Premier League and Old Firm Derby: 10 Talking Points From the Weekend

1) Direct action has an impact at Old Trafford

Manchester United fans’ direct action is an expression of powerlessness

“We decide when you play.” That was the warning handed out to Manchester United by the fans who invaded the club’s training center during the week the European Super League was formed and then expired. It was one they delivered on in getting a blue-riband fixture with Liverpool postponed. They also managed to get Manchester City’s collection of the Premier League title postponed. Direct action achieved its aim: embarrassing the club and the Premier League, and reheating the latent outrage the failed breakaway caused. And most of all, reinforcing the detachment that so many supporters have felt during 16 years of ownership by the Florida-based Glazer family. Manchester United is an often disparate, divided support, with the ownership causing deep rifts between the many fan groups. What happened on Sunday was a show of collective strength and unity between such factions. Football authorities may abhor the actions that took place but they ignored the underlying reasons at their peril. John Brewin

Man Utd v Liverpool postponed after fans invade the stadium

2) Classy Torres shows glimpse of Man City future

While Sergio Agüero indicated that he still has plenty to offer with a trademark finish at Crystal Palace, Manchester City’s other goalscorer at Selhurst Park also showed a glimpse of the future. Ferran Torres has been used only sparingly so far by Pep Guardiola since signing from Valencia last summer but in his 12th league start of the season, the 21-year-old’s strike little more than a minute after Agüero had given City the lead capped a sparkling performance that clearly enthused his manager. “Ferran scored a lot of goals but today was the first game I saw he could handle what it means to play the physicality of the Premier League,” said Guardiola. “He was a little boy and now he is a man. And that is good. You have this aggressiveness without the ball, the Premier League demands to be. His numbers are incredible for the minutes he’s played.” Ed Aarons

Match report: Crystal Palace 0-2 Manchester City

3) Chelsea rearguard driving their end-of-season push

Let’s start with the headline statistics. In Thomas Tuchel’s 23 matches in all competitions, Chelsea have kept 17 clean sheets. They have conceded 10 goals and five of those were in the 5-2 home loss to West Brom. Yet what our eyes tell us takes things even further. They barely concede chances. Saturday’s 2-0 win over Fulham was a slight anomaly in that their opponents had sightings during the first half. Édouard Mendy had to make three decent saves but each of them was from medium to long range. Tuchel has made it so difficult for teams to get in behind his own; to enjoy space inside the area. The aggression, physicality and pace of Chelsea’s defending is really something. This is the challenge that Real Madrid must overcome in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge, after last week’s 1-1 draw. Fail, and Chelsea will be in the final. David Hytner

Match report: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham

4) Elneny and Ceballos control the center at Newcastle

Arsenal central midfield combinations tend to be judged by a formidable yardstick; how do they match up to Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit? Mohamed Elneny and Dani Ceballos may not be quite in the same league as Arsène Wenger’s two famous French warriors of old but the reassuringly rugged Egyptian stalwart and the Spanish Real Madrid loanee still excelled at Newcastle, leaving Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff chasing shadows as Arsenal won 2-0. Elneny also opened the scoring, courtesy of a highly accomplished half-volley as Mikel Arteta’s side limbered up convincingly for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Villarreal. Well before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added the second goal with a spectacular volley of his own, Elneny and Ceballos had fully emphasized the long running weakness at the heart of midfield undermining the spine of Steve Bruce’s side. Fortifying that department is arguably Newcastle’s summer transfer market priority. Louise Taylor

Match report: Newcastle 0-2 Arsenal

5) Watkins can miss chances but not minutes

The initial £28m Aston Villa paid for Ollie Watkins may have felt excessive for a 24-year-old. His early – and perfect – hat-trick against Liverpool showed he has the ability to trouble even the best defenses, as Everton’s often frugal backline, who were run ragged, could testify. Watkins’ haul of 13 goals is excellent; his capacity to get in promising positions time and again means it could have been higher and his reaction to both the treble in October’s 7-2 thrashing and Saturday’s goal on Saturday was to say he could have scored more. But part of Watkins’ appeal lies in his relentlessness. He can miss chances, but not minutes. He is the only forward to play every minute in the Premier League and only sat out 10 minutes of Brentford’s 49 league and play-off matches last season. He seems irrepressible. Richard Jolly

