Matchday 27 - Quick Round Up

Match Day 27 Round Up



Wednesday 18th February


Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Arsenal

This is strictly speaking a match day 31 match moved to create space later in the calendar, but I am going to include it here. One of the biggest shock results of the season, as the top of the table team failed to see out a 2-0 lead over the bottom of the table team. Wolves will be delighted, it was a match very few gave them any hope of getting a result in, though it must be said Arsenal contributed heavily to their own downfall. When your player goes down pretending to be hurt to time waste, is taken off to avoid having him be stuck on the sidelines for 30 seconds and then the replacement scores the own goal to equalise in the time added on because of the playacting, you can only really blame yourself. I am still unsure why the goal has been credited to Fandab's son Tom Edozie, it looked like an own goal. At 2-0 the Gunners were strolling to victory, but they got more and more defensive as soon as Wolves scored and lacked the bravery to take the win. At the end, along with that lack of bravery, they showed their other big problem - lack of discipline - as Jesus and the rest of the team lost the plot after the final whistle. This game could either be the lesson learnt to take Arsenal to the title or the reason why they fail, it is all up to Arteta now to take the lessons and let those players off the leash. For Wolves, it could be a springboard to at least get some respectability to their points total, but it seems unlikely they will be able to take anything more from it.

Starmen:
Bueno and Bueno - they combined well for Wolves' first goal, which turned the game on its head.
Saka - looks much more effective centrally.
Rice - I cannot remember seeing him ever play poorly.

Flops:
Armstrong - works hard, but is just not good enough.
Bellegarde - I am not even sure what does for the team. He does not seem to have any real quality on the ball at all.
Tchatchoua - lots of pace but nothing else at all.
Raya - not a night he will look back on fondly.
Trossard - if he had just gone out and played, Arsenal would have gone home with the points, but he had to try and be clever and show some shithousery.
Jesus - lost the plot after the final whistle and showed there is a fine line between caring about the result and being too emotional.



Saturday 21st February

Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds United

A game that will leave both sets of fans unsure how to feel. Villa fans will be disappointed by how poor their team played, while delighted to come away with a point due to a late goal. Leeds fans will be gutted to have lost all three points after being the better side but also happy to have performed so well against a team in the top 3, and do it away from home. Villa do look lost without their midfield trio of Kamara, Tielemans and McGinn. There is a lack of width and creativity in the team at the moment, but they will hope to return to form as players come back to fitness. Leeds are right now looking like the best of the promoted sides and will be aiming now to finish the season well and above Sunderland in the table.

Starmen:
Abraham - rescued the point with his late goal but looked a threat from the moment he was brought on.
Stach - a sensational free kick and a very good all-round performance.
Ampadu - he has been getting better as the season goes on.

Flops:
Maatsen - gets in good positions but then wastes the opportunity to do something with the ball when there.
Bailey - it is a surprise to see him back, he struggled during his first spell to make a consistent impact.
Watkins - he works so hard but it is clear that his confidence has vanished totally.
Aaronson - has been playing well but was playing a bit too deep to really get the most out of him.


Brentford 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

Going into the game, Brentford were a team on the up and looking at breaking into the top 6, while Brighton were struggling and Hurzeler's position as head coach was under threat. Despite the result, little has really changed, other than Brentford have lost ground on the top 6 and now look like they will be in a dogfight to qualify for Europe. BHA do now have a bit of a buffer from the relegation battle, with almost enough points to feel safe. The game itself was a bit disappointing as Brentford never really got going and fully deserved to lose. The Bees seem to struggle badly against teams that try to play football against them.

Starmen:
Welbeck - his career has been adversely affected by injuries and he is not an out-and-out goalscorer by any means, but he is still a very good player with the ability to hold the ball up and bring others into the game.
Gomez - opened the scoring and had a good game on the right.

Flops:
Collins - his arrival as substitute was disastrous and killed the game for Brentford by giving away a goal.
Janelt - was overrun in midfield.
Thiago - his purple patch seems to be over.


