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Manchester City bounced back from disappointment in the derby with an emphatic 5-2 win against Southampton on Wednesday evening.

Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne both helped themselves to braces, with Ilkay Gundogan also getting on the scoresheet, although Pep Guardiola’s side perhaps could and should have scored more at the Etihad.

Although Mahrez was arguably the star of the show, Guardiola will be delighted to see Gundogan back on the scoresheet after going six games without a goal, and the German midfielder looked back to his best against the Saints.

As per SofaScore, the former Borussia Dortmund man would earn an impressive 8/10 rating for his display, with only Mahrez, De Bruyne and Phil Foden rated higher on the night.

During the 90 minutes, Gundogan would have 93 touches of the ball and impressively complete 74/79 of his passes, resulting in a superb 95% pass accuracy, which was joint with Ruben Dias as the best score of any player who started the game.

As well as his goal, the 30-year-old would contribute three key passes, which is even more than City’s chief creator De Bruyne, who would manage just one.

It is also double the 1.5 key passes Gundogan has averaged in the Premier League so far this season, which emphasises just how good he was against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side on Wednesday.

The midfielder, who joined City for £20 million in 2016, also excelled from a defensive point of view, as he made four interceptions and two tackles during the game, which again is far more than the 0.8 interceptions and 0.8 tackles he has averaged per game in the Premier League this season.

Therefore, it was an all-round display from Gundogan and after some arguably disappointing performances recently, he looked back to his best in the 5-2 win against Southampton, which will surely delight Guardiola.

And, in other news… Txiki disasterclass: City sold 6 ft 5 beast starring in the PL far too easily

West Brom have finally started to put up a fight, even if it seems a little too late.

Sam Allardyce’s men look like a new side thanks to the late January arrivals of Celta Vigo powerhouse Okay Yokuslu, Arsenal utility man Ainsley Maitland-Niles and prolific talisman Mbaye Diagne.

The Baggies notched back-to-back draws in the Premier League last week. However, it could have been six points from six on another day, including a scalp of Manchester United, who they deserved more from after notching two more missed big chances than the title-chasing outfit.

Then against Burnley, Albion were left playing with ten men for around an hour, and they still had more attempts on goal.

However, the biggest thing to take from those two results was their impressive defence, which only leaked one goal and considering the Midlands side have conceded 12 more times than any other top-flight team, that’s a positive step.

Now, it’s on Big Sam to improve their fortunes in front of goal…

On the Chalkboard

And he can do that by unleashing Grady Diangana, who has coincidentally just returned from injury at the perfect time.

A front three involving the £10.8m-rated dynamo, the creative exploits of Matheus Pereira and now a proven scorer in Diagne could see the Baggies actually put up a solid battle at remaining in the top flight.

It’ll be a tough ask, considering they remain 11 points adrift of safety, but with 13 games remaining, it is not yet an impossible feat.

Allardyce believes they need eight clean sheets in those matches to survive, which to some extent is true, but eight draws and then five defeats isn’t going to be enough, for example.

Only two teams have scored fewer than Albion (19), which is why it’s time to unshackle their £18m club-record signing, starting with the game against relegation rivals Brighton this weekend.

Matty Phillips isn’t good enough for the cause, averaging a rating of just 6.59 with one goal to his name all campaign, via SofaScore, whilst Diangana was one of the Baggies’ most influential players last term as he contributed to 15 goals in just 30 appearances.

When he was paired with Pereira, the Hawthorns-based side won 16 of 29 Championship games, losing on only four occasions and the duo combined for 15 goals and 25 assists – this is something Big Sam must replicate, and he has the tools to do now he has Diagne in the mix – via Transfermarkt.

Indeed, the Galatasaray loanee has already contributed to two goals in four starts and he is averaging plenty of aerial duels won (4.8) per game, so he’ll be able to get onto the chances created by Pereira (1.7 key passes per game) and now Diangana, too.

The former Hammers gem has been dubbed an “explosive” player who can be a “total nightmare” on his day by Sky Sports pundits Keith Andrews and Lee Hendrie, so it’s time to bring him back into the fray to complete a dream attack.

If the defence can remain sorted, then this may be the final piece of the jigsaw in Albion’s survival bid.

