In the final of the 1997/98 Uefa Cup final, Brazilian legend Ronaldo produced one of the sublime examples of one-on-one finishing to seal a 3-0 win for Inter Milan over fellow Italians Lazio at Paris’ Parc des Princes.
Ronaldo beat the offside trap to bear down on Luca Marchegiani’s goal before a shimmy and a wiggle, faking to go right and then left, left the Lazio goalkeeper on his backside and allowed the Brazilian to stroke homeinto an empty net. Ronaldo’s balletic move was the perfect example of how finish a one-on-one with the keeper.
On Saturday, however, Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez took the masterclass up a level.The Chilean rounded off the scoring in Arsenal’s 5-1 win against West Ham United, beating the offside trap before producing a finish so unique he could probably trademark it.
Sanchez, with two defenders breathing down his neck, took a mid-air swipe at the ball, as if trying to take a shot, which was enough to fool goalkeeper Darren Randolph and send him to the floor. Arsenal’s star man then dinked the ball over the Republic of Ireland international to cap off the thrashing.
• Greg Lea: Alexis Sanchez, to the surprise of no one, stars as Arsenal soar over West Ham
Yes, the pressure was off as Arsenal were already three goals ahead, but there are few players in the Premier League, or even in world football, who could dream up such a move and pull it off in training, let alone in a match.
Debate has raged about how many truly world-class players operate in England’s Premier League, with many pundits in England offering up only Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero. Sanchez is better than Aguero on current form and his finish will probably be the best bit of skill you will see all season.
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Fernandinho could be City’s biggest loss
After the brawl at the end of Manchester City’s defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, sparked by Sergio Aguero’s reckless flying tackle on David Luiz, City will now be without two key players over the winter period.
Aguero will miss four games – against Leicester City, Watford, Arsenal and Hull City. Fernandinho, who was dismissed after grabbing Cesc Fabregas by the throat several times, will miss the first three.
While losing Aguero, their top scorer, is a blow for City, the club have shown they can get by without him in the past. Pep Guardiola’s squad is full of attacking players who can step up.
• Richard Jolly: Conte bests Guardiola, and Chelsea keep their heads as Manchester City lose theirs
What City do not have is a defensive midfielder anywhere near Fernandinho’s equal. They may have similar names, but Fernando cannot match his fellow Brazilian’s all-action game, and is prone to a defensive lapse.
Guardiola has always played with a man at the base of midfield, no matter what formation he plays: Sergio Busquets at Barcelona, Xabi Alonso, Philipp Lahm or Javi Martinez at Bayern Munich.
It is a vital role in terms of launching attacking moves and filling in as other players fly forward. It will be interesting to see how Guardiola adapts his line-up to cope with Fernandinho’s absence.
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Pardew still hanging on
Alan Pardew is a manager who likes grand gestures. He probably still regrets his goal jig on the touchline at Wembley Stadium after Crystal Palace had gone 1-0 up against Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup final, especially as his side lost.
After the third goal went in during Saturday’s 3-0 win over Southampton, Pardew made a point of waving at chairman Steve Parish in the stands and giving him an “OK” sign, for the cameras to see.
It was a much-needed win after six straight defeats, but Pardew’s job is not safe yet. The victory was hardly down to a vast improvement in Palace.
• Steve Luckings: Southampton, through superb scouting and an enviable youth set-up, continue to defy the critics
Southampton put in their worst performance of the season, gifted all three goals to Palace with defensive errors, and still had more possession and shots on goal.
Palace face Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea in their next five games and Pardew could still be sacked before 2017.
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