Slot in market for a No 9
Arne Slot is set to win the Premier League but at the same time knows he needs to make plenty of improvements within his squad this summer. One key acquisition will be a new striker. Darwin Núñez was not brought off the bench at Leicester despite Liverpool misfiring, Diogo Jota’s fitness is a constant concern and Luis Díaz, who started on Sunday, does not give off the impression of being a No 9. In tight matches, Mohamed Salah has often been the man to separate them from opponents. They had 28 shots at the King Power Stadium but needed a full-back to score the winner. Núñez will almost certainly depart Anfield to open up a spot for a superior No 9 but they do not come cheap. Plans will be afoot but they know they cannot get it wrong twice, having spent more than £80m on the Uruguayan who has never looked like delivering. Will Unwin
Match report: Leicester 0-1 Liverpool
Merino makes midfield mark
Mikel Merino has proven so adept at centre-forward that it was odd to see him revert to his more familiar midfield role against Ipswich. Mikel Arteta tried out the likely front six that will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final first leg, for which Thomas Partey is suspended. Merino was as impressive as he was understated, winning a game-high 10 duels – despite only playing 57 minutes. Whether his backheel assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s goal was a stroke of genius or a moment of good fortune, he was in the right place at the right time. “That’s where he’s played his whole career,” said Arteta. “We see him as a 9, and now it’s almost strange to see him in midfield. I think he did really well.” When Arsenal’s strikers do return to action, Merino showed he can make just as big an impact as a midfielder as when leading the line. Ben Bloom
Match report: Ipswich 0-4 Arsenal
Don’t make Watkins too angry
Ollie Watkins has a point. What is the appropriate response to losing your starting place in a team you helped drive into the Champions League, to a loan player who has one goal in nine league games? Watkins said he was “furious” and – also, just to be clear – “angry” after being replaced by Marcus Rashford in attack for the prime games against Paris Saint-Germain. He played like it against Newcastle, scoring after 23 seconds, his 15th of the season in the league, and hitting the woodwork twice. Unai Emery made the entirely correct point in victory that football is a squad game and Watkins a fantastic team player. But he is also 30 this year, Villa’s best forward and would slot nicely into the first XIs of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. Maybe don’t make him too angry. Barney Ronay
Match report: Aston Villa 4-1 Newcastle
United novices deserve better
A deflated Ruben Amorim had kind words for the local boy Tyler Fredrickson and Harry Amass, from London, as each made a first start and the former his debut. “What I felt today is that they deserved a better memory from their first games. Tyler played really well, also Amass played really well, and they deserved better. The memories are not the best for these kids but they played well.” This is the tale of a terrible season as Amorim noted when asked what his message to supporters is after this latest horror show followed Thursday’s last-gasp heroics against Lyon. “We tell the fans the truth: that we lack a lot of things in our team, that we miss chances, that if we don’t score goals we are not going to win. We have a lot to do and to focus on improving the team step by step. Understanding that until the end of the league it’s going to be like this and then we need to do something.” Jamie Jackson
Match report: Manchester United 0-1 Wolves
George re-energises Chelsea’s hopes
Prior to their Craven Cottage visit Chelsea’s away form had been dismal, with nine winless matches, a period exacerbated by a toothless attack. Enter Tyrique George. The 19-year-old academy graduate has emerged as a potential catalyst having played most of his minutes this season in the Conference League. His crucial strike against Fulham, making him Chelsea’s fifth-youngest scorer in the Premier League, injected much-needed dynamism into his side’s Champions League aspirations. “He is a talent, he has to work hard,” said Enzo Maresca. “He’s doing well with us, deserved a chance and the goal was fantastic. It was all very important because it gave us an energy boost for the last push.” It remains to be seen whether Maresca will entrust George with more significant minutes in the crucial run-in while his more established players continue to struggle in front of goal. Yara El-Shaboury
Match report: Fulham 1-2 Chelsea
Injury gives Moyes pause for thought
James Tarkowski’s hamstring injury was the turning point and an opportunity for David Moyes to see what a future Everton defence might be like without its dependable core of the captain, the coveted Jarrad Branthwaite and Jordan Pickford. Unconvincing, was the answer. Moyes could have switched Jake O’Brien into his favoured central-defensive position and fielded Séamus Coleman, Nathan Patterson or Ashley Young at right-back, but admitted he did not want to make two changes when the introduction of Michael Keane allowed for one. Keane had not played any competitive football for 10 weeks and it showed, immediately struggling as Manchester City gained control. Everton’s resolve to keep Branthwaite is likely to be tested again this summer but the importance of their defensive foundation was not lost on the manager in the aftermath of defeat. “They are an incredibly strong part of the team and when one of them is out you can see that it can have a big effect,” reflected Moyes. “It’s something we as a club need to consider.” Andy Hunter
