Bafflement at Old Trafford, Chelsea’s Wembley drought goes on and Leeds give fans cause for optimism
Luke Shaw’s first goal in over three years for Manchester United was a further reminder of the left-back’s capabilities. This has been his best season at Old Trafford having featured in all 37 league games thus far, leaving his injury-prone past forgotten. Considering Shaw’s experience and quality, he should be considered for a spot at the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel does not have a vast array of riches in the position and Shaw’s consistency has been key to Michael Carrick’s turnaround at Old Trafford. “He deserves to go,” said Carrick after the win against Nottingham Forest. “His consistency, his performances, his experience, his qualities. He’s an excellent full-back.” Nico O’Reilly is the current first choice for England and he has a very different profile from Shaw, having converted from playing as a central midfielder under Pep Guardiola. Tuchel may want to take Shaw to provide variety and reliability, which would be a sensible approach. Will Unwin
Match report: Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest
Let’s get this out of the way, it was handball. In a game with more on the line this latest VAR aberration would be hoisted up by abolitionists as another egregious example of why football is no better for the involvement of Stockley Park. “I think we need to have a meeting together to understand when it is a handball,” said a measured Vítor Pereira post-match. We need a meeting to understand what good process is. Accidental handball was the final ruling; not sure that matters when it leads to a goal, but whatever. From the original incorrect decision to award the goal, it took the VAR three minutes to look at the ball clearly striking Bryan Mbeumo’s hand, then another 60 seconds for the referee, Michael Salisbury, to go over to the screen and look at it again, only to ignore the referral and decide he was right the first time. That is far too long to make the wrong call. Pereira neatly summed it up with another damning understatement: “A lot of the time we don’t understand the decisions.” Tom Bassam
While it was hard to argue with Nuno Espírito Santo’s assessment that West Ham had “a bad performance and a bad day” at St James’ Park, his team are not Championship-bound just yet. Tottenham only need a point against Chelsea on Tuesday to effectively ensure their survival owing to their far superior goal difference, but they last took a point at Stamford Bridge four years ago. Their record against Chelsea is not reassuring: they have lost their past five meetings on the bounce by an aggregate scoreline of 12-4, with eight defeats from their last 10. Chelsea’s players will have the added motivation of auditioning for the newly appointed Xabi Alonso, not that they need another reason to make their opponents’ lives miserable. It could still easily come down to the final day, when Spurs face another difficult fixture against Everton. Nuno can only grit his teeth, hope Chelsea do his side a favour and, assuming Spurs’s horrible run in west London continues, rally his troops for a desperate last stand against Leeds. Will Magee
Match report: Newcastle 3-1 West Ham
Aston Villa’s season high represented another sobering low for Liverpool. Arne Slot’s side failed to hurt Villa and were weak in defence, leaking two more goals at set pieces. Liverpool were without nine first-team players, including Alexander Isak, their £125m marquee signing who was not risked with a minor problem but could return against Brentford on the last day. Isak’s season has been symptomatic of Liverpool’s struggles. Is it just bad fortune or have Slot and his side simply underperformed? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. “I don’t think it could come to anyone as a surprise that if you miss your pre-season and then break your leg that minor injuries can occur if you then start into Premier League games in that intensity,” Slot said. “Just a bit of bad luck for him that in a moment of time he comes back, then Hugo [Ekitiké] gets injured and we need him more.” Ben Fisher
Match report: Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool
After Saturday’s FA Cup triumph over Chelsea, the 17th major trophy of Pep Guardiola’s decade leading Manchester City, he reminded his players to never be complacent. “The most important thing is that [winning] trophies is good. Know what it takes to compete and win but don’t take it for granted,” the City manager said. “You start to believe that you are special, you will not win the FA Cup. Special we are not. The moment that we think [that], we will not be in these places. That is one of the things that through the years, we were OK with: knowing how difficult it is to win.” Jamie Jackson
Match report: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City
