Premier League Review: Do City smell Arsenal blood despite derby win?

11:49Luke Edwards:That's what I'm trying... There you go. Pep said they can have the cocktails. If Man City take the lead, they're not getting caught. That's my opinion on it.

11:56Clinton Morrison:Now, on Tottenham, I don't think anyone was really expecting them to win. But you look at where they are now. They're only four points above West Ham. And I'm not sure I saw... I know what I was expecting, really, but they didn't look much better than they did against Thomas Frank. Certainly not in the second half.

12:18Rick Edwards:There's a word we used before coming on air, which we are unable to use on air. Say what you feel, say what you feel, Luke.

12:28Luke Edwards:Rubbish, basically.

12:29Rick Edwards:Yeah, yeah, yeah. And they didn't look any better than they had under Thomas Frank, really. There was a bit of energy, there was a bit of running around, there was a bit of fight, and of course there should be. It's a North London derby, and the crowd were well up for it in the first half, and they get that goal really with their first clear chance. I think I was struggling to think of anything before then. they get the equaliser and then they just fold in the second half and they look bedraggled again in the second half for me they've got so many injuries there is always going to be that excuse available to them but Igor Tudor which is a name I love sounds like a James Bond villain he's got a big job on his hand he's coming as an interim manager for a group of players who've just seen off Thomas Frank let's make bone or no bones about it they saw him off they got rid of him because they weren't having him and weren't buying into his ideas.

13:16Rick Edwards:We helped you again, Rick. I think it's a big, big job. And it is one of the ultimate cliches, but it is also true. There is no such thing as a team that's too good to go down. And I think Tottenham have to be really, really careful that they don't get complacent and think, well, we're going to win enough games. We've got enough of a cushion. The teams below us are worse because there are signs that West Ham are picking up. Leeds have been very, very consistent. Nottingham Forest, again, their team is good on paper as well and they've got some fantastic footballers and I thought they were a little bit unfortunate against Liverpool today not to at least get a point.

13:51Rick Edwards:So complacency and arrogance could take Tottenham down and there's a big, big job coming up for them.

13:56Luke Edwards:I agree with you, Luke, because you know what? Their next two games, they have got Fulham and Crystal Palace. Just Fulham away and then Palace home. Yeah, Fulham and Palace at home. And then they still don't have their captain Romero because this was the second game and he's got two more games and I think they need him and Mickey van der Ven at the back. So they're two games where you're looking at it and thinking, if you don't pick up points, you are going to look over your shoulder because I think the form West Ham are showing at the moment. I know they've got tough games, but they look organised at the moment.

14:23Luke Edwards:And I look at Tottenham, they don't look organised. They don't look organised as a team. They don't look a threat going forward. They can't keep the ball out of the defence. So that's a recipe for disaster for me. So do I think they'll go down? No. But do I think they're in a bit of trouble at the moment? 100%.

14:38Clinton Morrison:Just quickly, I want to have an argument with you

14:42Luke Edwards:about the disallowed

14:46Clinton Morrison:Kolo Mawani goal. Because to me, that is a pathetic dive from Gabriel. You'd need a snickle from cricket to determine whether he's actually touched it. And he throws himself down like significantly after the hand is off his back, by the way. It's like if a striker, if it's the other way around, if it's a defender doing that to a striker, there is no way it's being given as a penalty.

15:15Luke Edwards:I agree with you.

15:15Clinton Morrison:Absolutely no chance. Do you know what it is?

15:17Luke Edwards:It's just, I said it during commentary, as soon as you raise your hand and touch someone, regardless, and I agree with you, it's the slightest of touches. As soon as Gabriel goes down, the referee's always going to do that. But do you agree that the other way around,

15:28Clinton Morrison:it's never been given as a pen?

15:30Luke Edwards:Yeah. Well, yeah. So I'm in your camp, mate. I'm in your camp. I do think it was soft. I'm going to look, in your words,

15:37Clinton Morrison:clear foul because you're a moral.

15:39Rick Edwards:Clear foul. Two hands on the back. shoved him while he's in the air knocks him off balance in the air makes the most of it Gabriel makes the most of it

15:48Clinton Morrison:oh you think he makes the most of it he definitely makes the most of it

15:51Rick Edwards:but you don't get given the decision do you know what I mean

15:54Clinton Morrison:so with my thought experiment if it's the other way round is that a penalty?

