Premier League Preview: Match Week 17

Liverpool heads to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday for what could be an epic shootout. Both sides are high scoring, joining Chelsea and Brentford as the only sides bagging more than 30 goals this season. Defensively, Liverpool’s defense had been miserly most of this season before wilting as the Reds dropped points each of the last two weeks. Spurs, meanwhile, plays virtually no defense at all though that didn’t matter in a 5-0 annihilation of  hapless Southampton last weekend. Against bigger clubs, Spurs lost 4-3 to Chelsea two weeks ago and won by that some score over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Thursday.

Liverpool needs to win on Sunday to hold off a streaking Chelsea side. Dropped points by the Reds and a five-match winning run by the Blues has brought Chelsea to within two points of the table lead. The irresistible force, which is Chelsea’s league leading attack, will now meet an immovable object, which is an Everton defense which has posted clean sheets in four of its last five matches. The savvy Toffees will present an interesting challenge for the youthful Chelsea attackers.

A scheduling quirk, meanwhile, will see Arsenal play Crystal Palace for a second time in four days. The Gunners triumphed 4-3 at home in the Carabao Cup versus the Eagles on Wednesday. Saturday, the sides rinse and repeat at Selhurst Park. Former Arsenal player Eddie Nketiah could get the start against his old squad in place of the hard luck Eberechi Eze. Thought to be a rising star in the league, Eze has suffered a miserable season to date marked by injury and poor performances. After being selected for the England squad based on his strong play last year, Eze has but one goal and two assists for Crystal Palace in the Premier League this season. After missing weeks with a hamstring problem, Eze now has a foot injury which will keep hm out of Saturday’s match. Arsenal have had their way in this London derby with five consecutive league wins including clean sheet victories on the Gunners’ last two visits to Selhurst Park.

Bukayo Saka & William Saliba training 🆚 Palace#CRYARS pic.twitter.com/cUOYNPTRcT

— ✰ ¹² (@JurrienAura) December 20, 2024

Nottingham Forest has been a great story this season as Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has taken the Tricky Trees from a relegation threatened 17th place finish last season to a current top four position in the table. The Trees face a challenge this weekend at Brentford where the Bees have the best home record in the entire Premier League, taking 22 of 24 points from their home matches to date. The Bees have been winning shootouts with more combined goals being scored at their Gtech Community Stadium than any other Premier League venue this season. Nottingham Forest, however, is in fine form after a signature win over Aston Villa last week.

The Villans will host struggling  Manchester City Saturday. The Citizens have won just one of their last eleven matches and were embarrassed at home in the Manchester derby last week. Making matters worse for Manchester City is the news that defender Reuben Dias will be out multiple weeks with a muscle injury. A win on Saturday would launch Aston Villa past Manchester City in the table.

Bournemouth, currently level on points with Aston Villa, travels to Old Trafford this weekend to face Manchester United. The Cherries are on a  four-match unbeaten run that has boosted Bournemouth into the European places. Benched Manchester United players Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho are now predictably the subject of January transfer rumors as new Red Devils Manager Reuben Amorim sorts through the pieces he currently has to work with, those which must be discarded, and those he needs to acquire. Amorim’s arrival has seemingly given a second chance to center back Harry Maguire, who has played well in his new opportunity at the heart of the defense.

Brighton will be seeking its first victory in almost a month when the Seagulls alight in London to face West Ham on Saturday. A win and draw in the Hammers’ last two outings have muted some of the din surrounding new manager Julen Lopetegui whose sacking seemed a fait accompli before the last two outings. Lopetegui will sadly miss Saturday’s match due to the passing of his father in Spain.

Wolverhampton, having axed Manager Gary O’Neil, will have its new man in place for the match with Leicester. Vitor Pereira arrives from Saudi Arabia  to man the touchline against the Foxes. Unsurprisingly, the manager churn is at the bottom of the table where clubs are panicking. Leicester replaced its manager weeks ago.

