Leicester 1-3 Chelsea
Chelsea picked up their third win in a row as Leicester City drop further down the table. 11 minutes into the game, Chelsea took the lead as Ben Chilwell volleyed home against his former club. Chilwell connected with the ball well, but the goalkeeping from Danny Ward wasn’t great. Joao Felix then had a great chance to make it 2-0, but his chipped effort hit the post and went out before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s effort deflected and hit the top of the bar. In the 39th, Leicester were level through a really good strike by Patson Daka. In the 6th minute of additional time in the first half, Kai Havertz scored with a clever dink to put the visitors back in front. In the second half, Dewsbury-Hall had a golden chance to make it two-all, but he completely miss-kicked the ball. And then, in the 87th minute, Mateo Kovacic finished well to seal all three points for Chelsea Football Club. Wout Faes also got himself sent off after receiving two yellow cards. Overall, this wasn’t a good day for Leicester City. The Foxes drop down into 16th place (level on points with the relegation zone) and they play away to Brentford in their next match. As for Chelsea, they are clearly improving. The Blues stay 10th in the table and they host Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest
Richarlison thought he’d put Tottenham in front after just 3 minutes, but his goal was stupidly ruled out by VAR. Tottenham were able to take the lead in the 19th minute however through Harry Kane. Forest’s defending made it so easy for Kane and Spurs to score. Joe Worrall then brought down Richarlison in the box and this allowed Harry Kane to step up and score to fire Tottenham into a two-nil lead. In the second half, Heung-Min Son made it 3-0 to Tottenham Hotspur before Joe Worrall got one back for Forest in the 81st minute. Forest actually had a chance to make it 3-2, but Andre Ayew missed his penalty in the 96th minute (Forster saved it). Overall, this was a positive result for Tottenham who stay 4th in the table. Spurs’ next game is away to Southampton in the league. As for Nottingham Forest, it’s now 5 games without a win for them as they stay in 14th place. They host Newcastle next in this week’s Friday Night Football.
Leeds 2-2 Brighton
Leeds picked up an important point as Brighton drop two in their fight for a Champions League place. Brighton took the lead in the 33rd minute through Alexis Mac Allister, but the lead didn’t last long as Patrick Bamford leveled it up for the hosts just 7 minutes later. His effort did take a big deflection off of Adam Webster. Both goal scorers then had good chances to put their sides in front before the break, but both men’s efforts went wide of the post. In the second half, Brighton and Hove Albion went back in front after Jack Harrison forgot which end he was shooting in. Danny Welbeck then had a great chance to give the visitors some breathing space, but he poorly placed his effort over the bar. In the 78th minute, Jack Harrison made up for his earlier mistake with a brilliant strike to level the game back up at 2-2. In the end, Leeds will be happy with a point from this game. However, they’ve now dropped down into 19th place and they play away to Wolves next time out. As for Brighton, they’ll be disappointed that they didn’t win this game. The Seagulls have moved up into 7th place and they host Crystal Palace in the league on Wednesday.
Fulham 0-3 Arsenal
Arsenal destroyed Fulham at Craven Cottage to keep their gap at the top at 5 points. Arsenal thought they’d taken the lead through an Antonee Robinson own-goal, but it was ruled out due to Gabriel Martinelli being offside. Thankfully (for Arsenal’s sake) this didn’t hurt them because it was another stupid VAR decision. However, Arsenal were able to take the lead not too long after through a headed effort by Gabriel. 5 minutes later, it was two-nil to Arsenal as Martinelli got in on the act. The defending by Robinson was so poor. Bernd Leno did well to deny Martinelli getting his second goal of the game, but just before halftime, Arsenal did have their third as Martin Odegaard finished superbly well. In the second half, Tosin Adarabioyo came close as his headed effort hit the crossbar, but that was the only thing that Fulham did. In the end, this was a shocker from Fulham. They’ve dropped down to 8th in the table (outside the European places) and their next game is away to Manchester United in the FA Cup Quarter Finals. As for Arsenal, they looked absolutely unstoppable in the first half. The Gunners stay 5 points clear at the top of the Premier League and they host Sporting in the second leg of their Europa League Last 16 tie on Thursday.
Newcastle 2-1 Wolves
Newcastle picked up a big win to boost their Champions League hopes. Early on in the game, Nick Pope brought down Raul Jimenez, but the referee didn’t give anything. This seems ridiculous and he really should’ve been sent off and Wolves should’ve been awarded a penalty. In the 26th minute, Newcastle took the lead through an Alexander Isak header. Bruno Guimaraes then had a great chance to make it 2-0, but his effort hit the crossbar and came out. Daniel Podence then nearly equalised for Wolves, but his effort hit the post and came out. In the second half, a bit of miss communication from Newcastle allowed Hwang Hee-Chan to score a simple tap-in to level the game up for Wolves at 1-1. However, in the 79th minute, Miguel Almiron scored to put the hosts back in front after his effort took a deflection off of Max Kilman. Overall, this was a big win for Newcastle as they move back up into 5th place. The Magpies’ next game is away to Nottingham Forest on Friday night. As for Wolves, it’s a disappointing day for them as they stay 13th in the table. Wolves host Leeds this Saturday in a huge match for both clubs.
