Match Week 21 Results: Liverpool and Nottingham Forest Draw; Arsenal Win Closes Gap; Newcastle Bursts Into Top Four; Chelsea Futility Continues; Potter Victorious In Hammer Debut; Diallo Rescues Manchester United; Moyes Loses On Everton Return

The week’s feature battle saw Nottingham Forest once again prove worthy of its current top four standing. While a second half Diogo Jota goal salvaged a point for Liverpool, offsetting the first half tally by Forest striker Chris Wood, the Tricky Trees proved they belong and that their earlier win at Anfield was no fluke. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s tactics once again frustrated the Reds who were unable to do much with their 71% possession. The exception was Jota’s 66th minute header from a corner kick, a rare defensive lapse by Santo’s defense which again saw a strong performance by goalkeeper Matz Sels and his five saves on the day. Nottingham Forest took four of six points from it two clashes with the league leaders and has the thanks of Arsenal for tightening the race at the top.

The Gunners capitalized on the dropped points by Liverpool to close within four points of the Reds with Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Supporters at the Emirates on Wednesday were well aware of the opportunity presented by Liverpool’s draw of the day before and were thus disheartened when their side fell behind on a goal by Spurs’ Son Heung-min in the 25th minute. Arsenal had lost two cup matches and drawn a league match in its last three outings and the early goal by its hated rival seemed to foretell of another long day. Rescue, however, then came in familiar form for the Gunners as Gabriel soared above Tottenham Hotspur defenders to get his head on a corner from Declan Rice. While not finding the net directly, Gabriel’s effort glanced off a Tottenham Hotspur player in the box for an equalizing own goal. Entering the match, Arsenal led the Premier League with 10 set piece goals this season. The title contenders have not been as sharp from the run of play but Leandro Trossard, suffering a disappointing season, found the winner Wednesday with a low strike past Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. While far from a dominant performance, Arsenal emerged with the only victory from the top four clubs entering Match Week 21.

ANOTHER CORNER, ANOTHER GOAL. GABRIEL LEVELS IT FOR ARSENAL.

📺 Peacock | #ARSTOT pic.twitter.com/K2OlTIS0Dx

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 15, 2025

Chelsea’s malaise continued as the Blues were held to a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth, a fifth consecutive non-winning effort by Manager Enzo Maresca’s side. Only a stoppage time goal by the usually injured Reece James prevented a worse result for Maresca and the Blues. James entered in the second half as a substitute for another of Chelsea’s oft injured warriors, Romeo Lavia. James’ 95th minute goal rescued a point after Bournemouth scored twice to take the lead after an early goal by Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, his 14th of the season.

The point, however, was insufficient for Chelsea to stay in the top four as Newcastle raced past the Blues with a 3-0 win over Wolverhampton. Alexander Isak doubled for the Magpies, continuing his torrid pace which now has him third in Premier League scoring with 15 goals. The Swedish striker has scored in eight consecutive Premier League appearances. Wolverhampton dropped briefly into the relegation zone with the loss but were then rescued the following day when Ipswich Town flopped versus Brighton in a 2-0 loss. Wolverhampton and Ipswich Town, contending for the final safe position in the table, are level on both points and goal differential. If the season ended today, Wolverhampton would be safe by virtue of more goals scored than the futile Tractor Boys.

Only Southampton has scored fewer goals than Ipswitch Town this season. This season of despair for Southampton reached a new low on Thursday. The Saints held a 1-0 advantage over Manchester United with less than ten minutes left in regulation. Southampton were even more dominant than the single goal margin indicated as Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana was continually tested. Then the roof fell in for the Saints. Manchester United’s Amad Diallo caught fire for an amazing twelve-minute span during which he found the net three times. The final 3-1 Manchester United victory belied the early Saint dominance and an overall shaky performance by the Devils. Diallo, meanwhile, became an instant hero, resurrecting memories of “Fergie Time” when Manchester United would regularly own the late minutes of matches under legendary Manager Alex Ferguson. Current Manager Reuben Amorim, however, will just feel grateful for Diallo’s individual heroics which rescued an otherwise poor performance by his club.