Match report: Everton 0-2 Manchester City
Brentford’s late charge for Europe
Brentford’s defeat of Brighton brought back memories of early season when the G-Tech was a fortress and Thomas Frank’s team blew away opposition by blitzing them from the first whistle. Though the previous time such a home win happened was December. Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa took the headlines. The pair have now scored 34 league goals between them this season, the most prolific African Premier League partnership since Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané. Supplying many of the bullets has been Mikkel Damsgaard, whose willowy figure and stop-start gait has created 10 assists. “The quality they have is also nice, but they bring so much more than just goals,” said Frank. “There’s also Kevin [Schade]. All of them are really quick players who like to go behind.” Now for a late charge for Europe over the remaining five matches. “We are dreaming a bit,” said Damsgaard. “But it’s more fun to look up and we don’t have to look down any more.” John Brewin
Match report: Brentford 4-2 Brighton
Barrott makes himself unwelcome
Not for the first time this season, after ruling out Eberechi Eze’s free-kick on the opening day, the referee Sam Barrott made himself public enemy No 1 among Crystal Palace supporters following the decision to dismiss Chris Richards and not Bournemouth’s Adam Scott on Saturday. But while Oliver Glasner rightly called for more consistency from the officials, he also acknowledged that going down to 10 men had acted as a wake-up call for his players after shipping 10 goals in their last two matches and a lacklustre first-half performance against Andoni Iraola’s side. “Maybe this red card helped us get our confidence back because we need it,” said the Palace manager. Richards will miss Wednesday’s trip to Arsenal, when Glasner is likely to rest some key players with the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa in mind. Ed Aarons
Match report: Crystal Palace 0-0 Bournemouth
Potter should turn to youth
“It’s a mindset problem,” Niclas Füllkrug told Sky Sports after West Ham’s latest dismal result, a draw with relegated Southampton. The Germany international really was unhappy with his teammates, saying he was “very angry” and stated “we didn’t have the ability or the motivation to push up again”, adding “we were shit”. It is probably not a great sign when one of your team’s most experienced players is openly critical of performance, especially when the target of their ire is colleagues. Things have gone poorly under Graham Potter who is learning why taking on a new job mid-season is very difficult because the players do not fit what he wants to do and, now the team are effectively safe from relegation, they are giving off the impression that many of them know they will not be in east London next season. Potter might want to consider changing tack and giving minutes to youngsters who have a slight chance of enjoying a West Ham future. WU
Match report: West Ham 1-1 Southampton
Leicester need changes off the pitch
Leicester want to be back in the Premier League in August 2026 and big decisions will need to be made this summer if they want to be in the best position to do so. Clearly things have not worked at the King Power Stadium this season. Steve Cooper replaced Enzo Maresca and the style completely changed but the head coach was not helped by the collection of signings who were not up to the job being brought in, and Ruud van Nistelrooy has not been able to turn things around. Everyone appreciates Leicester cannot compete financially with those higher up the league but £33m was spent on Caleb Okoli and Oliver Skipp. Neither have made a difference and were on the bench on Sunday, a sign of how poor the recruitment process has been and changes need to be made at the top of the club to make them more effective when they invest in players. WU
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 33 | 44 | 79 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 33 | 34 | 66 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 33 | 18 | 59 |
| 4 | Man City | 33 | 22 | 58 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 33 | 18 | 57 |
| 6 | Nottm Forest | 32 | 13 | 57 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 33 | 6 | 57 |
| 8 | AFC Bournemouth | 33 | 12 | 49 |
| 9 | Fulham | 33 | 3 | 48 |
| 10 | Brighton | 33 | 0 | 48 |
| 11 | Brentford | 33 | 6 | 46 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 33 | -4 | 44 |
| 13 | Everton | 33 | -6 | 38 |
| 14 | Man Utd | 33 | -8 | 38 |
| 15 | Wolverhampton | 33 | -13 | 38 |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 11 | 37 |
| 17 | West Ham | 33 | -18 | 36 |
| 18 | Ipswich | 33 | -38 | 21 |
| 19 | Leicester | 33 | -46 | 18 |
| 20 | Southampton | 33 | -54 | 11 |
