Matchday 25 - Quick Round Up

Match Day 25 Round Up



Friday 6th February


Leeds United 3-1 Nottingham Forest

A game that saw Forest's attempts to sit back and soak up pressure fail completely against a Leeds side that just seemed to want the result more. By half-time, with the score at 2-0, Forest looked in desperate need of a change of some kind, just to give them a bit of hope. Instead they came back out exactly the same and quickly conceded another goal and their hopes of getting a result. They did have a bit of a flurry at the end of the match, but that was as much down to Leeds sitting back on the three goal cushion as it was down to Forest. A hugely important result for Leeds, as it put a bit of daylight between themselves and the relegation places, while keeping Forest in trouble.

Starmen:
Gudmundsson - drove forward well and was given freedom down the left by Dominguez, who seemed to have no interest in tracking back.
Gruev - played really well, admittedly he was given time and space, but picked out some lovely passes.
Justin - popped up in the box to end up creating a goal with a calm pass after his shot was blocked.
Bogle - caused lots of problems.

Flops:
Ortega - a debut to forget.
Aina - looks nothing like the player he was before his injury.
Gibbs-White - offers nothing right now, other than loose passes.
Dominguez - what I can only describe as a 'half-arsed' performance.
Hudson-Odoi - very disappointing.
Jesus - got very little service to be fair to him.



Saturday 7th February

Manchester United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur

A very one-sided game, even before Romero was sent off (harshly maybe but it is the kind of thing which happens when you build yourself a reputation as a lunatic with repeated wild lunges). Spurs huffed and puffed but never really threatened a resurgent Man Utd side. Man Utd look a much better side under Carrick than they did under Amorim, like a team that is able to play rather than be constantly thinking about what they are meant to do. On the other side, Spurs look an absolute shambles under Frank, with little to be positive about, similar to the mess of last season. It does seem like their problem is not the manager, but the lack of quality of the players. They have bought badly, players like Simons, who have never been any good in reality, though have lots of hype, over players with substance.

Starmen:
Fernandes - every opposition fans least favourite player, but he is a top quality attacking midfielder. He may lack positional discipline defensively, but he can pick a pass and is a genuine goal threat.
Mainoo - he is really making Amorim look silly, unable to get a game under the Portugese and yet now he looks like a key midfielder.
Dalot - he has been a bit of a whipping boy for frustrated fans, but he looks so much better as an actual full-back.

Flops:
Solanke - he is not being helped by the service he gets, but still should offer more.
Odobert - lightweight and ineffectual.
Sarr - as Odobert above.
Udogie - he played like he had just rolled out of a hospital bed still dosed with meds. Such a confused performance and so many errors.
Romero - his game is built on stupidity and rashness, how on earth he is an international and World Cup winner is astonishing.
Gray - really needs to find a position to call his own soon, his career is flailing around desperately in need of a settled run to develop himself. He is too good to just be constantly shunted around.


Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-3 Chelsea

A first half hat-trick from Palmer saw Chelsea stroll to a comfortable win. It is the usual story for Wolves, lots of individual errors giving away goals and gifting opponents a win. Edwards has done well, but he is finding that Wolves is like an old oil tanker heading for disaster and unable to turn around in time to avoid it. He took a big chance on this job and it is clear that it was an impossible task to save this side from relegation. Chelsea are a team on the verge of a step up to become a regular Champions League team once more, but they need to build a bit of stability into the squad.

Starmen:
Mane - the big question is probably why it took so long for the youngster to be given a chance.
Pedro - the man in form at Chelsea right now.
Palmer - even if he had done nothing else, a hat-trick would get him in as a starman for this game! He is beginning to look back to something approaching his best now after his injury problems.
Caicedo - gives the team a solid platform to build on.

Flops:
Sa - he is a very inconsistent keeper, prone to flapping at crosses.
Wolves defence - back to the mess they were in under Pereira.


Fulham 1-2 Everton

Once again the Toffees show how much better suited they are to playing away from home, as their overly defensive style requires the opponent to attack them. Fulham are a team that can blow an opposition away when at their best, but are struggling to play well this season. Their lack of signings in the summer has left them with no squad depth, which reduces Silva's options to rest and rotate, also meaning they are susceptible to a loss of form when injuries hit. Everton are still building, but Moyes needs to find a way to produce these better performances at home.

Starmen:
Garner - no matter where he is asked to play this season, Garner is doing a good job.
Dewsbury-Hall - has been a key player for the Toffees this season.

Flops:
Wilson - struggled to get involved.
Barry - his confidence seems to be shot and he barely even looks like a professional footballer right now, despite working hard.
Tarkowski - he looks like a player who is coming to the end of his career and is struggling to adjust to not being as quick as he once was.


Burnley 0-2 West Ham United

Any faint hopes of survival the Clarets had were hammered out of them by West Ham in this game. Parker's refusal to try anything different has seen them capitulate with barely a whimper. It is surprising he still has his job, with Burnley failing to even be competitive in the Premier League, and far from entertaining to watch. Will anyone miss them? At least the Hammers are putting up a fight now, they have got themselves within touching distance of safety. This could be a proper dogfight to survive this season.

Starmen:
Fernandes - the summer signing from Southampton has become a key figure in the Hammers' midfield.
Summerville - the winger is in excellent form right now and scored the opening goal.
Diouf - excels going forward and was allowed to do so.
Wan-Bissaka - has looked a much better player since signing for the Hammers than he did at Man Utd.

