Everton
Rooney Backs Everton to Threaten Liverpool at Anfield
Rooney believes Everton’s new stadium, Moyes’ return and signings make them dangerous going forward.
Wayne Rooney has predicted Everton can produce a positive result in Saturday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield, suggesting the club’s recent changes have altered the dynamic ahead of the fixture. Not since 1999 have Everton managed to beat Liverpool at Anfield, but Rooney said he would not be surprised to see that run end.
“I think obviously the new stadium has helped with [confidence] and I think the big thing is David Moyes coming back,” the former Everton striker told The Wayne Rooney Show . “He’s come back. He knows the club. He knows the culture of the football club and then I think the signings have been really good. They look dangerous now, Everton, going forward with [Jack] Grealish and [Charly] Alcaraz, they look really dangerous going forward, Everton, and solid as well at the back.
“So yeah, I think Everton can go there and get something. They have to be at their best and defend as a unit and be hard to beat. But Moyes’s teams normally do do that. Hopefully we can get the three points. [I would] take a draw, [I would] take a draw.”
Rooney stressed the importance of defensive organisation and collective effort if Everton are to upset Liverpool, repeating that Moyes’s previous teams typically show those traits. The former striker pointed to the new stadium, Moyes’s return and recent recruitment as central reasons for his belief that Everton are now a threat going forward and stable at the back.
Reflecting on his own experience in the fixture, Rooney acknowledged the personal pressure that surrounds Merseyside derbies. He failed to win any of his seven derbies across his two spells with Everton and spoke candidly about the build-up and its effect on players and staff.
“I hated it,” he confessed. “We didn’t win many, so when you do win them, you’ve got to make sure you enjoy it.
“The build-up to the game, the whole week was horrible. Being around the training ground and, as an Evertonian, getting ready and preparing for the game and all the staff around the training ground who are Evertonians. You feel sick because if you lose the game Liverpool rub it in your face.
“When I went back the second time to Everton, I had to make sure I had all the TVs turned off and there was nothing on the TVs about the game, the build-up to the game, just to try and forget about it that week. Go into the game not worrying too much about it.
“It’s a massive game, and if you win there’s no better feeling.”
Aston Villa
Villa’s Control Counts for Little as Martinez Error Hands Everton a 1-0 Win
Villa dominated possession but lost 1-0 to Everton after Emiliano Martínez spilled a shot. at Villa.
Aston Villa controlled much of the ball at Villa Park but left empty-handed after a 1-0 defeat to Everton. Thierno Barry scored the only goal, following a spilled save from Emiliano Martínez and finishing with a composed lob that completed his third goal in four matches and secured three points for the visitors.
The loss ended Villa’s 11-game home winning run and was their first defeat at Villa Park since September. They remain third in the table, seven points behind Arsenal and behind City on goal difference.
Martínez was given a 6.1 for his role in the decisive moment, spilling Dwight McNeil’s curling effort into Barry’s path. Other ratings reflected a mixture of control and frustration: Youri Tielemans 7.9 for shielding the defence and dictating play; Matty Cash 7.2 for energy down the right; Ian Maatsen 7.0 for his forward intent; and Ollie Watkins 5.7 after a quiet game with just one shot on target. Morgan Rogers was rated 5.8 and was described as wasteful by his standards after missing several promising chances.
Evann Guessand replaced John McGinn early and was given 6.9; Guessand returned from AFCON and rattled the crossbar after coming on. Lucas Digne (73′) was rated 6.3 and George Hemmings (73′) 6.0. Subs not used included James Wright (GK), Marco Bizot (GK), Andres Garcia, Tyrone Mings, Victor Lindelöf and Jamaldeen Jimoh.
Villa dominated possession and territory for long spells but Everton’s compact shape and organisation kept the hosts at bay. The Toffees thought they had taken the lead in the 35th minute when James O’Brien nodded in, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside involving Harrison Armstrong.
It took just 11 seconds for sparks to fly when a long Jordan Pickford ball was knocked down by Barry and Merlin Röhl struck the post, the quickest woodwork hit in a Premier League match since 2006-07. Yet Villa could not convert territorial advantage into goals, and a single defensive lapse proved costly.
