Liam’s Corner: Arsenal avoid refereeing decisions, Martial magic, Spurs go missing and Sunderland’s destiny
Arsenal were incredibly lucky to negotiate past Hull at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon. For some reason, the level of officiating in the Premier League has demised considerably.
The Gunners were awarded two very lenient calls in which they shouldn’t have been on the receiving end of. First was the opening goal for Alexis Sanchez - he clearly hit the ball with his hand, but the referee decided to wrongly give the goal.
The other woeful decision was not sending off Kieran Gibbs. The Arsenal defender was the last man as he chopped down Lazar Markovic and somehow was only sanctioned with a yellow card. Another bad day at the office for Mark Clattenburg.
Hull’s manager, Marco Silva, said: "My players said the referee apologised to them at the start of the second half for the handball. I am not happy. We didn't deserve the result. Some important decisions were not good for us.”
If the referee has to apologise to the players for a bad decision, you know it was the wrong one. Utterly atrocious.
Anthony Martial was given another chance by Jose Mourinho at the weekend against Watford and boy did he take it.
The Frenchman assisted and scored the two crucial goals, but his desire, willingness and energy is what was more impressive throughout the game. It is a well-known fact that Mourinho likes his wide attackers to run back and see out defensive duties, and that is exactly what Martial did.
Criticised for his attitude by some ex-footballers, there should be no complaints of that performance from the 21-year-old. Accomplished, composed and vibrant are three words you could associate his game with.
Martial clicked in a three-man attack behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic with Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The interchanges between the three were sublime and they were playing some of their best football in months.
It is a credit to Martial to bounce back, ignore the critics, and show what a talented young footballer he really is.
When against lesser opposition, and at Old Trafford, Mourinho is likely to drop Michael Carrick’s defensive prowess for a more attacking line-up. It worked brilliantly yesterday and Martial deserves his place in the starting XI for now.
When the business end of the season arrives, it is normally Arsenal who go missing and combust to magnificent effect. However, the other team in North London, Tottenham, were the ones who showed a limp and disappointing performance against Liverpool.
Mauricio Pochettino’s away record against Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool reads as follows:
Won - 1
Drawn - 6
Lost - 8
For a team that is eyeing up Champions League qualification, or even better, to win the Premier League, that record is simply not good enough.
The performance vs Liverpool was shameful. The Lilywhites also appear to show a side of ‘thuggery’ when they concede in quick succession. Their heads drop and the nasty aspect of their game comes out in full flow. It is a really poor habit and one they need to kick.
Instead of focussing your energy on chopping down the opponents, focus it on clawing your way back into the game. Be smart.
Sunderland appear a lost cause: a team that already knows its fate. They might have valiantly beaten Crystal Palace 4-0 away from home, but they quickly eradicated that result with a 4-0 thumping of their own at home against Southampton.
A gutless, spineless and error-stricken performance from the Black Cats saw them remain dead bottom of the Premier League table with a mountain to climb.
Their January transfer business – Joleon Lescott, Bryan Oviedo and Darron Gibson – was utterly appalling and showed little hope of staying in England’s top flight division.
It only gets worse for David Moyes’ team as their next two opponents are in-form Everton at Goodison Park and Manchester City at the Stadium of Light.
There’s a clear lack of hope, optimism and imagination in the Sunderland team and it shows in the stands. By 55 minutes against Southampton (they were 2-0 down), it looked like a summer friendly was being played out. There was empty seats galore.
Why should fans sit and endure such a horrid performance when playing at home? It was disgraceful to those fans who pay out to watch their team week in, week out.