1. Another poor refereeing decision costs Swansea dearly
CRYSTAL PALACE SECURED a valuable away point at Swansea today after scoring a late goal in the form of a Glenn Murray penalty.
Yet the decision was partially incorrect — there was no doubt that Chico Flores deserved a red card for bringing down Murray in the incident that led to the penalty, yet the infringement took place outside the box.
The decision could have ramifications on the Premier League relegation battle and therefore, potentially cost one of the clubs involved millions.
For such a costly error to take place, when the technology is there to stop such mistakes from occurring, is surely no longer acceptable.
While video replays could potentially slow games down considerably, giving each manager a maximum of three calls per game would be a viable solution to this issue.
2. Hoolahan takes farcical celebration etiquette to the next level
There has long been consternation in some quarters about players refusing to celebrate against former clubs.
While there are arguably rare exceptions such as Ryan Giggs, football is a game in which loyalty is predominantly absent and almost any player will move if provided with the opportunity of a wage rise and Champions League football.
Therefore, the reluctance of countless footballers to celebrate against former clubs seems, to many, at best pretentious and at worst dishonest.
Yet such behaviour is practically noble when compared to the farcical scenes at Villa Park today, when Wes Hoolahan declined to celebrate scoring a goal against a club for which he never played, but simply wanted to join at one point.
3. Erratic Yaya Toure worth the hassle
Dietmar Hamann was the subject of criticism earlier in the season, after he branded Manchester City’s Yaya Toure a ‘liability’ on Match of the Day.
But after 50 minutes of Manchester City’s League Cup final against Sunderland today, that seemed like an apt description for the erratic star.
The Ivorian international looked short of energy and was contributing little to the general play of the game, as City, for long periods, looked short of inspiration
However, he suddenly came to life in dramatic fashion in the second half, producing an unstoppable shot into the top corner that changed the game and ultimately inspired City to victory.
Yet the basis of Hamann’s strongly-worded argument remains sound — from a defensive viewpoint, he is a liability, as he invariably fails to put much effort into tracking back among other flaws.
However, he demonstrated today that he has the ability to change a game almost single-handedly, so Pellegrini is surely correct in adjudging him to be virtually undroppable –after all, a midfielder with 17 goals so far this season is not easily replaceable, his occasional laziness off the ball notwithstanding.
4. Tottenham look a class below fellow Champions League contenders despite Cardiff victory
While most critics will say that Spurs got their Champions League challenge back on track today, in reality, the prospect of them finishing in the top four remains a distant one.
They laboured to a victory at home to second-from-bottom Cardiff today, as £26million striker Roberto Soldado scored just his second league goal from open play since joining Tottenham in the summer, and his first since October.
Yet irrespective of Soldado’s reversal of fortune, Tottenham still undeniably lack firepower up front — Suarez and Sturridge have scored more goals than Spurs’ team combined this season.
So as far as the Champions League race is concerned, Spurs — along with Everton, who have been similarly unconvincing in attack — are very much outsiders.
5. No shame in loss for disappointed O’Shea
John O’Shea professed himself to be “terribly disappointed” following Sunderland’s League Cup final loss to Man City today.
However, the defender can take pride in a decent performance today — until Yaya Toure’s wonder strike, Sunderland looked extremely well-organised at the back, while the Waterford native was blameless for all three of the goals.
While at 32, he is unlikely to have many better opportunities to claim silverware, he can take pride in a campaign in which he has captained his side to victories over teams of the calibre of Chelsea and Manchester United.
O’Shea was never the most gifted of defenders, but his professionalism and application have invariably been faultless throughout his career, therefore it’s a shame that he had to settle for a runners-up medal this afternoon.
