jamie vardy leicester city
in Opinion/Features, Weekly features

Premier League Weekend: Heroes and Villains

As another weekend of Premier League action passes us by, it’s time to take stock and decide which players were a help or a hindrance to their sides over the weekend.

Hero: Jamie Vardy 

Vardy is clearly loving life under the Brodge! The Leicester stalwart put in another all-action display for his side as they battered a hapless Arsenal in the driving rain on Saturday night.

The 32-year-old has now scored a ludicrous 20 goals in 22 matches since the former Liverpool boss succeeded Claude Puel as manager earlier this year.

His goal and assist were enough to secure the Foxes a huge win as they enjoy a wonderful spell which has left them second in the table after 12 matches.

Villain: Roberto 

This guy makes it two weekends in a row in our infamous and star-studded list of Premier League Villains. The West Ham keeper was guilty of another howler at the weekend which saw him gift a goal to Burnley direct from a corner.

The Spaniard never looked convincing as he game out, one-handed to try and clear an inswinging corner, only to flap at it like a poor man’s Simon Mignolet, and punch it into his own net. Woeful stuff!

Hero: Raul  Jimenez 

The big Mexican is really flying the flag for old fashioned number nines everywhere! He has been a gem of player for Wolves and continued his hot streak of form with an excellent goal during Wolves Midlands grudge match with Aston Villa on Sunday.

He smashed home his chance with relish to make it 13 goals in all competitions this season for the 28-year-old. Only Sterling has managed more so far in 2019/20.

Villain: Allan Saint-Maximin

Now come on, if you are yet to score for your new club after missing 6,000 chances, it’s pretty poor form to prevent one of your other teammates from registering his first goal as well. But that’s exactly what Allan Saint-Maximin did for Newcastle as he prevented Miguel Almirón from opening his account!

It was comedy genius stuff to be fair from Saint-Maximin as Almiron struck his shot cleanly, with the goal at his mercy, straight at his teammate who was lying prostrate in the box, following a collision with Aaron Ramsdale in the Bournemouth goal.

Only Newcastle could register such a collective will to not put the ball in the back of the net. Ah well, they won anyway.

Hero: Fabinho 

Manchester City’s fume at missing out on a penalty at Anfield during the opening minutes of their clash with Liverpool was in full flow, when, with their technical area still going ballistic, Fabinho picked up the ball from a hashed clearance and thundered it in past Claudio Bravo for the opening goal.

Just 22 seconds passed between the ball striking Trent Alexander-Arnold’s arm and it fizzing past the hapless Claudio Bravo. Fabinho has been a beast for Liverpool since forging a regular starting berth in front of the back four last season.

His goal is the icing on the cake for some top-class work he has been putting in of late and his celebration was pretty cheeky too. Lovely stuff.

Villain: Arsenal’s midfield

It really was a masterclass from Arsenal’s midfield on Saturday night in how not to turn up to a football match. To a man, they were an anonymous shambles as they played at near walking pace at times, while Leicester danced around them with glee.

It’s hard to take Arsenal serious as top-four contenders after their meek surrender at the King Power. The fact that Unai Emery somehow thought the attitude of his players was positive should be even more worrying for Arsenal fans, whose side look way short of the hunger and guile required to clinch a return to the elite bracket of clubs this season.

See also – Five matches that have defined the Liverpool-Man City rivalry in the modern era

Read Also: Each top six clubs youngest ever goalscorer

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