All hail the Ginger Mourinho for trying to stop the Premier League title race becoming boring, and at the same time proving Chelsea are mortal. Sean Dyche has learnt, second time round, how to survive in the cauldron of the Prem: Fort Knox-like at home, if more than a little generous when visiting: that’s OK, GM. The Mane man is back at Anfield: fitter, quicker and slicker than Poch’s second (well, third) raters, will ‘normal’ service be resumed and pressed neatly again now at Anfield? Spurs are at the Gents on Thursday, must aim better. It’s extracting the urine having a fit Sergio Aguero on the bench, isn’t it? Jesus wept (sorry, couldn’t resist it), Kun scored almost immediately after coming on. City are second now though, eight points adrift in the Blues battle. Hey, you don’t think… nah… Alexis 2 Hull 0 – the Tigers tamed and taunted by a bewildering brace of Clattenberg clangers and deserved more, where Silva is gilding the gold shirts towards possible safety. Arsenal and Arsene? They deserve each other, only Super Sanchez is exempt. Ooh, and its Bayern Munich tomorrow in the Fatherland, serious stuff. Yeah, I know, yawn – United are now only two points behind slacking Spurs and Arsenal in third/fourth – but they’re still sixth after beating belters like Watford and Leicester (and merely drawing goallessly with Hull). Mais oui, the Red Devils are Euroing in St Etienne on Thursday, and then, more modestly perhaps it’s Blackburn in t’ Coop Sunday. Howzat, Jose? ‘Oo sez it’s boring at the London Stadium? That 2 – 2 Western draw between Ham and Brom was a cracker, 56,983 will agree – but suffering Slaven was swearing significantly into sinful sh…ush with t’ FA. Shame, I like Slav. TP laughed last on 94 minutes…
Dreaded Drop Department – 39,000-odd homers deserved better at the Stadium of Light which at least illuminated a new Saint, one Manolo Gabbiadini. His second goal was a pearler – have Southampton found yet another star? This is finally looking like the year suffering Sunderland get theirs: why aye, man, that David’s gorra go, or else. Mind you, Houdini Harry from last year and whenever, aka big Sam Allardyce still hasn’t worked his usual magic yet at Selhurst Park… will he AND the Black Cats go down together? Staying lowly, it’s Question Time: can you stay up while paltrily (new word) scoring less than a goal a game – like 19 from 25? ‘Boro are having a go, good job the defence can defend (N.B. for the anoraks, only 27 let in, same as Everton in seventh: interesting, but vaguely boring).
East Midlands Gazette: Derby-defeaters-Leicester went down in the Valleys in the six-pointer against the spirited Swans. So looking ahead, and on the bright side (for some): if the Foxes go down, and the Rams don’t go up – and Forest and Burton stay up – pay attention at the back there – then next season the Chumpionship (sic) could be like one of those daft Scottish leagues where everybody plays everybody else all the time – only better, with EM ‘derbies’ every week providing local yokel aggro and cheaper travel costs – good eh? Yebbut, nobbut at that ‘King Stadium early doors Claudio’s Claggers have more pressing non-Prem problems – like a trip to sunny southern Spain – serious soccer stronghold Seville actually – that’s beckoning next week, although not before Millwall away in t’ Coop on Saturday. What an unenjoyable no-win trip that looks. Oh, and then it’s Liverpool after Seville. Face facts Foxes fans, it’s two weeks of destiny. Watch this space …