West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa
Aston Villa were ahead inside 17 minutes through a headed effort by Ollie Watkins. He’s been on a really good run lately. In the 26th minute, West Ham were awarded a penalty after Leon Bailey brought down Lucas Paqueta. Said Benrahma stepped up and scored to level the game up at 1-1. Watkins then had a golden opportunity to put Villa back in front, but he couldn’t guide his effort past Alphonse Areola. In the second half, Benrahma had a few decent opportunities, but he just wasn’t able to convert any of them. In the end, it’s a decent day for the Hammers as they move outside of the relegation zone and into 17th place. West Ham’s next game is at home to AEK Larnaca in the UEFA Europa Conference League. As for Aston Villa, it’s not the best result in the world for them. Villa stay 11th in the table and they host Bournemouth in the league on Saturday.
Bournemouth 1-0 Liverpool
Bournemouth picked up a ginormous victory over Liverpool to climb off the bottom of the Premier League. Virgil Van Dijk thought he’d put Liverpool ahead early on, but his headed effort was cleared off the line by Jefferson Lerma. In the 28th minute, Bournemouth took the surprise lead through Philip Billing. VVD then had another great opportunity, but he shockingly headed the ball wide off the target. Midway through the second half, Liverpool were awarded a penalty after Diogo Jota’s headed effort hit Adam Smith’s hand. Mohamed Salah stepped up and somehow smashed his effort well wide of the goal. Overall, what a brilliant day for AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries move up into 18th place and they play away to Aston Villa in their next fixture. As for Liverpool, I’ve got no idea what the hell is going on with this football club. The Reds have dropped down to 6th in the table and they play away to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Crystal Palace 0-1 Manchester City
Jack Grealish made a really nice solo run, but he poorly dragged his shot wide of the post. Erling Haaland then had a really good chance to put City in front, but he guided his effort over the bar from close range. In the second half, Julian Alvarez created himself a really good opportunity, but he blasted his effort over the bar. And then, in the 78th minute, Crystal Palace switched off before Michael Olise brought down Ilkay Gundogan in the penalty area. Erling Haaland stepped up and calmly placed the ball into the back of the net to give Manchester City the lead. In the end, it’s another game without a win for Crystal Palace. Ridiculously, they still stay 12th in the table and they play away to Brighton in the league on Wednesday. As for Manchester City, these are the types of wins that could prove crucial come the end of the season. City stay second in the table (5 points behind league leaders Arsenal) and their next game is a big one at home to RB Leipzig in the Champions League tomorrow.
Everton 1-0 Brentford
Everton picked up a huge win as Brentford’s unbeaten run comes to an end. After just 35 seconds, Everton took the lead through Dwight McNeil. It was a really good goal by the winger. Amadou Onana then had a great opportunity to make it 2-0 to Everton, but he blasted his effort high and wide. Ivan Toney then had a great chance for Brentford, but he didn’t connect cleanly with his header before Alex Iwobi nearly scored for the hosts. In the 41st minute, Demarai Gray thought he’d put his side two-nil up, but the goal was ruled out as Gray was deemed to have handled the ball. In the second half, Jordan Pickford pulled out a great save to deny Rico Henry from leveling the game up at 1-1. Ethan Pinnock then somehow failed to score for Brentford. Overall, this was a great result for Everton as they move up into 15th place. The Toffees go to Chelsea in their next league game (on Saturday). As for Brentford, it’s a disappointing day for them. The Bees stay 9th in the table and their next game is away to Southampton on Wednesday.
Manchester United 0-0 Southampton
Theo Walcott had a really good chance for Southampton early on, but his headed effort was directed straight at David De Gea. In the 34th minute, Casemiro received a yellow card for a pretty dangerous challenge on Carlos Alcaraz. The decision was then overturned and Casemiro was shown a straight red card. Raphael Varane was then brilliantly denied by Gavin Bazunu in what looked certain to be the opening goal of the game. In the second half, James Ward-Prowse’s freekick effort hit the top of the crossbar and went out for a goal kick. Theo Walcott then had a really great opportunity, but his lack of conviction denied Southampton the lead. Bruno Fernandes then came super close for United, but his effort was brilliantly tipped onto the post by Bazunu. Kyle Walker-Peters then nearly put Southampton in front, but his effort smashed off the post and came out. In the end, it wasn’t the best day for Manchester United. United stay third in the table and they play away to Real Betis in the Europa League next time out. As for Southampton, this will feel like a missed opportunity for them. The Saints drop back down to the bottom of the Premier League table and they host Brentford in a big game on Wednesday night.
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