15:58Rick Edwards:if it's the defender on the attacker if Gabriel if the referee awarded it on the pitch

16:04Clinton Morrison:it would be a penalty that's not what I'm asking is it a penalty? well that's the answer you're getting is it a penalty?

16:08Rick Edwards:my point is that with VAR would he be given us a penalty?

16:12Clinton Morrison:Possibly.

16:14Rick Edwards:But he's not going to win that header, is he? Gabriel's not going to win that header. It's so soft. It's soft. Exactly. He's not winning the header either.

16:20Clinton Morrison:I mean, I thought it was disgraceful. So if he's not going to win the header, why does he shove him?

16:25Rick Edwards:But why does he shove him? He touches him. He's put two hands on his back. He's touched him, but it touches him. He's not shoving. Was it two or one? I think it was one. Two.

16:36Clinton Morrison:But that's whatever. Luke, what were you watching? It was one. Two. I think it's one. I think it's one and it's like it's like an affectionate stroke it's soft

16:46Rick Edwards:it's soft and you know I like to argue with you you were so adamant that it was that I was instantly I was instantly going to say no that's a clear penalty

16:55Clinton Morrison:you're a contrary man but yes

16:56Rick Edwards:I didn't like your attitude when you just declared that I described it as pathetic which it was yeah and I didn't like that attitude so I argued with you but actually in reality yeah you made the most of it Gabriel

17:08Luke Edwards:these two are like brothers man You lot made me laugh. You're brilliant. You're brilliant.

17:12Clinton Morrison:All right, let's move it on then to the game that you were watching yesterday. Really hard-fought win for City against Newcastle. And Pep obviously delighted, saying go and enjoy the Caipirinhas or whatever to the players. And you could tell from the reaction at full-time that City smell that this could be on.

17:35Rick Edwards:Yeah, they smelled blood. They felt something stirring. the atmosphere I go to the Etihad quite a lot and I don't want to be too rude but it is one of the quieter flatter home crowds generally they've become so used to winning and success that they get a bit blasé about it all but in the second half I think it's more that

17:51Clinton Morrison:than the fans not being passionate it's just that they've won so much they've got a traditionally

17:58Rick Edwards:brilliant fan base hugely passionate fan base but the atmosphere at the Etihad can be very flat and it can be stale Pep Guardiola has talked about that in the past, that, you know, for big Champions League games, they haven't been up for it. But when the team needed them on Saturday night, Newcastle were putting them under quite a lot of pressure. It was 2-1, but Newcastle played really well and were kind of relentless, certainly physically. They were relentless on them and City were actually pinned back. The crowd really responded to that adversity and the noise inside the stadium, I think really helped carry City across the line.

18:31Rick Edwards:But I think that's because the supporters sensed this was a huge moment. Like Arsenal having a wobble. They needed to keep the pressure on and Newcastle were coming at them pretty hard. And it was loud and it was, you know, there was a lot of audible backing for tackles, for clearances, for headers. And then at the end, Pep's not, I've not seen him that animated, certainly not this early in the season in February for a win. You know, he was fist bumping, he was jumping into the arms of people. City players were falling to the floor. I think they knew that was a big, big moment for them. And I think it just felt like a club that believes Arsenal are going to blow it.

19:04Rick Edwards:and they think if they exert enough pressure, if they take care of their business, which I know is obvious because if they beat Arsenal, you know, they will move ahead of them. But they think Arsenal are under pressure and they're having a wobble and it's tense and Arsenal aren't able to cope with that and City responded brilliantly. But what I will also say is they're still not, they're still not the City of old. No. They're still not as good as some of the previous Pep Guardiola teams we've seen. But maybe that makes them more endearing to the supporters. Yeah, I think. That the supporters need to help them.

19:33Clinton Morrison:Yeah. you know I like a stat on this podcast and this one really made me chuckle there's only two teams in the Premier League who are currently on a run of more than one win in a row so it's Liverpool who've won two in a row and City who've won three and it tells you that the league is inconsistent it tells you maybe that it's quite sort of evenly matched, does it also tell you that the league, that just the quality isn't there at the moment?

20:05Luke Edwards:See, it's a difficult one. Yeah, I don't know what the answer is. I understand where previous seasons, you look at it and Man City and Arsenal have gone toe-to-toe. And then you look at Liverpool last season and people said, was it still good? I still think there's this quality, but I think it's inconsistent. I think that's the big word that you've made. There's still a lot of quality, but it's so inconsistent. Where before, where Man City, you look at this time of the season, it's kind of their season. Pep said it the other day. This is where we kick on. This is what he enjoys and he smiles it.

