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Norwich City manager Alex Neil believes Tottenham Hotspur can win the Premier League title if they stay free of injuries.

Spurs will face the Canaries in their next fixture at Carrow Road on Tuesday, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men only five points behind league leaders Leicester City.

And the Lilywhites have a great opportunity to catch up with the Foxes, who face a trio of difficult matches with Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal in succession.

However, Neil claims that Tottenham will only be in the running for the title if they can keep the likes of Harry Kane, the club’s only recognised striker, away from the injury table.

He is quoted by The Mirror: “I don’t see any reason, looking at the way the season has gone so far, why you wouldn’t see Spurs as championship contenders.

“They certainly have a squad that is good enough to win it and they are easily one of the best teams we have played this season.

“They pretty much have international players in every position and if they can avoid injuries, I think they are certainly genuine contenders.”

The Norwich gaffer went on to add that he hopes new January signing Patrick Bamford, who arrived on loan from Chelsea, will prove his worth after struggling at Crystal Palace in the first half of the campaign.

Neil added: “After what he did last season at Middlesbrough we were very keen to sign him in the summer before he went on loan to Crystal Palace.

“He’s got good movement, he spins off central defenders, he’s got a good left foot and he’s different to the other strikers that we have here.

“He’s also got a proven record in terms of scoring goals and we are hoping that he will now make the step up and score in the Premier League as well.

“That’s the million-dollar question though. At the end of the day it’s not about coaching – the player himself has to want to develop and improve.”

Bamford scored 17 goals in the Championship last term, and a good performance could see the Canaries avenge their 3-0 loss to Spurs earlier in the season.

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Forget about Brexit, the local elections. Forget about the sugar tax, global warming and impending doom. Here at FFC we like to ask the probing questions, the ones that really matter. Ahead of this weekend’s Premier League action there are questions we demand answers to, and we’ll pound with our fists on the table until we get a straight answer.

FFC has donned its snazziest novelty tie and had its make-up done before its trip in front of the cameras. Yes, we’re channelling our inner David Dimbleby today, so hello and welcome to Question Time!

Saturday

Are Arsenal still in a title race?

As always, Arsenal went into February fighting on multiple fronts, and as always, mid-March saw the Gunners arrive with a timid whimper, white flag to the world. Out of the FA Cup, out of Europe and 11 points behind Leicester City, albeit with a game in hand. A tricky away trip to Everton awaits: will Arsenal still be in any sort of title race come Monday morning?

Can West Ham break into the top four?

This has the potential to be the most exciting West Ham season in living memory. Not only are they still alive in the FA Cup, but the Hammers are only two points off fourth place. In mid-March. Still, as the soothsayer told Julius Caesar, you should beware the ides of March: a trip to Stamford Bridge awaits this weekend, where the Hammers haven’t won since 2002/03, the year they were relegated. The year before they move to Stratford (close enough…), what would the Bard make of that…?

Do Norwich City have the quality to stay up?

A 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City last weekend was a very good point for the Canaries in their quest to stay up. But time is running out if they are to amass the points required to stay in the league. The January signings haven’t paid off and the only positive this weekend is that either Newcastle, Sunderland – or both – will drop points.

Are Swansea and Crystal Palace safe?

They’re level on points (33) going into this weekend and eight points off the bottom three, but both teams are on opposite trajectories. Swansea’s four wins in their last eight in the Premier League makes them look like they’re out of the woods, and although Palace are level on points with Swansea – and have a game in hand – the fact that they haven’t won since December 19th points to a very worrying slide. They should have enough to stay up, but another defeat could see them slide even further towards the bottom three.

Will Leicester crack?

But then, that has been the question on every smug journalist’s lips since October. They haven’t cracked so far, even when the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City have fallen away. Can they deal with teams who look to concede possession and stay solid at the back? Or will they be able to continue to break down stubborn defences and nick the goals that win games for them? In other words, do they have the fabled ‘mark of Champions’?

Sunday

Is Rafael Benitez the right man to keep Newcastle up?

In perhaps the strangest managerial appointment for quite some time, Newcastle appointed Rafael Benitez on what must surely be – for the sake of comedy – a zero hours contract. They have proven themselves to be beyond any manager’s capability so far, but the talent in the squad, not to mention the money that was spent on it, should be enough to keep them up. This weekend’s mega-hyped Tyne-Wear derby will give us some idea.

