And the winners are... Premier League half-term awards
No shortage of contenders but Mystic Meg would have struggled to predict the identity of the players who would illuminate the first half of the 2015/16 Premier League campaign. Odion Ighalo has made the transition from the Championship to the top flight seamlessly, scoring 14 times for a Watford side who have surprised many this season.
Meanwhile, after a largely underwhelming first two seasons at the club, the Mesut Ozil Arsenal thought they had signed has finally emerged over the last five months. The German’s tally of 16 assists has kept the Gunners in title contention.
However it’s impossible to look beyond Leicester’s dynamic duo of Rihad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy.
The case for Mahrez is compelling. The skill and dribbling ability was there last season but the Algerian has now added the most important ingredient of all, end-product. A tally of 13 goals and seven assists is simply outstanding.
Vardy’s form has been equally remarkable, his haul of 15 goals and four assists inspiring Leicester’s unlikely title push. And his achievement in netting in a record 11 consecutive Premier League games means he just pips team-mate Mahrez for this award.
Again, there’s plenty of options with Bafetimbi Gomis’ effort in Swansea’s 2-0 over Newcastle in August and Ryan Mason’s strike in Tottenham’s 1-0 win at Sunderland jumping out as outstanding team goals.
Alexis Sanchez’s rocket in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Manchester United in October warrants a mention, as does Matt Richie’s belter of a volley in Bournemouth’s 2-0 win over Sunderland a month earlier.
However, the standout goal of the first half of the season came as recently as last weekend, an extraordinary curling half-volley from Cuco Martina that flew past Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech and put Southampton on course for a stunning 4-0 triumph. It was simply sublime.
Three contenders stand out, all from this month. Firstly, Cameron Jerome somehow managed to shovel a glorious chance over the bar from just seven yards following an exquisite backheel from Wes Hoolahan in Norwich’s 1-1 draw with Everton.
Secondly, Siem de Jong had all the time in the world and pretty much the whole of the goal to aim at when he headed wide from close-range in Newcastle’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
And lastly, despite netting Liverpool’s winner, Christian Benteke will not forget his miss against Leicester last weekend in a hurry. With Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel still in Liverpool’s half after a late Leicester corner, the ball was rolled to Benteke 30 yards from an empty net. Inexplicably, instead of simply rolling the ball in, he delayed long enough for Leicester defender Wes Morgan to cover the goal. That was a bad mistake but it should still have been a routine task to slip the ball either side of Morgan and into the net. However, the striker just poked the ball straight at the Leicester defender’s legs and the chance was spurned.
All three misses shortlisted were woeful but, ultimately, it’s impossible to look past Benteke’s howler.
David de Gea has produced a host of brilliant saves with perhaps his finest coming in Manchester United’s 2-1 win at Watford in November when he somehow turned Almen Abdi’s deflected strike round the post. It was an outstanding reaction save from a wonderful goalkeeper.
Crystal Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey also deserves a mention for his staggering feat in turning a goal-bound header from Southampton’s Steven Davis over the bar earlier this month. But the selection comes from the Arsenal v Liverpool game way back in August. It seemed Christian Benteke just had to score when he got on the end of a low cross from Roberto Firmino just six yards out but Petr Cech somehow got down to turn the striker’s effort around the post. Few other keepers in the world could have saved it.
Manchester City are not the most convincing of outfits but beating them 4-1 on their own patch in November was still a pretty impressive feat from Liverpool. Spurs’ 4-0 hammering of a West Ham side that had beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City away also warrants a mention but it’s impossible to look past Southampton’s 4-0 win over Arsenal last Saturday. The context is key. The Saints went into the game having taken just one point from the previous 15 available and faced an Arsenal side on a high after beating title rivals Manchester City. What followed was sensational and the stunned visitors were actually flattered by the final scoreline.
When Manchester City took to the field against Newcastle in early October, Sergio Aguero had gone 595 minutes in all competitions without a goal. The drought would stretch another 42 minutes but when the dam burst, it did so in emphatic fashion. The Argentine netted five times in a remarkable 20-minute spell before injury ended his afternoon.
A case could also be made for Alexis Sanchez, for either his hat-trick in Arsenal’s 5-2 win at Leicester or his brace in the 3-0 demolition of Manchester United. Georginio Wijnaldum’s four-goal haul in Newcastle’s 6-2 win over Norwich also warrants consideration but, ultimately, it’s difficult to look past Aguero.
There’s been plenty of cracckers with the Arsenal v Liverpool game in August and the Manchester United v Chelsea clash earlier this week providing ample evidence that goalless draws can sometimes make for compelling viewing.
However, it’s hard to beat a goalfest. Arsenal’s 5-2 win at Leicester now looks a far better result for the Gunners than it perhaps appeared at the time and was fantastic entertainment. Leicester scored once and twice hit woodwork before Arsenal — inspired by Alexis Sanchez — burst into life and destroyed the Foxes.
But the game that jumps out, a game that showcased what makes the Premier League such compelling viewing, came as recently as this week. Everton v Stoke had everything. The seven goals included a few beauties while the contest swung one way then the other before being decided in Stoke’s favour by a hugely contentious penalty. It was epic.
Everton have been one of the most entertaining teams for neutrals to watch this season and Roberto Martinez’s men have experienced the elation of coming back from the brink as well as the frustration of being pegged back by tenacious opposition.
Romelu Lukaku dug the Toffees out of a sticky situation when his brace helped turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win at West Brom in September but Everton were twice pegged back at Bournemouth in November and had to settle for a 3-3 draw after conceding a third goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time. The way the Cherries bounced back to rescue a point having conceded in the 95th minute makes them a worthy winner of this gong.
A few obvious contenders bounce out. Roberto Firmino has provided little evidence that he’s worth £29m, Pedro has made little impression at Chelsea while Memphis Depay has been a major disappointment at United. Of the three, Depay has probably been the biggest flop but there’s precious little in it.
Dele Alli has emerged as an integral figure in his first season at Tottenham while West Ham’s Dimitri Payet would almost certainly have taken this gong had injury not intervened in early November. But, as previously mentioned, Watford’s Odion Ighalo has been a revelation and his form just can’t be overlooked. On the managerial front, Jurgen Klopp is a fascinating addition to the Premier League.
In any normal year you could make a persuasive case for Mauricio Pochettino, Quique Flores or Alan Pardew. But this isn’t a normal year. The only selection can be Claudio Ranieri.
A straight choice between Leicester’s extraordinary title challenge and Chelsea’s staggering meltdown. There’s little between the two but the nod falls just in favour of Leicester on the basis that their results prove it is still possible for a lesser light to defy the odds.
Not a huge amount of options. Seamus Coleman has done pretty well but, in keeping with his fellow Everton defenders, he looks far more comfortable going forward than he does at the back. If Rob Elliot can maintain his current form between the sticks for Newcastle he should be the obvious choice to start in goal for Ireland in the Euros. Shane Long and Jon Walters have also had their moments, albeit not enough of them. The nod ultimately goes to Wes Hoolahan on the basis of his two goals and six assists for a Norwich side battling relegation.
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