AND in other news, “Tenacious” £9m-rated beast has become West Brom’s new Claudio Yacob…

According to The Athletic, Crystal Palace reportedly fear Wilfried Zaha could leave Selhurst Park this summer.

What’s the word?

Zaha, 28, rejoined his boyhood club after an ill-fated spell at Old Trafford with Manchester United for around £3m in 2015.

Since then, he has risen to become a prominent part of Roy Hodgson’s side and helped steer them to Premier League safety last season. He played a key role in their 5-1 win over West Brom in more recent times.

But while the Ivory Coast international still has over two years left on his contract, which is reported to be worth £130k-per-week, The Athletic understands that Palace harbour fears that Zaha could be set to leave the club when the transfer window re-opens in the summer.

European giants Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco, have previously expressed interest in the playmaker over the past few weeks and months. Premier League clubs Arsenal and Everton were also credited with interest last year.

Same old, same old

Have we been here before? Hodgson has a habit of making some bold statements about his most prized asset.

“Well, Wilf is not for sale, so basically I don’t need assurances,” Hodgson said in 2019. “We aren’t trying to sell Wilfried Zaha, we want to keep Wilfried Zaha. I have the assurance there is no one in the club that wants to sell Wilfried Zaha, but of course you never know where bids are going to come from and I suppose every time there is a serious bid for one of your players the board of directors needs to take it seriously.”

A few months later, Zaha ended up staying at Selhurst Park, which just goes to show that this isn’t anything new and this saga is going to go on and on.

Hodgson has been saying he is unfazed by speculation linking Zaha with a move away from Selhurst Park, that he hopes Zaha will stay, but it’s hard to believe everything he is saying. If Palace receive a colossal offer, that could prove to be too tempting to ignore, and what about Zaha himself?

CIES Football Observatory currently value the Eagles sensation at €40m (£35m) but it remains to be seen just what sort of fee would see them enticed into a sale.

Ultimately, a lot of this will be resolved by what the player wants to do.

Considering he’s arguably in the form of his life right now with nine goals and two assists in 19 Premier League appearances, coupled with the fact he handed in a transfer request in 2019, it’s hard to imagine he will be willing to sign a contract extension should the club try to extend his current deal.

However, until such a time comes, Palace fans had best enjoy his performances whilst they still can.

AND in other Palace news, Steve Cooper could change Crystal Palace’s philosophy…

Marcus Rashford’s hot streak continued as he put on a masterclass to help Manchester United come from behind to beat Liverpool and progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Inspired by the spirited Rashford, who earns wages worth £200,000-per-week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side claimed one of their biggest scalps of this season so far.

Goals from Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Rashford gave the Red Devils victory in a thrilling FA Cup clash against the defending Premier League champions at Old Trafford.

After Greenwood drew the Red Devils level, the Rashford scored shortly after halftime to put them within touching distance of a place in the next round of the competition.

While Fernandes will be the name in the headlines, it was Rashford who stepped up to derail the Reds’ pursuit of silverware. Mo Salah opened the scoring for Liverpool at Old Trafford but United bounced back in style after a cross-field diagonal ball from Rashford found Greenwood on the right, who coolly slotted home past the helpless Alisson.

But he saved his best moment for later in the game as he latched onto a through ball from Greenwood and found the back of the net.

As per SofaScore, the monstrous Rashford earned a 7.8 match rating for his display, that being the second-highest out of any United player on the pitch, bettered only by a certain Greenwood, which was significantly higher than his season average of 6.96.

Against Liverpool, he would take two shots on target, which was the most of any player from Solskjaer’s squad, including Fernandes.

He’s still not the finished article, that much is obvious, but he’s started to show a maturity far beyond his years both on and off the pitch.

The England international also took more touches (38) than Edinson Cavani as he showed a willingness to bring the ball out from inside his own half to put his team on the front foot, as evidenced by his two successful dribbles from three attempts per 86′ minutes.

He would also win four duels, which is on par with his average of 4.5 in the Premier League, whilst Georginio Wijnaldum and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who were tasked with the job of keeping the left winger at bay, received below-par ratings of 6.4 and 6.7 respectively, as per SofaScore, which goes some way to show that it was the United forward who got the best of his direct opponents on the day.

If the Red Devils are to regain the title for the first time since the 2012-13 season and go far in the FA Cup too, United fans will be hoping that he can maintain his impressive run of form, which has seen him score 15 goals in 31 appearances so far this season.