Will Big Sam go down for the first time in his managerial career?

He’s the go-to man when you want a no-nonsense approach to a task like staying in the Premier League. This weekend sees a battle for next-year’s TV cash, a battle for North East supremacy, a battle between two managers who can’t stand each other, and a battle simply to avoid the ignominy or relegation. Forget the last six Tyne-Wear derby-day Sunderland wins, this one matters.

Will Manchester City fall out of the top four?

Manchester City have the strongest squad in the league. They have the most money in the league, and so should surely be winning the league. Yet these days, City are treading water waiting for the glorious arrival of Pep Guardiola to lead them to glory on all fronts. But City have won only two times in all competitions since 6th February. Could they fall out of the Champions League spots? Surely that can’t happen? Can it?

Can Manchester United still make this a good season?

As if a Manchester derby wasn’t enough of a prize to play for this weekend, it could see Manchester United move to within a point of their cross-town rivals in the race for fourth place. After a limp exit in the Europa League at the hands of the old enemy Liverpool, what better way to bring the fans back onside than by bringing City down a peg or two? And with the prize of Champions League on the line, this is surely the biggest derby since 2012/13.

Can Tottenham break Leicester hearts?

With Leicester playing a day before Tottenham, they have the chance to crank up the pressure on Spurs ahead of their clash with Bournemouth. But Spurs are prioritising the Premier League this season, their Europa League adventure’s abrupt end shows that, and Spurs will be on the fox hunting trail for the rest of the season. Sound the horn!

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Aston Villa have had a shocking, shocking season. It’s been about as bad as its ever been at Villa Park and their supporters have been let down time and time again.

Whilst Villa have been incredibly poor on the pitch, they’ve also had numerous off-the-field controversies that have blighted their season.

Who could forget Joleon Lescott’s “pocket tweet” or Brad Guzan’s keepy-uppy attempt with his chewing gum at Wycombe Wanderers? Jack Grealish has been pictured a handful of times on nights out after terrible Aston Villa performances and many have criticised the youngsters’ attitude as he attempts to break into the first team.

Jack Grealish was superb when he broke onto the scene with Villa a couple of years ago. Fearless, skillful and passionate, he was the young lion that the Villa faithful had longed for. He was supposed to be the player the squad was built around but it’s clear to see that this didn’t happen.

Managerial changes have had an impact but it was Grealish’s off-the-field actions that began his slippery slide back into the reserves. Grealish was reprimanded by his club last summer after being pictured unconscious whilst on a holiday in Tenerife. He’s also been pictured next to £1000 bottles of vodka and footage taken by The Sun appeared to show him inhaling from a white balloon the year before, with the substance commonly known as “hippy crack”.

Perhaps it’s another tale of too much money and fame too soon. But it’s also a great shame. Jack Grealish was supposed to be the next hope, the future. But it’s all gone to nothing because of youthful inexperience. We see it more and more in modern football, but it also shows a lack of guidance and management. These young players need to remain grounded, despite wages ever-increasing.

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He came on during the 4-0 defeat to Chelsea last week and immediately looked like Villa’s best player. He was short of fitness and first team match action but showed more promise and attacking prowess than any Villa player has  in months. It proves that had Jack Grealish stayed out of the news, out of the headlines, he could have been the man to have led Aston Villa’s attempt to beat the chop.

Even if he is being re-introduced to the squad slowly at this late stage, the possibility of Grealish being at the club next season remains unlikely. Villa’s relegation will undoubtedly be the catalyst for a number of first-team departures, but it remains unlikely that Villa fans would want to see Grealish leave.

He made mistakes and he’s arguably wrecked his own season. But the potential remains and he needs to prove to the Villa hierarchy he can do the job coming towards the end of the season. It’s a frustrating story – a player who could have helped save his boyhood club but made the wrong decisions at the wrong time.

It’s too late now but hopefully in the future Grealish can go on to become the player that many thought he would.

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Whilst many Reds fans are eyeing up the coming summer transfer window as a major turning point in Jurgen Klopp’s current stint in the Liverpool dug-out, the 2015/16 campaign has arguably proven one of great stagnation for the Anfield faithful, regardless of the club’s high hopes for the 2016/17.

