As ‘special’ Tino Libramento became Newcastle’s playmaker, Phil Foden became Manchester City’s star – Premier League hits and runs conceded | soccer news

‘Special’ Foden star at Manchester City show

With Erling Haaland in the midst of a three-game slump – a drought by his standards – it’s important that Man City’s other forwards stand up and get noticed. The striker’s wait for his 100th Premier League goal continues, but Phil Foden added two more goals to his personal tally in a 3-2 win over Leeds in a season of consistently greatness.

Manager Pep Guardiola said Foden was “special” after the game and said City were not a team that could win many “these types of games”. When City give up control, as they did in a chaotic second half against Leeds, they often end up losing. This has happened twice in the past week alone. But Foden had other plans.

“It was very important for our mood after two defeats,” Guardiola added. City have closed the gap on Arsenal to four points and are now second in the table, proving they still have the determination and quality to respond to setbacks. It’s Haaland’s heroics that usually get him out of difficult situations, and Foden has featured more often this season.

“I was so hungry for the game today to prove to no one but myself that I can score,” he told Sky Sports. The 25-year-old is the leader of a new-look City side, a pillar of Pep’s trust and a winner when his team-mates are struggling.
Laura Hunter

Libramento transforms into Newcastle’s playmaker

Tino Libramento wasn’t just a right-back for Newcastle in their 4-1 win over Everton, he was the source of their creativity.

Playmaker.

This was a Trent Alexander-Arnold impersonation with a Tyneside twist, the kind of hybrid, inside-out, playmaking masterclass that will get Newcastle fans very excited.

In particular, in the first half, Libramento played in a clever position on the right flank.

He put Jack Grealish in the pocket and then sliced ​​Everton with a pass. Newcastle’s shape changed every time he came inside. Sometimes he flew to the 8, to the quarterback, and to the overlap. Everton couldn’t keep hold of him. In fact, they never got close. No player has completed more passes in the final third than Libramento (18).

Newcastle’s best moves flowed through him. Once he got the ball, their tempo quickened. The overall tactical blueprint released by Eddie Howe is made even stronger by these tactical adjustments that ensure Livramento gets the ball at every opportunity. It completely revamped the Toon’s fortunes on the road.
louis jones

Sunderland proved that teams win games and Xhaka helped.

A few eyebrows were probably raised when Sunderland splashed cash in the summer. Recruiting new players to a newly promoted team is not always effective.

But Regis Le Bris found a combination that worked. Sunderland rose to fourth place with a 3-2 win over Bournemouth and remains unbeaten at home in the league this season.

The way they win is quite amazing. Even though Le Bries said he was a little worried when he was 2-0 down, you always felt there would be a bounce-back. It was the way the game itself combined with the cauldron of the arena of light meant that anything was possible.

And the Black Cats’ form this season has been a team effort. They have now scored five goals through substitutes in the Premier League, with only Brighton (seven) having more thanks to Brian Brovey’s winner less than 10 minutes after coming on.

He joined from Ajax in the summer, as did fellow scorer Bertrand Traore, but it was Granit Xhaka who shone once again at Sunderland.

He has now assisted on four goals for the Black Cats this season (tied for first in the league). His leadership, passion and talent are driving not only Sunderland’s comeback, but their season.

speaking sky sports “Our finishers were really important once again,” Le Vries said after the game.

“Even if we have consistency in our starting XI, these players are still linked and because this league is tough, it means they will get their chances when we get a repeat of the game.

“Granit is very important for us. He not only gives us his knowledge, but also the willingness to change the game, be proactive and take risks. Sometimes we can talk tactically, but on the pitch he is really impressive.”

Sunderland can now test themselves as a squad with some tough matches including Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle.
charlotte marsh

Calvert-Lewin shows Leeds his worth.

They may not have picked up any points, but the fact that Leeds made Manchester City sweat at the Etihad was impressive in itself. And it depended on one person.

It was a strange sight to bring on Dominic Calvert-Lewin for Dan James at half-time. James’ pace was Leeds’ biggest weapon in the first half. But the former Everton man produced a performance in which he would have been man of the match after half-time had it not been for Foden.

