The battle for the top of the league intensified as both Manchester City andLiverpool won.
In other places, Wolves beat rivals Villa and Manchester United drew with Leicester at Old Trafford.
The game between West Ham andEverton was one of the more significant games in the race for survival.
Who made my Team of the Week? You can make your own selections at the bottom of the article.
What a game this was. Villa looked like a team who were in a production of Bambi on Ice when they started it. Ollie Watkins didn't seem to bat an eyelid when he fluffed two golden chances. The Villa forward took the penalty after colliding with Jose Sa. I thought Sa was unlucky to concede the penalty, but I thought he did a great job.
Did you know? Sa has the best save percentage in the league with over 500 minutes played.
It's great to see Joe Gomez back in the line-up. The way he was spraying those balls into the goal area for Diogo Jota to attack was amazing. Gomez was a certainty for international selection because of his form in the league. There are few English defenders who can play anywhere in the back four. On his day, he is quite brilliant.
Did you know? Gomez's assist against the Hornets was his first in the league in over a year.
The block on Joe Willock's strike on goal was brilliant. The player was certain to score. While playing for Spurs, he caught my eye and he is starting to look like a real player in the league. The longer the game went on, the better Romero got. He was very comfortable on the ball when he was not under pressure. If they are going to get fourth spot, Antonio Conte needs to fix the culture of the team.
Did you know? The most productive Spurs player this season has been Romero, who has averaged 4.5 combined tackles and intercepts per 90 minutes.
The player is about as professional as it gets. The mature performance was given by CraigDawson against theEverton side who had their moments. I can't remember the last time the defender let one of his clubs down. He has made occasional errors, but he has been one of the most consistent defenders in the game. West Ham are currently flying high in the league and competing in the latter stages of the Europa League, and they look very comfortable with it all.
Did you know? The West Ham defender has won more aerial duels this season than any other player.
Frank Lampard has his work cut out here. If it weren't for the stupidity of Michael Keane and the incompetence of Alex Iwobi, this game would have been different. If Keane stays on his feet and Iwobi controls a ball an infant could have handled, it would almost certainly have been for a point. It wasn't their best performance, but they have a defender who can hit a free-kick. There was a bright moment in the match.
Did you know? The most direct free-kicks scored by any player was scored by Cresswell. Cresswell was level with Payet on three.
James Ward-Prowse is the best dead ball scorer in the country. James Ward-Prowse's free-kick was predictable and brilliant. The player placed the ball on the ground and it was destined for the back of the net. It flew past Illan Meslier. New coach Jesse Marsch seems to be making steady progress. They couldn't continue to play the football they were 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217
Did you know? David Beckham has scored more direct free-kicks in the premier league than Ward-Prowse, with nine of Ward-Prowse's strikes coming away from home.
Two weeks is a long time for Christian Eriksen. He returned to international duty for the Danes and scored two goals against Serbia and the Netherlands, then went back to the top of the league and demolished the Blues. His return to the professional game has been remarkable. After almost dying on a football pitch, he returned to full fitness and transformed the season and style of play. The victory against the Blues almost guarantees the Bees another season in the league.
Did you know? He scored his first goal in the league in December. In the competition, he has been involved in eight goals, three of which were against the Blues.
The link between Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem sterling looked menacing. If these two can stay fit, City will be odds-on favorites to retain the title and reach the final. The only concern I have is City's refusal to install a dedicated centre forward who both these exceptional players can play off to score goals. All five of the dedicated goalscorers in the Reds are waiting in the wings. City is playing with a false nine. It could be the undoing of the man.
Did you know? De Bruyne has scored 10 league goals for Manchester City this season, just the second time in his career that he has reached double figures for goals in a single season.
This was a poor performance by her. Ivan Toney could have had two goals before some season-ticket holders settled in their seats. As the minds of the players of Chelsea seem to be on another planet, Vitaly Janelt helped himself to a couple. The question is where were the European and world club champion? They can kiss goodbye to the trophy if they play like that against Real Madrid.
Did you know? Janelt scored a double for the first time in all of the competition, as he had in his previous 24 appearances in the competition combined.
It is not often that the England captain in my team of the week does not score a goal. The exception is the game against Newcastle United. Kane was sensational in the second half. The Spurs forward was so precise with his passes that he could have threaded any one of them through the eye of a needle and still found one of his team-mates. Kane had a wonderful performance. I hope he doesn't want to score goals instead of making them.
Did you know? Since the start of last season, Kane has provided half of his 40th assist in 64 games, while his 20 top-flight assists before 2020-21 had come in 215 appearances.
The two assists by Raheem Sterling against the Clarets highlighted another feature of his game that has improved since his time at Manchester City, under the careful development ofPep Guardiola. The well-executed delivery for Ilkay Gundogan was even better than the one for Kevin de Bruyne. At Manchester City, he takes the same care with his passing as he did at Liverpool. Like all good teachers, like all good students, like all good students, like all good teachers, like all good teachers, like all good teachers, like all good teachers, like all good teachers, like all good teachers, like all good teachers, like all good teachers, like all good
Did you know? It was the first time since February that he provided two assists in a league game.
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I was struck by the comments made by Frank Leboeuf, a former France defender, who almost pleaded with Portugal's best player to retire. I was about to make a similar remark in my Team of the Week but felt that the five-time Ballon D'or deserved the winner more than a line about his form and was entitled to a proper analysis of what happens to a player in decline.
The impact of old age can be more visible in some areas. In the 32 matches in which he has scored 18 goals this season, it is far cry from his usual high standards of almost a goal every game when he was playing for Real Madrid. He moved his position from wide on the left where he scored and created goals for himself and others to playing up front and having to rely on quality service to provide the opportunities to score goals.
During the 2004 European Championship, I was a reporter for the BBC, and I remember watching Portugal play England in the quarter-finals. The game had goals and drama. The game had to be decided via a penalty shoot out after 120 minutes. I was so close to David James that I could have grabbed his hand.
The pressure was unbearable, but not as intense as it could have been. He strolled into the penalty area, calmly placed the ball on the spot and looked up at the England fans behind him before putting the ball into the back of the net. The audacity and nerve just blew me away. I've never seen confidence like that before.
He had the ability to handle any situation the game threw at him. I am a huge fan of him. His professionalism is beyond reproach and he has fulfilled the expectations of a 37 year old player in the toughest league in the world. He is a young man who needs a purpose in life. The United States may be able to establish that purpose. David Beckham andRonaldo would make a formidable partnership. The winner of the Ballon D doesn't need the money.
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