Premier League winners and losers: Van la Parra brilliance, Zaha howler
By Ty Finch
Stoke and Leicester thrill at the Britannia, Manchester City dominate and more. Here are the winners and losers of Premier League matchweek 11.
The best contest of the Premier League weekend came from the most unlikely source. Stoke and Leicester, not the most eye-catching fixture going into the weekend, played out a thriller at the Britannia. While the rest of the Saturday games failed to live up to that one, there were moments of individual brilliance from unlikely players, and a few unsightly moments from both players and clubs alike. Sunday proved to be the the Goliath day it was set up to be, and Manchester City continued their devastating form. Here are the winners and losers of the weekend.
Winner: Britannia Stadium
While most high-profile games were saved for Sunday, the best match of the weekend was the first match match of the weekend. Leicester went to the Britannia to take on Stoke, and the results were glorious. The contest ended as a 2-2 after the host came from behind twice to deny Claude Puel his second win in two matches.
The Britannia, or bet365 Stadium if you’re a stickler for naming rights, is 115 by 74 yards, and there wasn’t an inch of that field that wasn’t played upon. Stoke and Leicester deploy a similar style of counter-attacking play. Stoke rank 19th in the Premier League in terms of possession percentage, and the Foxes are close behind in 17th. These similar styles collided on Saturday morning, and the result was a match full of end-to-end play with little time to catch your breath.
The game also featured Peter Crouch scoring a headed goal from a corner, a warm, familiar sight to see in an otherwise confounding match. His goal ended up tying the game in the 73rd minute, after Xherdan Shaqiri canceled out Vicente Iborra’s opener in the first half.
In an otherwise disappointing slate of matches on Saturday, it was the mid-table clash of analogous playing styles that ended up being the savior. In the U.S., where the early games are on before the sun comes up, it’s always a risk dragging yourself out of bed. On Saturday, the risk was well worth it.