Not just the fact that he scored and won penalties, but his mere presence scared the City defence. They were unable to harass Calvert-Lewin off the ball, which gave Leeds a chance to make the play-offs.

When he joined the club, the 28-year-old insisted he still had something to offer in the Premier League. His cameo was proof of that.

Leeds still have a long way to go and Calvert-Lewin’s injury record will be a cause for concern for everyone. But if he can stay fit and perform like he does against City on a regular basis, he could see the difference between playing in Premier League and Championship football next season.
callum bishop

Tottenham’s problem is serious. Frank now has to sort things out against Brentford.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank was quick to point out in his post-match press conference following the 2-1 defeat to Fulham that fans had the right to boo, but targeting individual players such as Guglielmo Vicario had, in his eyes, overstepped the mark for another dismal day at the office.

In fact, even if Vicario had not made the mistake on his run from the penalty area, Fulham would have found another way to double their advantage.

Spurs stumbled out of the gate and looked lost at sea. The problems plaguing this side are much bigger than individual mistakes.

In the future, they are stagnant and separated. On the defensive side, it is open and disorganized.

The fact that these problems seem to be worsening on their home turf following their 10th defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the year highlights the deeper problems at play.

Only 19th-placed Burnley (9) have had a total xG lower than 1 in more Premier League games than Tottenham (8), with the team averaging the lowest number of shots on target since records began in 2003.

Frank’s former team, Brentford, are the next team Spurs will host.

What could go wrong?
patrick rowe

Chukwueze could boost Fulham’s revival

Samuel Chukwueze had been “knocking on the door” for some time before being handed his first start for Fulham, according to manager Marco Silva. But he has firmly taken that hinge off his playing days for Spurs.

The Nigerian winger, who had played just 103 minutes of Premier League football before Saturday’s game due to injuries and Silva’s own tentative attitude towards his inclusion, showed no signs of rust in almost doubling that tally at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Only Micky van de Ven’s world-class tackling prevented him from adding a deserved goal as he looked a constant threat, repeatedly catching Pedro Porro on the break and recording more touches of the opposition box than anyone else on the pitch.

While fellow winger and summer signing Kevin is a clear signing for Silva, Chukwueze’s deadline day signing did not immediately appear to have been orchestrated by the manager in the same way.

Nonetheless, the signs are already good that he is embracing Silva’s style and thriving. He had two assists in his previous cameo and is now on a good run from the start for Tottenham.
Ron Walker

The unstoppable Thiago delivers again

Igor Thiago had a quiet first half at Gtech and showed no signs of fatigue. He didn’t do much in the second half either. In fact, he only touched the ball 23 times throughout the game.

But like all great strikers, he delivered when it mattered.

His first goal was a cool-headed penalty kick after 81 minutes. Sixth to score in a Brentford shirt, fifth to score. That goal took him to double figures in 13 Premier League games. No other Brentford player has reached double figures in the division so quickly.

The second was an instinctive finish at the far post. It was Thiago’s 11th goal of the season. No Brazilian player has scored more than 15 goals in a single Premier League season. Now he just needs to score five more goals in the league to surpass that.

And with 25 more games left in the Premier League, who’s to say he can’t mount a real challenge for the Premier League Golden Boot?
short long

Bournemouth’s slump continues

“We knew the game was going to be difficult and we wanted to get down 2-0 and play well to get it over with, but it was definitely too early.”

That was Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola’s assessment after the Sunderland game, and he was probably right.

Against a team like Sunderland on their own patch, having that lead inside 15 minutes was always going to be a tough ask.

But perhaps more worryingly, Bournemouth have now gone all of November without a win and are steadily falling down the Premier League table.

They have conceded at least two goals in each of their last four games, and while they are still scoring, they are leaking goals at the other end.

Many have wondered how well Bournemouth have performed at the start of the season after letting go of high-profile players in the summer. Now it seems like those losses are starting to show up.

Next up are two home games against Everton and Chelsea as they look to rediscover their form ahead of the busy Christmas period.
charlotte marsh