Kicking things off right with an utterly contextless graphic to illustrate who knows what:
Stop Aston Villa; Brighton Has a Family
In a surprising turn of events, Aston Villa delivered a resounding 6-1 victory over Brighton. This left us all in awe of Villa’s performance, as their lethal counter-attacking style proved too much for Brighton to handle. Villa’s ability to capitalize on Brighton’s mistakes and exploit their minor weaknesses was on full display, solidifying their position as a mid-table team to be reckoned with.
Manchester City’s Struggle Bus Against Wolves
Manchester City faced another setback in their quest for Premier League dominance as they dropped 3 points to Wolves. City’s lack of depth and key absences, including the injured Kevin De Bruyne and suspended Rodri (red card), were evident in their inability to break down Wolves’ defense. The team’s reliance on a few key players capable of unlocking defenses from the middle of the pitch became apparent, highlighting the need for reinforcements in the upcoming transfer window. With Arsenal closing in on their lead, City must address their depth issues to maintain their title defense.
Manchester United is Gaslighting Us
To mask the reintroduction of Antony into the team while still under investigation in two countries for assault, Manchester United chalked up another pathetic effort in losing 1-0 to Crystal Palace. The seemingly bottomless garbage bin continues to fill itself.
Does VAR Stand for Variable Aptitude for Rules?
Tottenham’s clash with Liverpool provided no shortage of drama and controversy as Liverpool almost salvaged a tie despite finishing the game with nine men. Officials produced two red cards against Liverpool, one to Curtis Jones for what ended up intentionally or not, a fairly nasty tackle on Yves Bissoum – a ruling at least subjectively within the rules. Meanwhile, the first yellow on Diogo Jota – before a second well-deserved yellow triggering a red – was a joke of a call, overshadowed only by the tragic miscommunication by the officials, causing a Luis Diaz goal to be erroneously overturned.
VAR footage released after the match made clear the officials had assumed the on-the-field decision without confirmation of the original call. Tottenham emerged victorious with a 2-1 win, thanks to an own goal by Liverpool’s Matip after inexplicably struggling to move the ball to open areas even after Liverpool’s second red. Tottenham did little to deserve the win on their body of work, but it left Liverpool fuming and figuring out how to be something other than the best 10 (or 9) man team in the EPL. Likewise, as I am on most workdays, the VAR officials were left fuming at the extent of their incompetence.
Meme of the Week
