Premier League winners and losers: Wood, Man Utd and Endo brilliant as possible El Sackico nears

Chris Wood, Nuno Espirito Santo, Man Utd, Alex Scott and Wataru Endo enjoyed their post-Christmas strolls, but Roy Hodgson and Thomas Frank are in trouble.

Chris Wood
It can be safely assumed that Chris Wood fell into the category of the ‘here and now players’ sporting director Dan Ashworth once warned Newcastle it was “not sustainable for us to keep going out and buying”.

The Magpies made the New Zealand forward the most expensive Premier League signing ever over the age of 30 for a time in the first PIF transfer window in January 2022, before Kalidou Koulibaly and Casemiro rocked up that summer. For £25m, Newcastle received five goals.

The same player scored three against them on Boxing Day in a glorious performance fuelled not by hatred or revenge, but the simple motivation of proving a dignified and measured point. Newcastle might have grown out of their need for a Chris Wood but a player with more Premier League career hat-tricks than Eric Cantona, Dennis Bergkamp, Gianfranco Zola, Nwankwo Kanu, Diego Costa, Edin Dzeko and Peter Crouch will always have a place to show his worth somewhere.

Nuno Espirito Santo
Manager of the first team to concede a Premier League hat-trick to Wood – Wolves 0-4 Burnley in April 2021 – Nuno masterminded the second instance with a simple but effective gameplan that made it feel like he never left.

Wood will not always score with his every shot, Anthony Elanga will face more resistance than that which Dan Burn provided and Morgan Gibbs-White is unlikely to enjoy the freedom of an entire midfield in the near future. Danny Murphy may have seen it coming in a way Eddie Howe apparently somehow did not, but turning toothless travel sickness sufferers Nottingham Forest into the slick counter-attackers of peak Wolves was quite the trick.

Nuno now accounts for one-third of Forest’s entire total of away league wins since promotion, and the only one by more than a single goal. He has his faults but few are better at preparing for those nose-bloodying trips.

Manchester United
A first Premier League goal for Rasmus Hojlund, whose relief was clear to see. A first Premier League assist since September for Marcus Rashford, just reward for the most focused, deliberate and purposeful performance of his entire season. The second senior game in which Alejandro Garnacho has ever contributed more than a single goal or assist, the first being another comeback win against Aston Villa at Old Trafford (in the League Cup third round in November 2022).

Manchester United were not as bad as the scoreline – and the subsequent gleeful mockery – suggested at half-time, but the outlook was remarkably bleak then and this group of manager-shedding, tool-downing players confounded expectations to deliver a stunning victory.

They have done this before; after coming from two goals down to beat Nottingham Forest at home earlier this season, Manchester United immediately conceded 10 goals across three consecutive defeats as their latest turned corner became an infernal maze. The response this time must extend beyond one half of a game.

But in terms of marking the start of a potentially promising new era, that is one way to shift momentum. A stirring win against a possible title contender with eight academy graduates used gives hope that Erik ten Hag remains in control of this teetering ship as their injury problems slowly subside. It is a fine foundation; now they just have to finally prove capable of building on it.

Albert Sambi Lokonga
One of his two goalline clearances was ultimately converted and the assist to Alfie Doughty’s opener rather exaggerates the nature of his 20-yard pass to a player who proceeded to carry the ball pretty far from the touchline into the area before scoring, but Lokonga’s performance against Sheffield United was not one to be measured or quantified by statistics.

When Luton needed to keep the ball, Lokonga was a calm and controlling central presence. Once the game turned hectic, his energy and desire proved invaluable. Lokonga has started four Premier League games this season and Luton have won two, drawn one and lost the other 1-0. There are few players more important to their cause than the Arsenal loanee.

Carlton Morris
Still with technically just one combined goal and assist in the Premier League since October began, Morris can nevertheless take solace in the knowledge his substitute cameo against Sheffield United turned defeat into victory.

“When he came on, he said to me, ‘don’t worry, we’ll get back in this,'” said Rob Edwards of the message of hope his striker issued when he was sent on at 2-1 down in the 71st minute. Morris promptly laid on the equaliser with a left-footed cross before coaxing one through a delivery with his right, both own goals which left him one deflected header short of a truly spectacular hat-trick.

