Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal
Manchester City thrashed Arsenal at home to put them in control of the Premier League title race. Man City took the lead after just 7 minutes through a brilliant bit of play from Kevin De Bruyne. Erling Haaland came close on a couple of occasions for City in the first half, but it was John Stones who got City’s second goal of the night on the brink of halftime. I’m not going to talk about whether it was offside or not. In the second half, Erling Haaland found himself in on goal, but he was denied well by Aaron Ramsdale. However, City quickly made it 3-0 as Kevin De Bruyne got his second goal of the night. In the 85th minute, Arsenal got one back through Rob Holding. It was a good finish from the Arsenal centre back and it was a frustrating moment for the Manchester City defenders. However, in the 95th minute, Erling Haaland (who’d let his hair down) scored to signal a dominant day for Manchester City. Overall, Man City can be delighted with their performance in this game. City move to within two points of league leaders Arsenal (with two games in hand) and they play away to Fulham next time out. As for Arsenal, this was a really bad day for them as they now only lead City by 2 points. Arsenal’s next game is at home to Chelsea.
Everton 1-4 Newcastle
Newcastle win big again as Everton drop further down the table. Newcastle were in front after 28 minutes through Callum Wilson. Wilson was the quickest to react to the rebound and he simply struck the ball home from close range. In the 72nd minute, it was two-nil to Newcastle as Joelinton headed home from about 6 yards out. 3 minutes later, it was 3-0 Newcastle as Callum Wilson scored his second of the night with a lovely strike. Quite impressively, Everton got one back in the 80th minute as Dwight McNeil scored directly from a corner. This clearly annoyed Newcastle United as Jacob Murphy scored less than a minute later after a sensational solo run by Alexander Isak. Overall, this was a bad day for Everton as they drop down to 19th place. The Toffees’ next game is critical for them as they play away to Leicester City. As for Newcastle, they’re on a roll right now! The Magpies stay third in the table and they host Southampton next time out.
Nottingham Forest 3-1 Brighton
Nottingham Forest pick up a huge 3 points after a brilliant victory against Brighton. After some shocking play by Pervis Estupinan, Nottingham Forest were awarded a penalty. Brennan Johnson stepped up and saw his effort get pushed away by Jason Steele. In the 38th minute, Brighton were ahead through Facundo Buonanotte. Keylor Navas really should’ve done a lot better. Right before halftime, Notts Forest found themselves level through a Pascal Gross own goal. There was nothing that Brighton could’ve done about this goal. In the second half, Brighton counter-attacked really well, but the lack of conviction at the end saw Kaoru Mitoma guide his effort wide of the target. This lack of conviction cost Brighton a spot in the FA Cup Final as well. In the 68th minute, Brighton gave the ball away cheaply and Danilo went and scored with a really nice finish to put Forest in front. Notts Forest were then awarded a penalty after the ball struck the arm of Lewis Dunk. Morgan Gibbs-White took the penalty this time and scored to seal a massive 3 points for Nottingham Forest. Overall, this was a brilliant day for Nottingham Forest as they move out of the relegation zone. Forest now find themselves in 17th place and they play away to Brentford next time out. As for Brighton and Hove Albion, it’s been a really disappointing few days for them. The Seagulls stay 8th and they host Wolves in their next fixture.
Tottenham 2-2 Manchester United
Tottenham came back from two goals down to pick up a point against Manchester United. Manchester United took the lead after just 7 minutes through Jadon Sancho. Sancho’s finish was top draw. Marcus Rashford came close for Man United, but his effort was saved well by Fraser Forster before Rashford got his goal to send United 2-0 up going into the break. In the 56th minute, Tottenham got one back through a nice strike from Pedro Porro. Bruno Fernandes then created himself a brilliant opportunity to fire United straight back into a 2-goal lead, but his effort could only smash the bar. In the 79th minute, Harry Kane played a great ball across to Heung-Min Son who scored to level the game up at 2-2. In the end, it’s a decent point for Tottenham Hotspur as they stay 5th in the table. Spurs’ next game is away to Liverpool on Sunday. As for Manchester United, they’ll be disappointed that they didn’t see this game through. United stay 4th and they host Aston Villa next time out.
West Ham 1-2 Liverpool
West Ham took the lead after 12 minutes through Lucas Paqueta. Paqueta struck the ball well, but I do think Alisson should’ve done a lot better. Six minutes later and it was 1-1 as Cody Gakpo got himself a goal. Like the first goal, Gakpo struck the ball well, but the keeper should’ve kept it out. Diogo Jota then had a really good chance to put Liverpool in front, but he scuffed his effort over the bar. Jota then had another good opportunity, but he just couldn’t get enough contact on the ball to guide it into the back of the net. In the second half, Jarrod Bowen did really well to score for West Ham. However, he was offside in the build-up so the goal was ruled out. Joel Matip, who’d nearly scored about 30 seconds earlier, did get his goal with a bullet header to put Liverpool in front. West Ham were then appealing for a penalty as the ball struck the arm of Thiago. It’s one of those where there’s nowhere for Thiago’s arm to go, but it still strikes his hand and West Ham will feel hard done by. In the end, it’s a defeat for West Ham which sees them drop to 15th in the table. The Hammers play away to Crystal Palace in their next game. As for Liverpool, it’s a third successive win for them as they stay 7th. The Reds host Tottenham in an important match for both sides on Sunday.
