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Liverpool’s title defense suffered a severe blow after Virgil Van Dijk needed knee surgery following a terrible challenge from Jordan Pickford, which went unpunished.
On the other hand, Tottenham blew a three-goal lead in 12 minutes, but Manchester City proved that decent defense is still one thing.
Here, the PA news agency breaks down what we learned from the Premier League this weekend.
Pickford: the good, the bad and the ugly
Jordan Pickford pounced on Virgil Van Dijk during the Merseyside derby (Peter Byrne / PA) “>
Jordan Pickford remains the center of attention after his erratic performance in the Merseyside derby. The England keeper made two standout saves to keep Everton in the game, then nearly lost it when Jordan Henderson’s shot won him too easily, only for VAR to come to his rescue. But it was his unnecessary and dangerous onslaught on Van Dijk, which left the Dutchman in need of surgery, which left a bitter taste in his mouth. At this rate, Pickford could end up costing both Liverpool and Everton the title.
No Bale-out for the Spurs
YOU BEAUTYYYYYYYYYY !!! 🙌🙌🙌@manulanzini 😍😍😍pic.twitter.com/gfkM9M87WC
– West Ham United (@WestHam) October 18, 2020
It looked to be the perfect 20 minute run for Gareth Bale’s return, with Tottenham leading 3-0 and crossing against West Ham. The Hammers drew two before Bale nearly finished his comeback with what would have been the deciding factor. But his shot went wide and at the other end Manuel Lanzini scored the equalizer. It just goes to show that even a three-goal lead with 81 minutes on the clock is not certain during this strangest season.
Case for defense
Ederson kept Arsenal at bay (Michael Regan / PA) “>
Manchester City managed to show that disciplined defense is not entirely a thing of the past, as they kept a clean sheet against Arsenal, thanks in large part to the brilliant performance of goalkeeper Ederson. The Brazilian made two incredible saves late in the first half to prevent Bukayo Saka and then Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from disallowing Raheem Sterling’s goal.
Happy like harry
It’s been a sorry start to the season for Harry Maguire, whose form for Manchester United and England has fallen horribly, culminating in that red card against Denmark last week. But the United captain finally had something to celebrate when his goal helped United win 4-1 at Newcastle. United and England hope it marks a turning point in Maguire’s fortunes.
VAR. What is it for?
Pleased by @Everton naturally, but wow, VAR really takes the life out of the game.
– Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 17, 2020
Absolutely nothing, if you’re the Liverpool type. The most pedantic of offside calls robbed Henderson of a late winner. However, Pickford’s challenge to Van Dijk went completely unpunished. The Palestinian Authority news agency understands that video officer David Coote failed to verify a possible red card despite having the power to do so, and called ‘full verification’ once he ruled that the Dutchman had been offside. Baffling.
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