Heroes and Villains: Super Frank Lampard and Swan Lake

Hero or villain?

Craig Gardner
West Midlands derby match-winner Gardner will have divided the crowd over his status, proving a protagonist for West Brom and an outlaw for Aston Villa.

The former Villan’s midfielder, and boyhood Birmingham fan, smashed home the only goal of the game to give the struggling Baggies all three points.

Gardner rubbed salt in the wounds by celebrating with gusto, although a little too strongly for under-fire boss Alan Irvine’s liking, with the coach stating: “I wouldn’t have minded who he went and celebrated with. My hand is still stinging, so I might ask him to go somewhere else next time!”

Villains

Alberto Moreno
Liverpool’s left back may have been playing in an unfamiliar role just slightly further forward, but that was certainly no excuse for losing all sense of defensive responsibility.

The woeful wingback was caught too far up the field as Antonio Valencia romped down the right to create Manchester United’s opener, though he made little attempt to track back or slot in for those covering him.

Moreno capped-off a miserable display by going MIA again as Juan Mata doubled the Red Devils’ lead before the break, failing to spot his compatriot’s offside run. Liverpool are now 5/1 for a top four finish.

‘Swan Lake’
Steve Bruce illustrated his bemusement at Chelsea’s antics by likening the Blues boys to ballet performers, with the Stamford Bridge side receiving two yellow cards for blatant dives by Diego Costa and Willian.

There’s certainly no room for shameless attempts to cheat the referee , with the Premier League being beamed to audiences across the world.

The main controversy occurred after Gary Cahill, already cautioned, performed a grand jete in Hull City’s area. Looking as though somebody had pulled the turf out from under his feet, the England international escaped punishment, with the Tigers later reduced to 10 men themselves.