Southampton sacked Russell Martin last week and is reportedly set to bring in Ivan Juric who was sacked by Roma after just 12 matches this season. The Saints’ U-21 manager, Simon Rusk, will handle interim duties versus Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

The sole managerial survivor of the three promoted clubs is Kieran McKenna of Ipswich Town whose victory over Wolverhampton last week not only improved his own standing but saw counterpart Gary O’Neil sacked. The Tractor Boys are two points from safety as they entertain Newcastle at Portman Road. Newcastle’s attack has fired up over the last three matches to mixed results as the Magpies have a win, a draw and a loss to show for a run in which they scored nine goals. 

Premier League Results Match Week 16: Liverpool Drops More Points As Chelsea Closes; Dyche And Everton Frustrate Arsenal; Red Devils Win Battle of Manchester; Tricky Trees Back In Top Four; Wolves and Saints Sack Managers; Magpies Rout Foxes; Eagles Continue Climb with Brighton Win

Chelsea won a fifth consecutive football match to draw closer to table leader Liverpool which dropped points for a second consecutive week. The Blues defeated Brentford 2-1 at Stamford Bridge to pull within two points of the Reds. Marc Cucarella was the unlikely scorer of Chelsea’s first goal just minutes before the end of the first half when the diminutive and wildly coiffed defender executed a flying header to give the home side the advantage. Nicolas Jackson would later find the net for his ninth goal of the season in the 80th minute. A 90th minute goal by the Bees’ Bryan Mbeumo made things mildly interesting but Chelsea held on to the three points despite goal scorer Cucarella losing his mind at game’s end. A yellow card for a 95th minute foul and a second yellow card for a post-game shove of an opponent will sideline the Spanish international for Chelsea’s next match. Despite the late indiscipline, Chelsea continued to stoke supporters’ hopes of a title after two years in the wilderness. The young squad is grinding out wins for Manager Enzo Maresca while entertaining supporters with the most prolific goalscoring in the league.

Liverpool has scored just one fewer goal than Chelsea, but it has been the Reds’ defense which has been the pleasant surprise of Manager Arne Slot’s maiden season. Liverpool has conceded only 13 times this season, a league best, but some warts have appeared as five goals have leaked in as four points were dropped over the last two matches. The Reds averted another shock loss at Anfield when Diogo Jota’s 86th minute strike salvaged a point  in a 2-2 draw with Fulham. Liverpool needed to come from behind twice in a match where the Reds played with 10 men after a 17th minute red card on defender Andy Robertson.

Arsenal and Manchester City also dropped points as Chelsea was the only winner of the top four entering the weekend. The title race could be wide open for the first time in years as Manchester City looks done and Arsenal’s progress as a contender seems to have stalled. Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat in the Manchester derby marked the eighth loss in the Citizens’ last 11 matches across all competitions. Manchester United were handed three points on Sunday when City threw away a 1-0 advantage in the contest’s closing minutes. Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandez converted an equalizing penalty kick in the 88th minute. The winner came with a long ball over the Manchester City defense two minutes later which Amad Diallo deposited for the game winner. Diallo also drew the penalty which led to Fernandes’s equalizer, his success coming as Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were left off the match day roster. New Manchester United Manager Reuben Amorim is not hesitating to assert his authority and demand accountability of underperforming players. Amorim has also now defeated Manchester’s other manager twice this season, having earlier led Sporting Lisbon to a Champions League victory over Manchester City and Manager Pep Guardiola.

Arsenal also dropped points this weekend as the Gunners fell victim to the dark arts mastery of Everton Manager Sean Dyche. The Toffees went into the Emirates and emerged with a point in a goalless rock fight which saw Arsenal unable to penetrate Dyche’s low block defense. It was the fourth time in the club’s last five matches that Everton held an opponent scoreless. On Saturday, Dyche’s side conceded 76% of the possession and launched only two shots of its own as the focus was solely on resolute defending. There remain mixed feelings, however, about Dyche’s style among Everton supporters. Despite losing only two of their last eleven matches, the Toffees have won but three times this season. Arsenal fans, meanwhile, will be feeling some uneasiness after the Gunners dropped points for a second consecutive week and have failed to score a goal from open play in their last three matches. Arsenal’s recent success from corner kicks was stopped cold by the well-organized Toffees despite the Gunners having eight opportunities from the corner on Saturday.

