04/26 - 04/28 Midweek Game Thread

[Zososoxfan]

New thread for the biggest EPL match of the season between City and Arsenal that will go a long way towards deciding the EPL winner. Arsenal head to the Etihad up 5 points on MANC, but MANC has 2 games in hand. MANC will likely have the GD tiebreaker at season's end so give them a half point for that. City come in HEAVY favorites today, at -160 for a City win, and +425 for an Arsenal win, and +320 for a draw. Both teams selected their expected XI and my gawd there's so much talent all over the field. While Arsenal amazingly can nearly match City for talent at FWD and MID, we're going to see just how good Gabriel, Holding, and White really are (I'm a big Zinchenko fan and don't doubt his quality). As a Spurs fan I'm rooting hard for the Citizens, but more than anything I'm just excited for a high quality high stakes affair. LFG!!

 

[ifmanis5]

View: https://twitter.com/TelegraphDucker/status/1651287852225839106

 

[OCST]

Forest have Brighton pinned back in the early going, but haven't converted.

Fake edit: penalty, Estupinan brings down Neco in the box.

Not a pen for me.

 

[OCST]

!!!! Tremendous save by Steele on the penalty !!!!

 

[Bozo Texino]

This is going to be painful.

 

[ifmanis5]

Pathetic and yet expected.

 

[OCST]

Watching Holding trying to deal with Haaland is... something.

 

[Zososoxfan]

Give Arsenal ALL THE BOTTLES

 

[ifmanis5]

Watching Holding trying to deal with Haaland is... something.

View: https://twitter.com/TeleFootball/status/1651304915946307608

 

[Bozo Texino]

City licking their chops.

 

[ifmanis5]

It'll be 3-0 eventually.

 

[coremiller]

Arsenal's backline is Holding on for dear life right now.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

It'll be 3-0 eventually.

Getting there - this is ovah

 

[Zososoxfan]

Arsenal trying to grease it up to get back into it. NAWT happening.

 

[ifmanis5]

City deserves the title and they'll get it eventually.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Men against boys this game.

Arsenal hit a bad spell at a bad time the last few weeks but this City side is genuinely great. Once they got rid of the Cancelo cancer and figured out this new lineup with Stones playing in midfield, they've been basically unstoppable. If they win the treble, which seems distinctly possible, they'll have a very good claim in the "Best PL side ever" debate.

They've outscored opponents 43-5 across their last 12.5 matches (including the first half today).

 

[Zososoxfan]

As someone who's read Inverting the Pyramid more than once, it's quite lovely that Pep's current favored formation is a 3-2-5.

 

[Silverdude2167]

Asking for a friend, so there was no real penalty for City breaching financial fair play rules?

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

I'm bummed that the season may go down as being viewed as a failure for Arsenal because of the way their down stretch unfolded. But they likely will end up with a points total that would have been enough to win the league occasionally, beyond the expectations of many.

 

[OCST]

Worryingly for Everton, Forest are up 2-1 to Brighton at 81'. Brighton's superiority is plain to see but Forest are a tough out at home.

 

[Zososoxfan]

Paging all bottles to Woolwich please. All bottles to Woolwich. Thank you.

 

[ifmanis5]

Asking for a friend, so there was no real penalty for City breaching financial fair play rules?

Still being investigated. At a leisurely pace.

 

[dirtynine]

Not a huge fan of any of the results right now

 

[Tangled Up In Red]

Is Peacock acting up for folks (at least on the City/Arse stream)?

 

[blueline]

Turns out billions in Abu Dhabi money will buy you a pretty good team and the league.

 

[67YAZ]

Liverpool up 2-1. Following online, but it seems like Liverpool are pulling their new routine of playing with fire, getting burned, and going back for more.

 

[lars10]

How is that not a handball even if your arm is in? He used his arm to get wider and leaned out to get the ball...with his arm

 

[Kliq]

It's been a hard last few days to be a Spurs fan. Today is not one of them.

 

[Zososoxfan]

It's been a hard last few days to be a Spurs fan. Today is not one of them.

This is our superbowl.

 

[OCST]

3-1 Forest now, since Dunk got a pen for having his big meat hook sticking straight up.

 

[coremiller]

This is our superbowl.

It's funny, rooting for City is such a different experience. I'm thoroughly enjoying this match and never doubted for a second that City would take care of their business. Basically the opposite of supporting Spurs, where even when they win you're expecting them to bottle it.

The irony is that the only time this doesn't apply for City is against Spurs.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

I'm bummed that the season may go down as being viewed as a failure for Arsenal because of the way their down stretch unfolded. But they likely will end up with a points total that would have been enough to win the league occasionally, beyond the expectations of many.

I don't know any Arsenal fans who view at as a failure. Many will be disappointed and a lot of trollish people on social media will say we bottled it or whatever. But we'll end up with our best league campaign since at least 07-08, with one of the youngest teams in the top five leagues, and fall short against one of the best sides the PL has ever seen. Not exactly a failure.

 

[lars10]

It's been a hard last few days to be a Spurs fan. Today is not one of them.

Yeah. it's about all you guys have had to celebrate since 2008 is hoping Arsenal fail

edit: and that's a Carabao cup

 

[lars10]

I don't know any Arsenal fans who view at as a failure. Many will be disappointed and a lot of trollish people on social media will say we bottled it or whatever. But we'll end up with our best league campaign since at least 07-08, with one of the youngest teams in the top five leagues, and fall short against one of the best sides the PL has ever seen. Not exactly a failure.