Two new managers had differing results in their debuts this week. West Ham provided Graham Potter with a 3-2 win at London Stadium which ended an eight-match unbeaten run for Fulham. West Ham is lacking up front with Michail Antonio and Jarred Bown sidelined. Three goals from midfielders, however, led the way on Tuesday as the Hammers overcame a brace from Fulham’s Alex Iwobi. David Moyes had little to cheer about in his return to Everton as the Toffees fell 1-0 to Aston Villa. Ollie Watkins provided the only goal needed for Villa as Everton failed to score for the fifth time in its last six matches. Former Manager Sean Dyche has already proven that stingy defense is not enough in the face of such attacking futility. Moyes has a monstrous challenge on his hands to keep Everton up.

Leicester’s hopes of staying up are fading fast as Ruud van  Nistelrooy’s turn as manager is turning into a debacle. A 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace marked a sixth consecutive defeat for the Foxes.

Brentford’s invincibility at home is showing cracks of late as the Bees failed to win for a third straight time at Gtech Community Stadium in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City. The away point for Manchester City, which extended its current unbeaten run to four matches, paled in significance to some off-the-pitch news. Striker Erling Haaland has signed a contract extension which would technically tie him to the club until 2034. The prolific point man has long been rumored to look longingly to Real Madrid as his next stop. His long-term commitment to Manchester City thus comes as a pleasant surprise and follows the also unexpected extension, albeit for a shorter duration, of Manager Pep Guardiola.

Premier League sides now quickly pivot to Match Week 22 this weekend. Brentford will try to recapture its homestanding magic against Liverpool. Arsenal will host former manager Unai Emery and Aston Villa. The best match of the weekend, however, could take shape at St. James’ Park where Newcastle will host Bournemouth. The Magpies have won six consecutive matches to crack the Premier League’s top four. Bournemouth is unbeaten in its last nine matches.

Match Week 21 Premier League Update: Arsenal Bows Out of FA Cup As North London Derby Looms; Tottenham Hotspur Avoids Unlikely Cup Upset; Showdown At The City Ground As Liverpool Visits Nottingham Forest; Moyes Takes The Reins At Everton

Arsenal limps into a midweek north London derby after losing to Manchester United on penalty kicks in the FA Cup this past weekend. The Gunners also dropped points in their last Premier League match and risk falling further behind Liverpool in the title chase if they cannot take care of business versus Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates on Wednesday. The Gunners experienced some all too familiar frustration with their attack against Manchester United on Sunday after Arsenal had failed to score in a Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle earlier in the week. Missed chances by Arsenal attackers left the Gunners facing a 1-0 deficit on Sunday after a Bruno Fernandes goal put the Red Devils ahead. Opportunity beckoned, however, when Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot was sent off in the 61st minute, reducing the Red Devils to 10 men. Two minutes later, Gabriel Magalhaes headed in the Arsenal equalizer. Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir then played the hero. The Turkish goalkeeper had played the goat in a Carabao Cup quarter final loss to Tottenham Hotspur when he allowed the winning goal to sail directly into the net from a Son Heung-min corner kick.

Redemption came on Sunday when Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard had a chance to win the match in regulation on a penalty try in the 72nd minute only to have Bayinidr make the save. The Manchester United goalkeeper would then similarly stop an attempt by Kai Havertz after the match went to penalty kicks with the sides knotted at one goal apiece. Joshua Zirkzee’s successful kick would seal the win for Manchester United as Bayinidir became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in both regulation and deciding shootout in more than ten years of FA Cup matches.

