Niall hands out his points
Fabianski: Plenty to do in the second half, great handling and one perfectly timed block avoided a goal/penalty 9
Coufal: Only apparent weakness seems to be shooting but we can work on that 8
Diop: My blood pressure would have been significantly lower had he not been offside for the 4th 7
Dawson: Another no-nonsense display. Now our most senior fit defender 8
Cresswell: A great example of only missing someone when they’re not there… fingers crossed it’s not a bad injury 8
Masuaku: All comfortable enough until Cresswell departed and Arthur had to do more defending – I could barely watch at times 6
Soucek: Showing that he’s Rice’s equal in defensive duties 8
Noble: 400th PL appearance and a pretty decent effort – hopefully the kick to his arm isn’t serious 7
Fornals: Never stopped running, closed down space and always offered an option 9
Lingard: 2 more goals, the first of which was one of the best I’ve seen 9
Bowen: Led the line brilliantly, despite being continually fouled and deserved his goal 9
Subs
Balbuena: Fair play, straight into the action and kept Vardy quiet 8
Johnson: Replaced Noble but soon ended up covering Masuaku at left-back 7
Benrahma: On again late as we made things very difficult for ourselves, none of which really his fault 5
Pretty fair set of ratings and comments.
Masuaku was struggling towards the end. First time he’s played 90 minutes since his injury. Not fully match fit but was a bit of a liability at the end. Should have been the player Johnson came on to replace I think but then Noble got injured so he stayed on the pitch.
Agree. Masuaku ran himself ragged and became a liability.
Is Coventry available?
Yeah I was hoping Coventry would come on for Noble.
I think he might of been a better option than Johnson
Already a bit of a miracle for us to still be in fourth with seven to go but now with Antonio, Rice, Noble and Cresswell all out injured Its a shame but I can’t see us staying in fourth by the end of the season. Not sure we’re ready for champions league anyway, but could still finish in europa league spot with any luck and whatever happens now I think the boys have still had a fantastic season.
Glad you gave Fornals such a high rating, Hugh. His running off the ball and general awareness were fantastic. His works his socks off but also comes up with killer flicks and quick passes. Great attitude, too. Some player.
Arthur tries to dribble anywhere and anytime, and whilst he is good at it, he needs to pick his moments better. Pro head on wurzel!! This late on wilting is due to lack of concentration – this is serious business lads!! Such a talented bunch of players supporting each other – great. Proud of you all – but sort it out please!!
I had this pencilled-in as our final loss of the season. I was happily wrong there but with so many key guys injured, Chelsea will be uphill. To finish ahead of Everton and Spurs with a positive goal difference will be a cause for massive celebration. I fear Europe with a such a thin squad.
Fear not Spotty Dog. T’was ever thus. Plenty more to come. Don’t forget that opposition sides have their problems too. Maybe if Leicester had taken Covid rule breaches a little lighter, they may have fielded a much stronger side.
COYI
Fair numbers, but remember Masuaku still isn’t really match-fit and expecting 90mins from him against the team with the strongest final quarter in the league is a long shot.
Bearing in mind we’re still fourth with key injuries to Ogbonna (remember him?), Declan and Antonio, plus now probably Cresswell and Noble, it’s actually little short of a miracle.
Moyes has a knack of getting players to cover roles in times of desperation and while it might be a long shot, I’m still confident we can keep the Mickeys and Spuds out of the Champions League. We’ve got the best run-in and there’s no reason why this dream can’t continue.