Click HERE to rate the performance of the players who played against Swansea.
Job done. Almost perfectly. This match starts a run of four games in which we need to look at taking at least eight or nine points. It was a steely, dogged performance and once in which we looked like a team which believed in itself. All parts of the team performed well, and it’s not often you could say that this season. The highlights were clearly the two Kevin Nolan goals, both created by Andy Carroll. It was good to see the old telepathic understanding between them returning so qucikly after Andy Carroll returned from his long-term injury.
We all know what the lowlight was. Because of the way he plays, Andy Carroll will always be prone to getting bookings and being sent off, but this was an unlucky sending off. Chico Flores is the dirtiest defender in the Premier League and it’s a shame Howard Webb was taken in by his histrionics, but he saw a deliberate arm in the face and felt he had no alternative but to produce a red card. The replay shows that it is at least arguable if it was deliberate but Flores certainly did get a knock in the face. I wonder whether it will be appealed. It certainly ought to be. Obviously it’s a blow if he is to sit out the next three games, but at least we now have two strikers to replace him.
Defensively I thought James Collins put in another superb performance, as did James Tomkins. Demel looks to be back at his best and McCartney was solid too. Adrian didn’t really have a shot to save to be honest and was never really tested. Our eleventh clean sheet of the season was totally deserved.
Matty Taylor put in another solid performance and Mark Noble controlled the midfield, as he invariably does. Both wingers piled in the crosses and Andy Carroll got on the end of most of them. Indeed Andy Carroll won absolutely everything in the air and for me was man of the match.
A word about Kevin Nolan. Like many on this site, I have been critical of him this season, but this was a true captain’s performance which was rewarded by two excellently taken goals. The first one in particular was very well taken. Well done to him.
We can go into the Villa game with every confidence.
Adrian 7
Demel 7
Collins 8
Tomkins 7
McCartney 6
Noble 8
Nolan 8
Taylor 7
Carroll 8
Downing 6
Jarvis 6
Cole 6
UPDATE: Michael Laudrup just said he didn’t think Andy Carroll deserved a red card. Fair play to him.