents\u2019 lives miserable. It could still easily come down to the final day, when Spurs face another difficult fixture against Everton. Nuno can only grit his teeth, hope Chelsea do his side a favour and, assuming Spurs\u2019s horrible run in west London continues, rally his troops for a desperate last stand against Leeds. Will Magee<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
4<\/p>\n
Isak absence symptomatic of Slot woes<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Aston Villa\u2019s season high represented another sobering low for Liverpool. Arne Slot\u2019s side failed to hurt Villa and were weak in defence, leaking two more goals at set pieces. Liverpool were without nine first-team players, including Alexander Isak, their \u00a3125m marquee signing who was not risked with a minor problem but could return against Brentford on the last day. Isak\u2019s season has been symptomatic of Liverpool\u2019s struggles. Is it just bad fortune or have Slot and his side simply underperformed? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. \u201cI don\u2019t think it could come to anyone as a surprise that if you miss your pre-season and then break your leg that minor injuries can occur if you then start into Premier League games in that intensity,\u201d Slot said. \u201cJust a bit of bad luck for him that in a moment of time he comes back, then Hugo (Ekitik\u00e9) gets injured and we need him more.\u201d Ben Fisher<\/strong><\/p>\n\nArne Slot has been hampered by injuries to key players, Alexander Isak perhaps most of all.<\/span> Photograph: Jacob King\/PA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
5<\/p>\n
Guardiola warns against City complacency<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n After Saturday\u2019s FA Cup triumph over Chelsea, the 17th major trophy of Pep Guardiola\u2019s decade leading Manchester City, he reminded his players to never be complacent. \u201cThe most important thing is that (winning) trophies is good. Know what it takes to compete and win but don\u2019t take it for granted,\u201d the City manager said. \u201cYou start to believe that you are special, you will not win the FA Cup. Special we are not. The moment that we think (that), we will not be in these places. That is one of the things that through the years, we were OK with: knowing how difficult it is to win.\u201d Jamie Jackson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
6<\/p>\n
Wembley blues deepen for Chelsea<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Chelsea\u2019s dressing room and boardroom have been in a constant state of flux since Todd Boehly\u2019s BlueCo bought the club in 2022, but one thing has remained the same: they have a dire recent record in cup finals at Wembley. In the first decade after the stadium reopened in 2007, Chelsea won five of their six cup finals under the arch. Saturday\u2019s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City was their eighth loss in nine finals since 2017. Scoring goals at Wembley has also proven hard going, particularly since the departure of Didier Drogba (five goals in his five Wembley cup final starts). Christian Pulisic was the last Chelsea player to score in a domestic cup final, against Arsenal in front of empty stands in 2020. That\u2019s five finals in a row without a goal. It is a dry spell that can be tied to a young squad\u2019s relative lack of experience, but that argument does not stand up if you take into account the seven goals fired in against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Betis in the Club World Cup and Conference League finals just last year. Xabi Alonso is unlikely to have European football to play with next season, putting even more emphasis on Chelsea ending their Wembley drought and filling their silverware quota in domestic competitions. Billy Munday<\/strong><\/p>\n\nIt was another frustrating afternoon for Chelsea under the Wembley arch.<\/span> Photograph: Dave Shopland\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
7<\/p>\n
Even brighter days ahead for Leeds?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Leeds\u2019s season may have already been settled, but the manner of their win against Brighton at Elland Road on Sunday hinted at greater and more exciting things on the horizon. Daniel Farke reverted to a back three at Manchester City in November; the Premier League table since the start of December has Leeds sitting sixth, above many of the teams vying for European football next season including Brighton. Farke, a cause for debate among Leeds supporters in the early stages of the team\u2019s return to the top flight, now appears to have full backing from the fanbase and a club who have made no secret of their desire to push on. His call for more backing in the transfer market on Friday felt timely; with survival secured, Leeds appear to be on the verge of another monumental step. Perhaps next year they will be among those jostling for continental football. Aaron Bower<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
8<\/p>\n
Sunderland battle back once again<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n There may be minimal fuss at the Stadium of Light should Chelsea take the lead and threaten Sunderland\u2019s European ambitions on the final day of the season. No team has won more points from losing positions in the Premier League this season than R\u00e9gis Le Bris\u2019 determined unit, who made it 22 points recovered with their latest comeback at Everton. David Moyes\u2019s players have wilted when European football beckoned, while Sunderland\u2019s have pressed on despite exceeding all pre-season expectations. \u201cThe team never loses its head,\u201d was Le Bris\u2019 explanation for Sunderland\u2019s powers of recovery. \u201cThe team always stays connected. The character of the players is (key). They are sometimes emotional but they have strong personalities, and we trust the way we play. We feel we can control a game even when we concede. That can happen but we always feel we have time to come back.\u201d Andy Hunter<\/strong><\/p>\n\nWilson Isidor leans on the corner flag after scoring Sunderland\u2019s third goal at the death.<\/span> Photograph: COLORSPORT\/Alan Martin\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
9<\/p>\n
Wharton weaves his magic at Brentford<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n West London staged an Adam Wharton masterclass, Crystal Palace\u2019s midfielder pulling the strings and assuming full control until Brentford\u2019s desperation and set-piece bombardment brought them back into the game. Wharton\u2019s long-awaited first goal for his club arrived fortuitously, Caoimh\u00edn Kelleher diving over his low shot, but the 22-year-old\u2019s overall performance deserved the headlines. His manager, Oliver Glasner, issued heavy praise, listing the midfielder\u2019s many qualities, including his durability. Wharton was playing in his 54th game of the season, with a European final to come. \u201cHis head, his understanding of the game, his reading of the game, he is always two steps ahead,\u201d said Glasner. \u201cThis helps him compensate for his physical disadvantage. It\u2019s incredible how he reads the game.\u201d Keith Andrews, the opposing manager, said: \u201cHe\u2019s a quality player, no doubt about that.\u201d Andrews\u2019s midfielders had been left chasing the shadows created by a rare talent, one likely to be in demand in the summer. Not least by Thomas Tuchel. John Brewin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
10<\/p>\n
Man\u00e9 deserves fresh chance in the top tier<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Usually when a team go down there are a few obvious candidates for a shot at Premier League redemption. There are not many in the Wolves squad but Mateus Man\u00e9 is certainly the outstanding contender. His finish for the Wolves opener was high quality and although he was clumsy in conceding the penalty that earned Fulham a point, the 18-year-old has shown more than enough this season to suggest he should not be playing in the second tier. For a player at his stage of development to shine in a poor Wolves side shows he has character to go with his technical and athletic abilities. Wolves fans may not like it, but his first move has to be a departure from Molineux. Given the right environment, he could develop into a Premier League matchwinner sooner rather than later. TB<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1 Carrick backs Shaw for World Cup Luke Shaw\u2019s first goal in over three years…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9995\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}