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OFFICIAL REVIEW: WHY VAR UPGRADED XAVI SIMONS' YELLOW TO A GAME-CHANGING RED CARD
Liverpool takes advantage of red cards for Simons and Romero to beat Spurs. Ekitike and Isak provide the second-half fire.
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Liverpool kept their momentum going and put even more pressure on Thomas Frank with a win against nine-man Tottenham. Xavi Simons getting a red card in the first half really helped Liverpool, and they took advantage to stay unbeaten for the last six games, even if the end was a bit crazy.
Simons got sent off for stepping on Virgil van Dijk's calf in the 33rd minute of a pretty awful first half. Randal Kolo Muani blew the best chance, weakly heading it right at Alisson.
Luckily, things got interesting after halftime when Arne Slot brought on Alexander Isak. A mistake by Cristian Romero let Liverpool in, and Florian Wirtz found Isak, who blasted it in as he got taken out by Micky van de Ven.
Isak got hurt and had to come off, but the goal made the game exciting. Kolo Muani hit the crossbar with a shot that deflected. Minutes later, it was 2-0 when Jeremie Frimpong's cross found Hugo Ekitike, who jumped over Romero and headed it in off the crossbar.
Richarlison came off the bench and scored after Van Dijk missed a kick. But it didn't mean much, as Romero got a second yellow card late in the game. This loss leaves Spurs in 13th place, with only one win in their last eight league games.
1. Simons' Dumb Move
After a boring first half-hour, the crowd finally had something to get excited about—but not in a good way. Simons stepped on Van Dijk's calf. The referee initially gave a yellow card, but then went to the monitor and changed it to a red card.
The Premier League Match Centre said, "After checking with VAR, the ref changed the yellow card to a red for serious foul play." The ref said, “After review, the Tottenham No. 7, with studs, catches the Liverpool player [No. 4] on the calf—it's serious foul play. Red card.”
Gary Neville on Sky Sports said, "Simons wasn't getting there." He digs his studs into Van Dijk's leg. Not smart. Not a good challenge. He's nowhere near the ball. Call it what you want, but it was dumb.
2. Boring and Cautious
The first half wasn't fun to watch. Thomas Frank’s team, already under pressure, played very cautiously, seeming more interested in stopping Liverpool than attacking.
Without Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo, Liverpool had a similar setup, with Arne Slot filling the midfield. Dominik Szoboszlai has been playing in Salah's spot lately, while Wirtz was on the left. This made Liverpool very narrow, and Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley struggled to push forward from the back.
The stats at halftime revealed how uneventful it was: nine shots that didn't matter much, with the Spurs having 0.44 xG compared to Liverpool's 0.25 xG. Thankfully, the second half had plenty of drama.
3. Kudus Sums Up Spurs
Early in the second half, Spurs had a chance to counterattack. The ball went to Mohammed Kudus, who had space. He turned and passed backwards. The crowd groaned. A few seconds later, he had space again but just stood on the ball. More groans. Kudus then passed it harmlessly out of play while trying to find a teammate making a run. The fans were clearly not happy.
Frank took Kudus off—a £55 million winger who used to be exciting—and put on Brennan Johnson. But his embarrassing few minutes showed what's wrong with the team: no confidence, confused about the plan, and scared to take risks.
4. Liverpool Takes Off
Peter Crouch thought Salah being out might let Slot play Isak and Ekitike together. He was right, but they were only on the field together for less than 10 minutes. Still, it was a glimpse of Liverpool's future.
First, Wirtz slipped Isak in with a great pass. Isak did what he's known for, smashing the shot into the net. But people will be even more excited about Ekitike, especially about how he outmuscled Romero to head in the goal. He’s now got five goals in his last three league games and looks the real deal.
5. Crazy Ending
Spurs looked done for, but then they weren't. Richarlison came off the bench and gave the crowd a boost. He was in the right spot to score after a scramble in the box. Van Dijk missed his kick, giving Richarlison the chance to score. He then pushed Ekitike's neck into the ground while getting the ball out of the net, stirring up trouble.
Romero made things easier for Liverpool by kicking Ibrahima Konate. But Alisson still had to make some saves from Pedro Porro to secure the win, even though they were playing against nine men.