Named on the bench for five consecutive games – taking the postponed Bournemouth match into account – it might be time for Morris to be restored to the starting line-up.

Alex Scott
A wonderful run matched only by some stunning post-match footballer self-deprecation: “My shooting is not the best so I thought to lay if off to the better finishers.”

With that “significant” knee injury Bournemouth accepted as part of the package to sign Scott finally overcome, the Andoni Iraola revolution can take hold. The Cherries were already the Premier League’s form team before their £25m midfield fulcrum was factored in and his seamless transition into the side bodes well.

“Like the others, he knows he has to fight for his position,” said Iraola before Scott’s latest comeback, but that central tandem of Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook already feels like it is clinging on in both battle and war against a 20-year-old who will only improve with time and training.

Wataru Endo
Seven starts in eight games, with a sublime late equalising goal scored in the only match he appeared in from the bench. That is some December from the same player who took his shirt number predecessor’s slower-burn path to the Liverpool first team.

Jurgen Klopp has often spoke of the importance of Endo’s “legs” and “heart” in a Liverpool side generally otherwise lacking his particular defensive qualities, and with Alexis Mac Allister ruled out for the foreseeable, he has timed his transition wonderfully – and his participation in next month’s Asian Cup awfully.

While Jarell Quansah was excellent against Burnley, Klopp’s post-match assessment of Endo revealed perhaps his new favourite Liverpool player: “My god what a game he played, eh? I would love to see that game without him, that would be really strange.” The clinching goal certainly would not have come; there is no better way to sum Endo up than his brave tackle being a simultaneously fine pass in the closing stages of a hard-fought victory.

Chelsea
The eighth-youngest starting line-up in Premier League history needed a spot of hand-holding from Thiago Silva in the second half but 22-year-old Mykhaylo Mudryk’s opener and 21-year-old Noni Madueke’s winner, combined with a sterling display from 20-year-old Malo Gusto, helped exorcise the spirit of Michael Olise’s returning release clause.

No team has won more Premier League games on xG this season than Chelsea. That will evoke a number of reactions, ranging from the continued mockery of Nicolas Jackson to the resumed ruing of the proliferation of boffins in football. But it does point to Mauricio Pochettino getting plenty right despite the infuriating inconsistency at Stamford Bridge.

Wolves
Not since April had Wolves won consecutive Premier League games. And one has to trawl back to March 2022 – The Before Times – for their last four-goal haul in a league fixture.

Praise should be restrained for as long as they continue to rely on attacking cheat codes such as Hwang Hee-chan – of those with more than a couple of Premier League goals this season, only Erling Haaland, Wood, Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak, Diogo Jota and Solanke are scoring more frequently every 90 minutes – but Wolves are quietly chugging along in a properly weird mid-table: them being level on points with Chelsea and Bournemouth challenges about five preconceptions.

Phil Foden
While the impending returns of Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne will change the squad’s complexion once more, Foden has made as compelling a case as possible for a longer run at the centre of this Manchester City side.

Starting the last four games as the No. 10, Foden has assisted one goal and scored two more, helping crown Manchester City world champions and turn the tide against Everton in the process.

The debate as to whether his skillset is best deployed in the middle for club and country will persist as Haaland and De Bruyne come back to fill those spots and likely force Foden wide again, but the 23-year-old provided a necessary reminder of his brilliance.

Losers

Roy Hodgson
By the time Patrick Vieira was sacked by Crystal Palace, he had won one, drawn five and lost six of his last 12 Premier League games; Hodgson’s current run of one victory, four draws and seven losses in his last dozen matches puts him at immense risk, no matter how he tries to frame it.

Given his recent public comments, the manager should perhaps consider refraining from offering his thoughts in the immediate aftermath of games. But excusing this form with a passive-aggressive “we’re not exactly playing the teams in the area where we are in the league” does not wash when Palace have faced four of the bottom five in that time.

The raging against the VAR machine is a useful distraction from a more general waste of resources. Hodgson’s reliance on the same tired old players is born out in his use of just 54 substitutions this season – as many as the sacked Paul Heckingbottom. Only David Moyes (52) and Pep Guardiola (50) have made fewer of those coaches in place throughout the season and their need to make changes has been far lesser.

