Matchday 32 - Quick Round Up

Match Day 27 Round Up



Friday 10th April


West Ham United 4-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Another disastrous weekend for Wolves, but a real lift for the Hammers, who now look to be favourite to avoid the drop over Spurs, Forest and Leeds. The Hammers still have the worst goal difference of the four relegation battlers, but they seem to have momentum on their side and confidence is high. It must be said that the performance was not particularly great, but their goal just before half-time allowed them to pick Wolves off on the counter, completely suiting Nuno's set up. Wolves lack any kind of goal threat, they are completely toothless and made it easy for the East Londoners to defend. You have to wonder if Wolves have enough quality to even be competitive in the Championship next season.

Starmen:
Disasi - a very limited player but Nuno uses him to his strengths and sets up to negate his weaknesses, allowing him to be a key player for the Hammers since joining them.
Mavropanos - two goals for the big Greek centre-back on top of a good defensive performance.
Bowen - ran Wolves ragged and was unlucky not to score as well as picking up a couple of assists.
Castellanos - two goals for the striker.

Flops:
Edwards - he looks lost as to how to turn this around. He has improved matters, but now has no idea how to take the next step to making them competitive in the Premier League.
Wolves - the entire team is an absolute shambles at the moment. No confidence, constant mistakes to set up opposition attacks and they seem to have given up.



Saturday 11th April


Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth

Is this once again Arsenal folding under pressure? For the first time they are under pressure, as Citeh are finally looking good and they have dropped out of both domestic cup competitions, and it seems that they are again unable to cope with the pressure under Arteta's leadership. Every year they seem to fail just when it matters, each year Arteta tries some idiotic, David Brent-style ways to ensure it does not happen again, every year it does. This year we were treated to footage of groups of Gunners' players moving around with a ball held between their head, more footage of them holding pens to keep themselves together and then of them training in front of giant screens pumping out tok tik junk as they trained. Why does he not simply try coaching them to play football and attack the opposition, rather than sitting back and playing for set pieces? That is all they need, Arteta has the best squad in the Prem, by a margin, at his disposal, but he refuses to play to their strengths. The Cherries just came and played football, they pressed, they chased, they attacked whenever they could and it was all that was needed to dominate a Gooners' team that should have brushed them aside. There is only one man who is at fault if this Arsenal team fail to win the Premier League from here, and that is Mikel Arteta.

Starmen:
Iraola - despite all the players that he lost in the summer and then losing Semenyo in January, he has still got this team challenging for European football next season. It is a minor miracle.
Hill - his emergence has solidified the backline massively.
Scott - scored the winner.
Evanilson - got an assist and was the focal point for the team, as well as leading the press.

Flops:
Arteta - even when losing he still cannot break the team out of their negative, slow, methodical play from the back. I am quite sure if he could, he would build a team of one goalkeeper and 10 centre-backs.
Havertz - looks so lost out there in midfield.
Raya - he has been excellent this season, but his mistakes did cost them today. I would say that it is more about the style of football that he is asked to play, rather than simply down to him.


Brentford 2-2 Everton

Two teams on the same points, fighting for European places were so closely matched that a draw was not a surprise result. Mistakes caused goals, rather than good play, as both lacked the creativity to create much in open play. The early goal led to a fairly entertaining game, as Everton could not sit back and hope to catch the Bees on the break after going behind so early. The Toffee's defence did look unusually shaky, the lack of quality full-backs is really causing them problems and something they need to address in the summer.

Starmen:
Kayode - always a threat going forward and his long throws cause havoc.
Thiago - scored two and caused Tarkowski so many problems.
Dewsbury-Hall - I am not convinced he has the creativity for the role, but he had a good game for the Toffees.

Flops:
Lewis-Potter - cost a goal and struggles on the defensive end.
Pickford - very nearly cost Everton a result here with his erratic play.


Burnley 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

The Clarets are sinking without trace this season due to Parker's negativity, as Sunderland have shown going all out to try and get wins is what keeps you in the Premier League. Parker constantly plays for a draw and it has cost them time and time again. They will go out with barely a whimper. Brighton are still fighting for a European place and in good form at the moment, they look to be on course for a top 6 finish right now, with Gross finding form in midfield and pulling the strings for them.

Starmen:
Wieffer - two goals for the Seagulls full-back.
Gross - ran the show in midfield.

Flops:
Hartman - little wonder he was taken off as Wieffer was running riot down his flank.
Ugochukwu - a defensive minded midfielder, but Parker chose to play him in an attacking midfield role. Fish out of water comes to mind.


Liverpool 2-0 Fulham

First half was slightly reminiscent of Klopp's football, tactically at least. There was a press from the front, the full-backs were given freedom to bomb on and the central midfielders were covering in behind. Fulham were completely outmatched. At half-time, Jones went off injured and the game changed as Gravenberch failed to gel with Szoboszlai at all in midfield and was completely missing when cover was needed. Luckily for Liverpool, Fulham were absolutely abysmal and would have struggled to score if they were playing all night. Even when the Reds were clearly struggling for fitness as the second half wore on, Fulham offered little in the way of genuine threat.

Starmen:
Ngumoha - the hype surrounding him is ridiculous. Far too often he looks flashy but achieves nothing, he is a long way off a finished product ready for regular first team starts, but he was good against Fulham. He was helped by Wilson's laziness leaving Castagne trying to deal with both him and Robertson bombing forward, giving him plenty of space and time to operate.
Jones - before picking up his injury just before half-time, he was very good.
Szoboszlai - did a very good job of protecting the defence, especially in the second half when he also had to cover the gaps Gravenberch left.
Salah - there is life in him yet!