Now lurking just behind Arsenal in the table is Nottingham Forest which scored a comeback 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at the City Ground. The Tricky Trees replace Manchester City in this week’s top four. Forest was down 1-0 until an 87th minute equalizer headed in by towering defender Nikola Milenkovic. Former Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga then won the game in stoppage time for Nottingham Forest’s fourth victory in the club’s last five home matches and third victory in the Tricky Trees’ last four Premier League matches. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has engineered a remarkable turnaround for a Forest side which was 17th in the table last season and now has aspirations for Europe. Aston Villa, meanwhile, remains in the top four chase, just three points behind the Trees, but controversy is growing around who should lead the line for Manager Unai Emery. There are understandable calls for Jhon Duran to continue staring up top for Emery in place of England international Ollie Watkins. Duran got the start on Saturday and scored for the fifth time in as many starts for the Villans.

Brighton is in the midst of a rough patch as the Seagulls descended further down the table with a 3-1 home loss to bitter rival Crystal Palace. A four-match winless run has seen Brighton tumble from the top four all the way to its current ninth place position in the table. The Seagulls were undone on Sunday by a Crystal Palace side which has lost only once in its last eight league matches, a run that has seen the Eagles soar out of the relegation zone and climb all the way to 15th in the table. Ismaila Sarr scored twice against Brighton while Chelsea loanee Trevor Chalobah provided the opening goal in addition to another outstanding defensive performance. Brighton were the fortunate recipients of a late own goal by the Eagles which denied a clean sheet for keeper Dean Henderson who otherwise frustrated the Seagulls with his five saves on the day. Crystal Palace Manager Oliver Glasner has turned around the Eagles’ fortunes and justified the faith of Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish who has not hesitated to replace managers in the past.

Two other Premier League managers were sacked after this weekend’s results. Things have spiraled out of control at Wolverhampton. Not only have results buried the club in the relegation places but the behavior of players has proved an embarrassment in the last two weeks. Mario Lemina had the club’s captaincy taken away from him after a post-match tussle with a West Ham player last week. After Saturday’s 2-1 loss at fellow relegation straggler Ipswich Town, two additional Wolves players made fools of themselves. Rayan Ait-Nouri needed to be physically carried from the pitch by a teammate to remove him from a tussle with one of the Tractor Boys after the match. Matheus Cunha, meanwhile, scuffled with an Ipswich Town security guard after the match. Frustration and anger have enveloped the club, leaving no option but  for Sunday’s dismissal of Manager Gary O’Neil. Vitor Pereira has reportedly agreed to replace O’Neil with Wolves’ paying compensation to Pereira’s Saudi Arabia club, Al-Shabab. The new manager will be tasked with both quieting the chaos and improving a defense which has conceded a league high 40 goals. Hopefully results will follow, and the club can mount a reasonable survival fight. Jack Taylor’s stoppage time winner for Ipswich, meanwhile, puts the Tractor Boys within two points of safety in the table.

The other manager to be sacked this week was Southampton Manager Russell Martin. The Saints are the only team below Wolverhampton in the standings and were thoroughly embarrassed on their home pitch in a 5-0 pasting administered by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Spurs midfielder James Maddison scored in the first minute of play and added a goal later in a first half barrage which saw all five of the match’s goals scored. Martin, who led the Saints to one Premier League victory during his tenure, was relieved just shortly after concluding his post-game press conference. A replacement for Martin is still unclear for the budget conscious Saints.