Match statistics (selected): Possession 62% to 38% (Villa), xG 0.82 to 0.34, Shots on target 3 to 1.
Chelsea
Foreign Stalwarts: Non-English Players Who Became Premier League Mainstays
Non-English players became Premier League mainstays through longevity consistency and contributions.
Since 1992 the Premier League has been defined by English talent and by players from abroad and neighboring nations who provided steadiness season after season. Some of the competition’s most trusted appearance makers are not English, with many racking up matches after arriving from overseas or from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Schwarzer arrived as a dependable presence and proved something of a lucky charm in the top flight. The former Bradford City man played his part in Boro and the Cottagers reaching UEFA Cup/Europa League finals, and he even ‘won’ the Premier League twice—with Chelsea and Leicester—despite not making a single league appearance in either title-winning campaign.
Sylvain Distin was a Premier League stalwart for years, retiring in 2016 at the age of 38. His first venture in England was a season-long loan with Newcastle United that led to a permanent move to Manchester City. He went on to captain the future Premier League champions prior to their big-money investment, then enjoyed a two-year spell at Portsmouth that yielded FA Cup success. Everton benefited from Distin’s prime extending into his 30s and he made almost as many appearances for the Toffees as he did for City—174 in six seasons.
Ryan Giggs’s record of 13 Premier League title wins with Manchester United will probably never be bettered. The Welshman was already an established United player when the Premier League kicked off in 1992–93, and he was a key figure for Sir Alex Ferguson as the club rose to the top of the country. Later in his career Giggs converted into a central midfielder and produced some of his best football. Winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in the 2008–09 season at age 35 was followed by another two Premier League titles prior to his retirement in 2014.
Forget Arjen Robben, Damien Duff was the real star winger in José Mourinho’s early Chelsea sides, yet he’s often underrated and not given the credit he deserves. A pacy, consistent performer, Duff rose to prominence at Blackburn Rovers as a natural left winger, terrifying right backs with his running and superb delivery. Goals followed and Chelsea came calling after the Roman Abramovich-led takeover in 2003. Duff was instrumental in Chelsea winning the Premier League two seasons in a row before being phased out. Newcastle United were the next stop in his 18-year top-flight career, followed by Fulham and then a move Down Under.
Arsenal
Panel Rules Everton Were Denied Penalty in Arsenal 1–0 Win After VAR Oversight
Key Match Incidents Panel ruled Everton were wrongly denied a penalty in Arsenal’s 1–0 win. at Hill.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel has concluded Everton were wrongfully denied a penalty in their 1–0 defeat to Arsenal. The ruling follows an incident the on-pitch official Sam Barrott and VAR Michael Salisbury missed during the match, a decision that angered the home crowd and Everton manager David Moyes.
Immediately after the game the Premier League Match Centre described the contact as “insufficient” to warrant a spot kick. Less than two weeks later the panel voted 3–2 that Barrott’s choice not to award a penalty was incorrect. The panel also voted 3–2 that VAR Salisbury should have instructed the on-pitch official to review the incident at the monitor.
Those who supported a penalty noted “Saliba carelessly kicks Barry with no contact on the ball”. Those who opposed the award argued “there was not enough impact and a delayed reaction.” The split vote underlines the fine margins at the centre of the decision.
Had Barrott pointed to the spot and Everton converted from 12 yards out, Mikel Arteta’s side would be level with Manchester City atop the table. Instead Arsenal, who were rightfully awarded a first-half penalty that Viktor Gyökeres buried, left with a 1–0 victory and the full three points.
The win allowed the league leaders to top the table at Christmas Day. The club had reached the summit on that holiday on four previous occasions and failed to convert those positions into a Premier League title in each instance.
By New Year’s Eve Arsenal were five points clear of the Cityzens, who held a game in hand. Should Manchester City defeat Sunderland on the first day of the new year the gap would fall to two points.
As the title race develops the panel’s finding on the Everton incident will remain a talking point. The match-day decision at Hill Dickinson Stadium and the panel’s 3–2 verdict may be significant if Arsenal’s margin over Manchester City stays as slender as it is now.
United Preparing Major Midfield Overhaul with Goretzka Among Targets
Salah becomes first player with 152 goal contributions at one Premier League stadium
