Happy Wednesday folks – hope you and yours are well.

I don’t know why I bothered to check out the farcical pantomime that was “Match officials mic’d up” whilst browsing through Sky Sports’ website last night on the way back from work, but I did. And it was the review of the MLS red card at Wolves that had Howard Webb and Michael Oliver trot out their usual PR spin and drivel.

They did acknowledge it was the wrong call and that most people accept that a yellow was the right decision (which could have cost us any lingering title hopes, by the way. This is being glossed over because we won…), but as is wont for PGMOL and their narcissistic head Webb, they couldn’t just firmly hold their hands up and say “yep, got it wrong, apologies, we need to review this and see how we can improve”. Nope, instead we got a “yeah but” in the form of Howard Webb with Michael Owen nodding on next to him in a classically irrelevant stooge-like manner, that “the VAR didn’t want to re-referee the game”.

It’s funny how that line gets trotted out when it is convenient for PGMOL, eh? Where was that logic with the disallowed Martinelli goal at Old Trafford a couple of season’s back? Where was that thinking when they sent William Saliba off at Bournemouth? As usual, we get the rules delivered sporadically and the narrative set based on what makes PGMOL seem like they are being painted in the best possible light. These shows are nothing more than an attempt to re-litigate poor decisions instead of learning and improving. And as I have said – like a broken record at this point – there is no way we get a better refereeing body until it is ripped up, those in charge are kicked to the curb and we start again with something new. Disband the old Boys Network of North West referees, get more diversity of geography, background, etc, then let’s have some referees without their inherent biases who have their tracks covered by their mates in higher positions.

Now, I need to turn my focus away from the bad taste that Webb, Owen and PGMOL leave in my mouth and look towards that game at Villa Park happening this evening. It’s one of four games that will most likely decide whether this season is going to go to the latter stages as a Premier League title fight, or whether it will fizzle out with Liverpool leading a procession march to their second Premier League trophy.

Villa at Villa Park is no easy game, Liverpool weren’t wholly convincing on Sunday, but Aston Villa have been a bit all over the place with their form of late. We put some faith in Everton because it was the last Merseyside Derby, but whether or not we can do the same for the Villains remains to be seen. They do have Marcus Rashford who looked pretty decent in the game at the weekend, plus I think Ollie Watkins is back fit for them. But they drew with a struggling Ipswich side and whilst a night of the Barclays under the lights might get the home crowd up for it, I do worry that this might be another Liverpool smash and grab.

If it is, then we’re looking at a ten point deficit and whilst we would have a game in hand, that kind of distance between them and us will inevitably hit a psychological blow to any title chances we are desperately clinging on to for dear life. Ten points is a mountain to climb and with us not able to respond until Saturday, it feels like it might be too much.

Conversely, any kind of dropped points for them tonight and suddenly Arsenal’s tails are up. If Villa were to somehow get a win this evening – something only one team has been able to do all season, let’s not forget – then Arsenal have the opportunity with that game in hand to drop that lead down to four points. It’s still a position I would swap with Liverpool in a heartbeat and you’d have to still have them as clear favourites for the title, but at least it would make things a little more interesting going in to the final three months of the season.

Arsenal fans, players and coaching staff can only look on thiws evening though, hoping that Villa can take points off Liverpool like they have done off us this season and last season. Let’s hope Villa are the heroes rather than the pariahs that we’ve seen them as. Let’s hope Emi Martinez is getting his flowers from Arsenal fans for time wasting Villa to a win under their own fans.

There’s not really a lot else going on, to be honest with you, with some rumours I see that Paqueta might be injured for the weekend. Apparently he came off early from midweek training and looked “devastated” but, as we know with players like Martinelli when he waves his hand in the air having been hit before, then is up five minutes later (I appreciate the irony of me mentioning this whilst he IS actually injured this time!), until we get some kind of confirmation from Graham Potter on Friday, I am going to assume that he’s fine and we’ll see him at the Emirates on Saturday.

Right, that’s me done for today methinks. Back tomorrow with some thoughts on whether all is lost (Liverpool have won) or “it’s back on lads” (Villa have won).

Catch you wonderful humans then.