Granit Xhaka did what Granit Xhaka does, and got sent off after 24 minutes of the first half of our League Cup semifinal at Anfield. We were already shorthanded (so was Liverpool, to be fair) due to Covid and AFCON and injuries. But the team defended well and we escaped with a scoreless draw.
The N23 Derby was its usual spiky self, with Palace getting a point despite being outplayed by a wide margin. Gallagher finished beautifully after one of Palace's few offensive threats at minute 68, but they had to settle for a point after Brighton's relentless pressure forced an own goal with a minute to go in regular time. The first half saw a VAR penalty saved by the Palace keeper, followed immediately by a disallowed Brighton goal when Maupay kicked the ball out of the keeper's hands. It was a good game, with impressive performances all around. I really like Brighton's Trossard and Cucurella (who looks like Marouane Fellaini's mini-me). Gallegher was the Palace standout. Both teams are mid-table, four points apart.
The North London Derby may be played Sunday if the league turns down Arteta's request for a reschedule. We'd be down to a skeleton crew. This game has big implications for the top four race.
I didn't see the Palace game, but my son told me Palace should have been glad to escape with a point, although they could have easily gotten a win off of what was a poor performance. I often miss games when they don't fall on a Saturday and am surprised when I read of them on Palace blogs such as Feedspot.
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