20:30Luke Edwards:And you're looking at it and you're thinking, can Man City go unbeaten from now to the end of the season? We've seen it in previous seasons. I agree with Luke. It's not the same Man City. They're still open. They're vulnerable. Newcastle created numerous chances. And I think the game could have been different. And this is why I say there's moments. Like, there was moments today where Rea makes the save at 3-1. If it goes 3-2, six minutes to go. Donnarumma makes an outstanding save from Harvey Barnes right at the end. And it goes out for a corner. These are big moments in football matches. And I always, I'll hark back to it.

20:57Luke Edwards:The biggest moment that I think where it could have been over for City was the Liverpool game where they come back in it and they win that and that could be the defining moment in the season because by then I think it would have been nine points and it would have been all over it was a nine point gap yeah nine point gap but one nil down and I think now it is game one you know and I think City I still think Arsenal I make them slight favourites you know I make them the slight favourites because they're winning at the moment but City smell blood at the moment and you know what they've got a manager been there seen it done it Arsenal just need to get over the line in a trophy at the moment

21:28Clinton Morrison:Is it fair that Dan Burns' goal was chalked off because he was offside, given that he was only offside because Ruben Diaz shoved him offside? I suppose it sort of is, but then it doesn't feel fair.

21:41Rick Edwards:The foul should supersede the offside. That's how I feel about it. You know what it is, though? There's no law for it.

21:48Luke Edwards:And you see it all the time. When you say centre-fours start here and the defenders are here, so what centre-fours are doing is trying to get the defenders to drop a bit deep so their line's not as high. so they've got the opportunity but what he does Diaz and his clever defender he just shoves Dan Byrne because he knows it's never going to be a foul so I understand why but then I thought they were going to look at it and say maybe it's a penalty but they didn't they didn't it can't be a penalty

22:11Rick Edwards:because he hasn't kicked it yet yes

22:13Luke Edwards:so it's this grey zone

22:15Rick Edwards:of you can basically shove somebody because the ball's not in play but I think it does need to be looked at because people are going to start doing that more and more I did wonder if it sets a bit of a precedent

22:25Clinton Morrison:if you're like oh he can get away with that

22:26Rick Edwards:and it should be and I know this is the Newcastle view, having spoken to people sort of this morning and late last night, was that it's not a foul, strictly speaking, but he fouls him to put him into an offside position. So the common sense view is that, well, he's been fouled, that's why he's offside and then he scores, but the foul was committed first so the goal should stand. But there isn't actually a law that states that. So there's nothing VAR could do. If the referee had spotted it, I think he would have just ordered the free kick to be retaken as well.

22:56Clinton Morrison:That's probably it, isn't it? which is a slightly dissatisfactory result for Newcastle as well it's something they might need to look at I looked at it and thought hmm that doesn't seem quite right Nico O 'Reilly two goals he looks like such a good player I feel like he will be in the England squad because he's just got that versatility he's just one of these new sort of academy players who's come through and kind of do whatever job you want I mean I know where he wants to play but he can he can come in anywhere Clinton

23:25Luke Edwards:yeah he can he can He probably wants to play in that midfield role, but will he play that for England? I'm not sure. I think his position for England will probably be at left back, which you are a senior youngster representing their country and going to a World Cup. You play anywhere, and I think he's been outstanding. But yeah, his finishes yesterday were brilliant, and he just improves. He gets better and better, and that helps when you're playing with the likes of Bernardo, Silva, Rodri, these type of players that will help you as well at a young age. And he's so mature, even his interviews after.

23:51Luke Edwards:But yeah, I think he's a fantastic talent. And yeah, he was a midfielder anyway. when he came through to the academy and stuff wasn't he a number 10 yeah he was a number 10 so him scoring goals is probably no different to what he's been doing in the academy or in the youth team but Pep throwing throwing him at left back before when they had injuries and that and he was outstanding so yeah I think he's a brilliant player and yeah he'll be a starter for England at the World Cup the way he's playing at the moment

24:14Clinton Morrison:you reckon starter interesting I think Newcastle will be pretty I mean I know that their record away against City is absolutely miserable but the way that they play the way they went about it how hard they pushed Manchester City. I think Eddie Howe will probably be quite pleased.