Arsenal's title hopes basically ended with Saliba getting hurt... they're probably a year ahead of where they should be anyway.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Arsenal's title hopes basically ended with Saliba getting hurt... they're probably a year ahead of where they should be anyway.

I doubt we would have stopped this City freight train anyway but, yeah, if we had a healthy Saliba we probably win a couple of the three draws and its still a real race even after a loss at the Etihad (which I definitely don't think he would have prevented).

 

[Kliq]

Yeah. it's about all you guys have had to celebrate since 2008 is hoping Arsenal fail

TBH, I was rooting for Arsenal and have no beef with their team and have enjoyed the progress they have made and actually think they provide a good model for some decisions Spurs need to make coming up.

Any and all Aresenal slander coming from me only exists in retaliation for Arsenal fans dumping on Spurs.

 

[lars10]

I doubt we would have stopped this City freight train anyway but, yeah, if we had a healthy Saliba we probably win a couple of the three draws and its still a real race even after a loss at the Etihad (which I definitely don't think he would have prevented).

They only had to win two or three more games.. The entire defense changed when he went down.. including today. Holding was basically responsible for every goal more or less.

 

[lars10]

TBH, I was rooting for Arsenal and have no beef with their team and have enjoyed the progress they have made and actually think they provide a good model for some decisions Spurs need to make coming up.

Any and all Aresenal slander coming from me only exists in retaliation for Arsenal fans dumping on Spurs.

Ok. Perhaps I'm being a little salty... but you're also in here cheering that Arsenal are losing but I suppose it's fair given it's your rival.. guess we'll all 'enjoy' City winning again together.

 

[lars10]

Grealish is such a dick

 

[Kliq]

Ok. Perhaps I'm being a little salty... but you're also in here cheering that Arsenal are losing but I suppose it's fair given it's your rival.. guess we'll all 'enjoy' City winning again together.

My post was intended at a joke mainly aimed at Tottenham self-deprecation (and I have no problem with Arsenal fans clapping right back!)

 

[SoxFanInCali]

I'll admit that it's not as annoying watching City become unbeatable as it was when Liverpool won 11 in a row and gained no points on them. Just a great team.

It's surely too little, too late for Liverpool to sneak into the top 4, but all the results went their way today.

 

[67YAZ]

Liverpool escape…or LiVARpool as the kids like to say. Bowen had a goal called off for a very close offside and Thiago avoided a late penalty shout, which brought Moyes this close to clobbering the 4th official.

Liverpool slide into 6th.

 

[67YAZ]

It's surely too little too late for Liverpool to sneak into the top 4, but all the results went their way today.

4th is a huge hill. Pool are 6 points behind United and have played 2 more matches, 6 points behind Newcastle and played 1 more match. Without anymore head to head tilts against those 2, I don’t think the gap will be closed.

Penultimate match day is against Villa, which could cement 5th place.

 

[lars10]

My post was intended at a joke mainly aimed at Tottenham self-deprecation (and I have no problem with Arsenal fans clapping right back!)

This is about the result I expected if I was being honest.

My only question would be why only 'the last few days'

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

It doesn't really matter and thusly will not get too much shit, but Oliver not giving Partey the second yellow there for his slow motion NFL tackle is the most trash, "spirit of the game over rules" nonsense refereeing you will ever see.

 

[CodPiece XL]

Just tuning in to catch up on the footy world today. Chelsea lost again? My aching sides. That’s something like 13 losses and 1 draw in Frank’s last 14 games. Whatever the decision was to hire him, it wasn’t based on football.

 

[lars10]

It doesn't really matter and thusly will not get too much shit, but Oliver not giving Partey the second yellow there for his slow motion NFL tackle is the most trash, "spirit of the game over rules" nonsense refereeing you will ever see.

Haaland could just have easily been out for several of his fouls...or any number of other City players.. it wasn't a clean game either way.

 

[Pesky Pole]

Liverpool escape…or LiVARpool as the kids like to say. Bowen had a goal called off for a very close offside and Thiago avoided a late penalty shout, which brought Moyes this close to clobbering the 4th official.

Liverpool slide into 6th.

To be fair, Bowen was an entire size 11 offside. I somehow find those easier than deciding if someone's left butt cheek is a goal scoring part compared to the defenders right clavicle.

On the Thiago handball, I like the no call through my Reds colored glasses but that one could have gone either way. I think he got the benefit of the doubt because he was falling down when it hit his arm. Regardless, it wasn't getting overturned either way by VAR so the call on the field stuck. I'd be complaining if it happened to Liverpool for sure....a true 50-50 call.

 

[lars10]

So how is this city team salary somehow cheap?

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

Just tuning in to catch up on the footy world today. Chelsea lost again? My aching sides. That’s something like 13 losses and 1 draw in Frank’s last 14 games. Whatever the decision was to hire him, it wasn’t based on football.

It's hilarious. The combination of getting sacked from Chelsea last time for defensive disorganization and trying to keep Everton up at the ass-end of the table have completely broken his brain and he's taking this squad of nothing but attacking midfielders, sitting almost all of them and is putting even more defensive lineups out there than Potter was when goalscoring was already their problem. It almost made sense at Madrid, made less sense at home chasing goals against Madrid, and is the funniest thing in the world when he puts out the same, 1 - 1.5 attackers depending what you think of Gallagher lineup against Brentford.