Chelsea 1-1 Burnley

You would have expected Chelsea to steamroller the Clarets, especially after opening the scoring so early, but it never happened. Burnley have been far too defensive all season long but, despite being 19th in the table almost since the beginning, they do not lack heart and desire. They needed that against a Chelsea side that massively overmatched them in terms of quality. They were helped by Chelsea failing to build on their lead, instead trying to just play out the rest of the game, timewasting and slow play allowed Burnley to get at them high up the pitch and hem them in. Their usual lack of discpline did not help, especially with Fofana picking up a second yellow and leaving them with ten men for the last 20 minutes. It does feel like Rosenior's bizarre decision to send the players on a short break to Dubai did not help at all, as he has barely had a chance to work with the players and drill them into his defensive shape and instill discipline. If one thing is going to cost Chelsea a UEFA Champions League spot, it will be their complete lack of discipline.

Starmen:
Pedro - after the goal, he ended up far too deep most of the game, helping out defensively, but never stopped working for the team.
Neto - Chelsea's other Pedro is always a threat with his pace.
Flemming - works so hard but does lack a bit of quality.
Ward-Prowse - he may be slower than a week in Barlinnie and seemingly incapable of passing the ball forward but he did show that his free kick delivery can still be excellent.

Flops:
Fofana - so undisciplined and a needless sending off. He lacks positional discipline as well, which often puts Chelsea under pressure.
Fernandez - the best parts of his game are attacking, which was a problem with Chelsea barely going forward with any real intent.
Walker - did his very best to help Chelsea get a second, but they failed to attack this obvious weakpoint.


West Ham United 0-0 Bournemouth

A game which suited both teams, the Hammers were able to sit back and look to hit on the counter, while the Cherries dominated the ball and looked to pass their way through the low block of West Ham. What it led to though was a bit of a non-entity of a contest. Bournemouth were not good enough to break the Hammers down and West Ham were not good enough to make the most of the chances they did get.

Starmen:
Hermansen - has recovered well from his early mistakes in a Hammers shirt.
Diouf - had a decent game and worked hard to deny Rayan.
Summerville - the most likely scorer in a West Ham shirt.
Rayan - his battle with Diouf was probably the most entertaining part of the match.

Flops:
Castellanos - he does not look like a goal getter.
Evanilson - needed better service but did not do well with what he had.


Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle United

Man City are grinding their way through matches right now, they are getting the right result but never look truly convincing or at anything like their best. Does that mean they have some gears to go up through when needed? Or are they just not as good as they once were? Either way, they are keeping the pressure on Arsenal and have the experience in their ranks to keep on going. Newcastle look a poor side, mainly reliant on physicality but their injuries is seeing them lacking their more physical players. It does seem bizarre to have Woltemade playing almost on the left of midfield while Gordon is up front, especially as both players looked lost.

Starmen:
O'Reilly - two goals and a good overall game.
Haaland - even without a goal he can offer something to the team and got himself an assist.

Flops:
Ait-Nouri - at fault with the Newcastle goal, showed a lack of decisiveness to close down and ended up deflecting the ball past Donnarumma.
Willock - seemed to be playing ahead of Woltemade on the wing, bizarrely. It did not work at all and he was extremely poor defensively in the lead up to both goals.
Elanga - offered very little.
Woltemade - not sure why he was in midfield playing the Joelinton role as it really does not suit him at all.



Sunday 22nd February

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool

An absolutely astonishing smash-and-grab as Liverpool produced amongst the worst performances I have ever seen from them, were second best for most of the game, only to score the game's only goal in the dying minutes of added on time. Forest only have themselves to blame as their woeful finishing let them down time and again. Liverpool players looked like they could not be bothered, the effort, the first touch, the desire, all looked to be absent until right at the end. It was an undeserved win, but it was another three points in the battle for a Champions League spot.

Starmen:
Anderson - apart from his corners, he played very well.
Sangare - he is finally showing the form that made Forest move to sign him after a long illness seemed to totally sap all his energy.

