Kid Icarus

It's been pretty much a perfect weekend for Man United and Arsenal, but you're right about our result too, it's looking better than it did at full time, as things stand.

Well deserved, fuck Chelsea. Ref's been shocking as well

Andre 3000!

He did go on a bit strange like. Leaving because you're going to play second fiddle to Nick Pope, so moving to Man United to play second fiddle to David De Gea? It doesn't really make sense like. The whole tweeting as an out and out Man United player within about half an hour of going there on loan was weird as well. People are obviously loyal and proud of their clubs almost to the extent of them being a family member. It doesn't matter how much credit you have in the bank with supporters, stuff like that is going to rub people up the wrong way.

Pleased to see Spurs getting the result they deserve. Results like that have been in the post for ages and are long overdue. People talk about Liverpool being lucky but at least they've sometimes got what they deserved for being poor, Spurs have been on another level in terms of squeaking out results while being consistently rubbish. The results today and against us should have been much more regular occurrences this season. If you watched any random Spurs match this season and hid the strip and didn't see the goals, you'd guess they were about 14th in the table. I find the reluctance to be honest about Lloris amongst some pundits a bit weird as well. We all witnessed the same thing when De Gea and Cech had poor spells or dropped clangers, but Lloris doesn't have the previous form those two had to make it a bit more understandable - Lloris has always been dodgy and likely always will be. Pleased for Emery and Brummie, well deserved.

Only as back up tbf, I can't see our back 4 changing any time soon unless there's an injury. There'd be a lot of pressure on anyone and I'm not sure who the best candidate would be. Can't think of anyone who'd tick all the boxes.

I think it depends on how far along Howe thinks Lewis is and how he views Manquillo and possibly Trippier as LB options. I can't see us going for anything permanent or as a replacement for Targett when we only signed him in the summer. My money would be on Lewis stepping up.

This will be the biggest test for our press, Arsenal are outstanding at breaking through them now, unlike last season.

Yeah it's a right shame for him. The one player who's not really benefited from us improving despite not having really put a foot wrong. Outstanding from January until the end of the season then just a victim of a system that's lead to us having the league's best defence this season. Maybe Howe sees him and ASM as a pair? Because as good as Burn is, Targett's a much better foil for ASM. In our one defeat against Liverpool I thought Targett was absolutely brilliant as well, him and Joelinton bossed that side.

Leicester are one the few teams that would really benefit from signing Dubravka like, Ward's really poor.

Presumably Howe's wanted this for a while if we've had the option to recall in January and done it on the 1st.

I'd have welcomed the ref letting more things go if it was both ways. Bruno was clattered into a few times early on, clearly part of Leeds' game plan, and the ref lets it go. Then Trippier tickles their player on the shoulder and gets a yellow. I thought Leeds would have been down to 10 or 9 men with another ref tbh, he was shocking and was the sole enabler of Leeds' game plan.

Don't think there's anything uniquely bad about the CL in that regard and it's by far where the best, most competitive and entertaining club football is played, particularly when it gets to the knockout stages.

I've posted this one before. It started with the likes of Messi and Xavi, where it makes sense to say those things. Since then I've heard it about the likes of KDB, where it isn't unusual at all for them to misplace a pass.

Would have taken him off instead of Willock, but easy to say in hindsight when you're wondering what would have made the difference

I love Wilson but I don't really see what he'd have done with that 2nd chance, it was a great stop by Meslier, as was his stop from Schar's header.

Wilson was on for more than long enough to not need to rely on "Wilson would have scored that" when he did nothing and had no chances himself. Wood should have done better with his first chance, 2nd was a good save, but I'm much more annoyed with Longstaff and Joelinton for skying more clear cut chances. Thought Wood's hold up play was good as well, especially first half.

The first proper defeat is usually what does it, but it's hard to see where that's even coming from at the moment

Arsenal are going to have to do a serious, serious Arsenal to end all Arsenal's to throw away the title from this point.

Thought he was fine. Wilson didn't really improve us when he came on either, weirdly.

The result is disappointing and the missed chances were frustrating, but I can't knock the effort and although Man City drawing could be seen as a missed opportunity for us, it comes as more of a relief to me.

Can't get over how bad Longstaff's finishing was like, woof.

Thought he was fine, good hold up play

Really frustrating, not helped by a shocking ref that let them away with murder. On another day that's a comfortable win and they have a player or two sent off Pope: 7 Trippier: 6.5 Schar: 7 Botman: 7 Burn: 7.5 Bruno: 6.5 Willock: 6.5 Longstaff: 5 Joelinton: 6.5 Wood: 6.5 Almiron: 7.5

Been on here for years, you're relentlessly negative in the match threads. Not like I'm the first to mention it. I guess everyone's wrong