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They say Christmas is a time for giving, unless it is VAR and the Premier League, when the whole year is a time to take away goals when the majority think they should have been allowed to stand.
Matchday 20 was dominated by controversial VAR decisions, with Norwich’s Teemu Pukki, Wolves’ Pedro Neto, and Brighton’s Dan Burn among the players having seemingly perfect goals ruled out by technology.
Elsewhere, Liverpool continued to close in on the title, with a 1-0 win over Wolves, who will feel hard done by given some of the decisions that went against them at both ends.
In East London, it was the end of Manuel Pellegrini’s time in charge of West Ham, as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat at home to a much weakened Leicester City side. The Chilean’s time in charge lasted just 18 months, during which he won just 24 of 64 games.
Mikel Arteta is still searching for his first win as a manager, after his Arsenal team were beaten 2-1 at home by Chelsea, after the away side struck twice in the last 10 minutes.
At Everton, Carlo Ancelotti made it two wins out of two as they claimed victory over Newcastle at St. James’ Park, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting twice.
It was heartbreak for Norwich City, who were denied three vital points by Tottenham, with VAR controversially ruling out Pukki’s first half goal in a 2-2 draw at Carrow Road.
With all that in mind, here is the Premier League team of the week for matchday 20.
Vicente Guaita (Crystal Palace)
Crystal Palace have seen their defence ravaged by injuries in recent weeks, much to the extent that it could be argued that none of the back four that they fielded against Southampton are amongst their first choice defenders. However, during this period, they have been able to rely on goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, and it was very much the case again against Southampton. He made crucial second half saves from Moussa Djenepo, Danny Ings and James Ward-Prowse to preserve Palace’s point.
Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
There have been many questions asked of Harry Maguire since his move to Manchester United this summer, particularly given the £80 million fee. We did see the best of Maguire this weekend at Burnley though, as he dealt well with the threat posed by Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood, and helped to keep the Clarets to just a single shot on target.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
It has been a quite remarkable year for Virgil van Dijk. He lead Liverpool to their sixth Champions League title with victory over Tottenham in Madrid, was part of the side who won the World Club Championship, and was named UEFA Player of the Year earlier this year. He finished the year in the same form he started it, putting in a fine display against Wolves, it what could have been a potentially tricky fixture. It looks likely that they’ll romp to the Premier League title this season, and van Dijk has played a huge part in that.
Dan Burn (Brighton)
Everyone has been taken by surprise a little bit by the strong first half to the season Brighton have had. Graham Potter has done a fine job in charge of the club, and they look like they could stay well clear of the Premier League relegation battle this season. One man who has been in fine form recently is Dan Burn, who has cemented his spot in the backline. He was once again excellent in the victory over Bournemouth, and was unfortunate to be denied a goal by VAR.
Demarai Gray (Leicester City)
There were worries when Leicester manager Brendon Rodgers made nine changes to the side to face West Ham. They needn’t have worried though, as a number of the fringe players were able to stake a claim for a more regular spot in the team. One of those players was Demarai Gray, who was a constant threat to the West Ham back four. He may have missed a penalty, but he more than made up for that with a fine run and finish for the winning goal in the second half.
Jorginho (Chelsea)
It may seem strange to put a substitute in the team of the week, but the Italian international changed the game when Frank Lampard bought him on against Arsenal. He took the ball in tight areas and bought Chelsea’s attacking players into the game, when previously they had very little impact. Much credit must again go to Lampard, who made the early change in system and personnel to get Jorginho on, with the former Napoli man scoring Chelsea's equaliser.
Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Kevin de Bruyne seems to make this team every week, but that is simply because you can’t leave him out. Technically, he is one of the best players in the Premier League, and he keeps showing why, week-in, week-out. He was the best player on the pitch once again against Sheffield United, scoring once, and then setting up another in their 2-0 win. Realistically, City have nearly no chance of catching Liverpool this season, but if anyone can, De Bruyne can.
Ismaila Sarr (Watford)
Slowly but surely, Watford are making their way towards safety under the management of Nigel Pearson. The three points that they added against Aston Villa on Saturday could be among their biggest wins this season. Not for the first time in the last few weeks, Ismaila Sarr was the star of the show, creating a number of chances, before netting the third goal to wrap up all three points.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
Many people laughed when Carlo Ancelotti claimed that Dominic Calvert-Lewin could become one of Europe’s top strikers under his management, but the 22-year-old has been in superb form since the Italian took over. He was excellent again against Newcastle United, and produced two clinical finishes to earn the Toffees all three points.
Teemu Pukki (Norwich City)
With 20 games played, Norwich do look most likely to go straight back down to the Championship. If they are to stay up, they will need goals, and they will almost certainly have to come from Teemu Pukki. Pukki was at it once against Tottenham, forcing an own goal from Serge Aurier in the second half. He was also denied by VAR in the first half, despite seemingly being onside before putting the ball in the net.
Tammy Abraham (Chelsea)
There are just some players you simply can’t keep out of the game, as Tammy Abraham is quickly becoming one of them. He had a quiet first half against Arsenal, but came to life in the second, running into the channels, before playing a part in setting up, and scoring, the winner in the final five minutes. He has settled very nicely into life at Chelsea, and his 12 goals in the Premier League is an excellent return at this stage of the season.
