The final home game of the season should be a celebration but after such a flat performance by Newcastle United yesterday, the party atmosphere was nowhere to be seen.
Newcastle ground out 1-1 draw with Brighton with both sides spurning gilt-edged chances throughout the game. The result now leaves Newcastle at risk of losing out on Europe as Chelsea are now level on points with the Magpies and in much better form. Manchester United play today against Arsenal, should they win they too will join Chelsea and Newcastle on 57 points going into the final two games.
Wednesday's game against Manchester United is now hugererer than it was before and it was already pretty huge.
Back to yesterday's game and Match of the Day had Alan Shearer and Micah Richards in the pundit's chairs, and you know it was a poor game when they focus on two moments in the game that didn't involve the ball at all.
Each side had a Paraguay international in their squad for the game, and both of them produced moments of absolute insanity by throwing themselves to the ground after zero contact.
Brighton's Julio Enciso was the first Paraguayan to be booked in the first half for a ridiculous dive when nobody was even near him, and then Miguel Almiron became the second by going down on the edge of the area like he'd been shot despite, once again, zero contact being made. Enciso's was less convincing, but Almiron's was infinitely more stupid as had he stayed on his feet he would have been in a great position.
Speaking about it on Match of the Day, Alan Shearer was not amused with Almiron at all.
"Well I'm not gonna protect him. Both of them were terrible. That's shocking from both players. It's terrible that is, from both of them."
Shearer was giving off strong Dad vibes of "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed" even telling off host Gary Lineker for laughing at the dives.
Almiron was only on the field for quarter of the game and he failed to stay onside before setting up a goal (although Harvey Barnes really should have released the ball earlier) and then he did that ridiculous dive when he'd have been better off staying on his feet. He wasn't even in the box so he wouldn't have got a penalty out of it anyway.
Miggy is on the list of players likely to leave this summer and after that, there'll be fights in the fanbase over who gets to give him a lift to the airport.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
13 | 18 | 34 |
2 |
Arsenal
|
13 | 12 | 25 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
13 | 12 | 25 |
4 |
Brighton
|
13 | 5 | 23 |
5 |
Manchester City
|
13 | 3 | 23 |
6 |
Nottingham Forest
|
13 | 3 | 22 |
7 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
13 | 14 | 20 |
8 |
Brentford
|
13 | 3 | 20 |
9 |
Manchester United
|
13 | 4 | 19 |
10 |
Fulham
|
13 | 0 | 19 |
11 |
Newcastle United
|
13 | 0 | 19 |
12 |
Aston Villa
|
13 | -3 | 19 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
13 | 1 | 18 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
13 | -7 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
13 | -11 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
13 | -11 | 10 |
17 |
Crystal Palace
|
13 | -7 | 9 |
18 |
Wolves
|
13 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Ipswich
|
13 | -11 | 9 |
20 |
Southampton
|
13 | -15 | 5 |