Nottingham Forest 2-3 Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth left it late to snatch victory away at Nottingham Forest. Willy Boly was sent off for a second Yellow card in the 23rd minute, and in my opinion, this is an absolute joke! You may as well introduce “Tag Football” at this rate! Nottingham Forest were then asking for a penalty after the ball struck the arm of Adam Smith. However, no penalty was given to Forest because VAR “couldn’t” determine whether Smith’s arm was in the box or not. What an absolute farce! However, less than 2 minutes into the Second Half, Nottingham Forest were in front as Anthony Elanga scored after a sloppy bit of play from Alex Scott. Just 4 minutes later though and Bournemouth were level as Dominic Solanke scored with a nice headed finish. In the 58th minute, Bournemouth took the lead as Solanke scored again. Notts Forest could’ve and should’ve dealt with this situation better. In the 74th minute, Chris Wood equalised for the hosts after a deflection took the ball past Neto in the Bournemouth goal. Dango Ouattara then pulled out a brilliant bit of defending to clear Morgan Gibbs-White’s effort off the line before David Brooks hit the post for the visitors. And then, in the 94th minute, Bournemouth snatched victory right at the death as Dominic Solanke sealed his Hat-Trick with a terrific header. In the end, Nottingham Forest will be furious that they lost this game. Forest remain 17th in the table and they play away to Newcastle next time out. As for AFC Bournemouth, they definitely got away with one here. The Cherries rise to 12th in the league and their next game is at home to Fulham on Boxing Day.
Tottenham 2-1 Everton
Tottenham took the lead inside 9 minutes as Richarlison scored against his old club. This was a really nicely worked team goal and Richarlison finished off well. Brennan Johnson then had a great chance to make it 2-0 which he failed to take, but Tottenham did have their second in the 18th minute as Heung-Min Son scored once again. In the Second Half, Dominic Calvert-Lewin finished well to get one back for Everton, but his goal was ultimately ruled out for a foul. I tell you what, whilst this wasn’t a horrendous decision, it certainly wasn’t a clear and obvious mistake by the referee. Anyway, Jordan Pickford then pulled out a good save to deny Dejan Kulusevski from extending Spurs’ lead before Everton got one back in the 82nd minute as Andre Gomes scored with a great strike. Guglielmo Vicario then pulled out a pretty good stop to keep Arnaut Danjuma’s effort out before Danjuma had an unbelievable chance which he somehow could only hit the crossbar with. In the end, Tottenham Hotspur just about won this game. Spurs move up to 4th in the league and they go to Brighton next time out. As for Everton, they’ll be disappointed that they didn’t come away from this game with some kind of positive result. The Toffees remain 16th in the table and their next game is at home to Manchester City on Wednesday.
Wolves 2-1 Chelsea
Wolverhampton Wanderers were able to celebrate Christmas Eve with a nice victory over Chelsea. Joao Gomes was poorly disposed by Raheem Sterling, but Sterling saw his effort saved by Jose Sa. What Gomes was thinking I don’t know, and why Sterling didn’t play one of his teammates in is even more of a question! In the Second Half, Joao Gomes’ deflected effort hit the post and went wide. However, the replays showed that the ball struck the hand of Lesley Ugochukwu and I’m a little bit surprised this wasn’t given as a penalty. Anyway, Toti Gomes then had a great opportunity which he headed straight at Djordje Petrovic before Wolves found their opener in the 51st minute through Mario Lemina. Toti was then there to clear the ball off the line to deny Chelsea an equaliser before Craig Dawson pulled out a good block to keep out Raheem Sterling’s effort. In the 93rd minute, Wolves had their second of the game as Matt Doherty scored to surely seal victory for the hosts. However, Chelsea weren’t done yet as Christopher Nkunku got his first goal for the club, but it didn’t really amount to anything for the visitors. Overall, it’s a Very Merry Christmas for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wolves move up to 11th in the table and they go to Brentford next time out. As for Chelsea, it’s yet another defeat for them. The Blues stay 10th in the league and they host London Rivals Crystal Palace in their next fixture.
West Ham 2-0 Manchester United
Alejandro Garnacho had a great chance to give Manchester United the lead in the First Half, but his time effort was easily saved by Alphonse Areola. In the Second Half, Andre Onana pulled out a decent stop to keep out Jarrod Bowen before, in the 72nd minute, Bowen had his goal to give West Ham the lead. The pass/assist from Lucas Paqueta was absolutely superb. In the 78th minute, West Ham had their second as Mohammed Kudus finished well after a poor mistake by Kobbie Mainoo. Overall, this is another good win for West Ham United. The Hammers rise to 6th in the league and their next game is an exciting one away to London Rivals Arsenal. As for Manchester United, it’s yet another defeat for them! United drop to 8th in the table and they host Aston Villa next time out (on Boxing Day).
Fulham 0-2 Burnley
Fulham’s home form faltered as Burnley picked up an important victory. James Trafford pulled out a couple of decent saves early on to keep Fulham off the scoresheet before Fulham were asking for a penalty after the ball struck the arm of Zeki Amdouni. No penalty was given and that was probably the right decision, even though it was a close one. At the start of the Second Half, Zeki Amdouni had a good chance which he failed to take before Burnley had their goal just moments later through Wilson Odobert. This was a nice finish by Odobert. In the 66th minute, Burnley’s lead doubled as Sander Berge scored a really nice solo goal. You can definitely question the Fulham defending though. Timothy Castagne then had a half-chance for Fulham, but his effort was kept out by James Trafford. In the end, this is a disappointing loss for Fulham. The Cottagers drop to 13th in the table and they go to Bournemouth next time out. As for Burnley, this is a big win for them. The Clarets stay inside the Relegation Zone (in 19th) and their next game sees them host Liverpool on Boxing Day.
Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal
There was nothing to separate Liverpool and Arsenal in a “Top of the Table” clash. Arsenal got off to a terrific start as Gabriel fired them in front after just 4 minutes. Gabriel’s header was good, but I do have to question Alisson’s positioning. Liverpool were then screaming for a Penalty after the ball struck the arm of Martin Odegaard, and to be honest, I cannot understand how or why this wasn’t a penalty. Anyway, Liverpool had their equaliser in the 29th minute thanks to a nice solo goal from Mohamed Salah. I will say that the defending by Oleksandr Zinchenko was woeful though. Gabriel Martinelli then had a good chance which he put wide before Joe Gomez came within a whisker of giving Liverpool the lead in the Second Half. Harvey Elliott then saw his deflected effort hit the post and go out (for a corner) before Liverpool had a 5-on-1 scenario which resulted in Trent Alexander-Arnold smashing the crossbar. In the end, Liverpool will definitely feel like this was two points dropped. The Reds stay second in the table and their next game is away to Burnley on Boxing Day. As for Arsenal, this is a good result for them. The Gunners will be Top of the League at Christmas and they host West Ham next time out.
Aston Villa 1-1 Sheffield United
Aston Villa left it incredibly late to deny Sheffield United a huge victory. Wesley Foderingham pulled out a good save in the First Half to keep out Moussa Diaby’s effort before Leon Bailey thought he’d given Aston Villa the lead after 59 minutes. However, the goal was ruled out for a foul on Foderingham. Whilst I think that is the right decision, Sheffield United were fortunate here as they could’ve easily cleared the ball away before Bailey put the ball in the back of the net. Ezri Konsa then came close to scoring an own goal before Cameron Archer gave Sheffield United an unlikely lead in the 87th minute. However, United just couldn’t quite hold on for the 3 points as in the 97th minute, Nicolo Zaniolo headed home to rescue a point for Aston Villa. Wesley Foderingham will be kicking himself because he made a mess of coming out and catching the ball. In the end, Aston Villa’s amazing winning run at Villa Park (in the league) has finally come to an end. Villa stay third in the league and they go to Manchester United next time out. As for Sheffield United, they’ll be gutted that they weren’t able to hold on to what would’ve been a crucial 3 points. The Blades remain bottom of the table and their next game is a huge one as they host Luton on Boxing Day.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton
Dean Henderson pulled out a couple of decent saves to keep the game at 0-0 before Crystal Palace took the lead right before Halftime as Jordan Ayew headed home after a nice cross from Michael Olise. It’s worth mentioning that Bart Verbruggen’s attempt to play out from the back was a complete and utter mess. In the Second Half, Jack Hinshelwood had a good opportunity which he made a complete mess of before Jan Paul van Hecke pulled out a terrific defensive block to deny Eberechi Eze grabbing Palace’s second goal of the game. In the 82nd minute, Brighton had their equaliser as Danny Welbeck scored with a superb headed finish. Dean Henderson then made a mistake as he punched the ball straight into the face of Danny Welbeck, but luckily for him, the ball didn’t find the back of the Palace net. In the end, this was a decent result for Crystal Palace. The Eagles stay 15th in the table and they got to Chelsea next time out. As for Brighton and Hove Albion, they should’ve done better in this one. The Seagulls remain in 9th place and they host Tottenham in their next match.
Luton 1-0 Newcastle
Luton Town pulled out the best tribute possible to Captain Tom Lockyer with a great victory over Newcastle United. Newcastle had multiple opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net in the same sequence, but Callum Wilson could only head the ball wide of the target (in the best chance of the three). Wilson then had an even better chance which he could only guide straight at Thomas Kaminski before Luton took the lead in the 25th minute through Andros Townsend. Ross Barkley then smashed the bar with a terrific strike before Martin Dubravka pulled out a good save to deny Elijah Adebayo. Having said that, I do think Adebayo should’ve scored. In the Second Half, Jacob Brown hit the crossbar for Luton before Alexander Isak thought he’d equalised for Newcastle. However, the goal was ruled out for a pretty tight offside decision. Overall, this is a great win for Luton Town. The Hatters stay 18th in the table and they go to Sheffield United in a big game next time out. As for Newcastle United, it’s another disappointing result for them. The Magpies drop to 7th in the league and they host Nottingham Forest in their next game on Boxing Day.
Premier League Table at the End of Gameweek 18
Arsenal: 40pts (+20)
Liverpool 39pts (+21)
Aston Villa: 39pts (+16)
Tottenham: 36pts (+13)
Manchester City: 34pts (+20)
West Ham: 30pts (+1)
Newcastle: 29pts (+14)
Manchester United: 28pts (-5)
Brighton: 27pts (+3)
Chelsea: 22pts (+1)
Wolves: 22pts (-7)
Bournemouth: 22pts (-8)
Fulham: 21pts (-5)
Brentford: 19pts (0)
Crystal Palace: 18pts (-8)
Everton: 16pts (+1)
Nottingham Forest: 14pts (-14)
Luton: 12pts (-14)
Burnley: 11pts (-18)
Sheffield United: 9pts (-31)
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