EPL Review: Goalkeeper assists, winning ugly, and Bart Simpson

Following each weekend of Premier League motion, theScore examines a very powerful developments and largest speaking factors to emerge from the slate of matches. Beneath, we dissect Matchweek 25 of the 2024-25 season.

What’s behind rise in goalkeeper assists?

Ederson turned the goalkeeper with essentially the most assists in Premier League historical past (six) and broke the report for essentially the most in a single marketing campaign (three) when his looking ball culminated with the primary of Omar Marmoush’s three targets in Manchester Metropolis’s 4-0 win over Newcastle United. Brighton & Hove Albion’s Bart Verbruggen obtained an help Friday when his whack upfield was excellently tamed by Kaoru Mitoma after which steered into the underside nook of Chelsea’s web.

Brentford’s Mark Flekken, Fulham’s Bernd Leno, and Everton’s Jordan Pickford have additionally equipped assists this season.

Taking such a direct path to objective seems to be a development fairly than an anomaly. The present variety of assists by a goalkeeper this season is seven, which is essentially the most since eight had been tallied over the complete 2007-08 marketing campaign. The season common was simply two over the ten years previous this time period.

It isn’t hit-and-hope, ugly, mid-1900s English hoofball, although. Goalkeepers taking part in it brief rose in recognition after Pep Guardiola dumped Joe Hart for the ill-fated Claudio Bravo at Metropolis in 2016, and that tactic stays fashionable within the Premier League. Nonetheless, fashionable goalkeepers now have the power and imaginative and prescient to choose their moments to ship raking, and infrequently correct, passes towards their attackers.

Ball-playing ‘keepers aren’t the one issue behind the rise in route-one assists. Lengthy balls can be geared toward bodily, however not essentially fast, goal males within the extra conventional type of English soccer; now, groups try to catch out the excessive defensive strains repeatedly deployed within the prime flight with deliveries excessive that pacey and technically gifted forwards can race onto and management.

Maybe this development can also be a byproduct of the congested schedule: There’s much less time on the coaching floor to compose intricate taking part in patterns. Consequently, extra balls are merely being pinged from goalkeeper to attacker, rapidly towards the wingers (like at Nottingham Forest), or, on the different finish of the size, straight to the opposite staff or out of play (Crystal Palace). And, clearly, direct passing will be an efficient strategy to prey on the psychological and bodily fatigue of opponents.

The rise of goalkeeper assists is a contemporary tackle an English traditional. Someplace, Sam Allardyce is patting himself on the again.

Fast free-kicks 📝

Arsenal holding it collectively

The “how” does not matter proper now for Mikel Arteta. Harm-ravaged Arsenal want wins any manner they will safe them to maintain tempo with Liverpool. Some days that’ll imply getting a late brace off the bench from makeshift striker Mikel Merino to beat one of many league’s worst groups. Three factors is three factors. It is truthful to query and critique Arsenal’s determination to not signal one other No. 9 in January, however any staff would battle to attain with all 4 of its greatest forwards sidelined concurrently with long-term illnesses. That the Gunners labored of their 2-0 win over Leicester Metropolis wasn’t a shock. At this level within the season, and with a title on the road as Liverpool begin to present the primary indicators of vulnerability, the method is basically irrelevant. Simply win, child.

… however Liverpool pulled off the identical trick

Wolverhampton Wanderers had been a lot better than Liverpool after the interval Sunday. The guests pulled a objective again by Matheus Cunha’s lovely roller from the sting of the world and had 9 extra photographs within the second half as they tried to stage. Liverpool did not report a single shot after the break – the primary time that is occurred to the Reds in a Premier League fixture since Opta began monitoring efforts on objective within the 2006-07 marketing campaign. However other than the morale enhance {that a} constructive show can provide Wolves for the remainder of their survival mission, nothing else issues other than a 2-1 win that maintained Liverpool’s seven-point lead on the summit. “It says quite a bit (that) we saved combating and saved going and obtained the three factors,” captain Virgil van Dijk instructed BBC Sport post-match.