Chelsea made four substitutions before Palace made one in the defeat at Stamford Bridge. And Jeffrey Schlupp replacing Jordan Ayew did not scream ambition. Matheus Franca’s stoppage-time introduction after the hosts took the lead was almost pointless and the pressure on the Brentford game on Saturday is huge – if indeed Hodgson even makes it that far.

Thomas Frank
That meeting at Selhurst Park truly is colossal. Frank’s position is not subject to the same level of threat as Hodgson’s but Brentford’s Premier League place is every bit as jeopardised as Palace’s. One point separates two teams sliding towards the bottom.

Brentford’s mitigation lies more in just how ravaged their squad is, rather than how poorly Frank is utilising it. A dreadful summer transfer window has combined with injuries and suspensions to create a toxic mix and Wolves took full advantage to inflict upon the Bees their heaviest home defeat since October 2011.

Only Burnley and Sheffield United have gone on longer losing Premier League runs this season and that resilience which underpinned Brentford’s previous success has understandably disintegrated. With Wolves returning in the FA Cup before a tough start to 2024 involving fixtures against Spurs, Manchester City, Liverpool, West Ham, Chelsea and Arsenal, there is a desperate need to reverse fortunes at Palace.

Nathan Collins
Let’s just call that the anti-Chris Wood and move on.

Newcastle
With the last four goals they have conceded being scored by Andros Townsend and Chris Wood, it at least gives them time to prepare for Ivan Toney’s winner on the final day to condemn them to a bottom-half finish.

READ MORE: Eddie Howe sack incoming after Newcastle slump to embarrassing defeat with Liverpool, City waiting

Unai Emery
As someone put it on social media: ‘Emery is one of those managers unless he’s managed your club you’ll never understand him.’

Presented with an opportunity to go top of the Premier League table – if only temporarily – on December 22, Aston Villa promptly dropped points at home to bottom side Sheffield United. Four days later, the chance to draw level on points with leaders Liverpool was being exploited, until a catastrophic final hour turned victory into defeat.

For the first time since February, Aston Villa have gone consecutive Premier League games without winning and the self-inflicted nature of this setback is unavoidable. On a micro level, Diego Carlos lazily passing to an opponent and Clement Lenglet trying to dribble out of his own box is sub-optimal. But in macro terms, Emery sticking rigidly to that high line and taking so long to react to the specific challenge at hand set Villa up for the fall which eventually and inevitably came.

It remains a fine season and Emery was at pains to stress how brilliant this first half of the campaign has been; the shame is that it really could have been even better.

An Emery team 2-0 up at half time then sitting on the lead in the second half and getting punished, is it?

— Tim Stillman ⭐️⭐️ (@timstillman_) December 26, 2023

Fulham
Those successive 5-0 victories look funnier by the week. Fulham have not scored in three games since, conceding eight goals without reply to teams either horribly out of form (Newcastle), battling relegation (Burnley) or just clearly far better despite them earning promotion at the same time (Bournemouth).

The absences of Willian and Raul Jimenez have not helped but there really is little to Fulham beyond Joao Palhinha. It might be adding two and two together to make an extortionate January transfer fee but his mind certainly seemed elsewhere when letting Scott glide past him or clumsily fouling Antoine Semenyo.

Burnley at home
Vincent Kompany’s open-top bus parade roar of “next season Turf Moor has to be hell for every team that comes and plays there” remains one of this campaign’s greatest quotes. Burnley have the worst home record in the entire league, losing nine of their 10 games and scoring half their goals against Sheffield United. It’s hardly Galatasaray in the mid ’90s.

Sheffield United
In a mini league comprising only results in games between the bottom six, Everton and Luton are joint leaders on 10 points, Burnley and Crystal Palace are level on third with seven, and Nottingham Forest are next on six.

With a single point – and also the only side to have a negative goal difference in those fixtures – it is clear to see where Sheffield United’s survival hopes might be most significantly undermined.

Jordan Pickford
Everton would undeniably be a Championship side at best right now without him, and there was a fine double save in the first half, but equally: oh dear.