Premier League Shorts

Another weekend of Premier League action came to an exciting conclusion on Sunday night as Manchester United battled for a win at Old Trafford to end Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the season. The big issue that’s dominated PL this weekend however, has been the wrong interpretation of VAR calls. So without further ado, here are some talking points from week six of the Premier League…

VAR INTERPRETATION WAS A NIGHTMARE

Never has a weekend since the introduction of VAR in the Premier League been so controversial. Referees right across the board made significant howlers in the interpretation of the laws so much so that their strange decisions basically sucked the joy out of the game. West Ham manager David Moyes was rightly incensed after match referee Andy Madley chalked off a goal he had rightly given based on instructions from the VAR referees. At St. James’ Park, what should have been a legitimate goal was overturned for what looked like a harmless tackle on Palace’s Vincente Guaita.

Among the plethora of strange decisions were Liverpool’s Van Dijk’s yellow for a clumsy tackle on Everton midfielder Amadou Onana while Leeds’ Jesse Marsch was sent off for vociferously complaining about a penalty that was not awarded to his side. Aston Villa manager Stephen Gerrard was bemused after  Philippe Coutinho’s goal from 20 yards was ruled off as an offside goal by referee Simon Hooper when in fact, replays showed that the Brazilian was in fact onside in the build-up. The Professional Game Match Officials’ Board has now decided to “fully co-operate” with a Premier League review of the incidents.

LEICESTER CITY ARE IN TROUBLE

It’s still early days so perhaps a bit premature to write about the demise of a team that are among only a handful to have won the Premier League title but the signs certainly don’t look good for Leicester City who are firmly rooted at the bottom of the league table after yet another loss to Brighton this weekend.

Brendan Rodgers looks like a man who’s had to walk 20 miles in the middle of a freezing winter night to get some supplies only to reach his destination and discover that he’d forgotten his wallet at home. Leicester City had a very poor transfer window where they’ve hardly brought in any recruits and losing their last five matches hasn’t helped dampen the mood among their supporters who fear that the club may never recover in time to catch the teams above them.

ANTONY MIGHT BE THE SPARK THAT UNITED NEED

A few United fans would have winced when the  £86m prize tag for Ajax’s Antony was mooted but the Brazilian has arrived at Old Trafford with the air of a man with a point to prove. Against Arsenal, the former Santos player showed everyone glimpses of a star in the making. It was a dream debut that the 22-year old would remember for a long time.

His inclusion in the team must have come as a surprise to the United fans but Antony did not seem fazed by the occasion as he became the 21st Manchester United player to score on his debut. While it’s still too early to make bold predictions about the impact that Antony could bring to this United team, there is no doubt that he’s shown in just 58 minutes of football for the Red Devils that he’s the spark that they’ve sorely missed for a few years now.

Abiye Opuamah

Abiye Opuamah is an editor and a massive football enthusiast who also dabbles now and again in writing flash fiction pieces, playing chess against the machine and almost always roots for the underdog. He lives in Johannesburg.