Leicester was also smashed this weekend, but the Foxes have already fired the manager who started their season. New man Ruud van Nistelrooy suffered his first loss with Leicester in a 4-0 rout at Newcastle as Jacob Murphy had a brace for the homestanding Magpies who ended a four-match winless run. Leicester is now just two points above Ipswich Town and the relegation line after the Tractor Boys’ win at Wolverhampton.

Bournemouth and West Ham, meanwhile, could have skipped the first 86 minutes of their Monday match. Lucas Paqueta broke the ice with a penalty kick at the 87-minute mark only to see the Cherries’ Enes Unal equalize with a 90th minute goal as the two clubs shared the points. Bournemouth is sixth in a crowded table which reflects seven clubs within three points of the Cherries.

Premier League Preview: Match Week 16

It will be two struggling clubs which meet in the Manchester derby on Sunday. Manchester City has now won just one of its last 10 matches after Wednesday’ Champions League loss to Juventus. Manager Pep Guardiola’s side continues to get overrun in midfield and generates little threat from its wing positions as striker Erling Haaland forms a one-man attack. Injuries and illnesses, of course, play into the disastrous run but no relief is clearly on the horizon. Manchester United, meanwhile, could be poised for an overhaul as new manager Reuben Amorim is becoming more familiar with the many flaws of his currently 13th place Red Devils. The abrupt departure of Sporting Director Dan Ashworth must certainly relate, to some degree, to the realization of the flawed roster which Amorim has inherited. Whichever club comes out the winner at the Etihad will still have a lot of work to do.

Liverpool remains perfect in the Champions League after defeating Girona on Tuesday and has just one loss in the Premier League this season. The table leaders are at home on Saturday to face Fulham with the pesky Cottagers having lost but one of their last seven matches after defeating Brighton and drawing with Arsenal in their last two matches. Liverpool is unlikely to underestimate the Cottagers after the Reds surprisingly lost to Nottingham Forest at Anfield earlier this season. If that’s the case, the Cottagers face a rough afternoon as the Forest loss is the only time in the last 13 Anfield matches that Liverpool has not come out the victor. The Reds expect to have Alisson Becker back in goal after the keeper’s extended injury absence.

Anfield in our sights. 🔋 pic.twitter.com/fJoncV61nF

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) December 12, 2024

Second place Chelsea is home at Stamford Bridge to face Brentford on Sunday with the Blues looking to extend their winning run in the league to five matches. Their visitors have yet to win a match on the road this season while, in true Jekyll and Hyde fashion, they are the best home side in the Premier League. Odder still is the fact that Brentford has come out with the win in all three Premier League matches it has played at Stamford Bridge. Goals should be likely. Chelsea leads the league in finding the net while Brentford are joint second.

Everton, meanwhile, is joint second in goal futility, despite an uncharacteristic four goals against Wolverhampton last weekend. Only Southampton has been less prolific in front of goal than the Toffees who have scored but 14 times in 14 matches, including last week’s outlier performance. That baseline scoring proficiency is not promising for Saturday’s visit to Arsenal. Only Liverpool has allowed fewer goals than the Gunners. The Toffee hopes will likely rest on trying to shut down the Gunner attack. Everton has posted a clean sheet in three of its last four Premier League outings.

Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are level on points just outside the top four as the two clubs prepare to face each other at the City Ground. Villa snapped a four-match losing run in away matches with a 3-2 Champions League win over a bad RB Leipzig team during the week. Their poor away form, however, could return Saturday on short rest and against a surprisingly good Forest side. The Tricky Trees’ Chris Wood is fourth in Premier League goal scoring this season, his 10 tallies being just three short of leader Erling Haaland.

Crystal Palace and Brighton resume their strange non-geographic derby on Sunday with the Eagles heading down to the seacoast to face the Seagulls. A good start to the season has now hit a rough patch as Brighton has captured just two points out of the nine offered in its last three matches. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, has begun to show some life after a somnolent start to the season. The south London side has lost just one of its last seven matches and a four-match unbeaten run has lifted the Eagles out of the relegation zone. Brighton will be trying to get its league form on track while Palace will try to break the hex which has plagued its recent meeting with the Seagulls. Crystal Palace has not won one of these encounters since  2021.

Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle both have aspirations for European qualification yet are level on points with each other just outside the top half of the table. Both clubs should have the opportunity to improve their point totals this weekend when they face newly promoted sides. Spurs could not hope for a better opponent to recover from back-to-back losses. The London side travels to Southampton on Sunday to face the Saints. Southampton is holding up the bottom  of the Premier League table with just one win to its credit this season. A loss Saturday would immeasurably increase the volume of calls for the sacking of Spurs’ Manager Ange Postecoglou. The once popular manager got into it with his own catcalling away supporters after a loss at Bournemouth two weeks ago and the Australian did not improve his standing with a derby loss to Chelsea at Tottenham Stadium last week.

Newcastle has lost only one of its last 21 matches against newly promoted sides as it prepares to face Leicester at St. James’s Park on Saturday. This marks the first away match for Leicester under new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy who has a win and a draw in his two matches in front of home supporters. The Foxes scored five goals over those two matches with Jamie Vardy scoring in both contests for the man whose record he broke for consecutive Premier League matches with a goal scored. Newcastle’s defense has been suspect at times which could present an interesting matchup with the reinvigorated Fox attack. Leicester is currently five points above the relegation zone where the other two promoted sides reside. Southampton is in the cellar.

Ipswich Town faces fellow relegation occupant Wolverhampton in a key survival battle at Wolves Molineux Stadium on Saturday. Ipswich has won just once on the road this season, a shock result at Tottenham Hotspur. Wolverhampton, however, has won just once at home amid a miserable season which might see Manager Gary O’Neil lose his job with a loss on Saturday.

West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui got a much-needed win over Wolves last week but the Hammers must travel to Bournemouth, winners of three consecutive league matches. That win streak has seen the Cherries climb the table from 13th position to their current eighth place standing. In a highly congested Premier League table, Bournemouth is just three points from fourth place Manchester City. 

Premier League Results Match Week 15: Chelsea Gives Spurs A Case Of The Blues; Merseyside Derby Postponed; No Vacation At The Cottage As Arsenal Drops Points In Derby With Fulham; Manchester City Draws At Crystal Palace; Manchester United Loses Again Under Amorim As Technical Director Ashworth Departs

Chelsea is within four points of Liverpool after the Blues triumphed 4-3 at Tottenham Hotspur while Liverpool was idled by Storm Darrah weather conditions which postponed the league leaders’ Merseyside derby with Everton. Chelsea is now bearing down on Liverpool after Manager Enzo Maresca’s side spotted Spurs two goals before launching a comeback which delivered a fourth consecutive win and extended its unbeaten run to seven matches. Cole Palmer scored twice on penalties against a habitually undisciplined Spurs side whose manager, Ange Postecoglou, once again came under fire for his wide-open tactics. Tottenham Hotspur has now won just one of its last five league matches to fall out of the top half of the table. Chelsea, meanwhile, continued its torrid scoring pace with Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernandes also finding the net on Sunday. It was Sancho’s second goal in as many matches while Fernandes has redefined himself as an attack minded midfielder for Chelsea, scoring three goals during Chelsea’s four match winning run.

Arsenal is two points back of Chelsea after the Gunners dropped points in a 1-1 draw at Fulham. The equalizer by Arsenal’s William Saliba came by way of a corner, the means for each of Arsenal’s two goals against Manchester United the week before. The Gunners have scored from corners more than any club in Europe since the start of the 2023/24 season.

Manchester City’s celebration of its midweek win over Nottingham Forest, which ended a four-match losing run, did not last long. The Citizens drew 2-2 at Crystal Palace, dropping points for a seventh time this season. It could have been worse as the Citizens trailed twice during a match which saw Erling Haaland tie Mohamed Salah for the league scoring lead. While surely disappointed at giving back two leads, Crystal Palace still extended its unbeaten run to four matches as it tries to distance itself from the drop line after the club’s terrible start to this season.