24:29Rick Edwards:Yeah, 17 straight defeats at the Eddie Howe for Newcastle. Yeah, that's horrible. It's an absolutely horrendous run. But that is about as well as they've done, I think. That's certainly in recent years. There's been an uptick in Newcastle's performances. They lost to Brentford. There was that bit of acrimony and there was a sort of slight doubt about Eddie Howe's future. Obviously, I gave a very passionate defence of him on this podcast and rightly so.

24:52Clinton Morrison:Sorry, you were saying that your defence, your own description is rightly so.

24:57Rick Edwards:Yes.

24:57Clinton Morrison:Amazing.

24:58Rick Edwards:I was correct to do that. As has been proven. I think probably wait for someone else to say that,

25:03Clinton Morrison:but okay.

25:04Rick Edwards:Well, no one else is going to blow my trumpet on this podcast. So every now and again, I just feel the need to do it myself. No, I blow your trumpet every now and again. You do actually. Well, Rick isn't. Yeah, you do, Clinton. But Rick certainly doesn't.

25:14Luke Edwards:But you two are like brothers though, so you're always not going to blow your trumpet.

25:16Rick Edwards:What is the opposite of blowing trumpet? Do you know what I mean? I'm sucking your trumpet.

25:22Clinton Morrison:Don't think about that too much.

25:27Rick Edwards:I don't know where that goes.

25:28Clinton Morrison:That's killed me. That's killed me. There is a point. Do you know what? I think we'll just leave it there. I want to make. You just leave it there. Going to talk about the drama in the Liverpool Forest game. Chelsea setting fire to points. Burnley have still got a mountain to climb and more shortly. But first, it's your favourite bit. It's half-time teaser. James Milner overtook Gareth Barry to lead the Premier League's all-time appearance list this weekend. can you name the three players he's played against most often the answer is coming next plus more analysis we focus on the part of the internet that most people don't know about it's called the dark web undercover in the furthest corners of the dark web u.s special agents are on a mission to locate and rescue children from abuse.

26:18Clinton Morrison:Move in now. From the BBC World Service, World of Secrets, the Darkest Web follows their shocking investigations. Listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

26:34Clinton Morrison:From a small village on the banks of the River Nile... Everybody call me Mohammed, but, you know,

26:39Rick Edwards:short name or nickname, they call me Mo. to the biggest stages of world football. Goes for the corner! Mo Salah! Salah is more than just a player.

26:50Clinton Morrison:He's an icon, a symbol, a king.

26:53Luke Edwards:It's six-nil! And Salah rips off his shirt!

26:57Clinton Morrison:Mohamed Salah represents a dream for Egyptians, for Muslims, for Africans. More than just a football player, he gave us hope. I'm Kelly Cates. This is Sporting Giant's Mo Salah. Listen on BBC Sounds.

27:11Rick Edwards:on the Football Daily Podcast. Premier League Review with Rick Edwards.

27:17Clinton Morrison:Welcome back to the Premier League Review. Before the break, I asked if you could name the three players that James Milner has played against most often in his record-breaking career. And I mean, this is hard. This is ridiculous. Yeah. I'll give you clues. None of them are still playing. One of them is a BBC pundit. One of them is a current Premier League manager and one of them is a current Premier League assistant manager. Michael Carrick Michael Carrick yes played him 23 times Shane Given no

27:45Luke Edwards:so you said he's a Alan Shearer Alan Shearer and Michael Richards no not Wayne Rooney Joe Hart Wayne Rooney Wayne Rooney played him 24 times

27:54Clinton Morrison:yeah okay and then the one who's a current assistant manager in the Premier League Craig no

28:00Luke Edwards:is he in the Premier League yep okay a current assistant manager yeah

28:04Clinton Morrison:hasn't not retired that long obviously

28:09Luke Edwards:assistant manager Defender. I'm trying to think of teams. Not Arsenal, not Chelsea, not Tottenham. Jagielka?

28:15Clinton Morrison:No, but you're playing for the same team as Jagielka. So is that Everton? Yeah. Heitinger.

28:21Luke Edwards:Heitinger. No. Coleman? He's a coach.

28:23Clinton Morrison:No.

28:23Luke Edwards:Is he a coach now? He's coaching, yeah?

28:25Clinton Morrison:He's an assistant manager. Leighton Baines. Leighton Baines. Yeah, Baines. Played him 20 times. We got there actually quicker than I thought we would. Who was your most regular Premier League opponent? Any idea, Clinton?

28:36Luke Edwards:Mine?

28:37Clinton Morrison:Yeah.

28:37Luke Edwards:I ain't got a clue. You've got good memory. Who would it have been?