Flops:
Aina - he is still struggling to get back to speed after injury.
Gibbs-White - should do more.
Jesus - seems unable to finish his dinner, let alone a chance in the Premier League.
Liverpool - the entire team flopped miserably in their play. The most frustrating thing was the lack of effort from so many of them.
Slot - made an early call to swap over Jones with Szoboszlai but then did nothing until the 77th minute, even though it was clear Jones was having an absolute mare and the entire team was shambolic in their play. Though it could, of course, be argued that he got it right as the team came away with the win.


Sunderland 1-3 Fulham

The Mackems desperately need to get Xhaka back to full fitness and a starting berth as they are really struggling with the demands of the Premier League and lack of experience in the side. They had looked so good with a settled midfield early in the season, but have dropped off massively and need to recover quickly before their poor form becomes a major slump. Losing Mukiele's long throws to an injury early in the first half seemed to almost completely curtail their attacking threat. Fulham looked a step above Sunderland and are now above them in the league table.

Starmen:
Jimenez - two goals for the Mexican forward.
Wilson - gave the Sunderland defence a torrid time.
Bassey - his pace and power at the back is a real asset.

Flops:
Hume - unable to handle Wilson.
Diarra - I am sure he will be replaced by Xhaka in the starting line up as soon as the Swiss international is fit enough to start.
Angulo - offered little.
Brobbey - needs to do so much better.


Crystal Palace 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

This was never going to be a classic, with Palace in the middle of their worst home run in many years and Wolves yet to win away from home this season, so it is hardly surprising that we got a dull game. It was livened up by a dreadful attempt at a penalty from Arokodare, a player that had missed his last 4 in a row, and a red card for Krejci. It was a clash of two very poor teams, with little to enjoy as the Glasner era winds down with the team flirting with a relegation battle.

Starmen:
The fans for bothering to turn up and cheer despite both teams being abysmal for some time now.

Flops:
Both teams - they were both so dire.
Glasner - has progressively dragged Palace down since the summer, when he got too big for his boots.
Edwards - all that was needed was to inspire some fire in this team and he has failed to even do that.


Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 Arsenal

Spurs were so bad, they did not look to understand the tactics or how to cope with Arsenal. This was an embarrassing match for the home side, who were dominated and outplayed almost throughout. They are looking like a team ripe for the drop, unless Tudor can turn things around quickly. Far too many lightweight players who think they are top class, despite being exceedingly average. The Gunners did not even need to play at anything like their best to absolutely batter Spurs. The boost in confidence could be key to them being able to cope with the pressure of the run-in.

Starmen:
Gyokeres - two goals for the striker might finally get him going.
Eze - also scored two, he does seem to like facing Spurs.

Flops:
Spurs team - they were dreadful to a man. A shambles would be being nice about it.
Rice - his error to give Spurs their goal could have been a real issue against a decent side. I am sure he will learn from it.



Monday 23rd February

Everton 0-1 Manchester United

Almost a carbon copy of the Forest-Liverpool game, with an away team playing terribly but coming away with a 1-0 win anyway due to the inability of the home side to score. It must be said though that Man Utd were not quite as terrible as Liverpool were. What did surprise me is Barry continuing to be chosen to start when it is clear he is carrying a significant shoulder injury that is effecting his ability to play. You could understand if he was playing well and notching goals, but it would surely be better to let the lad heal as he is struggling? United fans must be delighted, not just with the result, but the signing of Lammens as well. After having to suffer Onana, it must be a relief to have a keeper you can actually feel confident will be a positive for the team.

Starmen:
Ndiaye - the Toffees need to hold onto him and surround him with better players.
Dalot - I know he is not a favourite with the fans, but he does look so much better as a full-back than he did as a wing-back.
Lammens - another very solid performance from a keeper who has established himself as one of the better keepers in the Premier League.
Sesko - came on and showed real pace to get his goal.

Flops:
Moyes - made an absolute pigs ear of the team selection. A centre-back at left-back and midfielder at right-back, while also playing Dewsbury-Hall once more as an attacking mid, despite him always looking better in a deeper role.
Shaw - he looks the weak link of the United back-line.

Written by Tris Burke February 25 2026 14:58:57