Chelsea went even further clear, Man City blew a lead, Liverpool’s title challenge ended. Sun rise, sun set.
It was a pretty standard Premier League weekend, with a disappointing lack of ridiculous Andy Carroll bicycle kicks. Wayne Rooney did break a couple of records, but you’ve already seen those stats. We found five more interesting nuggets from the weekends’ action.
Barn door
What player do you reckon had the most shots on target on Saturday in the Premier League? You obviously had Liverpool trying to crack Swansea. You had Aguero, Jesus, and Kane on the pitch at the Etihad. And of course, you had the beast that is Andy Carroll.
In actual fact, the player with the most shots on target for Saturday wasn’t even a striker. It was Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini. With three. (whoscored.com)
Congratulations if you guessed that. We believe you.
Dodgy keepers
It was not a good display for goalkeepers in Manchester. Hugo Lloris seemingly forgot how to play football when conceding the first City goal and then had butter on his gloves for the second. Per Opta, He’s now conceded 12 goals in four Premier League appearances at the Etihad Stadium.
But it’s not much better at the other end. Claudio Bravo was signed for his kicking and ability at crosses. It certainly wasn’t for his shot stopping anyway. The Chilean has conceded 16 goals from the last 24 shots on target he’s faced. So if you shoot on his goal four times in a game, the chances are you’re going to score.
Last 6 shots on target Claudio Bravo has faced in the Premier League:
Goal ⚽️
Goal ⚽️
Goal ⚽️
Goal ⚽️
Goal ⚽️
Goal ⚽️
Like a sieve. pic.twitter.com/MC7rwFyUut— Squawka (@Squawka) January 21, 2017
The Anti-Jack Rodwell
Jack Rodwell still hasn't won a game for Sunderland in which he has started.
Fortunately for Arsenal, they have the opposite in Skhodran Mustafi. Their marquee summer signing has played 21 times and is yet to lose a game (15 wins, six draws)
Mustafi had a solid game against Burnley, with three blocks, three interceptions, more passes than Alex Iwobi and his first goal in a Gunners shirt.
@JackRodwell stars in the cursed footballer. #safc pic.twitter.com/QVlusMsNW9
— Brett Redmayne (@brettd1981) January 22, 2017
Doing it when it matters
It was fun while it lasted. Liverpool fans all around the country had their heads in their hands following their defeat to Sunderland. It was yet another opportunity for a title challenge gone sour.
Jurgen Klopp’s side lead the ‘mini league’ of themselves and the rest of the top six – but they’re bottom of it when it comes to the other fourteen sides. They’ve managed to drop a total of fifteen points against the bottom 14 sides (defeats vs Burnley, Bournemouth, and Swansea with draws against Southampton, West Ham and Sunderland)
That’s not the stuff of champions.
Foxes Kanté Cope
And neither is this fact for Leicester. The 21 points they’ve earned from their first 22 games is the joint worst in English football history for a defending champion. (Opta)
Claudio Ranieri’s side are slowly being dragged towards a relegation scrap and are really suffering when they don’t have their big guns Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani are both at the African Cup of Nations and the Foxes midfield is really suffering without the engine of N’Golo Kanté. They were battered by Southampton.
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