Solskjaer revival continues, Liverpool “not Harlem Globetrotters”

Paul Giblin
LONDON, JAN 14 — So the Solskjaer revival is for real at Manchester United, and although Red Devils fans may not be happy that they did rivals Liverpool a favor in the race for the Premier League title on Sunday, they will have been singing the praises of the Norwegian all the way home, after seeing their side make it six wins from six games with a 1-0 away to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.

Marcus Rashford scored the only goal of the game with a shot across Hugo Lloris after a fine solo run, but a string of saves from David de Gea were just as crucial to United’s win as the striker’s goal.
Afterwards, De Gea said Solskjaer had “restored happiness” to United, showing that at times the recipe for success isn’t as complicated as many make out.

A bad day for Spurs was compounded by an ankle injury to star striker Harry Kane, which could keep him out for a few weeks and further dent his side’s title hopes.
With Manchester City not playing until Monday night, Liverpool bounced back from two successive defeats with a 1-0 win away to Brighton & Hove Albion thanks to Mohamed Salah’s first half penalty.
It was a pragmatic if not pretty display which pleased Jurgen Klopp, who responded to criticism of the performance by telling reporters that his team were “not the Harlem Globetrotters.”

It was also a good weekend for Chelsea, who claimed a 2-1 win over Newcastle United to move six points clear of Arsenal in fifth place. The Blues are still in the market for a striker, and could regret allowing midfielder Cesc Fabrigas to leave for Monaco, so they may be active in the transfer market over the coming days.

Arsenal lost a London derby away to West Ham, with a single Declan Rice goal separating the sides.
The big story in this game was the absence of a fit-again Mesut Ozil from Arsenal’s matchday squad, and coach Unai Emery’s assertions that the club’s best paid player is just “like another player” doesn’t appear to bode well for the German’s long-term future in north London.

Everton got back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at home to Bournemouth to lift some pressure on under-fire coach Marco Silva.

Southampton’s upturn in form under new coach Ralph Hassenhuttl continued, with a 2-1 win away to Leicester City. Shane Long scored the winning goal, meaning the Irishman’s last four goals for the Saints have all come under different coaches, which says as much about Long’s strike rate as it does about Southampton’s tendency to wield the managerial axe.

Burnley beat Fulham 2-1 and – at home at least – are starting to look like the team which finished seventh last season.
Watford continued to impress with a 2-1 win away to Crystal Palace, while Cardiff and Huddersfield played out a dour 0-0 draw. Huddersfield should have had a penalty, while Cardiff coach Neil Warnock caused a stir after the game when he said he “couldn’t wait to get out of the EU” and “to hell with the rest of the world.”
Warnock’s club is owned by a Malaysian, which contains players from 11 different countries, and its top goal-scorer last season was a Canadian. who says football has to be logical? – XINHUA