LAURA WOODS: SLOT WAS FAIR TO CALL EKITIKE ‘STUPID’
RED CARD RULE WRONG BUT EKITIKE’S REACTION SILLY
I don’t like the red card rule in the first place and Hugo Ekitike may have been excited but doing it [removing his shirt to celebrate] when you’re on a yellow was silly. He must have forgotten.
The game meant a lot to him — he is fighting for his place against Alexander Isak so every goal is important to him, especially another late winner for Liverpool.
But now they’re without him and the whole point of having two in that position is for the rotation.
Now they’re going to have to lean on their new world-class striker, who probably isn’t 100% fit yet.
SLOT FAIR TO CALL RED ‘STUPID’
I think it’s fair for Arne Slot to say that what Ekitike did was ‘stupid’ – it gives him an unnecessary headache.
It’s not the Champions League final and you should be able to control yourself when you’re already on a booking, so I imagine Slot was pretty annoyed by it.
I’m not sure if Ekitike is unhappy with the competition for that striker role, but the goal was the perfect way to deal with it.
The celebration, unfortunately, wasn’t.
Hugo Ekitike to win the Premier League Golden Boot is 16/1 with BetMGM
STILL WANT MORE FROM ARTETA
There was a bit more positivity from Mikel Arteta against Manchester City, but I didn’t like that we left [Eberechi] Eze and [Gabriel] Martinelli out to begin with.
You know what he’s thinking when he does that. He’s trying to be more defensive, but these are the games fans want to see some confidence in the team.
Making the changes and reaching a point at home even if it is against City is still a bit too negative in my opinion and I wish we’d have gone for it from the start.
Martinelli has been excellent and deserves his start and Eze is a brand new signing – play him!
Arsenal to win the Premier League is 37/20 with BetMGM
DEMBELE BALLON D’OR DESERVED
I’m happy with Ousmane Dembele winning the Ballon d’Or. He deserves it, he’s won so much and been the best player over the last 12 months.
I didn’t like Lamine Yamal’s dad’s comments [calling Yamal not winning a ‘moral damage’].
You don’t want to start putting that kind of pressure on your son, the spotlight is hard enough.
Dembele won three trophies and is well deserving.
GOLDEN GOALS MATCHDAY 6 SELECTIONS
Here’s what I’m thinking for the latest Golden Goals round:
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You can find out more about Golden Goals and play along here.
Golden Goals Terms & Conditions
Opt in & predict 6 correct scores (see game lobby for weekly tournament cut-off time) to win up to £250k jackpot. Predict 2+ correct scores and win a prize (ranging from Free Bets to £5k Prizepool). Winnings shared evenly in case of multiple winners. Each prize subject to its own terms. Void if 1 or more matches postponed/abandoned or not completed. Verification procedures apply. 18+. T&Cs and exclusions apply.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