AND in other news, Manchester United should consider January loan exit for Donny van de Beek…

Glasgow Rangers were handed a huge boost this time last year when Croatian left-back Borna Barisic re-committed his future to the Govan-based Glaswegian giants, but since then it’s been a little quiet on the contract front.

Steven Gerrard’s Gers are leading the race to regain the Scottish Premiership for the first time since the 2010-11 season, but that doesn’t mean that they should rest on their laurels and they should now look to prioritise a new contract for goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

The Light Blues struck a decisive blow after beating Celtic at Ibrox in a crunch Old Firm clash to take a gigantic step towards the Premiership title. A Callum McGregor own goal ultimately proved to be the decider, although a spirited display from the veteran Rangers stopper admirably played its part after he made a string of superb saves to deny the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths.

In fact, we’d even go so far as to say that he quite literally kept Gerrard’s side in the game for most of the first half.

The former Scotland international signed for Rangers before the turn of the century back in 1998 and during his two spells at Ibrox, he has gone on to make more than 300 appearances across all competitions, featuring in over 30 Old Firm derbies so far for his boyhood club.

As per SofaScore, McGregor was given a high grade of 7.4 out of ten for his efforts – he made three saves, including one save from inside the box at close-range, one punch, and took 43 touches of the ball. He also won 100% of his ground duels and was fouled once as well.

The Ibrox boss waxed lyrical over the veteran after the game, saying: “Wow, he was outstanding. He’s a world-class goalkeeper. The couple of saves he’s made to keep us in it.

“It’s a good decision to make him man of the match, he was outstanding and reliable. I know why he’s been so successful at this club because he’s bailed us out again on a couple of occasions.”

He also drew praise from his teammate Bongani Zungu for his performance, who hailed him as an “incredible” person and player

Recently described as a “really valuable” asset by former England international Paul Robinson, the 38-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of the current season and Ross Wilson must do everything within his power to ensure that he doesn’t depart on a free transfer in the summer.

Despite his age, he is still the club’s first-choice keeper and he has shown that he still has the ability to perform well at a consistent basis. It’s about time the club began negotiations over a new deal for the £13,000-per-week gem.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must sign former Leicester City starlet Dennis Gyamfi in January…

When it comes to the January transfer window, Wolves’ plans solely revolve around finding a new striker.

After Raul Jimenez fractured his skull against Arsenal, they have been relentlessly searching for someone to fill his void.

Fabio Silva has scored just once since the Mexican was ruled out for an unspecified amount of time and as a result, the club recalled Patrick Cutrone from his unsuccessful loan stint with Fiorentina.

The Italian has failed to score all season so it’s rather questionable that Nuno Santo believes him best qualified to replace Jimenez.

That being said, they are surely no better targeting Stephane Bahoken. The Cameroon international has been linked with a switch to Wolves in the last few weeks but hasn’t particularly caught the eye since.

Judging by the acquisitions of Romain Saiss and Rayan Ait-Nouri from Bahoken’s club Angers, he’d be a good signing, but his performance off the bench on Saturday was nothing short of a horror show.

His team were defeated 3-0 by Monaco and the striker came on and played the final 34 minutes of the encounter. Unfortunately, he failed to inspire a fightback.

The 28-year-old cut a frustrated figure as he completed just 57% of his passes – four out of seven. Coincidentally that was a worse tally than Cutrone managed when he came off the bench for Wolves last Friday in the FA Cup.

He only managed three passes but was successful with all of them at least. From just ten touches of the ball, Bahoken lost it on four occasions and only managed a solitary shot towards goal.

There was a distinct lack of threat from the experienced forward who didn’t do anything positive of note. Cutrone did at least try one dribble when he came on for Wolves but it would be wrong to say he didn’t struggle too.

It’s unsurprising, though, when you consider it was his first appearance of the season for the Old Gold.

That being said, he is still probably a better option than Wolves’ current target. Cutrone at least knows the demands of Nuno and how the team plays.

They must forget about Bahoken for the time being. This small cameo was a disaster.

AND in other news, Wolves can find their next Boly with swoop for £1.5m “weapon”, he’s a “great talker”…

Joel Matip was once again absent for Liverpool on Wednesday night, as he was unable to recover from the injury problem that forced him off in the Reds’ 1-1 draw with Fulham last weekend.

