MIKE NEWELL
The big Luton Town No 9 heads home to Liverpool with a song in his heart after keeping his team’s title challenge alive against Leicester City. Luton are due at Anfield for an FA Cup replay on Monday night, but first they move up to fourth in the table, courtesy of Newell’s 59th-minute goal. At first, he seems to have made a mess of the opportunity when Mal Donaghy’s cross reaches him in the area, but he recovers quickly and sends a cracking shot past Ian Andrews.
STEVE HODGE
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Tottenham Hotspur’s newest big-money acquisition enjoys a dream debut against the club he couldn’t wait to leave. Hodge felt that staying with relegation-haunted Aston Villa was harming his England career, but the way he went public with his desire to leave incensed Villa supporters. However, Hodge impresses his new fanbase — gliding on to a Paul Allen pass to open the scoring in the fourth minute, then heading his second from Glenn Hoddle’s corner five minutes after half-time.
STEVE WICKS
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There hasn’t been much to smile about at Stamford Bridge this season, but Steve Wicks puts the spring back into manager John Hollins’s step with a superb performance — and a goal — in an entertaining draw at Carrow Road. Wicks is one of seven players who have asked to leave Chelsea in a troubled season and remains on the transfer list. But afterwards he says: “I don’t want to rock the boat with any more transfer talk,” and his display certainly suggests he wants to make a success of his second spell with the club. It is not such a good day for another centre half, though. Watched by Bobby Robson, the England manager, Steve Bruce looks decidedly shaky at the heart of the Norwich defence.
NIGEL CALLAGHAN
At the Manor Ground, they gather to bid a fond farewell to John Aldridge, bound for Liverpool for £750,000. But it is the Watford wingers who hog the headlines. Callaghan just shades John Barnes for man-of-the-match honours, giving Graham Taylor’s team the lead after just 74 seconds, then crossing for Barnes to make it 2-0 before half-time. Mark Falco makes it 3-0, but Maurice Evans is already working out how to spend the Aldridge windfall. “It’s obvious we need a couple of players urgently and top priority are defenders.”