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FORGET RICE & CAICEDO: WHY RAYAN CHERKI IS NOW THE PREMIER LEAGUE'S MUST-WATCH MIDFIELD KING

Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki is being hailed as an "old-school" genius. See how he compares to Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice.

Forget Rice & Caicedo: Why Rayan Cherki Is Now The Premier League's Must-Watch Midfield King
Pep Guardiola Unlocked Cherki’s "Free-Spirited" Flair

Rory Jennings from talkSPORT thinks Rayan Cherki, not Declan Rice or Moises Caicedo, is the best midfielder in the Premier League right now.

Rice and Caicedo have both been great for Arsenal and Chelsea this season. Arsenal is leading the Premier League with 39 points, a little ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa. Chelsea's had a rough patch recently, but Caicedo just got back from a ban in their 2-2 draw against Newcastle.

Lots of folks see those two as the top midfielders in the league because they're so important to their teams.

But Jennings is all about Rayan Cherki, who Man City got from Lyon for only £34 million this summer.

Rayan Cherki could be the best midfielder in the league right now, Jennings said on Drive. I really think he could be the best in the midfield.

Just look at how well and how consistently he's been playing.

He's just great to watch. He reminds me of those old-school, free-spirited players from the '70s who just played with flair.

Jennings went on, He really loves the game. He's not stuck in a system at all.

And Pep Guardiola seems to be getting the best out of him.

He's got quick feet, a knack for goals, and a great finish. I think he's one of the best players in the league, for sure.

Cherki was one of several new players Man City picked up this summer, including Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Even though he's only started seven league games because of a thigh issue he got in August, Cherki's been making a splash since he came back, racking up six Premier League assists.

But here's a different view:

Joe Cole, who used to star for Chelsea, isn't buying what Jennings is saying. Way back in November, Joe said Caicedo is the best midfielder in the world when it comes to bossing the field.

"I think he's close to being the best, maybe even is," Cole said on talkSPORT back then.

I watched him at Brighton and thought, 'He's the best midfielder in the world between the boxes.'

In today's game, where it's all about moving the ball and gaining ground, he's the best at it.

He breaks up plays, he's technically great, and I was wondering if he could score goals. Now he's adding goals to his game. And he's stepping up as a leader, too.

He's the most important player at Chelsea. If we had a final tomorrow, I'd want him on the team sheet first.

He's incredible, and that £100 million price tag is looking like a steal now.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

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Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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