Counter-attack football has long been a popular weapon for the Davids who wanted to overthrow the Goliaths and the catapult goals such as Anthony Elanga's are the crown on glory.
Elanga racete 85 yards in nine seconds, broke clearly from a defensive corner and dribbled his half from the inside to score an exciting winner for Nottingham Forest against Manchester United on Tuesday.
Twenty -four hours later, Marcus Rashford scored the opener for Aston Villa in Brighton, burst out of a defensive corner and grabbed a long pass by Morgan Rogers.
They seemed goals for our time, totems from this Premier League season. Two speed traders freed from the burden of life in Old Trafford, revitalizing in effective teams that cause serious damage to the turnover of possession.
And yet, as usual, this is nothing new. In his final coaching book football for thinkers, Malcolm Allison wrote for thinkers: 'A team that loses possession is in trouble whether the players realize it or not' and 'often, the closer a team is to target how more players will be put out of game by losing possession'.
Allison thought that every cross intercepted from the penalty area would eliminate between 'two and six players' and continued, 'if there are only four left and one makes and is a desperate tackle and is defeated, the fate of the team sits from unhappy to unhealthy'.
He also noticed how teams that are committed to being freely more vulnerable would be more vulnerable and that young attackers were naive or as he said “not terribly concerned” about losing the ball in the opposition's penalty area.
This was published in 1967, a year in which Allison was an assistant of Manchester City boss Joe Mercer and a team built to win the title for a year. But it feels more relevant than ever in an era in which aggressive, front-foot football with high defensive lines focused on possession of turnover in the last third part.
All Premier League teams can counterattacks dangerously. Some rarely have the chance because they want the ball – or are expected – to dominate. Others depend on it.
The forest of Nuno Espirito Santo is designed for it. They are combative and well organized. They defend deep, are ball winners and some come with extra quality. Murillo can charge the ball from the middle half and
Morgan Gibbs-White has a beautiful view and passing by passing. At the front they have extreme speed in Elanga, more pace and technical deception in callum Hudson-Odoi and Craft, Clinical Finishing and Aerial Power in Chris Wood.
Crystal Palace works with a similar philosophy, albeit a different form. They also build from a solid defensive basis for resisting periods of pressure, with all -rounders in midfield who win and pass the ball and a ruthless mix of tempo, strength and skill on the front ball.
When the tactical cycle of football runs, old theories come back with new twists.
The modern era differs from Allison's because his pristine surfaces invite dribblers to slide and wear the ball in pace. They will train for it, with explosive power in rapid outbursts of the goal. Premier League Wealth and advanced recruitment data ensure that they select the right players for the task.
Much of the technical work of dribbling will be done through the youth levels and by the time players break into the first team, coaches refine the strengths within tactical strategies.
Analysts run software and sanding images to focus on weaknesses, while set-piece specialists work on the outbreak of defending corners and free kicks as attacking, with the aim of bringing the ball to the right players in the right areas at the right time.
When Emi Martinez caught the header of Jan Paul van Hecke on Wednesday, Rashford was just in his own penalty area and Rogers was on the six-year line.
Rogers pulled left to left to collect a short throw from his keeper and Rashford put his head down and sprinted in a direct line to the goal. Lewis Dunk of Brighton chased Rashford completely back without ever getting close enough to make a challenge. Less than 12 seconds have passed between the catch of Martinez and the first goal of Villa in a 3-0 win.
In United Elanga May, as Ruben Amorim implied, the shirt has weighed heavily, although it would not have had so many opportunities to break into open spaces. Everything but the most brave will still be deep against United, whose illustrious form as football cavaliers means that they feel an obligation to play in an open and attractive style, just like Tottenham.
On their day, teams such as Forest will punish them during the break, although it is by no means easy to do what Elanga did and throw away a sprint.
Every coach understands that opponents are the most vulnerable in the demolition of possession, where it is on the field, because they will be defensive in shape.
Teams that are committed to playing on the front foot are working hard to stop the counterattack. They use recovery pace at the back, such as Spurs and Micky van de Ven, and try to stop counterattacks before they start, sometimes cynical.
Think of the Myles Lewis-Skelly Red Card at Wolves, a young player who is desperate to do his piece- perhaps too diligent by a referee who is aware of what happens.
The beauty of the catapult attack from a defensive angle is that several of the best defenders will be out of the picture, such as Dunk.
When Elanga took his first touch, 15 meters in his own half, he was chased by Patrick Dorgu and Alejandro Garnacho, with Noussair Mazraoui on coverage, but his decisiveness won the day.
His self -confidence increases in a team that maximizes its attributes. No United player could get close enough to get him out.
Another Goliath killed by David and his catapult.