Noni Madueke rescues Christmas for Chelsea after tough love – Premier League hits and misses

Tough love allows ‘freed’ Madueke to rescue Christmas for Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino said this was a game his side simply could not lose. They had to do it the hard way. Chelsea have missed too many big chances this season – more than any other Premier League side – and they missed more here. Nicolas Jackson, again the fall guy.

It had looked like being another frustrating home outing for Pochettino’s side for most of the second half. But the charismatic Argentine looked to his bench, as he so often has, rummaged in his bag, and picked out Noni Madueke. Ask many fans and they will tell you he should have started on Wednesday night. But he made his point.

Pochettino said on Madueke’s impact: “He played free. The difference is he did what we needed in this moment. He went to play and I liked that he showed that he was upset with me. He was disappointed with me as he hadn’t played too much but he showed me that I can trust him.

“They need to show me that I can trust, and the mentality is really important in the Premier League. You need quality, but you need the right mentality and approach in training in order to perform. We are not a charity.

“We are a football club and we need to perform. Sometimes we need to be tough and we need to show the reality when a player isn’t ready to perform. If you want to compete for Chelsea, with all respect, it’s not like at other clubs. It’s about winning trophies and respecting the history of the club.”

This turned into a restorative evening for the beleaguered Chelsea boss, who was full of energy on the touchline throughout – collecting a yellow card in stoppage time.

Here came a welcome slice of VAR intervention and a dose of Christmas cheer just when it seemed things were turning further against them with Madueke providing the crowning glory. With three home wins on the bounce, Chelsea are turning a corner. Aren’t they?
Ben Grounds

Could City comeback win be the start of another long unbeaten run for Pep and Co?

Man City could have wished for an easier reintroduction to the Premier League following their sojourn winning the Club World Cup than a frosty Goodison Park on a Wednesday night.

However, maybe it was exactly the sort of tough examination Pep Guardiola’s side needed after recent slip-ups in the league saw the champions slip outside the top four and eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool, albeit with two games in hand.

But the newly crowned world champions knew they had to win those matches, meaning there was no room for error on Merseyside against an Everton team in impressive form of late.

So the pressure was well and truly on going in at half-time 1-0 behind and having lost key man John Stones to a first-half injury, on top of already being without Erling Haaland.

Champions being champions, though, demanded a second-half response and boy did they produce one as a rampant City scored three times without reply, with Everton not even managing a shot on target after the break.

Phil Foden ran the show, but all the visiting players stood up to leave the visitors now just five points behind Liverpool, and with a game in hand, as we move into the second half of the campaign.

This is the time when Guardiola’s sides like to start their long winning runs to either pull away from opponents, or as was the case last season, catch, then overtake them in the final stretch.

And given how impressive their response was to falling behind to Everton, the signs are ominous for Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur as the title race hots up.
Richard Morgan

Wolves enjoying themselves under O’Neil

Gary O’Neil has ticked plenty of boxes since coming in at Wolves but he managed a few more with a 4-1 win at Brentford. The away form had been a concern, particularly in London where Wolves were without a win in 14. Finally, the fans had a fun night in the capital.

There was also the fact that every Wolves win so far had come by just one goal. Here, a three-goal victory was enough to move his team above former club Bournemouth in the Premier League table. Back-to-back wins for the first time. Relegation is not a concern.

Avoiding the drop was the remit when appointed but ambitions change and Wolves are becoming more adaptable under O’Neil. They played positive passing football in the first half, forced mistakes through pressing, then sat back and soaked up pressure.

Hee-Chan Hwang is high on confidence and Rayan Ait-Nouri’s return from injury adds a different dimension to their play with his ability to beat men in tight space. Both will be missing soon because of international commitments but Pedro Neto is fit again.

In midfield, the partnership of Mario Lemina and the young Brazilian Joao Gomes is blossoming. In defence, Max Kilman is growing as a leader. O’Neil will be encouraged that this win was achieved without Craig Dawson as Santi Bueno deputised again.

As a result, a mood of optimism prevails. A season that seemed fraught in the summer, daunting on the eve of the campaign, and characterised by talk of consolidation throughout the autumn, has taken on a different shape. Wolves are enjoying themselves again.
Adam Bate

Brentford face crucial month ahead

Brentford currently have all the hallmarks of a team on the slide. Poor in both boxes, Championship-level defending and home form disappearing.

The west Londoners have now lost four Premier League home games this season – that’s twice as many as they lost in the whole of last term. Wednesday’s loss to Wolves was the first time they have conceded four goals at home since their promotion two and a half years ago.

Defeat to Wolves proved the Gtech has not been the ‘under the lights fortress’ that we had become accustomed to knowing. It appears Brentford’s ‘new kids on the block’ shine has disappeared.

A lot of the responsibility of Wednesday’s 4-1 home loss to Wolves will fall at Nathan Collins’ feet after his high-profile errors. But there were the countless opportunities missed by the front three, ones that returning striker Ivan Toney would have gobbled up.

Brentford now face a big next month both on and off the pitch. Will they keep Toney? Can they add as the likes of Yoane Wissa – the only bright spark against Wolves – go to the Africa Cup of Nations?

But more immediately, there’s Saturday’s game away at Crystal Palace. Whoever out of Thomas Frank or Roy Hodgson loses that one could be under big pressure.
Sam Blitz