Chelsea 0-2 Brentford
Brentford picked up an important victory as Chelsea go 0-5 under Frank Lampard. After 37 minutes, Brentford took the lead through a Cesar Azpillicueta own goal. There was nothing that the Chelsea captain could do. The first real chance of the game for Chelsea fell to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the Gabon International could only head the ball over the bar. In the 78th minute, Bryan Mbeumo decided to go alone and it was the right decision as his effort deflected off of Thiago Silva and flew past Kepa in the Chelsea goal. In the end, I’ve run out of words to describe Chelsea this season! The Blues stay 11th and their next game is away to Arsenal. As for Brentford, it’s a really good day for them as they move back up into 9th place. The Bees host Nottingham Forest next time out.
Wolves 2-0 Crystal Palace
Wolves picked up an important victory as Roy Hodgson suffered his first defeat since he returned to management. Wolves were ahead after just 3 minutes after Joachim Andersen scored an own goal. I really have no idea what he was doing here, but the ball bouncing off the crossbar multiple times looked cool! Albert Sambi Lokonga had a good chance to make it 1-1, but his effort was saved really well by Jose Sa. In the second half, Michael Olise went down after tangling with Hwang Hee-Chan. Personally, I think Palace should’ve been awarded a penalty, but the matchday officials clearly didn’t agree. In the 72nd minute, Eberechi Eze had a really good strike at goal, but Sa was able to pull off another good stop. In additional time at the end of the game, Wolves were awarded a penalty after Sam Johnstone brought down Pedro Neto. I actually thought Johnstone got the ball, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that the Palace caused his own problems to begin with. Ruben Neves stepped and coolly scored to seal victory for the hosts at the Molineux. Overall, it’s a great day for Wolverhampton Wanderers as they move back up into 13th spot. Wolves’ next game is away to Brighton and Hove Albion. As for Crystal Palace, they’ll feel slightly hard done by to lose this game. The Eagles stay 12th and they host West Ham next time out.
Leeds 1-1 Leicester
Neither Leeds nor Leicester picked up the victory that they were craving for. Leicester thought they’d taken the lead after just 7 minutes through an absolute beauty from Youri Tielemans. However, it was ruled out for offside against Boubakary Soumare from earlier in the build-up. Seems a little bit harsh if you ask me. In the 20th minute, Leeds United were ahead through Luis Sinisterra. The ball from Jack Harrison was on point and Sinisterra headed home well to give Leeds the lead. Early in the second half, Rodrigo had a good opportunity for Leeds, but he lacked any sort of conviction when it came to the final finish. Kelechi Iheanacho’s effort was parried out by Illan Meslier who then reacted brilliantly to save Patson Daka’s attempt on the rebound. In the 80th minute, Leicester City were level through a good finish by Jamie Vardy. Late on, Marc Roca had a great chance for Leeds which he didn’t take and just a minute later, Patrick Bamford missed a sitter to win the game for the hosts. In the end, it’s a slightly frustrating day for Leeds United as they could’ve won this game. Leeds stay 16th in the table and they play away to Bournemouth in another huge game next time out. As for Leicester City, this wasn’t a good or a bad result. However, the Foxes have dropped back into the relegation zone (18th) and their next game is a real relegation six-pointer as they host Everton.
Southampton 0-1 Bournemouth
Bournemouth pick up a crucial victory as Southampton fall further behind in the race for survival. Theo Walcott had a decent chance early on for Southampton, but he wasn’t able to get a clean connection on the ball. In the 12th minute, Adam Armstrong’s effort struck the post and went behind for a corner. In the 17th minute, Matias Vina put the ball into the back of the net, but it was ruled out as Dominic Solanke was offside in the build-up. In the 50th minute, Marcus Tavernier’s effort managed to find its way into the back of the Southampton net to give Bournemouth the lead. Bournemouth really should’ve had a penalty less than 10 minutes after the goal as the ball clearly struck the arm of Jan Bednarek. In the 89th minute, Che Adams thought he’d rescued a point for Southampton, but his goal was ruled out for the tightest of offsides. In the end, it’s another really disappointing loss for Southampton as they stay 20th, now 6 points away from safety. The Saints play away to Newcastle in their next match. As for Bournemouth, this was a really important win for them as they move closer to staying in the Premier League for another season. The Cherries move up to 14th place and they host Leeds in another big game next time out.
Aston Villa 1-0 Fulham
Aston Villa kept their European dreams firmly alive with a good victory at home to Fulham. Somehow, in the 13th minute, Aston Villa weren’t awarded a penalty despite Tosin Adarabioyo clearly fouling Ollie Watkins. In the 21st minute, Aston Villa were ahead through Tyrone Mings. Late in the second half, the ball found its way into the back of the net through a Mings deflection. However, it was quickly ruled out as Harrison Reed was offside in the build-up. In the end, it’s another positive result for Aston Villa and it sees them stay 6th. Villa’s next game is a big one as they play away to Manchester United. As for Fulham, this loss sees them drop down to 10th and they host Manchester City next time out.
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