28:41Clinton Morrison:Well, I mean, there's a few of them. Danny Murphy, Edwin van der Zahre. You played a load of people six times, basically.

28:46Luke Edwards:Did I? Danny Murphy? Yeah, two good players. I thought he was going to say Danny Mills. I was going to say, yeah, if it was him, I would have definitely got sent off playing against him.

28:57Clinton Morrison:Let's talk about James Milder then. Clinton, you were 23 when he made his debut. You were playing at Stamford Bridge for Birmingham City that weekend, November 2002. Remember the result?

29:08Luke Edwards:We lost. Yeah, 3-0. Chelsea were good then, so I knew we'd lose.

29:12Clinton Morrison:You played against him three times, Milner. He is a remarkable footballer.

29:20Luke Edwards:Ridiculous. For the longevity that he's done, do you know why? He's the best professional you'll ever meet. He's always doing his recovery. He'll always be drinking the right amount of water and everything. He looks after himself. He's probably the first one on the training pitch, the last one off the training pitch. When he retires, I think 100 % he'll go into coaching. And that's testament. If you want to be a professional footballer, look at James Milner, the way he conducts himself on the pitch and off the pitch and the work rate he puts in and the hard work he does. It's hard work and it's dedication.

29:48Luke Edwards:Everyone wants to be a footballer, but everyone don't want to put the hard work and the dedication in. I think for him to pass Gareth Barry, who I thought was a fantastic footballer, I know Gareth Barry probably played more minutes than him, but I still think it's a great achievement from James Milner. And yeah, he's been a great professional everywhere he's gone. Every player that, every time you can ask any player when they speak about James Milner, when you ask him about a footballer, they say he's a great professional and a great pro. And he was one of the hardest working players ever.

30:14Rick Edwards:There's a small snapshot I got. I spoke to Martin O 'Neill on Friday just for a piece that The Telegraph had done about James Milner. And he said, you couldn't stop him training. You couldn't stop him playing. He wanted to play every game. He had the ultimate traits, really, of the ultimate professional. I said ultimate twice there, but he had all the traits of the ultimate professional. People talk about that phrase, but he was the epitome of it. And you have to remember that Martin O 'Neill was so upset about Aston Villa selling James Milner that he quit. That's true. He walked out on Aston Villa.

30:45Rick Edwards:I took it so personally that this player, who he said if they hadn't have accepted the bid from Manchester City, was such a good pro that he wouldn't have kicked off. He wouldn't have moaned. He would have just got on with playing for Aston Villa again. And hearing someone like Martin O 'Neill, who has obviously been in the game for his entire life, say that about James Milner, I just thought that probably encapsulates what a unique person and character he is and still be going at the age he is and had the success he's had. Remarkable.

31:13Clinton Morrison:I also think, I mean, we're talking about Nico O 'Reilly and the fact that he can play anywhere. Part of the reason that Milner has played so many Premier League games is that he can do it anywhere and he never can play. He never said no. I mean, Jurgen Klopp has been on the record saying, you know, clearly he doesn't fancy himself as a full-back, but he's going to play at full-back and he's going to do a really good job. And again, that feels like a really good lesson for young pros, Clinton.

31:40Luke Edwards:Yeah, he'll play anyway. Listen, when you pick your team, the first thing you pick out is James Milner. I'm not saying for his ability to go and take people on and pull it in the top corner, but you know what you're going to get out of James Milner. He'll always be a 7 out of 10, or if not, 8 and 9, a 10 out of 10. He'll never drop below that. I think he's had a fantastic career. If you're a young player, look at James Milner. He sets the bar so high. And you know what? Brighton were struggling. What did Herzl do? He put him in the team yesterday and Milner was outstanding. But it made me laugh after when they were asked him, why did Milner come up?

32:10Luke Edwards:He said he had cramp. That's probably the first time in James Milner's career he's ever had cramp. He must have been baffled by that because I don't know what this feeling is. Exactly. What is that? Because I've never had it before. You know what it's called, James? Old age. That's what it's called.

32:24Clinton Morrison:This is Clinton. I know you've got to get a lift home with John Murray, I think. So I'm going to let you go.

