Even with a couple matches postponed due to the Capital One Cup final, there was plenty to talk about in the Premier League. We had errant red cards, revised expectations, incredible goals, and a huge (albeit somewhat dubious) day for a former non-league player. In short, it was a pretty great weekend. Here’s a few things you might have missed.
1. Coutinho’s new hobby ruins title race
With Chelsea’s league fixture this weekend postponed so they could go win some silverware, Manchester City had a chance to close the gap on them to two points and exert real pressure on the title chase as the Premier League season groans into the final act. But Anfield proved once again to be a place of wailing and gnashing of teeth for the Sky Blues. Philippe Coutinho scored a belter from outside the box—which seems to be his new hobby—late in the second half to give Liverpool all three points and pull them to the very threshold of the Top 4. It’s still March, and it’s still the Premier League, so anything can happen. But it’s really hard to imagine Chelsea slipping up enough to give City the title at this stage.
2. A referee sent off the wrong player (again)
Radamel Falcao was pulled down in the box by Sunderland’s John O’Shea, giving Manchester United a penalty and their first goal. And because it was clearly Denying an Obvious Goalscoring Opportunity, O’Shea should have been sent off. Yet it was his partner in central defense Wes Brown who was given marching orders. Something similar happened around this time last season, when Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs was sent off for a handball committed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain while playing away at Chelsea. It’s easy to blame the officials- and surely they bear some responsibility- but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that they simply do not have the tools to perform their duties accurately. Video replay may or may not be the solution, but the problem itself isn’t going to go away on its own.
3. Stormclouds over Goodison Park