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Weekend Round-Up: Ibrahimovic papers over the cracks for United

Most important goal of the weekend… Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Ibrahimovic is a ridiculous man. He has his 89 goals in his last 100 appearances for his clubs. He rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for goals in the last calendar year. He has kept United going when the rest of the team was struggling. His performance against Southampton was a microcosmic reflection of the season. Bar David de Gea and Antonio Valencia, United were woeful in the League Cup final.

It might have been arrogance, it might have been fatigue. It could have been a combination of the two, but United were simply dreadful. Manolo Gabbiadini was superb, showing invention, spark and presence to score twice and give Southampton an edge to reward their dominance. But Ibrahimovic was better. From a free kick, he aimed for the shortest player in the wall to squeeze in a free kick past Fraser Forster. But it was his winner that was most important.

With the rest of the pitch exhausted, Ibrahimovic led a counterattack down the right-hand side of the pitch. As United then pinged the ball around and waited for reinforcements, Ibrahimovic moved into possession for Herrera’s cross, scoring the winner. He proved his own merits and wiped out – for today – the problems still with United.

A disappointing weekend for… Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho

We don’t need to go over the top. Any disappointing weekend that comes with a successful trip to Wembley is not that bad a weekend. But it is impossible to pretend that there are no worries for this United side. When Mourinho took his Chelsea sides to win this competition, they were already on the cusp of dominating the league – this was simply confirmation. For United, it was only confirmation that they rely on Ibrahimovic and De Gea far too much.

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This should give United the confidence to improve, and the inspiration to taste success again, but there is no escaping that against a limited Southampton team, most of the team did not match their opponents.

Playing for a boyhood dream move to Arsenal… Harry Kane

Harry Kane
Harry Kane

Harry Kane was once again exceptional for Spurs. There’s something quite bizarre about his whole act. He looks like he’s from the 1950s, he tears around defences and seizes on mistakes, and he comes across as an old-fashioned striker. He recalls Alan Shearer, able to finish with his left, right and his head, accurate and confident enough to shoot and score early, giving the goalkeeper as little time to prepare himself as possible.

While Shearer was good enough to succeed even today, despite chronic knee problems, there is something impressive about seeing Kane do it in a team like Spurs. His link-up play is respectable, and it was his measured pass that set up Dele Alli for his goal. His passing isn’t embarrassing, and he’s remarkably unflappable. What he has is a gift in the box, one that is not just about instinct, fitness and practice, but a mixture of all three. If Arsenal wanted to replace Alexis Sanchez in the summer, they could do far worse than bring boyhood Arsenal fan Kane across London.

Surprise of the weekend… Fabregas is a Chelsea leader again

Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas

The most important thing for Cesc Fabregas is that he got his league title and that he did it with Barcelona. You get the sense that he might even have preferred to do it with Arsenal, because that was the club that made him a professional, and that Wenger would have been a vague father figure to him as well. But still, Barcelona is his boyhood club, and victory would have been a relief, as well as special.

Nevertheless, he considered leaving Barcelona for Manchester United in the summer of David Moyes and was happy to return to London with Chelsea. He again won the league, this time under Jose Mourinho, the anti-Wenger. In his third season for Mourinho, he was perhaps the very worst performer when everyone seemed to down tools. He was so bad he brought boos and seemed to find it impossible to even remember how to pass.

It appeared that he was suffering a similar affliction as Wayne Rooney. A first-team regular as a teenager, with no serious injuries, he had played in almost every match that he could and featured for his national side too. At Chelsea, he lost his place under Antonio Conte, with N’Golo Kante, Nemanja Matic and others taking preference. He appeared set to leave. But his performances, like on Saturday against Swansea, have driven the side on when they have momentarily flagged.

He might still leave, of course. This is football, after all, and he probably has one big transfer left in him. But if he does leave, he will still be wanted by the very best clubs and Liverpool. Real Madrid could lose both Isco and Casemiro as they struggle to establish themselves, and they could do worse than bring in an experienced, revitalised player like Fabregas.

Best goal of the weekend… Idrissa Gueye

Everton’s Idrissa Gueye and James McCarthy celebrate after the game
Everton’s Idrissa Gueye and James McCarthy celebrate after the game

Idrissa Gueye was one of three excellent midfield performances for Everton on Saturday. Tom Davies and Morgan Schneiderlin also impressed, but it was Gueye who kicked off the move for Romelu Lukaku’s excellent goal. With anticipation, he intercepted a pass that was played on swiftly for Lukaku. Lukaku showed his usual strength and pace but was also fortunate that a deflection on his shot looped it over Jordan Pickford in goal.

Lukaku could conceivably break his scoring record for a season, needing just eight more to reach 26. Lukaku, like Everton and their manager, are not always consistent, but they often threaten to become something memorable. They did so under David Moyes – beaten here at the weekend – and then under Roberto Martinez. They have money and a striker who promises a great deal. It remains to be seen if they can pull off something more durable.