Premier League Grades: Matchday 28

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With two games postponed due to the Carabao Cup Final, there was ground to be gained at both ends of the table with Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Arsenal and Manchester City not playing Premier League matches. Here are the results:

Norwich vs Leicester City 1-0
Brighton vs Crystal Palace 0-1
Bournemouth vs Chelsea 2-2
West Ham vs Southampton 3-1
Newcastle vs Burnley 0-0
Watford vs Liverpool 3-0
Everton vs Manchester United 1-1
Tottenham vs Wolves 2-3

Here are the grades:
NORWICH 8.5/10
Massive win for Norwich but remain six points from safety so need more of the same. Lovely strike from Jamaal Lewis who Premier League teams should look at if Norwich go down or even if they don’t!

LEICESTER CITY 4/10
Their form has seriously dipped and this ought to have been a game they won. They have put themselves in danger of losing their Champions League places as they are eight points from Manchester United in fifth and Wolves in sixth and so a few poor performances could send them packing.

BRIGHTON 5/10
Almost expected to win and failed to take the chances they had. They haven’t won in nine games and that is worrying form. Wolves, Arsenal, Leicester and United are their next four games and it could be dangerous for the Seagulls as they could drop into the relegation zone.

CRYSTAL PALACE 8/10
Big win. A much needed goal as they record back to back wins for the first time in 2020. 11 points from relegation is a good distance and while they aren’t safe, if they can push for a few more results like this one, they should be guaranteed safety in a couple of weeks.

BOURNEMOUTH 7.5/10
Good point but with Watford and Norwich winning, it’s not good enough unfortunately. Liverpool next and it doesn’t get more difficult but Bournemouth could play their cards right and get a win if they’re lucky and Lovren starts.

CHELSEA 4/10
They are falling fast and this should have been a game they won but defensively remain weak and the midfield has little steel without Kante. The attack is not much better without Abraham and Hudson-Odoi and with Everton next, it could pose a difficult challenge for Lampard.

WEST HAM 8.5/10
Massive win at last for West Ham. Their performances have warranted points but they have failed to get them. A London Derby at the Emirates and recieving an in-form Wolves side pose further threats to the Hammers’ safety and so points have to be earned in both matches or they could undo all the work done this weekend.

SOUTHAMPTON 4/10
Poor performance but its what happens when you bench your top goalscorer. They have three games they could potentially win in Newcastle, Norwich and Watford before hosting Manchester City and then it could be a long game for the Saints. They will need a few more points to guarantee safety but they should be comfortable.

NEWCASTLE 5/10
Toothless as they have been pretty much all season. Joelinton offers very little other than his target man play and Saint-Maximin is their only real outlet. Will need recruiting in the summer but in all honesty, should have recruited in January.

BURNLEY 5/10
Not a single shot on target. Poor performance but warranted a point for their defensive display.

WATFORD 10/10
Wow. Huge win for Watford as they bullied Liverpool all over the pitch. Three great goals be it from individual excellence or fantastic team-play. The result has pulled them out of the relegation zone for now but they have to continue and keep winning. They will want to guarantee safety before the penultimate match as their last two games are against Manchester City and Arsenal.

LIVERPOOL 2/10
Unbeatable? Please. This result shows one thing and one thing only. The squad depth in Liverpool’s side is horrendously weak. Without Gomez, Lovren or Matip are not suitable replacements and at least Lovren needs to be sold. Without Henderson, who is their most underrated player and perhaps one of their best, Keita is woefully average, Oxlade-Chamberlain offers energy but isn’t the same since his latest injury, Milner is ageing and Lallana is not the same as the one who starred for England in 2017. Even without the fullbacks who are both world class, who do you put in? They have won the title regardless of their bottlejob status in the Premier League and I can’t see them losing many more games if any. They just have to bounce back and well against Bournemouth.

EVERTON 6/10
Decent performance and while their goal was a freak of nature, they kept attacking with no real threat and failed to make the many set pieces they had count. Pickford, while at fault for the goal, made up for it with a double save but really cost his team a win. Chelsea next and without Ancelotti, it could be difficult but an aggressive performance could make the difference.

MANCHESTER UNITED 6/10
Conceded a poor goal but kept attacking and attacking in the first half at least. Fernandes was world class again but ran out of steam in the end. He should be rested against Derby. The tactics were right from Ole but perhaps hampered by the quick goal but United did create enough chances to win the game. Martial will want a goal after a dry performance against Everton but might be rested against Derby as in the back of his mind, Solskjaer will know that the match against Manchester City is almost a must-win game for the race for Champions League football.

TOTTENHAM 3/10
No one talks about this result as much as the United draw. Maybe because it wan’t televised? I’m not so sure. It was a poor loss as Spurs were ahead and you’d expect a Jose Mourinho side to keep their lead. It shows how poor Tottenham are defensively and they cannot seem to outscore their opponents without the firepower of Kane and Son. Their run in is hardly a comfortable one and so they will have to push for every point at the moment.

WOLVES 8.5/10
Fantastic attacking performance from Wolves and Jota and Jimenez have been pivotal for the last two seasons. They have a good side in the Europa League and could progress to the Quarter-Finals while still in the race for a Champions League spot. They are not playing many top teams with Chelsea (and maybe Arsenal) the only ones left in their run in. However they tend to drop points against those not considered a top side so will have to pull together to progress.

Author: TUD Author