The Premier League returned after a 100-day break.
While all the talk before the resumption was off–and how different the game would be in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic–after Wednesday’s matches, we were talking about things that haven’t changed. Most notable was the video technology, Manchester City’s sparkling and dazzling display of football, and weak Arsenal defense displayed by David Luiz.
The first game of ‘Project Restart’ was relegation-threatened Aston Villa against this season’s surprise package, Sheffield United.
A nil-nil draw played out with few highlights. Aston Villa created better chances but were denied continuously by Dean Henderson in the Sheffield goal. Henderson made numerous saves, which enhanced his growing reputation as a future England #1 keeper.
The games major talking point came shortly before halftime. Sheffield United’s Ollie Norwood took a free-kick that looked like it would be a simple catch for Orjan Nyland in the Villa goal. But Nyland got caught under the ball and collided with both a teammate and the post, which resulted in him seemingly carrying the ball over the line and into the goal. To all watching, it seemed like a certain goal and, to boot, a significant goalkeeping howler. However, the goal-line technology didn’t signal a goal, and so no goal was given.
Replays confirmed the ball had gone over the line, and that is a failure of the goal-line Hawkeye technology. It robbed Sheffield United of a goal and, more importantly, a crucial win in the battle to qualify for Europe. That outcome led many to question why VAR wasn’t used to review ‘the goal.’ Replays showed a clear and unmistakable error had been made.
There are a lot of new things to get used to in football matches at the moment, but it seems as though the VAR controversy is very much present still, and it will not be going away anytime soon.
In the second match of the day, Manchester City took on Arsenal in a match dubbed “The Master versus The Apprentice,” as Pep Guardiola faced his former assistant, Mikel Arteta. And it turned out to be a comfortable victory for Man City as Arsenals David Luiz performed a cameo that was talked about for longer than he was actually on the pitch.
Luiz came on midway through the first half to replace the injured Pablo Mari, and he would depart 25 minutes later after a disastrous showing. Shortly before halftime, Luiz made a massive error by failing to control a pass from Kevin De Bruyne. The gaffe allowed Raheem Sterling to give City the lead. Just after the interval, Luiz was again out of position, which allowed Riyad Mahrez in on goal. Luiz dragged Marhrez down, conceding a penalty, and he received a Red Card on the play. Then, De Bruyne tucked away the penalty to give City a 2-0 lead.
A late Phil Foden goal rounded off a straightforward 3-0 City win that, in truth, could have been far more convincing had it not been for brilliant goalkeeping by Arsenal’s Bernd Leno. He denied Sterling, David Silva, and Mahrez (amongst others) and kept the score respectable.
The Luiz horror show grabbed attention from breathtaking football that Man City played at times.
For sure, after 100 days without competitive football, there was some lack of sharpness to the game. But there were moments of marvelous interplay and creativity. Watching the linkup between Silva and De Bruyne in midfield, coupled with the constant threat Sterling provided to the Arsenal defence, was a sight to behold.
As for Arsenal, Arteta’s job to rebuild Arsenal was there for all to see. The team has promising young and attacking talent, but the same old defensive errors and lack of on-field leadership were present.
So, with two matches down, there are 90 to go in this condensed end of the season. Be prepared to experience more moments of greatness, more costly errors, and (no doubt) more controversies as the Premier League season unfolds.