Yet although the vast majority of Klopp’s current contingency have ultimately failed to set the Premier League alight on Merseyside in 2015/16, one player to buck that particular trend and seemingly impress on most given occasions this season, nonetheless arrives in the shape of current Germany international and growing Anfield favourite – Emre Can.

But does this 22-year-old battler really represent the new midfield juggernaut of the ever competitive English game, or has the subsequent hype surrounding Liverpool’s emerging no.23 been overstated?

Well, despite impressing down on Merseyside in recent weeks particularly, life in the English top-flight certainly hasn’t always proved smooth sailing for the midfielder.

When Emre Can was previously utilized as a marauding centre-back under Brendan Rodgers at Anfield, the former Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen star initially resembled something close to a fish out of water.

His overall touch seemed to let him down on several major occasions, the German international was seemingly targeted in the aerial battles time and time again – and although Emre Can’s potential versatility did seem like a commendable attribute at the end of the day, Liverpool looked distinctly vulnerable with now 22-year-old manning their back-line.

Yet since Jurgen Klopp has given Can the freedom to express himself in the middle of the park down at Anfield this season, the midfielder has subsequently blossomed into a truly effective player. The entire Reds starting XI feels a great deal more balanced with Can heavily involved in the action, which can only spur the former Bundesliga star onto greater things in the upcoming future.

The ex-Bayern Munich youngster now represents a real leader out on the pitch for Jurgen Klopp’s side. Although several first team Liverpool players have arguably shied away from their most important duties this season, Emre Can has stood up to be counted on a really impressive basis, highlighting the 22-year-old German international as a real star in the making among the current Anfield faithful.

The relevant praise to come his way this season therefore remains completely justified. Opposing players seem increasingly unable to deal with Can’s physical presence all across the pitch these days, which despite proving predictably influential in one-on-one battles, has seemingly failed to restrict the Liverpool man from a technical point of view as well.

This is a player who simply possesses a really exciting future in the English game if he can continue to ply his trade on Merseyside at such a consistently high level. Although several of Liverpool’s most significant rivals could easily come in for the German midfielder’s signature in the not too distant future, Emre Can could potentially carve out a long-term relationship in front of the Anfield spectators if he can show a little bit of loyalty.

Can may have certainly begun his Premier League career in distinctly shaky circumstances, but since establishing himself as a first team regular down on Merseyside this term, the future remains very bright for this up and coming Reds star.

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Burnley are on their way back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Sean Dyche’s men have been the best side in the Championship this year, combining strong defensive organisation with a potent attack, which has yielded the rewards it deserved. Finishing top with 93 points, as well as having the league’s top scorer in Andre Gray with 25 goals, makes for promising reading for Clarets fans, but they will also be all too aware of the rigours that await them in the Premier League.

Burnley are a well run club, have a very stable management and staff set up with Dyche at the helm and some very talented players. If, with the new money coming in from the highly publicised TV deal, Burnley can add some strong additions, there could be a bright future on the horizon for the Turf Moor outfit.

The first transfer window after promotion is always a big one for those clubs on their way up and here at FootballFanCast we thinking signing these FIVE players would be key to maintaining Premier League status for the Lancashire side.

Nakhi Wells

Wells is on an upward curve. After impressing for Bradford he sealed a move to Huddersfield and has helped them consolidate their Championship status. Wells is a bright, quick forward that can be deployed in a number of roles along the frontline and would dovetail brilliantly with Gray and Sam Vokes. A forward three of Wells, Gray and Vokes has bags of potential and would surely help Burnley to safety.

Jay Rodriguez

A former Burnley man Rodriguez has been desperately unlucky with injuries at Southampton and may fancy a fresh start away from St. Mary’s. 56 goals in 143 games for the Clarets is a decent enough record and for a man who was on the fringes of the England squad for a period of time, he would probably command a fairly cheap transfer fee. He has Premier League experience and knows the club, it makes more sense than it doesn’t.

James Collins

Ben Mee and Michael Keane have been superb at the back for Burnley and deserve to get the chance to test themselves against some of the best players in the world. However the lack of Premier League experience the two centre halves have cannot be overlooked and so this is an area the Clarets need to address. Collins hasn’t played much for West Ham recently, has bags of Premier League experience and would be an ideal player to learn from for Mee and Keane.