32:30Luke Edwards:Okay, mate. No problem. But always a pleasure. Lovely to see you, Clinton. Thanks for... Thanks for having me. Leave me and Rick to bicker. Please don't ever let me be the backup dancer. Just call me and I'll always come close. But it's great to get confirmation

32:42Clinton Morrison:that you could still do a job in the Championship as well. Cheers, Clinton. Take care. See you later, Clinton. Bye. Clinton just mentioned, you know, bringing Milner in from Herbst. And that was the first win in seven Premier League games. And there has definitely been a bit of chatter swirling around Brighton about his future. that feels, I mean, to me, that always felt a bit premature?

33:06Rick Edwards:I'm not so sure. It's been a pretty miserable run. I mean, it's Premier League football. We've seen managers go for less. And I tell you what, I bet if James Milner returned against his manager, he wouldn't still be there. I mean, the way James Milner spoke about him after the game, how sort of the kind comments he had, and it's a strange word to use sometimes, kind about a player talking about the manager. But in that position, I think he probably needed his ultimate pro, senior pro to stick with him and keep the dressing room together because that's the kind of role that Milner has had, certainly in the latter stages of his career.

33:38Rick Edwards:He's been that glue in the dressing room. So Brighton were on a really, really poor run and the fans were getting restless and nobody is safe forever. And what is it, one win in 12?

33:48Clinton Morrison:It's something like that. It is bad. It is bad. But then you would look at their league position, they're not in any danger. They are not going to get dragged down into a relegation battle. or, you know, it's sort of, it's disappointing. It's not terminal.

34:00Rick Edwards:But you still need a win. You need a win. It doesn't matter what you've done as a manager. It doesn't matter the context. It doesn't matter the circumstances that you're in. When you're on that sort of run, there was, for the first time, really serious questions being asked about him. And I think not by the media as such, I think it flew under the radar. I think if he'd been to another club than Brighton, the pressure would have been more. But I think Brighton supporters are beginning to get tired. They're getting a bit exasperated. the stuff about selling Lewis Dunk potentially to Nottingham Forest in the January window club legend I don't think that went down well so he needed that win he really really needed that win and then hopefully that will quieten everything down but yeah in his hour of need he turned to the ultimate pro James Milner

34:42Clinton Morrison:I sat through a pretty poor game at the city grounds Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Forest under Vito Pereira were, in the first half in particular, really good. Unlucky not to be ahead. And after the game, Prairie was saying it just doesn't really seem fair. Arna Slott said, yeah, we were lucky. A fair result would have been a draw. I don't know if you caught any of it. But in the end, big three points for Liverpool. Deserved or not?

35:15Rick Edwards:A huge three points. I left you alone during that game because it was so bad from a Liverpool perspective.

35:20Clinton Morrison:In the first half, Forest were very good, but Liverpool were dire.

35:24Rick Edwards:abject yeah and in some in a display of of restraint i i just left you alone thank you i'm not i'm not gonna i'm not gonna ruin his afternoon any further that was already happening yeah yeah um they were very poor um i thought forest were good probably didn't create enough didn't create quite enough with the level of but liverpool got away with one um they were better but it was a bit like the liverpool at the start of the season they did find a way and they overcame setbacks in that game and they were good at the end. They were.

35:58Clinton Morrison:Right at the end, they were pushing and probably deserved to get something for pushing, but I also think they were only able to push because Forrest looked a bit tired. I'm not sure Liverpool were playing much better. I just think that Forrest got tired. On the VAR decisions, the first one where it bounces off McAllister, it does look like it comes off a bit of elbow and a bit of back and you think, yeah, probably right to disallow it. I wouldn't have been surprised if it had been given.

36:29Rick Edwards:It's a bit of a messy goal anyway, isn't it? It's literally a block. I don't think you can score a late winner with a block. You shouldn't do that. You shouldn't be able to. And I think it was just about the right decision. As for the offside, Rick.

36:43Clinton Morrison:Honestly, as soon as it went to VAR, I was like, well, that's very clearly offside. I can't I didn't he couldn't even see the player who's keeping him on side behind him which I suppose is the thing but the angle that we were we were watching on telly I was like well he's off

36:58Rick Edwards:he looked like two of them off and well Ekotike

37:01Clinton Morrison:yeah but I suppose they've just decided he's not interfering which is a bit rich isn't it it's a bit rich he's definitely there or thereabouts I mean he's in the vicinity for sure

37:12Rick Edwards:it's just one of those again with the naked eye there was one there was one recently wasn't there Tottenham Newcastle where Joe Willock was said to be. But to the naked eye, it's just like, oh, he's on. But his forehead was off and the VAR line was drawn. It's semi-automated. He's offside. You just have to accept it. Yeah, I think it's sort of,

37:31Clinton Morrison:that's one of the bits of VAR when you go, well, okay, I kind of, I trust that that's probably correct. I'm not sure I trust it entirely. Not in, no, not entirely. I wouldn't be happy if I was a Forrest fan. I know that.

