Premier League winners and losers: West Ham, Crystal Palace continue unbeaten runs
By Ty Finch
Premier League matchweek 18 saw one team continue their dominance while others surprised. Here are the winners and losers of the weekend.
The title race might be over already, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the way Manchester City play soccer.
It’s bad news for the rest of the league that City are now winning matches through set pieces. They defeated their neighbors United with two corners last week and scored the first against Tottenham with another. City are already a nightmare to deal with in possession and on the break, and after adding yet another scoring element, an unbeaten season could be within reach. A plus-44 goal differential is the best in the league by 18. They’ve scored 56 goals already, could easily beat Chelsea’s record of 103.
There were other clubs who participated in league activities over the weekend, too. Here are the winners and losers of matchweek 18.
Winner: Mesut Ozil’s goal
The Arsenal vs. Newcastle match on Saturday wasn’t terribly exciting overall. The Gunners played reasonably well, controlling possession and creating chances but not finding the crucial pass or goal to kill the game off. It was Mesut Ozil’s stunning volley off a poor clearance that gave Arsenal all three points on the day.
Ozil possesses a number of outstanding qualities that set him apart from the average player. His first touch is phenomenal and his vision is second to none, but one of the under-appreciated aspects of his game is his ability to find space. That ability is crucial when setting his teammates up for scoring chances, but this time, it was on display for the volley he smashed home against Newcastle.
After Alexis Sanchez’s strike deflected off a Newcastle defender into the air, his challenge for the ball made for a poor clearance that Ozil was able to hit first time for his third Premier League goal of the season. But it was his movement into the open area of the penalty box just moments before that allowed him the space to pull it off. Ozil recognized that the attempted clearance was likely to be soft, and he set himself up perfectly to volley the only goal home.
Beyond the stunning volley, Ozil was key to Arsenal’s attack the entire match. He ended up with eight key passes on the day, which would be impressive if he didn’t do that nearly every game he plays in. If Arsenal want to stay relevant and in the top four race for the next few years, they must sign him to a new deal.