Daryl Janmaat

The Dutch full back will be determined to prove he is Premier League quality and a move away from Newcastle could happen after their relegation. The right back provides a good threat going forward and would offer extra competition in a position Sean Dyche has yet to decide whom his regulars are. Dyche has rotated his full backs throughout the season and Janmaat would want the chance to stake his claim as the first choice on the right for the Turf Moor outfit.

Andros Townsend

The English winger’s career is a sorry sequence that has led him to be relegated with Newcastle. A regular for Spurs and England he fell out of favour at White Hart Lane and despite starting to regain his form in the North East, he’s a long way away from where he once was. The left-footer is definitely Premier League material and just needs game time under his belt, which he would no doubt get at Burnley whose midfield is ageing.

According to the Telegraph, Spanish striker Nolito is set to become Pep Guardiola’s latest signing for Manchester City.

The Celta Vigo forward is reportedly the subject of a £13.8 million move to the Etihad as the former Bayern Munich manager begins, arguably, his toughest job to date.

Guardiola was appointed at the club with the tasks of regaining the Premier League crown as well as establishing City in Europe – something they haven’t managed to do as yet.

The man who swept all before him in the Bundesliga after arguably assembling one of the greatest club sides ever to grace the game at Barcelona now needs to answer any remaining critics that he may have had it easy thus far and turn City into one of the biggest clubs around.

He’s already started to reshape the team with Ilkay Gundogan and now with Nolito coming in he’s really starting to make his mark.

He’ll be judged on his signings of course, but we at FootballFanCast think Nolito could be the best of the bunch, here are FIVE reasons why…

He’s in his prime

At 29-years-old the Spaniard is in his best years as a forward and this could be key to Guardiola’s initial success. Instead of buying players with potential in his first season that could backfire if they flop, Nolito should guarantee performances at his best level from the off. There’s a sense around the club that any potential detractors are eager to see Pep fail straight away and so by bringing in players ready to perform instantly, this chance decreases.

He’s Spanish

Guardiola is the leading pioneer of the passing game. His Barcelona style will no doubt be coached with the Citizens and so it makes sense to bring in players that already know how to cherish the ball. Nolito is a key part of the Spanish national set up and so of course knows how to keep hold of possession and this factor, combined with being the same nationality as his potential new coach, will serve to help City adopt Guardiola’s tactics quickly.

Relatively cheap

At £13.8m Nolito commands a fee not normally associated with the modern Man City approach. Since the club’s takeover in the previous decade a number of high profile, high cost players have been brought in to varying degrees of success – for every Sergio Aguero there is a Robinho. The cut price fee though for the Celta Vigo man negates any issue with him not performing, and also alleviates any pressure a bigger fee would have placed on the player.

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Goals

Despite being primarily used on the left side of the attack, the Spaniard had an impressive goal record last season. Last term he scored 12 goals in 27 La Liga games for his club, as Celta Vigo became one of the stories of the Spanish season. Then when you consider the goal return of Raheem Sterling in the same position last season – six in 23 Premier League appearances – you see a player that would improve significantly on what the Sky Blues have currently.

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Creative force

As well as the goals Nolito will bring to the club, it’s the chances he lays on that’ll make him a hit with the Etihad crowd. Nolito provided seven assists last season in La Liga. Again compared to Sterling the Englishman only provided two in his first year at the club in the league. Evidently Guardiola has highlighted the left side of City’s attack as a weakness, underlined by Sterling looking devoid of confidence, and he clearly feels Nolito would be able to offer far more down that side.

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The new season is about to get up and running, and whilst every opening day fixture can claim to be important for every team, there’s only one that can claim the undisputed tag of top dog – Arsenal v Liverpool, unarguably a massive game of football in any season.

Perhaps the most memorable Arsenal Liverpool game in history happened before the Premier League era began, with the Gunners pipping Liverpool to the title after an obscenely late goal from Michael Thomas to win the title on goals scored.

That was before Arsene Wenger strolled into Highbury to make his name as a manager in England, and since that day Arsenal have played some of the best football in the country as Wenger won title after title and established the Gunners as one of Europe’s top clubs on both a financial and footballing level.

This season, after last year’s second place finish and with a state of flux amongst all the other big hitters, Arsenal are gearing up for an exciting season ahead!