Flops:
Parker - has no tactical plan other than defend for dear life and hope for a miracle.
Florentino - no good having a ball winner without a ball player alongside him to pass to.


Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland

Quality shone through as Sunderland's energy and enthusiasm was not enough to cover the gap between the ability of the two sets of players. Arsenal are the strongest squad in the Premier League and, though Le Bris has performed a minor miracle so far, there was nothing he could do to stop a much better team from overwhelming the Mackems. For Sunderland that was simply a free hit of a match, with absolutely no pressure on them to win or worries when they lost, as they are safe from relegation now. Arsenal are so far managing the pressure and continuing to grind out the results they need, each time taking a step towards the Premier League title they are so desperate for. There is still a long way to go and the pressure will only increase until Man City slip up.

Starmen:
Arsenal back line - the defence is so solid that it gives them an excellent base to build from.
Rice - he is everywhere this season. If anyone in this Gunners squad deserves a league winners' medal it is Rice.
Gyokeres - is it finally falling into place with the striker notching two?

Flops:
Madueke - got off to a good start but is looking like a complete waste of money right now.
Brobbey - lacks the clinical finishing they need in games like this.
Le Fee - got overrun in midfield.


Bournemouth 1-1 Aston Villa

Both teams looked a bit leggy and reliant on a bit of individual quality to score. Bournemouth's struggles look to be over and they are now once more pushing up the table. They will have their eyes on a European place for next season. Villa look like a team that have run out of confidence and are starting to slip away down the table, from a battle for the title into a battle for the Champions League place. They should still have enough to get one, but uncertainty surrounding Emery's future is not helping his chances of turning things around before it becomes a slump.

Starmen:
Rayan - the January signing was full of pace and attacking verve.
Onana - he is limited in terms of creativity but he pairs up very well with Luiz.

Flops:
Senesi - very good on the ball but not the best defensively.
Watkins - this has been a very poor season for him, with little sign of him getting back to his best.
Digne - probably the worst bit of defending this season was his 'attempt' to stop Rayan just before the youngster scored.


Newcastle United 2-3 Brentford

Newcastle's poor form continued with a third league defeat in a row, as Brentford showed us all that they are not going away. The Toon, despite the addition of Thiaw to their defence, are too disorganised at the back and lack clinical finishers up front, never a good combination. Usually they have a hard running and battling midfield to cover the defence and get forward to support the attacks, but this midfield is unbalanced with Willock instead of Joelinton and they look tired due to the demands of European football. Brentford took full advantage and are showing that their success is based upon their overall set up, rather than down to any individual manager. They are able to cope with changes because they are built around a system that works, rather than a manager.

Starmen:
Guimaraes - he was badly missed in the last couple of games.
Ouattara - a goal and an assist for the pacey wideman.

Flops:
Tonali - looking very tired right now.
Murphy - oddly, with his main strength being his crossing, he was taken off for Newcastle's big man to come on. Which leads to the next flop....
Howe - bizarre substitions, inability to organise a defence and lack of any real plan.



Sunday 8th February

Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 Crystal Palace

A genuinely bitter rivalry but a lacklustre game. Both sides were so bad that the victory for Palace was more about them being less rubbish, rather than being better. The first half was a particularly forgettable piece of football. A match that summed up the demise of enjoyable, watchable football in the Premier League, with two teams that did their best to grind your will to watch down!

Starmen:
Lerma - playing out of position at centre-back he is still managing to put in good performances, though they badly miss him in the midfield.
Lacroix - has been a stand out for Palace.

Flops:
Hurzeler - got the tactics completely wrong and played into Palace's hands.
Rutter - offered little to the team and seemed to lose the ball a lot.


Liverpool 1-2 Manchester City

A game that City had the majority of possession in the first half, while doing very little with it, then got completely hemmed in by Liverpool until the Szoboszlai goal. Liverpool then sat back to defend the lead and proved incapable of doing so. There were a lot of unforced errors which contributed to Man City's win, but it was almost a certainty before kick off that this would be the pattern of the game. Liverpool should have taken the game on after scoring, Citeh were playing so badly and had their tactics badly wrong, but sitting back and inviting the Mancunians on was never going to end well.

Starmen:
Szoboszlai - yes, he got sent off late on but he had played well up until that point, including scoring that beauty of a free kick, which alone is worthy of inclusion here. Also, the fact that he was sent off for trying so hard to keep Liverpool's chances alive and putting in so much effort to chase back with Haaland means it is not such a negative red card as a meaningless kick out in the middle of the pitch, for example.
Haaland - fed off scraps but ended the game with a goal and an assist.

Flops:
Slot - this constant drop off and defend after taking the lead has to be under instruction from him, as it happens every time. Also, he is failing so badly to use his substitutes to alter the course of the game positively.
Becker - even the best have off days and this was one hell of an off day for him. Huge error to give away a penalty when the ball was going harmlessly out of play and then compounded it by trying too hard to make up for it with a goal, when he should have got back into goal.
Mac Allister - hopeless again.
Gravenberch - so bad in the first half, did improve a little in the second though. That could probably have also been said of just about everyone in red!
Marmoush - really struggled to get into the game.

Written by Tris Burke February 12 2026 15:41:27