37:43Rick Edwards:No, and it just looked offside, but you couldn't see the Forrest defender exactly where he was. No, you couldn't see it. The angle of the camera was not in line. Eketike clearly was offside, and I do think he just might have interfered with play, just a little bit, in trying to get his head on the ball, which would then take away attention from defenders. But look, the goal stood. There's no point, you know, we can moan and whinge about it. It felt very tough on Forrest, having survived the first VAR check. But Liverpool needed it, Rick. you know there are still some big problems there, aren't there?

38:17Rick Edwards:In terms of Salah didn't exactly look happy again.

38:19Clinton Morrison:Oh, I mean, look, if Liverpool play like that for the rest of the season, they're not getting Champions League.

38:23Rick Edwards:And Salah didn't look happy again, did he? He looked... No, and I think he'll be particularly unhappy

38:27Clinton Morrison:because when Ngomoua came on, he was really lively. He created that first disallowed goal. It was exciting. He just made stuff happen. And Salah didn't do any of that at all.

38:40Rick Edwards:No, he still hasn't. I think there's still a big issue there, isn't there? Yeah, he's not scored now, I think, scored in nine. Scored against Brighton, didn't he, in the Cup.

38:50Clinton Morrison:But yeah, it's his longest ever run without a Premier League goal.

38:53Rick Edwards:I just don't think that it's harmonious behind the scenes with him and on a slot. I think we saw that before Christmas with the throw me under the bus statement.

39:01Clinton Morrison:Yeah, and he did look grumpy at being subbed. But then, as we discussed earlier in the season, if you're going to play badly, you are going to get subbed, potentially. on Chelsea quickly Liam Rossignor was saying that his team are setting fire to points so he said they've set fire to four points from two home games they conceded this 93rd minute equaliser against Burnley and it was a funny game because such a quick start from them and then they just didn't they didn't press home the advantage and then they had this familiar problem where they get a red card and then they concede late from a set piece and these just seem to be recurrent issues that aren't going away under any manager.

39:45Rick Edwards:No, they're a flawed team, aren't they? They can look very good, very exciting, but they're not consistent and they do have a remarkable knack for self-sabotage and that has been seen all season. It's an inexperienced team. They've signed a lot of young players. When you do that, there's some immaturity there. Although the seniors not really having that,

40:06Clinton Morrison:he's kind of saying it's about accountability. he's not really fussed about yeah well I mean

40:10Rick Edwards:I was going to say about I was going to lead on to him I think he needs to be a little bit careful coming into that football club of all football clubs because there's some slightly strange comments after the game when he was asked about how Fleming scored the goal and he sort of said well there was an assignment an assignment was missed was missed and it's like I'm not going to throw my players under the bus however however you already have because it wouldn't take too long to probably find out who was supposed to be marking him and working that out so he was throwing his player under the bus and by not naming him isn't quite the same thing as throwing not throwing your players under the bus and i think you know i

40:47Clinton Morrison:have some sympathy though it will be annoying if someone just loses incredibly annoying if somebody

40:52Rick Edwards:doesn't bother to mark you the the best header of the ball but i'm just not sure you say that publicly at a club like chelsea with trigger happy um owners and and a fan base that can get very very restless very very quickly when it comes to the the job security of your manager i think he's done okay since he came in yeah um okay but he's taken over of well they had a decent i mean you

41:17Clinton Morrison:look i mean i know they've drawn their last two but they they won the previous four yeah i know

41:21Rick Edwards:he's had a good start i just i just i just didn't i just i i just sort of took a sharp intake of breath when i saw those comments a little bit or when i when i watched the video of them i just just be careful a little bit there because there's a lot of egos at Chelsea and they have a history those players a bit like Tottenham are getting now of they can see off managers very very quickly and yeah it's a difficult club to manage Chelsea for all the reasons we've discussed before

41:49Clinton Morrison:these stats sort of bolster that point it's difficult 8 red cards in all competitions this season 6 in the Premier League that's more than anyone else they've lost 19 points from winning positions, burning those points up. In the Premier League this season, only West Ham have lost more from winning positions. And they've got a pretty tough run of fixtures coming out. They've got Arsenal, Villa, Newcastle, Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United. So, yeah, interesting to see where they are when they come out the other side of that.