And as if the excitement couldn’t increase further, we’ve teamed up with 7 Of The Best to bring you a footballing treat for the coming campaign. It’s free to play and the best team each week wins £1,500, as well as monthly prize of £4,000 for the best individual.  Want to win bigger? Nab yourself a whopping £500k if you get all seven of your selections correct for seven consecutive weeks.

How do you play? All you need to do is pick seven teams each week, one being your banker, five being teams you expect to win and one you believe will draw.

So on the back of that, here are seven of the best things to happen at Arsenal since Wenger rocked up in North London…

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Invincibles season

49 undefeated as Arsene Wenger led Arsenal to a league title, the dethroning of Manchester United as Premier League champions and the ‘Battle of Old Trafford’ and the establishment of a feat that will surely never be repeated: an unbeaten season in the Premier League.

Wenger’s biggest achievement, Arsenal’s biggest achievement. And to be so obviously the best for quite so long might go down as one of football’s biggest achievements.

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Almost winning the 2006 Champions League

After the invincibles season, Arsenal suffered a big drought. They weren’t to know it at a the time, but the 2005 FA Cup final would represent the Gunners’ last trophy for nine years.

But just one year later that could have been so different. After Jens Lehmann was sent off after 18 minutes, Arsenal never really stood a chance.

They battled magnificently and took the lead, but the numerical superiority was enough to see Barcelona bag two second half goals to beat the Gunners and lift the trophy – will Wenger get another chance to lead Arsenal into a Champions League final again?

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Beating United on pens in 2005 FA Cup

The first penalty shootout in an FA Cup final saw Arsenal lift the FA Cup the year after they’d won the league without losing a game. It’s one of the high water marks of the club’s history, and certainly in Arsene Wenger’s time at the club.

This was the period in which Arsenal were at the top of the tree. Chelsea won the league under the reins of Jose Mourinho for the first time that season, but Arsenal’s undefeated season was still fresh in the memory.

Manchester United had suffered two successive third place finishes, Arsenal were above them and beat them in the shootout – Sir Alex Ferguson never got the chance to rectify that defeat and never won the FA Cup again.

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The Double in 97/98

When Wenger took over, Arsenal weren’t even contenders. But within a year he made them contenders, bring something new to English football: a new style, a new attention to detail, a new way.

In Wenger’s first full season 1997/98, Arsenal became just the second club to do the double twice in their history, winning the league and the FA Cup.

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Beating Real Madrid at the Bernabeu

These days Arsenal seem to hit a glass ceiling in the Champions League first knockout round. It’s like there’s some ‘no Arsenal allowed’ forcefield around the quarter finals. But it wasn’t always this way. Beating the big teams used to be routine for Arsene Wenger.

In 2006, perhaps Arsenal’s crowning moment in Europe came as they beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. Perhaps it wasn’t the greatest moment by itself, but given the context it probably was. An Arsenal side depleted by injuries made its way to the Champions League final that year. Wow.

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Beating Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb to complete a great escape in the CL

The more recent history of Arsenal has usually been characterised by disappointment, but there are some moments of fleeting glory. In 2015/16, Arsenal’s poor start in the Champions League looked like it would cost them their place in the next round for the first time since 1999.

But thanks to some heroics from the Gunners, beating Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich at the Emirates before going on to beat both Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos 3-0 to qualify for the next round. It may not sound like a lot on paper, but the pressure and the nature of the escape certainly made it feel special!

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Winning their first trophy in nine years against Hull in extra time

After so long without a trophy, Arsenal’s first in nine years was pretty special.

It wasn’t simply because they won, or because they won after so long. Nor was it because it was an FA Cup final at the new Wembley stadium. It was down to the fact that Arsenal had to come from two goals behind so early on to win the game.

The headlines were written when Hull went 2-0 up so early in the game. After so long without a trophy, Arsenal had become something of a punchline, and losing to Hull in a final would have been exactly what the nay-sayers wanted.

But they showed the sort of steel that Arsenal hadn’t shown in years and came away with the trophy thanks to an extra time goal from Aaron Ramsey.

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Crystal Palace stood in the way of Everton’s chances of going second in the Premier League table on Friday night as they earned a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

Alan Pardew’s side have enjoyed a promising start to the season and currently find themselves sitting in 7th, two points off the top four.