Fortunately for Jurgen Klopp’s side, Roberto Firmino’s late header meant that they would return to the top of the table after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at Anfield, but the German manager will be concerned that the Cameroonian is struggling with injury problems at a time where they are desperately short of defensive options.

Rhys Williams filled in superbly for the Reds on what was his Premier League debut, helping keep Harry Kane quiet throughout the 90 minutes, whilst Fabinho was once again excellent in his new-found role as a centre-back.

Therefore, when you also consider the solid performances of Nathaniel Phillips when he has been called upon at times this season, you wonder whether Matip, who earns £100k per week with the Reds, may have now run out of chances with Liverpool.

The former Schalke man has been excellent in spells for Liverpool, and of course played his part in the Reds winning the Champions League in 2019, as well as the Premier League in 2020.

However, the 29-year-old has regularly been sidelined with injury during his time with the Merseyside club and this latest setback will be a huge cause of frustration for Klopp in a time when he was relying on the centre-back to stay fit, due to the long-term injuries suffered by Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk.

Therefore, once those two return to fitness, it may well be time for Klopp to axe Matip, as unfortunately, he has shown himself to be unreliable throughout his time at the club, and the talents coming through the Liverpool academy look ready to step up in his absence.

Hopefully, for the Reds, his current injury won’t rule him out for too much longer, as he will surely be an important player for the rest of this season, but beyond that, you worry for his future with the club.

And, in other news… Forget Minamino: Klopp can replace Jota with teenage LFC “sensation”

West Ham United would rue their naive call not to offer Fabian Balbuena a new contract amid rumours Flamengo could move to sign the David Moyes favourite in 2021.

What’s the word?

According to Jorge Nicola, Flamengo are paying close attention to Balbuena’s situation at the London Stadium with his £40,000-per-week contract set to expire next summer.

The Brazilian heavyweights are open to the idea of signing the centre-half if he leaves the Premier League as a free agent, which would be expected to spark further interest in his services.

Flamengo are not yet putting any steps in place toward a deal for Balbuena, with the Estadio de Gavea natives currently focusing efforts toward deals for other priority positions.

Rogerio Ceni’s side currently sit second to Atletico Goianiense by three points, having allowed the fifth-most goals (31) in the Brazilian Serie A thus far this season.

Flamengo may miss out on signing Balbuena next year, as it is thought West Ham are plotting a new deal for the 29-year-old who has started seven of the Irons’ nine Premier League fixtures thus far this season.

Moyes has only opted against naming Balbuena in one of his line-ups for West Ham’s opening two games of the campaign, which saw the Hammers lose to Newcastle United and Arsenal before enjoying a run of one loss in seven.

Naive to let Balbuena leave

While Nicola notes that West Ham are expected to present a new contract offer to Balbuena before his terms lapse, it would be naive of the east London outfit to allow the Moyes favourite to leave for nothing next summer.

Balbuena has bounced back perfectly from facing a fraught future this year, after rumours surfaced suggesting the Irons were open to offers after the centre-half failed to convince Moyes that he could be relied on last season.

The Paraguayan was also said to be open to the chance of moving back to South America, but has gone from being written off and out the door to one of the first names on the teamsheet.

“You look at Balbuena, a player who was completely written off – we wanted anyone rather than Balbuena playing in central defence. [But] Balbuena has been brilliant,” Sam Delaney claimed on The Athletic’s U Irons podcast. “I can’t see how he’s going to get Balbuena or [Aaron] Cresswell out the team.”

Balbuena has become so integral at the London Stadium as the 6 ft 2 enforcer has registered more interceptions (15) and clearances (38) than any other West Ham defender, and has as many successful tackles (10) and been dribbled past (4) as many times as Angelo Ogbonna, per SofaScore.

Moyes may look for other options in the January or summer markets next year, but West Ham would be naïve to allow Balbuena to leave – especially for nothing – after his turn of form this season.

AND in other news, David Moyes would not be getting his next Tomas Soucek in a £16m West Ham target likened to David Luiz…

Memphis Depay shined while on international duty for the Netherlands versus Spain in a friendly game last night.

The match finished 1-1 as Manchester United star Donny van de Beek cancelled out an opener from Sergio Canales, with Premier League players such as Nathan Ake, Gini Wijnaldum, Hector Bellerin and Rodri on show.