The way Man United players were so happy for Joshua Zirkzee after he scored the winning penalty vs. Arsenal 🥹 pic.twitter.com/3ZSTBN2VOM

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 12, 2025

Manchester United, which also played well in its recent league draw with Liverpool, will now be heavily favored to defeat Southampton in the Premier League on Thursday as Manager Reuben Amorim tries to pull the club back from the brink and dismiss relegation fears. Arsenal, meanwhile, likely faces the north London derby without Gabriel Jesus who was stretchered off in the FA Cup loss. Already without the injured Bukayo Saka, Arsenal will look to Kai Havertz to improve on recent performances which saw him miss gilt edged chances in the Cup losses to Newcastle and Manchester United.

Tottenham Hotspur advanced in the FA Cup over Tamworth but far more narrowly than the 3-0 final would indicate. Tamworth, a semiprofessional club in the fifth tier of English football took the visiting Premier League side to extra time before an own goal opened the flood gates as Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson finally got the better of Tamworth goalkeeper Jas Sing. A building surveyor by trade who became a father the day before the biggest match of his life, Sing’s flawless performance over the first ninety minutes of play included stellar stops on chances by James Maddison and Timo Werner. Spurs has failed to win in its last five Premier League matches with its north London rival. While Arsenal is pressing to close its current six-point gap to Liverpool in the Premier League title battle, Tottenham Hotspur is flailing in league play with the currently 12th place club having lost three of its last four and five of its last seven league matches.

League leading Liverpool, meanwhile, faces the Premier League’s most in form club when the Reds visit the City Gound for a match with Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees have won six consecutive league matches to climb to third in the Premier League table, level on points with second place Arsenal and just six points below Liverpool. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo and his charges stunned the league by inflicting Liverpool’s only loss of the season when the clubs met at Anfield earlier this season. Nottingham Forest has only gotten better and has not even conceded a goal in its last four matches. A patient style, with the least average possession of any club in the Premier League, provides a fascinating contrast to the attack-oriented league leaders.

There are few managers, meanwhile, who could be accused of a less entertaining style than recently sacked Everton manager Sean Dyche. One of those, however, might be David Moyes who has been named for a second stint at the Merseyside club. Moyes managed the club from 2002 to 2013, consistently finishing  in the top half of the Premier League table. The Scottish manager then left Merseyside for an unsuccessful stint at Manchester United. After misfires with Real Sociedad, Sunderland and West Ham, Moyes would rejoin the Hammers for a second run and lead the Hammers to a Europa League championship. The challenge this season in his return to Everton is to avoid the bottom three and bring Premier League football to the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock next season.

The first order of business for Moyes is Aston Villa’s visit to Goodison Park on Wednesday. Villa results have been choppy in recent weeks with Manager Unai Emery’s club sitting eighth in the table after a five-match league stretch which captured just seven of 15 available points. The Villans will try to build off an FA Cup win last Friday over West Ham and new Manager Graham Potter.

Among other matches of note in the midweek league schedule is a battle between European contenders when Bournemouth faces Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Cherries, riding an eight-match unbeaten run which includes five league victories, are currently running seventh in the table but are just three points behind the fourth place Blues. Chelsea, meanwhile, has lost some momentum in recent weeks, capturing just two points out of the twelve available in its last four matches. Manchester City will try to win a third consecutive match and close ground on the top four when it visits Brentford on Tuesday. The task will be formidable, however, as the Bees have the second-best home record in the league behind Liverpool while four of Manchester City’s six losses this season have come on come on the road.

Premier League Update: Hammer Drops On Lopetegui As Graham Potter Return To Premier League; New Everton Owners Sack Manager Sean Dyce; Spurs and Magpies Take First Legs of Carabao Semifinals; FA Cup Weekend

The short and torturous tenure of Julen Lopetegui ended with West Ham dismissing the manager on Wednesday. Lopetegui leaves after losing nine of his 20 Premier League matches with the Hammers, his side conceding more goals (39) than all but three league clubs. West Ham supporters who clamored for the scalp of David Moyes should have been more careful of what they wished for. His replacement not only failed to deliver results, but he clashed with several players, most publicly with Mohammed Kudus and Jean-Clair Todibo, and had a difficult relationship with Technical Director Tim Steidten. Steidten, who also had his issues with Moyes, could well follow Lopetegui out the door.

