3 Up, 3 Down: featuring Liverpool and Manchester City stars

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Thanks to various cup commitments, the Premier League treated us to a midweek jamboree of football full of goals, incidents and talking points.

The action kicked off on Tuesday, when Champions League chasing Manchester City came up against a resurgent Newcastle, who battled their way to a well deserved point, providing the Toon with increasing hope of survival.

The Merseyside derby grabbed Wednesday nights headlines, and Jurgen Klopp’s increasingly impressive Liverpool side romped home 4-0 against a tepid ten-man Everton.

The Toffees’ FA Cup semi-final opponents, Mancehster United, warmed up for their trip to Wembley with a comfortable win over Crystal Palace, whereas West Ham beat struggling Watford 3-1. But who has done enough to make this midweek 3 up 3 down?

Up: Liverpool

For the first few home matches under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool remained slightly stuck. They were far from atrocious, but development was slow, and some of the issues that cost Brendan Rodgers his job were still evident in a number of stodgy home performances.

However, six months on from Klopp’s appointment, and a disappointing 1-1 derby draw at Goodison Park, Liverpool looked like a completely transformed side. There was pace, movement, creativity, desire. They were all over their neighbours and completely thumped them. The 40 shots they bombarded Joel Robles goal with does not begin to describe the dominance they held in the derby.

The Reds have now scored four goals in each of their last three home games, with the derby following a 4-1 win over Stoke and that famous comeback against Borussia Dortmund. They could be a real threat to the top 4 next campaign.

Up: Sergio Aguero

Unlucky to miss out on the up category after his clinical hat-trick at Chelsea over the weekend, Aguero added another goal to his tally that makes him impossible to leave out.

Offside though the goal was, Sergio Aguero reached a brilliant milestone with his headed opener against Newcastle United on Tuesday.

Not only did it mean Aguero was just the 25th player to score 100 Premier League goals, he had also achieved the feat in a rapid 147 games, second only to Alan Shearer. Bearing in mind the injury problems that have plagued the Argentine’s Manchester City career, it is amazing that he has scored so many goals so quickly. Without his customary injury problems, the Golden Boot would surely be his.

Up: West Ham’s Englishmen

Whether or not Andy Carroll will make England’s Euro squad remains to be seen, but right now, he is bang in form for West Ham United. Another goal, this one a volley from a delicious Dimitri Payet delivery set West Ham well on their way to another impressive victory.

Carroll’s goal was backed up by a pair of penalties from Mark Noble, who is surely the finest current Premier League star never to have won an England cap, as well as the exemplary performances of Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio.

It appears as if sixth placed West Ham will have no representation in the England squad when it is named in May, but the form showed by their home grown talent is certainly benefiting the high-flying Hammers.