However, it was the performance of Depay that may have caught the eye for several members of the Goodison Park faithful.

Indeed, the Merseyside club were linked with a move for the Holland international back in June, and may well rekindle their interest in the January transfer window given that he seems to have opened the door to a possible move away from Lyon this week.

Depay shone for his country

Indeed, Depay shone for his country on the night, achieving a 100% shot accuracy and also an 86% pass success rate. The 26 year-old also won no fewer than five of his duels, and managed to record five crosses, three successful dribbles and one key pass in the game (Fotmob).

This is not the first time that he has impressed while on international duty either, as former Toffees boss Ronald Koeman once described him as ‘a joy to watch’ when he was manager of the Oranje.

Depay could be a good signing for Everton

Indeed, Depay could be a good signing for the Blues as he is more than capable of stepping in if the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Richarlison are injured or misfiring in front of goal.

He has already scored five goals and supplied a further three assists in ten appearances in Ligue 1 so far in the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt), highlighting that he has an eye for both a goal and an assist.

Nonetheless, time will tell if Ancelotti opts to renew his summer interest when January rolls around.

In other news, find out which Everton player has been linked with a January exit here!

Sunderland’s sensational piece of summer business to sign Bailey Wright on a free following his release from Bristol City has proven to be an even better deal than first thought, with the defender now being likened to Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk by Black Cats icon Kevin Phillips.

What’s the word?

Wright initially joined Sunderland on a half-season loan in January and made five appearances for the North East giants before the campaign was cut short, only to return this summer and sign a two-year contract following the expiration of his Bristol City deal as CEO Jim Rodwell got a deal over the line.

The Australian has proven an integral aspect of manager Phil Parkinson’s side since, with Wright starting all six of the Black Cats’ League One fixtures and captaining the Stadium of Light natives against Peterborough and Charlton Athletic.

Parkinson has been more than happy with the form seen from Wright, too, noting ahead of this weekend’s clash with Portsmouth how the 28-year-old is offering Sunderland a leader he feared the Black Cats would not be able to sign permanently.

“Bailey was a great signing for us in the summer,” said Parkinson, via quotes by the Northern Echo. “He was a player I’d been speaking to all through lockdown, although we weren’t sure we would be able to get the deal done.

“Credit to the owner of the football club for enabling us to do that, and also to Bailey as well because he was realistic. He can see the potential at Sunderland, and enjoyed his loan time here.

“He’s a very good player. He’s a leader, he’s been a captain at Championship level, and he’s a great influence, on and off the pitch.”

The praise for Wright has kept on coming, too, with Sunderland icon Phillips taken back by what the centre-half has brought to his former home.

“He’s been a great signing,” Phillips told Football Insider. “I don’t know the player, but I just get the feeling that he’s a leader and a voice in the dressing room.

“Sometimes the manager can only say so much and then you want of your senior experience players to pipe up and put a few people in their place and give encouragement and be a leader. He seems like that.

“The stats just show what an important player he is. He’s almost to Sunderland what van Dijk is to Liverpool at the moment with those incredible stats.”

Sunderland’s Van Dijk?

Van Dijk is among the world’s best centre-halves with no better proof than in the Dutchman being named the runner-up to Lionel Messi for the 2019 Ballon d’Or, having already been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.

For Wright to be compared to a player of that calibre shows what Sunderland were able to acquire this summer, while the leadership that Parkinson and Phillips both laud the Australian for will prove pivotal to any promotion push as the Stadium of Light natives strive to avoid a fourth campaign in the third-tier.

One of the standout aspects of Wright’s game that warrants the comparisons with van Dijk is that the Sunderland ace is yet to be dribbled past in a League One fixture this term, something the Liverpool star has frequently been praised for by using his pace and strength to devastating effect.

Liverpool’s £75million man restricted just eight players into being able to record successful dribbles against him over the last three full Premier League seasons, with no single player able to get the better of the Dutchman on multiple occasions.

Wright has also stood out this term with an average 5.8 duels won a game in the league, plus 5.7 clearances, 1.2 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 0.8 shots, though missed his best chance to score his first Sunderland goal, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, a selection dilemma must see Phil Parkinson award a 20-year-old talent his Sunderland debut.