The Knee Jerk – Wednesday

A midweek programme under lights provides an avalanche of points as Luis Suarez delivers one of the biggest solo hauls in memory. By contrast, Wayne Rooney’s evening was blighted by a blank, a fifth booking and a home defeat as United’s title challenge withers before Christmas.

The Game Changer

Prior to tonight’s Anfield clash with Norwich, Brendan Rodgers remarked that Liverpool could not depend solely on Luis Suarez for goals following the injury to Daniel Sturridge. Within half an hour, Suarez had emphatically proved him wrong.

It’s ironic that, on an evening where Yaya Toure and Eden Hazard made up ground on Aaron Ramsey’s relentless midfield profits, a striker dominated once again. Suarez, like Sergio Aguero weeks before, stuck to the script to fire a devastating haul of four goals and an assist as he returned to haunt Norwich who continue to haemorrhage goals on their travels.

That shouldn’t detract from Suarez’s display. Thirteen strikes in just nine Premier League starts represents form that matches the very best spells we saw from Robin van Persie last season. In simple terms, Suarez has become essential. Not least to offer a captaincy option who almost guarantees regular returns with the propensity to explode to levels that no other player, not even the prolific Aguero, can match.

The Selection Poser

United’s home defeat came packaged with a bitter pill for Wayne Rooney owners who had to watch on while both Suarez and Aguero returned to the scoresheet while their man blanked. That was compounded by a fifth booking of the season, which guarantees another blank to follow as Rooney sits out the home clash with Newcastle in Saturday’s early kick-off.

It remains to be seen how this will influence transfer trends in the next few days but, having harvested large numbers of investors since his brace at Spurs, Rooney could now be set for heavy sales and a rapid price drop over the next ten days.

Elsewhere, rotation took a chunk out of our squads once again, with an array of talent “rested” to the bench. Olivier Giroud’s remaining owners were perturbed by the news that the Frenchman was handed a much-needed break with a Hull City defence, sans Curtis Davies, arriving at the Emirates. With Nicklas Bendtner firing an unlikely early goal, there may even be further fidgeting required. The last thing Giroud’s owners wanted or expected was the much-maligned Dane suggesting he could deputise as the lone striker from this point on. Nevertheless, an immediate recall against Everton is surely on the cards for the seven-goal Frenchman.

Stephane Sessegnon’s plight looks more serious. Ranked highly in the Watchlist off the back of decent early form for the Baggies, coupled with an enviable set of fixtures, the Benin international has laboured of late and Steve Clarke’s decision to bench him this evening may well be more damaging.

Typically, Sessegnon’s flame has faded badly. Having been the catalyst for much of West Brom’s attacking verve in their five-match unbeaten run which included the win at Old Trafford, he’s slipped back into obscurity at a time when the fixture computer appeared to hand him the chance to establish himself as a mid-price midfield asset of note.

Once again, those who took a punt on a midfield differential have been let down and Sessegnon’s owners will now be wondering if their man can win a recall for the visit of Norwich at the weekend.