‘Gentle on the finish of the tunnel’

After three wins in 19 matches, Everton had been sitting only one level away from the relegation zone when David Moyes changed Sean Dyche in January. What a turnaround he is engineered upon returning to the membership. Saturday’s win over Crystal Palace gave the Toffees 13 factors since “The Moyesiah” took over. No staff within the Premier League has extra in that point. Moyes’ tally of 4 wins is already greater than Dyche managed to obtain this season. Beforehand braced for a nervous race to keep away from the drop, Everton supporters can as an alternative sit up for subsequent season and the promise of greener pastures of their new stadium. The outlook has flipped totally. “Everton have had a troublesome interval, however I definitely suppose there’s gentle on the finish of the tunnel now,” Moyes mentioned.

Traore revives Fulham’s European bid

Fulham used Nottingham Forest’s specialty in opposition to them to reignite their bid for European soccer. Getting into the weekend because the lowest-scoring Premier League aspect from set-piece conditions, the Cottagers nodded in a single chic supply and one other nook kick to earn back-to-back Premier League wins for the primary time since November. The two-1 outcome additionally gave them their first dwelling win in six league matches. Fulham at the moment are 4 factors behind the European locations and will shut the hole if Adama Traore continues to energise their assault. Traore whipped within the cross for Emile Smith Rowe’s opener, and his runs down the correct flank put defenders at risk. He accounted for 9 of Fulham’s 33 crosses, and it is that form of direct recreation that is received Fulham factors this season.

Spurs should kick on from right here

Ange Postecoglou promised again and again that Tottenham would flip a nook as soon as their greatest gamers returned from harm. Whereas they did not at all times look their greatest throughout Sunday’s 1-0 win over Manchester United – permitting the form of probabilities a extra polished opponent would’ve put away – Spurs had been capable of get a outcome thanks partly to the performances of fit-again Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison. Vicario made six saves, together with a few troublesome diving efforts, to maintain Tottenham’s first clear sheet at dwelling within the Premier League since August. Maddison, in fact, scored the winner off a rebound, however most significantly, he gave Spurs a stage of confidence and creativity on the ball that they’d missed within the 5 video games he sat out. Tottenham nonetheless have six key gamers out injured however have sufficient again to make it three Premier League wins in a row once they face Ipswich City subsequent Saturday. They have not put three league wins collectively since December 2023.

Star performer 🌟

Omar Marmoush (Manchester Metropolis)

Marmoush joined Manchester Metropolis on the most troublesome interval of Guardiola’s reign – and that dour spell nonetheless is not over – so it was no shock that the Egyptian’s first objective (and second, and third) did not come till his fifth look.

There have been glimpses of how harmful Marmoush might be earlier than Saturday’s go to from Newcastle. He had some promising link-ups with Erling Haaland in his debut in opposition to Chelsea and offered a team-high three key passes within the in any other case disastrous 5-1 defeat at Arsenal.

However a hat-trick crammed into 14 first-half minutes actually broadcasts Marmoush’s arrival. He opened the scoring with a luxurious lob after latching onto Ederson’s missile and shrugging off Kieran Trippier, adopted that objective with a deflected end, and tapped dwelling Savinho’s cutback to finish his treble. Marmoush ought to take a whole lot of the scoring burden off Haaland’s shoulders; he’ll discover areas throughout the attacking third, however his positioning on the penalty spot for his third objective clearly confirmed he is comfy taking over areas normally occupied by No. 9s.

Finest XI 😎

(Supply: FotMob)

Stat of the weekend 🔢

Ay, caramba! Brighton goalkeeper Verbruggen’s help strengthened Barts’ creativity superiority over footballing Simpsons like Danny, Fitzroy, and Paul.

Social media second 📱

Irrespective of the place they’re, Evertonians proceed to savor the thrilling midweek outcome within the Merseyside derby.

The place we stand 👀

View extra stats right here.