An Arsenal star kept the Gunners in the driver’s seat for the title race as Erling Haaland’s picturesque bicycle kick led to an all-time comparison proving the Norwegian is destined for greatness.
A crucial mistake from a Leicester City star forced a prospective manager to get cold feet, while a Premier League legend felt a polarising English international’s tactical tweak fell flat.
Foxsports.com.au takes a look at the weekend that was in the latest edition of Premier League Talking Points!
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PL LEGEND ‘NEVER BEEN PROVEN MORE WRONG’ BY GUNNERS STAR
After letting a two-goal lead slip against Liverpool at Anfield, a raft of Arsenal stars appeared crushed.
The Gunners would remain top regardless of the result, but not winning means Mikel Arteta’s side hold a six-point lead over Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
However, it could have been just a five-point lead were it not for the late heroics of Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
The former Sheffield United goalkeeper proved he was worth every cent of his $AUD55m transfer fee and more with a string of mind-blowing saves in the dying embers of the clash.
He got a fingertip to the ball to divert a slightly-deflected curling effort from Mohamed Salah in the 95th minute.
Barely a few minutes later, Ramsdale came up big again to deny Ibrahima Konate from point-blank range, leaving both sets of fans with their jaws gaping.
PGMOL to investigate Robertson elbow | 01:01
It’s further vindication behind Arsenal’s decision to move for Ramsdale in 2021 after he was unfairly tarnished as a relegation curse given he’d been demoted from the Premier League in consecutive years with Bournemouth and Sheffield United.
Liverpool great Jamie Carragher was more than happy to admit he had to eat his words after witnessing Ramsdale’s late heroics.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been proven more wrong by a player than Aaron Ramsdale,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“I watched him at times with different teams where he goes down and you see lots of goals go in and you think, ‘Could the goalkeeper do better there?’
“When Arsenal buy him I was scratching my head. I couldn’t believe it when they bought him. But the role he has not just as a goalkeeper but he’s personality. The crowd feed off him.
“I can’t believe what I’ve seen from him this season and the role he’s played in this title charge.”
Robertson livid after elbowed by lineman | 01:03
CITY BOSS’ BIG HAALAND CLAIM AMID MESSI, RONALDO COMPARISON
With one leap into the air and a swift kick of the ball, Erling Haaland cemented himself on every sporting highlight reel across the world.
The Norwegian’s second goal in Manchester City’s comfortable 4-1 win over Southampton took his season tally to a staggering 30 goals, four shy of Alan Shearer’s longstanding record.
With nine fixtures to go for City this season, it appears almost certain Haaland will shatter Shearer’s feat and set the bar even higher for the future.
The mind-boggling form displayed by Haaland this season has inevitably drawn comparisons with some of the game’s greats, namely Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The pair have gone back-and-forth when it comes to their respective individual and team accolades throughout the years, although Messi has perhaps usurped Ronaldo in the debate given his World Cup triumph.
EPL title race on after Man City victory | 01:46
They’ve also scored over 800 goals each throughout their career.
However, City manager Pep Guardiola believes Haaland could easily reach those figures should he maintain his trajectory.
“You see how many games Erling has played during his professional career and you compare the goals he has scored in that time to Messi and Cristiano, it’s quite similar.
“I think Messi is a more complete player. He can play wherever because he understands the game.
“The other two, Cristiano and Haaland, are like a machine. But Erling knows the other two guys have dominated for two decades, not just one year.
“Erling is just 22 years old and he is doing it in the toughest league in the world. I can talk because I’ve been in other leagues. Doing what he is doing is remarkable.”
WHY KLOPP’S BOLD ALEXANDER-ARNOLD CALL CANNOT CONTINUE
Many have called for Jurgen Klopp to use Trent Alexander-Arnold in a midfield position, especially in recent times.
The Liverpool right-back’s defensive flaws have been exposed a worrying amount of times this season, coinciding with the Reds’ slide down the ladder.
However, his forward forays remain one of the most impressive aspects of his game and is a vital part of Liverpool’s attacking plan, as are his set-piece deliveries.
But against Arsenal, Klopp decided to move Alexander-Arnold into more of a defensive midfield role when Liverpool had the ball to mirror what Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko does when the Gunners are in possession.
There has been right-backs who have transitioned into a central midfield role and flourished, like Phillip Lahm at Bayern Munich when Pep Guardiola arrived, so it wouldn’t be an alien concept to retrain Alexander-Arnold.
However, Manchester United legend Gary Neville has not seen enough from the Liverpool star to warrant Klopp altering his position, even if it means his defensive game will continue to come into question.
“Alexander-Arnold would drift into midfield in any case given the freedom being at right-back gives him, but if he was actually down to play in midfield away from home in the Premier League and he was getting the ball popped into him, when he’s got his back to play, that’s a different ball game,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“Some of the best midfielders in the world, the Xavis, Iniestas, they’re the ones who can manipulate the ball and Rodri does it very well. Trent wouldn’t be able to do that, honestly.
Neville added: “I’ve heard it said a number of times about fullbacks being able to play in midfield before … ‘he can play wide, he can play as a winger’ – no they can’t. That’s why they’re fullbacks.
“I think he can play wing-back. Jurgen Klopp tried to play him in a different position today, he tried to pull him into midfield – Zinchenko-like, John Stones-like – but he could definitely play wing-back as there is a right-sided centre-back who can shift into the channel to deal with the straight balls.”
THE BACKPASS THAT GAVE LEICESTER FAVOURITE COLD FEET
Leicester City were punished for a momentary lapse in concentration for the second straight game as life in the Championship looms large.
In the midweek fixture against Aston Villa, Leicester midfielder Wilfried Ndidi played a careless pass from just outside his 18-yard box that Villa winger Bertrand Traore pounced on and curled in the winner in the 87th minute.
You’d like to think the Foxes would learn from their mistakes, but no.
Leicester hosted Bournemouth at the King Power Stadium on Sunday in a proverbial six-pointer given the razor-thin margins for error in the relegation race.
But a stray backpass from Foxes skipper James Maddison allowed Cherries midfielder Philip Billing to race in on goal and slot the ball past Daniel Iversen for the only goal of the game.
Not only did Maddison’s error gift three crucial points to Bournemouth, it also reportedly gave prospective manager Jesse Marsch cold feet.
Multiple reports claimed Marsch was close to being appointed as Brendan Rodgers’ replacement at Leicester, but talks quickly took a turn in the wake of the loss.
Perhaps Marsch realised the scale of the job on his hands as he’d have had two consecutive seasons taking over a club locked in a fierce fight for survival.
Leicester have eight games left to save its season, including fixtures against Leeds, Everton and West Ham United who are also likely to be scrapping tooth-and-nail to stay in the Premier League.
Whatever Leicester decide to do in regards to their managerial situation, it would be a miracle if they aren’t consigned to the Championship next season.
