Man City's fail again against Brentford, Arne Slott's changes save Liverpool at Nottingham Forest – Premier League hits and misses | Football News

The walls of Manchester City are coming down… again

Just when you think Manchester City have got this thing about winning football games down, they go two steps away from another Premier League title.

Brentford – who went into the game with the second best home record in the league behind Liverpool – are by no means an easy place. But fighting as hard as Manchester City did to go 2-0 up and then letting it slip through their fingers is another concern.

It was far from their worst performance of the season, but until the 66th minute their finishing was wasteful. In fact, they could have been well behind had Brentford not missed too many good chances to get past them at the other end.

But it's possible that the attack wasn't the problem. Kevin De Bruyne rolled back the years for opener Phil Foden with a superb cross and Savinho looked lively, collecting the assist and hitting the post.

In his pre-match press conference, Pep Guardiola admitted that his team's defense has not been good enough this season. Unfortunately, the players proved him right.

Old Manchester City would have seen a game like that. But once again, Pep and his players found the walls around them crumbling. It remains to be seen whether that will lead to an increase in January transfers, but it was another reminder of Manchester City's struggles this season.
Charlotte Marsh

Brentford's heroics set up Liverpool's fightback

Brentford gave themselves the best possible boost of confidence ahead of their clash with Liverpool this weekend by holding Manchester City to a draw.

The Bees have stung many of the Premier League's big names since their promotion, beating all of the traditional 'Big Six' in the last three and a half years. This one lacked the score but exceeded it in other areas.

Brentford have always worked when they were more than the sum of their parts, firing on all cylinders. But even for a manager like Thomas Frank, that's not always sustainable and after losing an unbeaten home run before Christmas, the momentum could have wavered.

They once again showed the resilience that has marked their top-flight comeback against Manchester City, firing 18 shots – more than they managed in both games combined last season – and refusing to let their heads drop despite the tide turning against them . at 2-0 minus.

This was more than that. Frank said he recognized ahead of the game that City were winnable and asked his players to stand up to their expensive opponents.

The performance would have been encouraging regardless of the result, but the draw – and its euphoric, last-gasp nature – now provides an extra boost in preparation to face the league leaders.

Last January Liverpool visited Gtech, they left with their tails between their legs. That was before Brentford started taking on the big boys at their own game. Franco's side will love it even more this weekend.
Ron Walker

Potter uses his luck to get off target

Graham Potter is already working his magic at West Ham. What Julen Lopetegui would give for such a fortuitous victory. Only six touches in the opposition box. Three goals from three shots on target, from xG 1.1. Potter would hope it would always be this way.

The former Brighton and Chelsea manager had three training sessions and Friday's FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa to pass on his ideas to his new players.

Still, the Hammers, at times uneven under Lopetegui, already look like something approaching a functional, well-drilled football team. They were helped by Fulham's terrible defense, and goalkeeper Bernd Leno in particular had a night to forget.

Potter will be furious at how Alex Iwobi's two crosses flew straight in to keep him averaging two goals per game this season.

He will be aware that Fulham also hit the bar twice. But he will also be encouraged by how, with luck, they withstood a late barrage and achieved their first win at home since December 9.

Potter has vowed to be 'creative' in his line-up selection, with his attacking options depleted by the absence of Jarrod Bowen, Niclas Fullkrug, Michail Antonio and Crysencia Summerville. It will have to be, despite promising signs that Bowen will return ahead of schedule. For now, he can toast this first step on his way to the Hammers.
Ben Grounds

Wasteful Chelsea worries about Maresca

Straight out of the blocks, it was the Cole Palmer show – the Chelsea show – against Bournemouth.

Palmer was at his magical best, his dummy and finish giving the Blues a deserved lead. They were extremely dominant with 13 shots, five of which were on target. However, the key statistic was that they only had one goal at half time.

Nicolas Jackson is waiting for the goal. He was lively against Cherries but lacked edge. Three of his seven tackles were drawn by the Mark Travers defence.

He wasn't the only one to blame as the profligacy proved costly as Bournemouth clawed their way back into the game, with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca admitting his second-half slump was a concern.

Chelsea were eventually handed a get-out-of-jail-free card for James' extra-time free-kick, but Enzo Maresca's side are now five games without a win in the league.

It is not a critical result in terms of their Champions League qualification hopes, but they will need to find some ruthlessness in front of goal if they are to stay in the top four.
Oliver Yew

Slott had the last laugh with the change

Arne Slott was the target of Nottingham Forest fans throughout the game, and even his choice of footwear was subject to criticism. With Liverpool one down in the second half, they started chanting, 'Arne Slott, it's happening again', referring to Forest's win at Anfield.

The Dutchman forced a smile in their direction and although he didn't get the last laugh, his side forced an equalizer which maintains Liverpool's unbeaten Premier League away record. It came as a result of his own intervention after a bold change.

Bringing in Kostas Tsimikas for the struggling Andy Robertson was obvious enough, but removing Ibrahima Konate for Diogo Jota required some imagination. Ryan Gravenberch dropped to defense and Luis Diaz briefly operated in a deeper role in midfield.

Since the first weekend, Sloto's game-changing decisions have been praised, but rarely will a change pay off as quickly as this one – both substitutions combining for a tie. He wanted to win. But this could prove to be a valuable point for Liverpool.
Adam Bate

Murillo sums up Forest's determination

There were some excellent Nottingham Forest players against Liverpool, but Murillo was probably their pick, just ahead of goalkeeper Matz Sels, whose saves were so important.

The centre-back was like a magnet for the ball in the Forest box, deflecting almost everything. His total of 18 clearances was the most of any player in any Premier League game all season.

Previous highest total? Murillo was responsible for that as well, smashing 15 in Forest's draw with Brighton in September. Breaking his own records and making his mark in the Premier League, the 22-year-old continues to improve.
Nick Wright