THOMAS FRANK APPROVES "RECORD-BREAKING" BID FOR LEICESTER WONDERKID JEREMY MONGA THIS WINTER.
Tottenham Hotspur launches an aggressive bid for Leicester’s Jeremy Monga as Thomas Frank seeks a long-term star.
Graeme Bailey recently reported that Tottenham Hotspur is watching Leicester City's young player, Jeremy Monga. Word is, Spurs will have to compete with Manchester United and Manchester City to get the English kid next year.
Monga's Been Doing Great in English Football
Monga's performances on the left for Leicester have really stood out this season. The 16-year-old has been playing really well in attack. So far, he's scored one goal and made one assist in 13 games for the Foxes in all competitions this season.
The English kid has looked great at times in the opponent's half. He takes about one shot per game in La Liga. Almost half of his shots are on target. Monga passes the ball well from the sides, completing about 76% of his passes in the Spanish league (stats from fbref.com).
Right now, Monga is one of the best young wingers in English football. So, it makes sense that Spurs are one of the teams hoping to sign him next year.
Tottenham Hotspur Is Watching Monga: Could He Be a Star Later On?
Monga is good at finding space to take shots. He can make key passes around the opponent's box and is a good dribbler.
The English talent can also score and set up important goals for his team. Monga mainly plays on the left wing but can also play on the right or as a number ten if needed. He already knows the Premier League well, so he should fit in at Tottenham pretty quickly.
Monga would definitely make Thomas Frank's attack better in the future. He's good enough to compete for a starting spot at the North London club soon.
At 16, Monga could become a big star in English football. He's definitely someone to watch, so Spurs should try to sign him in 2026.
REVEALED: WHY ASTON VILLA’S "PERFECT TEN" HOME RUN MAKES THEM LEGITIMATE TITLE FAVORITES
Unai Emery makes history: Aston Villa moves within 3 points of Arsenal after Morgan Rogers destroys United at Villa Park.
Morgan Rogers was on fire, scoring two sweet goals as Aston Villa cemented their spot in third place, beating Manchester United 2-1.
Rogers curved in a beautiful shot just before halftime, putting Villa ahead. Not long after, Matheus Cunha levelled the score.
But Villa's main guy came through again, regaining the lead with another terrific goal just before the hour mark.
This win keeps them in the running as surprise challengers for the Premier League title. They're only three points behind Arsenal, who are currently leading.
Plus, Villa is seven points ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool, who are in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
It was also Villa's tenth straight home win in all competitions, a historic achievement led by head coach Emery.
Aston Villa's Perfect Ten:
Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester United - Premier League - December 21
Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal - Premier League - December 6
Aston Villa 3-0 Wolves - Premier League - November 30
Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys—Europa League—November 27
Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth - Premier League - November 9
Aston Villa 2-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv - Europa League - November 6
Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester City - Europa League - October 26
Aston Villa 2-1 Burnley - Premier League - October 5
Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham - Premier League - September 28
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna - Europa League - September 25
Villa had a great run of ten home wins in a row under the Spaniard from March to September 2023.
Emery is now only the second manager in Villa's history to have two separate streaks of ten home wins.
He joins George Ramsay, who had five different streaks like this between 1888 and 1905.
Rogers was definitely the man of the match, scoring his sixth and seventh goals of the season during this tenth straight victory.
The former Manchester City academy player gave United's defence lots of trouble throughout the game.
If he keeps going like this, Thomas Tuchel will probably pick him for the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.
But winning with Villa is his main focus as they keep fighting Arsenal and City for the title.
Can Villa Actually Win It All?
Villa didn't seem to be doing so well at the beginning of the season, not winning any of their first six matches in all competitions.
They only scored one goal in their first five league matches, but things have really changed since then.
Now in third place, Villa has a good chance to upset everyone and be a serious contender for the Premier League title.
Emery's team has already beaten title rivals Arsenal and City, but they still have to play at Arsenal and City's grounds.
They're going to Arsenal on December 30, three days after playing Chelsea away from home.
Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace are their first two opponents in 2026, followed by an FA Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Villa will also play their final two Europa League league phase matches in January as they try to do well in every competition this season.
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