Salah Strikes Again
Salah’s goal against Manchester City on Sunday is his 25th of Premier League so far this season. He’s managed to do that after playing 27 games (he’s started every league game this season), which on average, is a goal every 97-minutes of regular time.
This goal in particular was a well worked corner which had clearly been practiced several times on the training pitch.
Salah’s highest scoring season so far for Liverpool dates back to 2017-2018 (his debut season for Liverpool) in which he scored 32 goals in 36 matches played.
In the 17-18 season, he had 22 goals after the first 27 matches played. So, he’s ahead of schedule to beat his previous record if he can maintain the same form he’s in, as well as staying healthy.
Marcus Rashford Continues to Impress at Villa
Aston Villa had an impressive comeback against Chelsea on Saturday to win 2-1. Marco Asensio scored a double for Villa, of which, both goals were assisted by Marcus Rashford (a combination of two loanees).
Since joining from United on loan during the mid-season transfer window, Marcus Rashford has impressed in a Villa shirt and appears to be getting back to enjoying football again. We’d have to rewind to October 19, 2024 when United beat Brentford 2-1 to Rashford’s last assist in the Premier League.
To see two Rashford assists in the same game, we’d have to rewind back to October 17, 2020 when United played Newcastle away.
While it is still early days, so far, it seems that Emery has been able to find a way to get Rashford to perform at a level that was missing under Ten Hag and Amorim’s watch.
Wolves vs. Bournemouth – an Important Match for Both
Wolverhampton Wanderers had a massive win against Bournemouth in Match Week 26. A first half red card for Bournemouth ended up being costly, with Cunha scoring the only goal of the match a few minutes later.
Pre-match, there was anticipation for this game as there was a lot riding on the outcome.
Firstly, a win for Bournemouth would have propelled them to 46 points in an attempt to stay a close as possible to the European qualification for next season. Given Manchester City’s loss against Liverpool, a win would have moved them into fourth spot.
Secondly, with Wolves being in a relegation battle, they were looking for their 6th win of the season to move them further off the relegation zone. February, so far, has turned out to be a fruitful month for Wolves, with two wins against top half teams (Villa and now Bournemouth).
That Match Ball Looks Different (But Similar?)
Did you notice they swapped out the yellow match ball for a new white one? Starting in the match last Wednesday between Aston Villa and Liverpool, the Premier League introduced the third ball of the season, the new Nike Flight Ball.
It’s modeled after the Nike Total 90’s balls of the past and a definite throwback to the 04/05 season when the likes of Thierry Henry (top scorer) and Frank Lampard (most assists) tore up the Premier League.
Chelsea won the league that year, with an impressive 95 points (last team to get 95+ points was Liverpool in the 19/20 season).
The Premier League is celebrating their partnership with Nike, who has been the official ball sponsor of England’s top men’s division for the last 25 years now.
Click here to see the official article from the Premier League about the third 2024/2025 Nike Fight ball this season.
As a spectator, it is a definitive difference when watching a match with a yellow vs. white ball. I wonder if any of the players have a period where it takes them time to transition from one coloured ball to the next?
Is it easier for a goalie to a see and save a yellow ball vs. a white one, or vice versa? Are more goals scored with one colour of the ball over the other? Maybe something for FIVDA to dig into in another article at a later date.
That’s it for this week’s, Premier League Rewind, stay tuned for weekly updates and subscribe for our newsletter if you’d prefer to see this weekly post sent directly to your inbox.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read these posts!
JC