Chelsea’s dressing room and boardroom have been in a constant state of flux since Todd Boehly’s BlueCo bought the club in 2022, but one thing has remained the same: they have a dire recent record in cup finals at Wembley. In the first decade after the stadium reopened in 2007, Chelsea won five of their six cup finals under the arch. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City was their eighth loss in nine finals since 2017. Scoring goals at Wembley has also proven hard going, particularly since the departure of Didier Drogba (five goals in his five Wembley cup final starts). Christian Pulisic was the last Chelsea player to score in a domestic cup final, against Arsenal in front of empty stands in 2020. That’s five finals in a row without a goal. It is a dry spell that can be tied to a young squad’s relative lack of experience, but that argument does not stand up if you take into account the seven goals fired in against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Betis in the Club World Cup and Conference League finals just last year. Xabi Alonso is unlikely to have European football to play with next season, putting even more emphasis on Chelsea ending their Wembley drought and filling their silverware quota in domestic competitions. Billy Munday
FA Cup final: player ratings
Leeds’s season may have already been settled, but the manner of their win against Brighton at Elland Road on Sunday hinted at greater and more exciting things on the horizon. Daniel Farke reverted to a back three at Manchester City in November; the Premier League table since the start of December has Leeds sitting sixth, above many of the teams vying for European football next season including Brighton. Farke, a cause for debate among Leeds supporters in the early stages of the team’s return to the top flight, now appears to have full backing from the fanbase and a club who have made no secret of their desire to push on. His call for more backing in the transfer market on Friday felt timely; with survival secured, Leeds appear to be on the verge of another monumental step. Perhaps next year they will be among those jostling for continental football. Aaron Bower
Match report: Leeds 1-0 Brighton
There may be minimal fuss at the Stadium of Light should Chelsea take the lead and threaten Sunderland’s European ambitions on the final day of the season. No team has won more points from losing positions in the Premier League this season than Régis Le Bris’ determined unit, who made it 22 points recovered with their latest comeback at Everton. David Moyes’s players have wilted when European football beckoned, while Sunderland’s have pressed on despite exceeding all pre-season expectations. “The team never loses its head,” was Le Bris’ explanation for Sunderland’s powers of recovery. “The team always stays connected. The character of the players is [key]. They are sometimes emotional but they have strong personalities, and we trust the way we play. We feel we can control a game even when we concede. That can happen but we always feel we have time to come back.” Andy Hunter
Match report: Everton 1-3 Sunderland
West London staged an Adam Wharton masterclass, Crystal Palace’s midfielder pulling the strings and assuming full control until Brentford’s desperation and set-piece bombardment brought them back into the game. Wharton’s long-awaited first goal for his club arrived fortuitously, Caoimhín Kelleher diving over his low shot, but the 22-year-old’s overall performance deserved the headlines. His manager, Oliver Glasner, issued heavy praise, listing the midfielder’s many qualities, including his durability. Wharton was playing in his 54th game of the season, with a European final to come. “His head, his understanding of the game, his reading of the game, he is always two steps ahead,” said Glasner. “This helps him compensate for his physical disadvantage. It’s incredible how he reads the game.” Keith Andrews, the opposing manager, said: “He’s a quality player, no doubt about that.” Andrews’s midfielders had been left chasing the shadows created by a rare talent, one likely to be in demand in the summer. Not least by Thomas Tuchel. John Brewin
Match report: Brentford 2-2 Crystal Palace
Usually when a team go down there are a few obvious candidates for a shot at Premier League redemption. There are not many in the Wolves squad but Mateus Mané is certainly the outstanding contender. His finish for the Wolves opener was high quality and although he was clumsy in conceding the penalty that earned Fulham a point, the 18-year-old has shown more than enough this season to suggest he should not be playing in the second tier. For a player at his stage of development to shine in a poor Wolves side shows he has character to go with his technical and athletic abilities. Wolves fans may not like it, but his first move has to be a departure from Molineux. Given the right environment, he could develop into a Premier League matchwinner sooner rather than later. TB
Match report: Wolves 1-1 Fulham
