ALEX CROOK: Watkins U-Turn & Karma for Garnacho (TOTU)

Our football ambassador ALEX CROOK is back with his latest Tales Of The Unexpected, highlighting five takeaways from the Premier League weekend!

Anything that caught you by surprise over the weekend? Email content@starsportsbet.co.uk and we’ll include the best submissions in next week’s TOTU!

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MODERN GAME NEEDS MORE MAVERICKS LIKE CHERKI

What a thrill it was to watch Rayan Cherki terrorise Arsenal’s defenders in Manchester City’s 2-1 win over their title rivals.

In an age when more and more managers have become distrusting of maverick players, Cherki is a throwback to a bygone era, a one man antidote to the mechanical football Arsenal have adopted to try and grind their way to glory.

The Frenchman’s stunning solo goal to break the deadlock in Sunday’s summit showdown had Georgi Kinkladze vibes.

Cherki skips past opponents like he is running bare-footed through a field of broken glass.

Football needs more players like him.

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LIVERPOOL BIG GUNS FINALLY STEP UP

The big games are where big players come to the fore and that was certainly the case up and down the country this weekend.

Just when their team needed them most, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk finally stepped up to earn Liverpool a crucial win in the first ever Merseyside derby at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Liverpool should now go on and finish in the top five and secure a Champions League place.

Van Dijk’s last-gasp winner, while cruel on an Everton team who deserved a point, may just have saved the Reds’ season, and kept manager Arne Slot in a job in the process.

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KARMA FOR SPOILT BRAT GARNACHO

Luke Shaw posting on Instagram a picture of him sending former teammate Alejandro Garnacho tumbling was surely not unintentional.

Shaw had just helped injury-depleted United all but seal a place in the top five with a precious 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

Garnacho had spent the evening getting dogs abuse from the travelling fans after being summoned off the Chelsea bench due to Estevao’s unfortunate early injury.

The Argentine was so bad he made United right-back Diogo Dalot look like prime Cafu.

Judging by Shaw’s post, liked by a lot of his fellow United players, Garnacho was as unpopular in the dressing room as with the supporters after forcing his exit from Old Trafford.

What goes around comes around.

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TUCHEL NEEDS TO MAKE WATKINS U-TURN

Ollie Watkins can hardly be doing any more to force England boss Thomas Tuchel into a World Cup rethink.

Since being snubbed by Tuchel for the March internationals, Watkins has joined Aston Villa’s 100-club and become their all-time record European goalscorer.

He also struck twice in Sunday’s thrilling 4-3 win at home to Sunderland.

On form, there simply has to be a seat on the place for Watkins, who has already delivered on the biggest stage for his country by scoring the iconic goal in the Euro 2024 semi-final win over the Netherlands.

Tuchel should no longer be a doubting Thomas.

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FOREST FACE FRESH BATTLE TO KEEP CAPTAIN

Morgan Gibbs-White had never scored two goals in a game let alone three before his stunning hat-trick inspired Nottingham Forest to a comeback 4-1 win over Burnley.

The Tricky Trees can now smell Premier League safety after opening up a five point lead over 17th placed Tottenham.

Ironically Gibbs-White was very close to joining Spurs last summer before being convinced to stay by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.

The England international will be sought-after after again this summer and unless Forest win the Europa League, the lure of Champions League football may be too strong to resist this time around.

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Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.

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