Everton have also had a good start to the season and could have risen to second in the table had they been able to brush aside a resolute Palace outfit.

Romelu Lukaku put the hosts in front with a direct free-kick- his first in the Premier League – before Christian Benteke equalised for the visitors shortly after the restart.

So it was a take of two Belgian strikers up front, and a draw was probably a fair result in the end.

Here are six images that perfectly captured the events that unfolded at Goodison Park on Friday night…

Off the mark…

Romelu Lukaku scored his 65th Premier League goal, but his first from a direct free-kick.

The Belgium international curled the ball neatly around the wall to give Palace stopper Steve Mandanda no chance.

The goal looked to have set Everton on their way to yet another victory in front of the Goodison Park crownd.

Togetherness

Ronald Koeman’s arrival as manager in the summer has clearly given Everton a new lease of life.

They’ve been hugely impressive already this term, far from the side we saw under Roberto Martinez, and the above picture is evidence that the players are enjoying playing under the Dutchman.

Romelu Lukaku made a point of celebrating his goal with Koeman, and the rest of the Everton players were all too happy to join them.

Acrobatics…

Yannick Bolasie faced Crystal Palace for the first time since his £30m move to Everton in the summer.

It was clear he was trying to make a point against his former employers, particularly as he has hardly lived up to his price-tag for his new ones thus far.

Above you can see that he tried an audacious over-head kick to try and force the issue that Palace probably shouldn’t have let him go – but he missed.

Bentekers…

Christian Benteke was the hero for Crystal Palace last weekend when he nabbed a last-gasp winner against Sunderland.

And he repeated those heroics on Friday night by heading in the equaliser on the 50 minute mark, cancelling out his fellow compatriot’s first-half opener.

Palace used the £30m Everton paid them for Bolasie on signing Benteke in the summer, spending £32m on the former Liverpool player, and he is already justifying that kind of fee.

Unhappy reunion

So while Benteke was doing all the right things to ensure he justified his price-tag, Bolasie was doing the opposite.

It wasn’t the most impressive of performances for the winger against his old club, and he was eventually booked in the 88th minute for a foul on Joel Ward.

He’ll be hoping for a better day when Everton travel to Selhurst Park later this season.

Belgium Brothers…

So the game ended with both Belgium international strikers have their say on the final result.

Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke have both enjoyed good starts to the season individually and they will have been happy with their contributions during the 1-1 stalemate at Goodison Park on Friday.

The most anticipated Manchester Derby in recent years finished with Manchester City victorious. The Citizens demolished their rivals in the first 40 minutes, consistently forcing United into making errors and giving the ball away.Despite conceding and suffering a bit more pressure in the second half, City still created numerous chances to wrap the game up and will be delighted with their display.They showed a huge amount of confidence and faith in their style to come to Old Trafford and dominate their opponents like they did.However, after the game Mourinho acknowledged that his starting lineup didn’t work, as the Portuguese boss made two substitutions at half time in the wide positions.It was not just the wingers who let United down, though, because as a team they were sloppy and did not seem as prepared as their noisy neighbours.These are the three players we feel let the team down the most…

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

The exciting Armenian winger was one of the surprising names included in the United starting XI considering that he was injured in Armenia’s most recent international and declared a very strong doubt for the Derby.

However, the 27-year-old seemed to have been rushed back to action a bit too hastily. He was quite noticeably off the pace and not ready for a game of this stature.

He was one of the most susceptible to giving the ball away frequently, and he was not quick enough at closing down and putting pressure on the City defenders.

In United’s previous game away at Hull, the winger’s introduction had been instrumental in breaking through the Tigers’ defence as Marcus Rashford netted an injury-time winner to keep the Red Devils 100% record intact.

He didn’t have the same impact this time around though and certainly has to go down as one of those who let the team down the most because he was simply not ready for the occasion.

Jesse Lingard

The 23-year-old will be one of the first to acknowledge that Saturday was not his finest performance for Man United. Last season, in the Manchester Derby at the Etihad, Lingard played a big role in the 1-0 win but he was unable to repeat his heroics this time out.

Like Mkhitaryan on the other wing, things just did not go Lingard’s way.

The Warrington-born winger was off the pace and his first touch often saw the ball fall back to a Manchester City player or even go out of play for throw-ins and goal kicks.

