Football Today: Everton board to blame for slump, Kane must repay Conte’s faith

Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool all won on Wednesday as the three-way Premier League title battle continued apace.

West Ham United missed the chance to stay in touch as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion, giving Arsenal the opportunity to move into the top four this evening.

The biggest talking point from last night’s game was Everton’s abject display in the Merseyside derby. Let’s start the latest Football Today column there.

Everton board to blame for slump

You don’t need hindsight to tell you that Everton’s decision to appoint Rafael Benitez as manager last summer was always going to end in tears.

Last night’s defeat against Liverpool highlighted how far the Toffees have fallen, and they are now very much in a relegation battle.

Benitez’s tactical approach was never likely to be a good fit at Everton, and the board must shoulder the responsibility for making such a brainless appointment.

Bill Kenwright, Marcel Brands and Farhad Moshiri have all contributed to the mess at Goodison Park. The question is, can they be trusted to fix things?

Kane must repay Conte’s faith

New Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte recently praised Harry Kane for his work rate and professionalism, despite the striker’s struggles in front of goal.

Despite scoring once in Conte’s four games in charge, the Italian backed the striker ahead of Spurs’ game against Brentford.

Spurs fans have rightly questioned Kane’s attitude this season following his failure to secure a lucrative summer move to Manchester City.

Conte is undoubtedly attempting to massage Kane’s ego here. However, he’s not the most patient fella. Kane must repay his faith with goals.

Thursday football on TV

• Torino vs Empoli – Serie A – BT Sport
• Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford – Premier League – Amazon Prime Video
• Celtic vs Hearts – Scottish Premiership – Sky Sports
• Lazio vs Udinese – Serie A – BT Sport
• Manchester United vs Arsenal – Premier League – Amazon Prime Video

One to watch

A victory over Arsenal would move Man Utd within three points of the top four. Lose, and they would be eight points adrift. Must-win doesn’t begin to describe this game.

Prediction

Jadon Sancho to score and Man Utd to win can be backed at 4/1 this evening. That looks decent value.