Match report: Everton 1-2 Aston Villa

6) Leeds take it easy as Bielsa stonewalls on contract

Marcelo Bielsa’s next Leeds contract remains unsigned. The Argentinian will brook no discussion of the subject, and while such behavior repeats the pattern of the previous two seasons the club’s supporters might well be getting worried about the potential loss of their messiah. The owner, Andrea Radrizzani, is hopeful of striking a deal that would calm nerves in West Yorkshire but three seasons at the club is already the longest time Bielsa has stayed at any club. Weekend speculation linked Leeds with Roma’s manager, Paulo Fonseca, who is likely to be free this summer and espouses a Bielsa style of play. Whatever may happen this summer, Leeds’ performance against Brighton did suggest something of a demob-happy group of players. Bielsa’s players were unusually lacking in energy in handing Graham Potter’s team a lifeline in their battle against relegation. Though Leeds players’ do have the easy excuse of a long and successful season back in the Premier League. John Brewin

Match report: Brighton 2-0 Leeds

7) Mitchell gives Hodgson hope for the future

Crystal Palace are starting to look to the future after confirming another mid-table finish in the Premier League. Their defense has generally been made up of experienced players the wrong side of 30, rarely filling anyone watching with much confidence. Fifty-four goals conceded in 32 matches before City’s visit will have been more than Roy Hodgson wanted, so he decided to give Tyrick Mitchell the chance to shine at left-back in place of the Dutch international Patrick van Aanholt. The 21-year-old acquitted himself extremely well against an exciting Manchester City forward line, putting in a fine block to prevent Raheem Sterling from opening the scoring. Mitchell looked confident throughout and deserving of his chance to play in the Premier League, now it is for Hodgson to persevere with the defender for the remainder of the campaign to give him a platform to build on next season. Will Unwin

Match report: Crystal Palace 0-2 Manchester City

8) Leicester get that familiar sinking feeling

Shortly after Leicester arrived at St Mary’s on Friday, James Maddison and Marc Albrighton pretended to practice their putting skills on the green turf but, after leaving Southampton with what amounted to a double bogey, they find themselves in a familiar position. Brendan Rodgers is not one to outwardly show his frustration but was clearly irked at his side’s failure to extend their advantage over the teams chasing a Champions League berth. At this stage last season they relinquished their place in the top four after losing three of their final four matches. Their game at home to Newcastle on Friday feels hugely significant given they then face Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, with an FA Cup final sandwiched between those matches. It looks set to be another nerve-jangling climax. Ben Fisher

Match report: Southampton 1-1 Leicester

9) Alli still a shadow of former self

The sight of Dele Alli in a Tottenham shirt was arresting, not least because of his hairband. When José Mourinho arrived in November 2019, Alli was highlighted as a project player, only to be swiftly consigned to the sidelines. Ryan Mason, Alli’s one-time midfield partner, restored Alli to the starting lineup for only the third time in the Premier League this season. A change of scenery had looked the most likely means to revive a flagging career, rather like Jesse Lingard, Alli’s teammate at the 2018 World Cup, and his West Ham loan. Mason offered a late-season chance to show Alli has something to offer when he is still only 25 and bound to a Spurs contract until 2024. But, as Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick, there were few signs of his former self, someone who once formed a triumvirate with Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, and he was by no means a junior partner. John Brewin

Match report: Tottenham 4-0 Sheffield United

10) Tavernier an asset Rangers will want to retain

James Tavernier cost Rangers only £200,000 from Wigan in 2015. Since then he has become a mainstay in Steven Gerrard’s side, captaining the club to their first Scottish Premiership title in a decade. He has shown fine leadership but his performances at full-back have been equally important, not to mention the 11 goals he has scored and nine assists provided in their triumphant season. Against Celtic he repeatedly put in dangerous crosses for strikers who struggled to convert; if they had shown more composure the victory margin could have doubled. His delivery at set pieces and in open play will bring interest in the summer, as he is one of the best attacking full-backs in Britain. Rangers will hope Tavernier will want to continue at Ibrox and keep building on their recent successes. At the very least, he will cost teams a lot more than the original outlay six years ago. Will Unwin