Graham Potter

Lopetegui, meanwhile, may well be done as a Premier League manager after having previously walked out on Wolverhampton before the beginning of last season due to differences with ownership there. Graham Potter is the replacement for Lopetegui who faced several difficulties not of his own making. The club was shook earlier this season when star Michail Antonio was injured in a horrific car crash which ended his season. More recently, leading scorer Jarrod Bown fractured his ankle and will be out multiple weeks. Potter will take over a club in 14th position, seven points above the drop line despite significant investment this past offseason. The former Brighton and Chelsea manager has been out of action since his termination as Chelsea’s manager in April of 2023. Potter has been biding his time, a luxury of his departing monetary gift from the Blues, and was ironically linked with the England job ultimately taken by the man Potter replaced at Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel. Should Steidten go, there could be a reunion in the cards for Potter and the currently unemployed Dan Ashworth, the technical director who collaborated well with Potter at Brighton but was recently released by Manchester United ownership.

Everton, meanwhile, sacked Manager Sean Dyche on Thursday. The Toffees’ new owners, the Friedkin Group, are alarmed at the prospect of  relegation and introducing the new Everton stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock with Championship division rather than Premier League football. Dyche’ club had battled valiantly in recent weeks, largely muting opponent attacks but unable to mount a threat of its own. In Dyce’s final match, a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth, the Toffees were unable to mount a single shot on target. Everton scored just one goal across Dyche’s last five Premier League matches in charge of the Toffees. The club dangles just a single point above the relegation line, a perilous position the Friedkin Group deemed worthy of immediate corrective action. In fairness, a poor roster fielded by a financially strapped club has been as much the problem as any deficiency on the part of Dyche who successfully guided the club to safety after a relegation battle last season. Speculation on Dyche’s successor has included names such as Jose Mourinho and the former longtime manager of Everton, David Moyes. Moyes, who concluded a run at West Ham after last season, has previously indicated he did not want a relegation challenge to be his next posting. The prospect of saving his former club and ushering in a new era at Bramley-Moore Dock, of course, might change that thinking.

As sackings dominated the headlines, there was also cup action this week in the Carabao Cup semifinals where the top two Premier League sides lost their opening legs. Both Liverpool and Arsenal not only lost but failed to register a goal. Arsenal were 2-0 losers at home to Newcastle on Tuesday while Liverpool fell 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur the following day. Alexander Isak scored once again for Newcastle, his seventh goal in his last five appearances and 14th in his last 15 matches. Transfer rumors have long linked the center forward with Arsenal though Newcastle will also be surely hearing from other potential suitors offering rich sums for one of the league’s top strikers. Newcastle Manager Eddie Howe, of course, will be doing everything possible to ensure Isak remains a Magpie after the center forward found the net for the 50th time in a Newcastle shirt. Isak’s brilliance on Tuesday more than made up for the absence of suspended Newcastle star Bruno Guimares even though Newcastle had not won a Premier League match this season without Guimares in the lineup.

Tottenham Hotspur has fared poorly in the league but took a step toward cup silverware by defeating Liverpool 1-0 on Wednesday in the opening leg of their semifinal matchup. Liverpool was stung by an 86th minute goal from Spurs’ Lucas Bergvall, one of two 18-year-olds along with Archie Gray in Tottenham Hotspur Manager Ange Postecoglou’s lineup.

The focus of Premier League clubs now shifts to the FA Cup which commands the weekend schedule as league action goes on hiatus. Arsenal, smarting from Tuesday’s Carabao Cup defeat and having dropped points in the Premier League at Brighton last weekend, will try to get a better result in a third competition when the Gunners host Manchester United at the Emirates in the FA Cup’s third round. The matchup at the Emirates is the headliner of FA Cup matches pitting Premier League sides though West Ham Manager Graham Potter will make his debut for the Hammers at Aston Villa.