After a brief break for some FA Cup action, the Premier League was back with a bang over the weekend which saw one of the games of the season. No, I’m not talking about Newcastle vs Swansea – one of the goalkeepers on show at Anfield features on this shortlist but which one is it? One manager seems to be seeing everything unravel in front of him with no one to blame but himself and one referee decided not to follow the rules of FOOTball. Here is the Wally of the Week shortlist.
3. Ederson
You could argue that Lorus Karius could hold this spot but I’ve gone for his opposite number who conceded more goals and made one hell of a mistake. Manchester City have been unbeaten in the Premier League all season and there have been murmurs of an invincible season but that all fell through on Sunday at Anfield with Ederson, in particular, coming unstuck against a frightening Liverpool defence. Mainly because they’ve got Salah and Mane Mane as well as Bobby Firmino but they sold Coutinho the week before. The three I’ve just mentioned all netted in a thrilling 4-3 win over City.
The Brazilian goalkeeper was beaten by Alex Oxlade Chamberlain from long range before being chipped by Firmino and was left with no chance by Mane’s accurate and powerful strike. Ederson won’t want to look back on what happened after when he came out of his goal to clear the ball. Instead of firing out of play or into the opposition’s half, he managed to give it straight to one of the best players in the league at the moment who then proceeded to lob him from way out. A humiliating moment and match all round for City’s summer signing.
2. Roger East
If you haven’t heard this guy’s name before, don’t worry, I doubt you’ll hear it again in the near future. This is the referee who took charge of Watford’s game with Southampton on Saturday and, with the score at 2-1 to the away side in stoppage time, he allowed a rather controversial Watford equaliser. Abdoulaye Doucoure met a cross at the back post and converted it past Alex McCarthy in the Saints’ goal and that sparked mass protests from Southampton players because Doucoure broke the first rule of football. He may as well have been a professional volleyball player as he smashed the ball in with his arm and wheeled away in celebration and I bet even he couldn’t believe that Roger East hadn’t spotted the fact that he’d used his hand to score. Not quite the hand of God, more like the hand of Rodge.
1. Arsene Wenger
Football fans have said over the past week that they’d started to feel sorry for Arsenal fans and that’s when you know something is fundamentally wrong. Wenger’s stubborn nature has led to a decline in the quality of his team, an exit from Champions League football, his star players running out their contracts and leaving to a rival, no leaders in his dressing room and a very successful YouTube channel. His misery was compiled this week when his Arsenal side went down 2-1 at Bournemouth and it seems like Alexis Sanchez is on his way up to Manchester United to join up with Jose Mourinho. Could it get any worse for Wenger? It has as he picks up the prestigious Wally of the Week title.