Match report: Rangers 4-1 Celtic

Max Verstappen cruised to a fourth consecutive Formula 1 championship on Saturday night by finishing fifth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen needed only to finish ahead of Lando Norris of McLaren to give Red Bull a fourth straight driver championship. The Dutchman started fifth but was already up to second by the 10th lap around the street circuit that includes the famed Las Vegas Strip.
Norris, who had to score at least three points more than Verstappen to extend the championship fight, finished sixth. Verstappen needed only to finish higher than Norris to win the title, which he did with two races remaining on the season.
He ended the race up 63 points over Norris with two events remaining this season.
“Max Verstappen you are a four-time world champion," team principal Christian Horner said on the radio. "That is a phenomenal, phenomenal achievement. You can be incredibly proud of yourself as we are."
Verstappen, only the sixth driver in F1 history to win at least four titles, sounded unusually emotional on the radio.
“Oh My God, what a season. Four times. Thank you, thank you guys,” he said. “We gave it all.”
The race was won, meanwhile, by George Russell who was followed by Lewis Hamilton in the first 1-2 sweep for the Mercedes drivers since 2022. Hamilton came from 10th on the grid — two weeks after a demoralizing race in Brazil — to capture his podium finish.
The duo crossed the finish line under a checkered flag waved by actor Sylvester Stallone.
Carlos Sainz Jr. finished third for Ferrari as the constructor championship remains a tight battle between leader McLaren and Ferrari. Charles Leclerc, his teammate, was fourth. Red Bull had won the title that pays roughly $150 million in prize money the last two seasons but has slipped to third in the standings.
But that championship battle appears headed to next month's season finale in Abu Dhabi. McLaren has a 24-point lead over Ferrari headed into this weekend's race in Qatar after Norris and Oscar Piastri finished sixth and seventh in Las Vegas.
“Max deserved to win it. He drove a better season than I did, he deserved it more than anyone else,” Norris said. “Max just doesn't have a weakness. When he's got the best car, he dominates and when he's not got the best car, he's still just there always.”
Verstappen, meanwhile, made easy work of Norris after a season where the McLaren driver pushed him harder than he'd been challenged since Verstappen's first title in 2021.
“To stand here as a four-time world champion is something I never thought would be possible,” Verstappen told actor Terry Crews, who moderated the podium news conference held in front of the Bellagio's famed fountains.
“It was a very challenging season and I had to be calm. I think this season taught me a lot of lessons and we handled it well as a team, so that of course makes it a very special and beautiful season.”
Verstappen, who is 27, won 19 races last year. He opened this season on a tear but a long winless streak from June until Brazil two weeks ago has him with only eight wins, his fewest since 2020.
Verstappen asked at the Bellagio what time it was, noting he was in Las Vegas and “I'm very thirsty.” He had a champagne celebration awaiting him.
Race-winner Russell, meanwhile, said he’d be skipping his scheduled flight home to celebrate the victory with actor Crews. He also twice had to sit down on the podium to wipe champagne out of his eyes.
Verstappen was cruising in third with about 20 laps remaining and not overly pushing when Red Bull urged Verstappen to be patient over the team radio.
“Max, just don't lose sight of our aim today, yeah?” he was told.
Verstappen wasn't interested in receiving any instructions.
“Yeah, yeah. I'm doing my race,” he replied.
When he later saw the Ferrari drivers behind him, he asked for instructions because of the constructor championship implications.
"Do you want me to try to keep them behind or what?" Verstappen asked of Sainz and Leclerc.
"I think you should, yeah," Red Bull told Verstappen.
He couldn't hold them off but it made no difference as his season was dominant enough to match former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel as four-time champions for the organization.
This was the second year of the race after last year's debut was a bit of a disaster in that locals were livid for months over ongoing construction, as well as traffic detours and delays, the inability to access many local businesses, outrageous price gouging by the tourism industry as well as LVGP ticketing, and then a loose valve cover that nearly destroyed Sainz's Ferrari minutes into the first practice.
It caused an hours-long delay for repairs, fans were kicked out of the circuit, and F1 ran practice until 4 a.m. — when it legally had to reopen the streets to the public.
This year has been far less hectic, in part because all of the infrastructure headaches were a year ago, but also that last year's race was spectacular. Despite all its speed bumps, the actual running of the race was one of the best of the F1 season.
Russell started on the pole ahead of Sainz, who wanted redemption after the valve-cover fiasco last year. He had to serve a penalty because his car was damaged in the incident.
“I was hoping Vegas had something to offer me after last year, but I will take a podium," Sainz said. "I was looking at every manhole, avoiding them this time.”
The race is the final stop in the United States for F1, which has exploded in American popularity the last five years. The trio of races in Miami; Austin, Texas; and Las Vegas are more than any other country.
After the race completion, F1 next week is expected to announce it will expand the grid to 11 teams to make room for an American team backed by General Motors' Cadillac brand. The team was initially started by Michael Andretti, who could not receive approval from F1 on his expansion application.
Andretti has since turned over his ownership stake to Indiana-businessman Dan Towriss and Mark Walter, the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They would run the Cadillac F1 team that would likely join the grid in 2026.
The announcement of the American team did not come during the weekend to not derail from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is the showpiece of the Liberty Media portfolio.
The race drew 306,000 fans over three days.

Premier League and Old Firm Derby: 10 Talking Points From the Weekend