Despite that, Lingard still created the best chance of the game for Zlatan Ibrahimovic but the Swede scuffed his shot, not realising the time he had in order to equalise.

However, the player who’s risen from the youth ranks at United was still taken off at half time and rightfully so.

It wasn’t for a lack of trying but Jesse Lingard was simply not good enough on Saturday and accepted that on Instagram, quoting #wayoffit in his most recent post.

Wayne Rooney

Rooney is one of the most confusing players to judge at the moment.ÂThere is a swathe of people who want to pick him apart for his every move and every touch, whilst others continually try and support him.

However, we here at the Fancast headquarters expect a lot from the Manchester United captain and simply don’t feel he deliveredÂthe goods in the Manchester Derby.

Not only was his impact on the game quite limited, but he actually makes daft decisions and as an experienced 30-year-old, we expect better from him.

For instance, as the clock was ticking down, Rooney was putting pressure on debutant Claudio Bravo and rather than simply forcing him to clear it waywardly, the striker lunged in and made a stupid foul, completely destroying United’s momentum.

There is no denying Rooney’s desire and work rate but many of the fans in the stadium could replicate that desire too and it shouldn’t necessarily guarantee the place in the first team like it does with Rooney.

Unfortunately, despite a few good crosses here and there, Wayne just didn’t do enough, once again.

It made for a drab night in, really.After all the hype surrounding Manchester United’s visit to Anfield, the game didn’t live up to the occasion. A lot has happened since United last visited Liverpool: Jose Mourinho, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have all arrived at United, Liverpool have played in and lost a European final, and James Milner has become a left-back. Liverpool have also become one of the form teams in the Premier League.But after just 20 minutes last night, you probably knew this wasn’t going to be the shocking and enthralling game the hype promised it would be. Liverpool didn’t look like the attacking force they’ve been for most of this season,and by the time the second half rolled around, United didn’t look interested in forcing an attack at all.For a dire 0-0, however, we did see some great saves, openings worked, a thrilling last-ditch tackle from Antonio Valencia and also some shocking stats!Here are five of the best to come out of that Premier League epic that was Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United….

Ander Herrera on fire

In his man of the match performance last night, Ander Herrera made 11 interceptions during the 90 minutes. That’s more than any other player in the Premier League this season.

His other numbers are just as impressive – it was the complete midfield performance from a player many feel is often ‘too nice’. It looks like Jose Mourinho may have other ideas about how Herrera can play.

United’s possession

United looked very much like a Jose Mourinho team. They were well-drilled, they were solid and they gave Liverpool no room to work openings in attacking areas. But when you think of Mourinho teams, you probably don’t automatically compare them to Manchester United teamÂ- certainly not the most romantic of United sides under Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby.

This was a very Mourinho match,and United’s lowest possession percentage since Opta began recording – and you can bet for a long time before that, too – shows that difference perfectly.

Jurgen Klopp’s goalless draws

Is this the strangest stat to come out of the North West derby? Jurgen Klopp has endured just two 0-0 draws as Liverpool manager. One came against Tottenham Hotspur on 17th October 2015, the other last night against Manchester United on 17th October 2016.

Well, it is almost Halloween!

Marouane Fellaini’s pass accuracy

But maybe there’s a stranger stat!

Marouane Fellaini wasn’t, perhaps, the most stand-out player in the game, nor is he the player you think of when you’re looking for a nice, tidy passer. In fact, you probably think more of the man of the match Ander Herrera.

Yet the roles were, in some senses, reversed: Herrera did the dirty work and Fellaini was the tidy midfielder doing the simple things well. And his 91% pass accuracy is testament to that.

Yep, that’s 91%. I know, me neither….

Once a decade event

Pop quiz time! When was the last time Manchester United and Liverpool drew 0-0?

It was 18th September 2005. That’s over 11 years since the two last played out a goalless draw. That game was played at Anfield, too: Liverpool were European champions, Rafael Benitez was still in charge, and the best chance of the game fell to Mohamed Sissoko.

That was 27 games ago. And before then you had to go back to 1991 for another league game to finish 0-0 between these two.

So when you reflect on your week and you decide that watching a drab North West derby that wasn’t worth your time, you should remember what you witnessed: a once-in-a-decade event you may not see again for years.