Cronky

A good analysis which is not likely to go down well on here. He's a player who we've neither backed nor let go. It seems that he and Atsu were competing for the same role, and Atsu has won out. It's very likely he'll leave now, but even so I'm still not entirely sure what Benitez is going to decide. As you say, he does produce these moments of class. Making no bones about it, I'd play him. I think he's probably developed as a player since we first sent him out on loan and I'd give him a chance to show it.

There's a big difference between misjudging a foul and ignorance about a fairly basic law of the game. Particularly when it seems that the fourth official was trying to help him out. That's what the fuss is about. Whatever you think about their competence, referees at that level are dedicated individuals, and the bloke must be feeling crap. He will have devoted a major part of his life to reaching that level. Luckily for him, it didn't affect the result.

Torres seemed to go from one of the best strikers in the world, to quite an ordinary striker very quickly. Getting transferred to Chelsea and then being unable to displace Drogba seemed to drain his confidence.

That's amazing. Firstly, that an experienced ref can make that mistake. And secondly, that none of the other three officials were able to correct him. For some reason, refs are now much more lenient when it comes to enforcing offences at penalties than they used to be. A while back, I reckon about 1 in 3 penalties got retaken, either for the keeper moving early, or a player encroaching. It was such a frequent occurrence that a ref would never get the response wrong. I can only think that Gayle's encroachment was so blatant, and the defender had been so forceful in pointing it out, that the ref felt he had not choice but to give it. He then got confused about the right response, almost through a lack of familiarity with the situation. All the same, it's a bad, bad error. It's just as well we won.

Another player fouling would mean a retake too. "the player taking the penalty kick or a team-mate infringes the Laws of the Game: if the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken" I think that only applies before the penalty is taken.

The only thing I can think of is if one our players committed a foul after the ball was kicked and before it entered the net. Encroachment and feinting would mean a re-take.

The pressure around Wenger seems to have got to his players. They're giving the ball away quite a lot, trying passes that aren't on. City look a lot more confident and I don't think they'll let it slip again.

He looks nervous and indecisive at times - and particularly for the Wigan goal, where he seemed to get caught in two minds. For a centre back, I think he's not bad on the ball, but I'm unsure how strong he is as a defender. But for sure, mental strength is crucial for a centre back.

The reality is that winning the title would have meant a lot to Keegan, as of course it would have done for all of us. The 'Love it if we beat them' rant shows that side of his motivation. Losing to Liverpool at Anfield is not a calamity, but there were certain pressure games towards the end of the season, against other clubs, where our lack of a defensive Plan B showed. The nightmare game for me was Blackburn away. 1-0 up with 12 minutes to go and the team had a collective nervous breakdown, losing 2-1. That was the point when we needed to be a bit more canny.

He didn't actually tell them the truth though, did he? If he had, (which would have been very silly), he'd have said that Cole had gone off the boil and been a bit of an arse in training. All he said was trust me, it's all in the best interests of the club. KK was very sensitive to criticism, and wouldn't have liked the sight of the fans gathering in protest like that. I think he thrived on trying to prove people wrong and so criticism was a good thing for him, he proved it throughout his careeer. He's not as soft a touch as perceived, far from it. Just speak to ex players. I love the bloke but from talk ins he could be a bit of a c*** apparently which is different to his public persona. I don't think criticism bothered him, as he had the confidence to try and beat it away. He took to the steps, a staged platform IMO, in full knowledge that he would win any battle regardless of criticism. I think he actually didn't like not being in control and being able to manage things, as he was so used to doing throughout his careeer. KK had a strong determination to prove people wrong, for sure. That showed when he overcame a very modest start as a footballer, and also when he became our manager, despite being a complete rookie, and took us to the top. On the flip side, that determination could be very fragile when things went wrong or he received criticism. It was most apparent when he walked out of the England job straight after being booed off at Wembley.

He didn't actually tell them the truth though, did he? If he had, (which would have been very silly), he'd have said that Cole had gone off the boil and been a bit of an arse in training. All he said was trust me, it's all in the best interests of the club. KK was very sensitive to criticism, and wouldn't have liked the sight of the fans gathering in protest like that.

Come on, Rafa, give this lad a chance.

They miss Kompany badly, not just for his defending, but his leadership. They allowed Monaco to bully them in the first half and no-one seemed able to pull them together.

Not the worst idea. We still have a lack of leadership on the pitch. Lascelles still needs to concentrate on improving his own game. Shelvey doesn't seem the brightest and tends to moan. I can't see Rooney moving abroad or to one of the top teams in this country. We'd need to adjust our wage policy though.

I think unless Hayden becomes a Kante-like player next season that midfield would get overrun on an almost weekly basis. I like Carrick and wouldn't be opposed to him coming here for leadership/experience, but we desperately need some dynamic/athletic players in the middle. I agree. The centre of the midfield lacks any pace.

Tentative sums us up really. It makes us hideous to watch at times. In the end, the result may prove far more important than the performance, and we can approach the next two games with more aggression and confidence.

Aye, I thought they looked really good in spells. They just bottled it, and we played well. Got nervous and sloppy in possession and didn't really know how to manage the game, especially once Diame's fluker went in. They really did bottle it like. They were dominating with about ten minutes left. The amount of poor touches and bad passes under no pressure they had in the last ten minutes was amazing and we capatalised on it perfectly Could be tiredness tbf, we did make it a tough game for them. Also both managers were put in a fairly strange situation at 1-1, doesn't feel like an equaliser happens with 10 minutes to go in a game against the top 2 too often. Would say Benitez's experience might have won the game for us a bit at that point, Brighton didn't really seem to know whether to really go for it or be happy with a point. I think Benitez used his instincts well. The equaliser was a real blow to the opposition, and it felt like we could go in for the kill.

It was a positive change which seemed to lift the side before he'd even kicked the ball. I don't know about these cautious starting selections of Benitez. There's enough pressure on the players, with us being the biggest club in the division. Why add to it by adopting a defensive approach.

Surprised at that. Being pretty much from there it's not the impression I got at all. I think that internet polls attract a particular group of motivated supporters, and aren't necessarily representative of general opinion, which is usually more moderate and cautious. A bit like the difference between Labour party activists and Labour voters.

There's no question that momentum, positive or negative, is important in football. We've seen that often enough with our own club, and we're seeing it with Leicester in a very dramatic form. A crucial factor is the loss of Kante. Normally a player in that role is replaceable, but his ability to break up opposition attacks is exceptional, and we're seeing it with Chelsea now. Obviously Chelsea are a team that you expect to be in contention, but I don't think anyone expected them to be this far ahead.

The ultimate example though of an individual becoming bigger than the club.

Alli does have a nasty streak, and it looks like it's really cost his team this time. There was a big gap between the physical fitness of the two teams, and I think a full strength Spurs team would have run right over them in the second half.

It's sad, but it didn't look like he was going to turn things round. Last season is history - they need to do whatever it takes to maximise their chances of staying up.

Gouffran on the wing feels like a very negative choice. I'm a bit surprised he's persisting with it.

Anyone think Shearer would have passed from there?