Flops:
Gravenberch - came on and offered nothing like the cover Jones was offering. He really needs to stop thinking he is anything other than a protector for the defence.
King - offered little and struggled to get on the ball.
Wilson - lacks effort and left his flank wide open.
Smith-Rowe - I am wondering if he has eyesight issues because he is so slow to respond, like he is short-sighted and can only see what is close to him. Awful performance.
Chukwueze - he was truly abysmal. Every time he got the ball, he seemed to just give it away.



Sunday 12th April


Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa

A hard fought match between two sides that are desperate for the points and it showed. Neither team played particularly well and both sides will have left dissatisfied by a result that really helped neither team achieve their aims for the season. It was a game that seemed full of tension, which got to a lot of the players.

Starmen:
Sels - he has become a very reliable keeper in his time at Forest.
Williams - the Welsh full-back is having an excellent season and scored the equaliser.
McGinn - Villa badly missed the Scots midfielder while he was out injured.

Flops:
Murillo - a poor game and an own goal.
Gibbs-White - too many flicks and tricks that failed.


Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Probably the least surprising game and result of the weekend. A really poor Spurs team were convincingly beaten by a fired up Mackems team. It was inevitable that Romero would pick up a booking for an act of stupidity and that their so-called talents would fail to show any actual talent. The main difference between the two sides was their work ethic, Sunderland players are playing for the badge and the fans unlike Spurs, who let the fans down time and time again. Particularly their full-backs, who rarely bother to track back, certainly they fail to sprint with the same intensity when defending. They lack goals and good defenders, it is hard to see how they can possibly stay up.

Starmen:
Brobbey - he battered the Spurs' defenders and gave them so many problems.
Mukiele - got up and down the flank, working back hard as well as getting forward and scored the goal.
Xhaka - protected the defence really well.
Le Fee - rarely gave the ball away.

Flops:
Solanke - got very little service but allowed himself to get frustrated.
Romero - was his usual rash, stupid self before going off with an injury that has ended his season early.
Gray - offered little. It does seem like, for all the football he has played, it was a mistake joining Spurs as he has gone backwards in his time at the club.
van der Ven - not a good defender, just very quick.


Crystal Palace 2-1 Newcastle United

A result, and performance, that has probably sealed Howe's fate as Newcastle boss. His sole real achievement this season is to keep the Toon out of the relegation battle, which is unlikely to be enough for their ambitious ownership. It does seem that the longer he stays in charge, the worse they get. Palace have really struggled to cope with European football, as well as domestic and the turmoil at the top has not helped at all.

Starmen:
Mitchell - got forward well and gained an assist.
Munoz - Newcastle could not cope with the Palace wing-backs.
Mateta - came off the bench to win the game for Palace with a brace.
Thiaw - has impressed me immensely this season.

Flops:
Larsen - lacks mobility and work rate.
Johnson - far too lightweight.
Murphy - struggled to get at Palace.
Gordon - not one of his better games.


Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City

An even first half was followed by a second half dominated by Citeh and with Chelsea capitulating. The way they folded showed why both Maresca and Rosenior have been so vocal in their demands for experience added to the Chelsea team. It was a result and performance which showed the difference between Guardiola and Rosenior in ambition. Rosenior, despite being at home, was happy to have just matched Man City and sent his team out to do more of the same, then was left with no answer when Guardiola put a rocket up the backside of his players and asked them to give him much more. It is hard to see Enzo having made a difference here, City are a much better coached and motivated team.

Starmen:
Cherki - at times he was given the freedom of the park to do what he wanted and he made the most of it.
O'Reilly - scored a goal and is looking better and better as the season goes on.
Guehi - also scored and had an extremely good game.

Flops:
Gusto - I do not understand how he gets in the team, he is a very average player.
Estevao - extremely talented but is struggling to perform for Chelsea at the moment.
Caicedo - had an absolute shocker and looks a shadow of the player he can be.



Monday 13th April

Manchester United 1-2 Leeds United

The biggest shock result of the weekend as Leeds have been in poor form, both in the Premier League and at Old Trafford in recent years. Right up until Martinez was sent off, Leeds were the better side. The sending off seemed to give Man Utd a boost, as it angered them, and seemed to knock Leeds out of their stride. It created a nervy ending, which required a very late clearance to preserve the victory for the Yorkshire men. The thing that surprised me is the fuss seems to be over the wrong thing, in my opinion. A hair pull is a red card, they have red carded at least one other player for it this season already, so not sure Martinez can complain, as he did pull his hair. But one of the Leeds goals was strangely not ruled out by VAR, when there was a clear foul by Calvert-Lewin just seconds before it was scored. If Man Utd were complaining about that, I would have some sympathy with them. Not much, but some.

Starmen:
Fernandes - one of the best players in the Premier League this season, as he has been every season since moving to Man Utd.
Okafor - scored two.
Tanaka - provides an energy and drive that is lacking when he is not in the Leeds side.

Flops:
Martinez - a silly sending off.
Carrick - got the tactics and style of play all wrong. It was reminiscent of watching Southgate's England, which makes you wonder how much input Holland has into the tactics.

Written by Tris Burke April 14 2026 16:12:08