The Independent
·6 January 2025
The Independent
·6 January 2025
Thomas Tuchel saw his first Premier League action as England head coach on the weekend.
Tuchel was at the Tottenham-Newcastle and Brighton-Arsenal games on Saturday before taking in the Liverpool-Manchester United clash at Anfield on Sunday.
Here, the PA news agency examines how five players made a favourable first impression on Tuchel.
Tottenham striker Solanke was straight out of the blocks against Newcastle to show his scoring touch.
Solanke headed Spurs into a fourth-minute lead, his seventh Premier League goal of the season and 11th in all competitions.
The 27-year-old managed four goal attempts during the 90 minutes, two of them on target.
Newcastle winger Gordon also made a fast start at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by sweeping home his fifth Premier League goal of the season after six minutes.
Gordon’s pace and movement was a constant problem for the Spurs defence, and he might have been awarded a second-half penalty after being caught in the face by Dejan Kulusevski.
The 23-year-old Gordon completed 20 of 24 passes during his 78 minutes on the pitch, with two of his five shots on target.
Arsenal teenager Nwaneri might not have been on Tuchel’s radar before his trip to Brighton.
But the 17-year-old forward underlined his huge promise with a vibrant first-half performance that brought his second Premier League goal.
Nwaneri completed 100 per cent of his passes before being forced off at half-time due to muscular issues.
The Anfield headlines around Maguire centred on the golden chance he missed with the last kick of the match to hand Manchester United a shock victory at Liverpool.
But that should not detract from Maguire’s all-round performance with the centre-back displaying the leadership skills United have been badly lacking this season.
Maguire won all his aerial duels as well as making an impressive four interceptions and seven clearances.
The 19-year-old midfielder made an impact for England at Euro 2024 but has been troubled by injury this season.
There were good signs at Anfield, however, as United – with Mainoo to the fore – managed to check Liverpool’s much-vaunted midfield unit.