Premier League Week 10: Caicedo Dominates Spurs As Liverpool Revive, United Ride Luck, & Arsenal Keep Rolling
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Arsenal continued their mastery of set pieces, while Liverpool bounced back, Spurs repeated familiar failings, and City found the making of a new striking partnership, writes Manik Sharma.
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Liverpool grind out a confidence-boosting win “PHEWW”, must have been the collective sentiment that echoed across the stands at Anfield, as Liverpool dug in to grind out a deserved victory against in-form Aston Villa. Villa hit the post twice at 0-0 and could have led a game that fell the way of Liverpool through some luck and a return to basics. Returning to midfield, Ryan Gravenberch marshalled play well, capping his return with a crucial goal. Under fire, Mo Salah pounced on an opportunity — his 250th goal for the club — presented by the uncharacteristically erroneous Emi Martinez in the Villa goal. His outfield play is still miles short of the standards set in previous seasons, but this was a welcome return to solidity for Arne Slot’s struggling Reds. That said, this also felt far from a turned corner, given the predicaments at left back, Wirtz’s continued profligacy and the ominous task of contesting Real Madrid and Man City next. |
Spurs surrender to Chelsea — and in particular to Moises Caicedo Losing to Chelsea isn’t exactly an out-of-body experience for Tottenham Hotspur. They are party to what must be one of the most atrocious one-sided records in European football. At home, the Spurs, who have been ravaged by injuries, weren’t exactly playing against a team of battering giants. Chelsea are no longer a big side, ie if it were a game of physical dimension alone, Chelsea’s youngsters would probably be second choice against the entirety of the league. A fact, expertly exploited by Sunderland last week. But Spurs were so woefully toothless and devoid of any footballing smarts, they barely managed to test Chelsea’s defenders — let alone their keeper Robert Sanchez, who had one of his quietest games. Considering this rivalry has given us classics in the past, this was a meek surrender, especially to Chelsea’s talisman and hunter-in-chief, Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian was sharper, faster and more committed than any other player on the pitch. Chelsea should have won by more, but it was fitting that the solitary goal they scored was created out of a moment of sheer bite orchestrated by the midfield czar. Arsenal’s staggering set-piece prodigiousness continues A league-wide tactical upgrade is underway. At least, that much can now be established. Long throws are back, so are big strikers and long balls. But what is baffling yet visibly evident is the extent of Arsenal’s set-piece excellence. Now in double digits, the Gunners have scored double the number of goals from dead-ball situations than any other side in the league. It’s one thing to focus on an unwieldy, albeit effective, aspect of football. It’s another to master it to a point that makes defending against a straightforward tactic so effusively difficult. Viktor Gyokeres cashed in on another set-piece melee caused by Mikel Arteta’s side, and it's hard to see how teams in the pipeline can prevent Arsenal from utilising a near-unshakeable form of artillery. It’s not long ago that set pieces were part and parcel of football. But in today’s day and age, they are heralding a renaissance that most coaches are struggling to respond to. Considering Arsenal — bizarrely — don’t score too many anyway, their proficiency with long balls is all the more enviable. Watch Burnley vs Arsenal here on OTTplay Premium. |
Man United score some luck in an undeserved draw against Forest In all honesty, Manchester United scraped an undeserved draw against a sprightly but blunt Nottingham Forest side. From the unfamiliar high of winning three on the trot, this was a sobering reminder that United are still a work in progress. They were lucky to go ahead in a chaotic spell of play with Forest’s players remonstrating over an injustice. And they folded within minutes of the second half, by conceding twice, seconds apart. Things could and probably would have been worse had it not been for Amad’s worldly strike to equalise. United’s midfield still warrants a change of landscape, and their striking situation seems unresolved with Sesko repeating another dispiriting outing. A reality check, though, must be welcome for a squad that cannot afford to get carried away. Haaland and Cherki strike a partnership for ruthless City A brace for Erling Haaland in a City victory isn’t a headline anymore. It’s the script. But of this roaring win at home, against a strong Bournemouth, the highlight would be the chemistry that seemed to flicker between Rayan Cherki and Haaland. Cherki provided the two assists for each of Haaland’s goals. A great sign for Pep Guardiola, in a season where his team’s dependence on Haaland will likely precede any talk of City mounting a title charge. Haaland can score, but who’ll send him hurtling on goal is the big question. Might an answer be on the horizon? Watch the match replay here, on JIoHotstar, now available with your OTTplay Premium subscription. |
Postscript: To VAR or not to VAR Var has its fans and its critics. But you could argue the migration between the two has largely seen the former become the latter. Far from its game-choking delays and normalisation of uncertainty, where it can and can’t be applied is a bit of a head scratcher as well. For the second time this season, Nottingham Forest were on the wrong end of a line call — when the ball was in play but deemed by the line ref to have gone out for a corner. The resultant kick was turned in by Casemiro, shifting momentum in a game that had built precious little for either side. More applications would incur more delays, but what’s the point of a game-changing tech if it changes games by virtue of its absence? To have and not use seems far worse than want but not have. Premier League matches come to you live and exclusive on JioHotstar, with an OTTplay Premium subscription for only Rs 149 per month. Don’t miss a minute! |
Three Years Later, Rorschach Refuses To Fade |
Nissam Basheer’s psychological thriller still grips with quiet menace, as Mammootty’s Luke Antony lingers on — a slow-burning meditation on grief, revenge, and the ghosts we become. Neelima Menon writes.
| THREE YEARS LATER, Rorschach refuses to let go. This isn’t nostalgia — it’s a dive back into a world where morality is fluid, every character hides shadows, and the line between revenge and obsession blurs. Even today, Luke’s eerie calm and calculated torment keep audiences on edge, proving that some cinematic ghosts only grow stronger with time. As the title cards unfold and Luke Antony drifts through the forest, lost in thought, a haunting prosody sets the tone: “ I might not find what I lost. I pursue not pleasure. Nothing was a choice. No thing was a choice.” It feels like a confession, a poetic overture that captures the film’s inner rhythm — about a man consumed by ghosts, both real and imagined. Luke’s world is one of quiet torment. He is chasing the ghost of his enemy, intent on erasing every trace of that presence. Hallucinations shadow each step he takes, his mind blurring revenge and grief into one. There’s a strange satisfaction in his suffering, as though pain has become the only form of control left to him. What remains is not a life but a lingering existence — a man who, in truth, died alongside his wife, and now haunts the ruins of his own story. Rorschach, directed by Nissam Basheer and written by Sameer Abdul, is a haunting exploration of the human psyche — a powerful ode to its shifting moral terrains and emotional ambiguities. It follows a man teetering between morality and madness, truth and illusion, right and wrong. CONTINUE READING... Stream the latest Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada releases, with OTTplay Premium's Power Play monthly pack, for only Rs 149. |
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