On the surface, the play up until Victor Moses’ emphatic finish seems quite scrappy, but there are a few interesting bits and pieces here.
This is an example of what commentators mean when they stress the importance of goalkeepers making saves but not providing any opportunities from the rebound. Sergei Ryzhikov badly mistimes his dive when keeping out Victor Moses’ header, and as a result he’s forced to pat the ball away rather than catch it.
Fernando Torres is alert and strong enough to prevent the covering defender from clearing the ball.
Even though Torres’ cross is too shallow, and it’s deflected towards the goal-line and relative safety, Juan Mata reacts quicker than the defenders and gets himself in-between the covering Rubin players and the goalkeeper – the flick he produces probably isn’t meant for Victor Moses, but it’s a really clever high-percentage ball. Mata is just trying to keep the danger alive, and deliberately steers the ball back into an area where one of his teammates is likely to be.
…and even though Moses is in the right place at the right time, his finish is excellent. Chesting a ball down is a crowded area is always difficult, and the margin for error here is extremely slim – the Nigerian international has to bring it down, and get off his shot before being closed down. What a finish he produces, too: a perfect contact.
Here are the full highlights from the game:
Get a free £25 bet by signing-up with William Hill
Follow The Premier League Owl on Twitter and Facebook.