42:20Rick Edwards:If he doesn't get Champions League football, Rick, if he doesn't get Champions League football at the end of the season, he'll already be in trouble at Chelsea. That's just the reality of the situation.

42:28Clinton Morrison:We, I think I'm right in saying, criticised Burnley for resting players in the FA Cup. We might have. I think we did. And this feels like at least some vindication. I mean, I know one point here, one point there isn't what they need. But they've closed the gap a little bit on Forrest, I guess. Do you give them any hope of staying up?

42:53Rick Edwards:No.

42:54Clinton Morrison:No, OK. No further questions.

42:59Rick Edwards:No, I feel, you know how I feel about Scott Parker. We defended Scott Parker, I think, whilst slagging off the decision to rest players in the FA Cup. What did Burnley expect? So I don't think it's going to be enough, but what it does show is that the players are certainly still playing for the manager and that is so and so important. And that'll be really important going into next season

43:20Clinton Morrison:when presumably they will be in the championship. Let's quickly round up everything else then. So first time win for Crystal Palace since the 1st of November. late winner over Wolves who had a glassy-to-door penalty saved in the first half good that's really good for Oliver Glasner who's obviously been having to answer some tricky questions well he's not

43:39Rick Edwards:because he just keeps arguing with the fans now doesn't he it's like he's deliberately goading them I can't quite work out what his game is well to get out well yeah sorry I do know what his game is he's off I mean he's picked a fight with the board and he's now sort of picking fights with the supporters so yeah Crystal Palace definitely needed the win today, but the Glasner... Yeah. It's getting a bit tedious and tiresome, if I'm perfectly honest. Look, if you want to go, mate, just go.

44:08Clinton Morrison:And actually, if you go sooner rather than later, then you will be looked on very fondly. Fulham, very good 3-1 winner at Sunderland, who we know are hard to beat at home. Raul Jimenez, double. West Ham and Bournemouth were goalless. Goalless. Leeds very nearly got a rare away win. And then Tammy Abraham scored with a couple of minutes left, which sort of made me think about England strikers. So just back up. Back up for Harry Kane. Abraham probably a real outside chance, I suppose. He scored a couple of goals. Yeah, but could play his way into it. Could, could. Calvary Lewin has scored 10 in 24.

44:51Clinton Morrison:Welbeck has 9-26. Watkins, who would have been your obvious one, he's had injury issues, scored 8-26. Liam De Lape has been, I know he's not starting many games, but one goal in 18 is not good enough. And then Solanke, again, just injuries and a bit inconsistent. There's not an obvious person, is there?

45:19Rick Edwards:It's a huge problem for English football moving forward because Hurricane isn't going to go on forever. I think of that list, Rick, I would go with, who would I be happiest with? It would be Calvert-Lewin for me. Yeah, I really like what he's done for Leeds and I think he would ask different questions of international defences in terms of if he wanted to go direct. Well, he's so good. Yeah. So I would go Calvert-Lewin. Watkins is the safe choice because they know what he's like and they know he'll be a good player. And he's done it for England, you know. And he's done it for England. And the other one to throw in there, of course, is that you've now got Anthony Gordon playing through the middle for Newcastle.

45:55Rick Edwards:Thomas Tuchel will probably look in and look at that and think, well, that's brilliant news because I've got someone I can take as a left winger who in an emergency I can play through the middle. So it's not an embarrassment of riches, is it? No, no, it's not. And DeLat not kicking on at Chelsea, I think will be the thing that will concern the FA the most because he was the great hope, wasn't he? He was young, on a 21, came through the pathway, did really well at the Euros last summer, but then has been pretty average.

46:21Clinton Morrison:Has he just knackered? Has he just played a bit too much football? Knackered, didn't get a break, yeah.

46:24Rick Edwards:Went to the Euros, European Championships last summer, then went straight out to the Club World Cup to play for Chelsea. Basically didn't get a break in the summer. And you're probably, if there is a warning to the people who make the fixture list and the physical demands on players, if players do not get a break, they will struggle and they will physically go kaput.

46:44Clinton Morrison:We'll wrap it up there. That's all we've got time for on the Premier League review. Thank you very much, Luke. Always a pleasure to argue with you. Yes, it always is. Same time next week. Next up on the Football Daily Feed, the Monday Night Club.

47:17Clinton Morrison:with all the best insight and analysis and the biggest names in the game. The Six Nations.

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