PL hits and misses: Forest loss blows CL race wide open

Nail-biting finish for Nottingham Forest?

The pressure is now well and truly on Nottingham Forest.

There are not many storylines alive and well in the latter stages of the Premier League, but the race for Champions League football is bubbling away for a tantalising finish.

Back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa and now Everton, while those around them continue to rake in the points, have seen both Villa and Manchester City move within touching distance of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Forest deserve their spot in the top five – but football is a cruel game and you don’t always walk away with what you have earned.

With a game against Tottenham now on the horizon, as well as tough fixtures against Chelsea, Brentford and West Ham, it could be a nail-biting finish to the season for Forest.

It could all hinge on the last day of the season against Enzo Maresca’s side.
Patrick Rowe

De Bruyne helps Man City rally but defence is a worry

This game hinged on the moment Eberechi Eze thought he had put Crystal Palace three up. He had oozed class early on and finished with aplomb, but will surely be frustrated to have let Manchester City off the hook because there was no great reason to be offside.

City were wide open anyway and had he held his run it would have made little difference to the outcome. That will be Oliver Glasner’s regret but Pep Guardiola’s concern. As thrilling as City’s play was offensively, this was another alarming defensive showing.

It was not so long ago that Guardiola had decided that stringing four natural central defenders across the back line was the best way to achieve success, but with Manuel Akanji, John Stones and Nathan Ake all out, he was relying on two young full-backs.

Rico Lewis and Nico O’Reilly have plenty of talent but were often positioned high up the pitch and the protection was not there for Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol. Even so, the simplicity with which Chris Richards nodded in the second suggests issues run deeper.

Guardiola will no doubt seem to address them in the summer but he will do so without Kevin De Bruyne, the catalyst for this comeback. The atmosphere had been tense when he stood over that free-kick with his side two behind and team-mates nervous.

With one sweet strike, the mood shifted. He was involved in the second goal and set up the third, revelling in the advanced role that he is being afforded in these closing weeks of his City career. It was a reminder they will still miss him in the big moments.
Adam Bate

Everton laying the groundwork to rise again

Everton were heading for their 15th draw in the top flight as the game at the City Ground ticked over into the final seconds.

Eventually they got what they deserved. From start to finish, they were the better side.

It was by no means a masterclass in the final third, but in contrast to where this team was before David Moyes’ return on Merseyside, it was night and day.

Moyes referenced replicating Nottingham Forest’s successes next season and performances like this will lay the groundwork to give the Toffees their best chance of rising to their former heights.

From being on the brink of relegation and obscurity to pushing the very best of teams in the Premier League in each game.

Everton aren’t back yet but they are well on their way.
Patrick Rowe

Villa’s perfect day on the coast

There are not too many occasions where a team would consider a game in which they missed two penalties a thoroughly positive one.

In seeing both of his spot-kicks saved away at Southampton, Aston Villa’s Marco Asensio became just the fourth player to miss two penalties in a Premier League game, after Juan Pablo Angel vs Fulham in February 2005, Darren Bent vs Tottenham in April 2010 and Saido Berahino vs Watford in April 2016.

For large periods, it didn’t seem it would be Villa’s day on the south coast. They were kept at bay for more than 70 minutes, which would certainly have been a source of frustration, given their opponents had been relegated the weekend prior.

But goals from substitutes Ollie Watkins, Donyell Malen and John McGinn sealed the victory for Unai Emery’s side, who have now scored 10 goals via substitutes this season. It was perhaps a flattering result in the end, but a day that Villa will ultimately see as having gone pretty perfectly all round.

It was the perfect day for sharing the load around the squad as Villa showed their enviable strength in depth. It was a perfect day for their Champions League hopes, with the gap to Nottingham Forest in third now just three points.

And maybe most importantly of all, it was a perfect day to boost morale ahead of Tuesday’s crunch Champions League quarter-final second leg at home to Paris Saint-Germain.
Dan Long

Brighton’s flaky finishing holds them back

Brighton’s lack of guile and ruthlessness came to the surface yet again against a team they were expected to beat comfortably.

Leicester rocked up on the south coast having lost eight in a row without scoring. Yet Brighton couldn’t put them away.

Fabian Hurzeler’s team are now winless in five home matches with Southampton, Ipswich, Wolves, Everton and Leicester this season, scoring just five goals. And you can add a 2-2 in the reverse fixture at the King Power as another piece of evidence regarding Brighton’s failings when carrying the favourites tag.

They created enough to win three games against the Foxes. The expected goals return of 4.04 was their highest xG return of the season and the seventh highest posted by any Premier League team this campaign.

Matt O’Riley squandered 0.85 worth of that, being unable to match the threat of his dangerous runs into the box with his finishing.

Until Brighton start becoming more efficient in front of goal, any hopes of returning to the European scene remain unlikely.
Lewis Jones

Mavididi sparks Leicester

Ruud van Nistelrooy has got many things wrong as Leicester manager but perhaps the biggest mistake has been the lack of gametime for Stephy Mavididi. Based on his performance at Brighton, Van Nistelrooy should not only be picking him but building his entire team around this stylish and dangerous winger.

During Leicester’s dismal eight-game losing run without scoring, Mavididi played just 148 minutes as Van Nistelrooy deemed the likes of Jordan Ayew and Patson Daka more deserving of a spot in his team.

However, the winger was given his chance at Brighton – his first start since January – and took it with both hands, turning in a player-of-the-match performance as Leicester showed more bite and attacking intent to bag a point at the Amex.

He led the way for Leicester for shots (4), touches in the opposition box (7) and dribbles (5), and got the goal that ended their 13-hour run without finding the net.
Lewis Jones