Leicester remained a point above the 17th place Eagles as the Foxes’ new manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy remained undefeated as a Premier League manager. Van Nistelrooy was undefeated in four matches as interim Manchester United Manager and his streak continued as Leicester Manager after a Bobby De Cordova-Reid stoppage time goal gave the Foxes a 2-2 draw with Brighton. Van Nistelrooy now has a win and a draw with Leicester after winning three times and drawing once as interim manager of the Red Devils. Jamie Vardy has ironically scored in both matches for Van Nistelrooy, having broken his new manager’s Premier League record for scoring in consecutive Premier League matches back in 2015 when the Leicester legend scored in 11 straight matches.

Manchester United’s new permanent manager is not enjoying a great deal of success yet. The Red Devils dropped a second consecutive league match with a 3-2 home loss to Nottingham Forest. Though it is little fault of Amorim who just got there, Manchester United has its lowest point total after 15 matches of a league season since 1986/87. The mediocrity of the roster certainly may have played a role in the departure of Manchester United Sporting Director Dan Ashworth after just five months with the club. Patience is clearly wearing thin under the management of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and part owners INEOS. Nottingham Forest won at Old Trafford for the first time in almost thirty years as the Tricky Trees rose to seventh in the table with a second win in their last three matches.

All three of the currently relegation-bound clubs lost yet again with Wolverhampton Manager Gary O’Neil feeling the most pressure after Monday’s 2-1 loss at West Ham. Jarrod Bown scored in the 72nd minute to give Julen Lopetegui the edge in an endangered managers derby. Frustration boiled over after the match when Bowen was thrown to the pitch by  Wolverhampton player Mario Lemina during the postgame handshakes.

Bottom of the table Southampton were 1-0 losers at Aston Villa as Jhon Duran scored his first Premier League goal since September. The Saints have taken only five points this season and are currently eight points from safety in the table.

Ipswich Town, like Wolverhampton, is four points from safety after the Tractor Boys lost for a third consecutive time in 2-1 home loss to Bournemouth. A 95th minute goal by Bournemouth substitute Dango Ouattara broke the hearts of Ipswich home supporters and moved the Cherries to eighth in the table, one point ahead of deadlocked Brentford and Fulham.

The Bees stung Newcastle with four goals in a 4-2 home win at GTech Community Stadium. Brentford is somewhat shockingly the most successful home side in the Premier League this season, four points better than Liverpool with seven wins and a draw in their eight matches before home supporters. The Bees’ joint leading goal scorers, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, each scored their ninth goal of the Premier League season in Saturday’s victory. 

Premier League Update: Liverpool Drops Points; Manchester City Snaps Winless Run; Chelsea Is Flying; Arsenal Corners Manchester United; Van Nistelrooy Wins Leicester Debut; Cottagers Take Down Seagulls Before Derby Date With Arsenal; Goodison Park To Host Its Final Merseyside Derby; Spurs Look For A Rebound In London Derby Versus Chelsea

The drought is over for Manchester City as the Citizens scored their first win in eight matches across all competitions. The much need victory moved City back into the top four and two points closer to Liverpool which dropped points on Wednesday. Manchester City is still nine points back in the table despite the 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees, meanwhile, lost for a third time in four matches as their fairy tale beginning of the season is quickly turning into a pumpkin. The falling Trees scored only two goals across those four matches and have now scored five fewer goals than any other club in the top half of the table.

Liverpool, meanwhile, looked set for a fifth consecutive victory before an error by goaltender Caoimhin Kelleher led to a Newcastle equalizer in the 90th minute of a 3-3 draw at St. James’ Park. Mohamed Salah scored twice and registered an assist as reports indicate a contract offer could be shortly forthcoming for the club’s third all-time leading scorer. Salah’s second goal on Wednesday gave the Reds a lead in the 83rd minute before Kelleher misjudged a Newcastle cross which Schar easily deposited in the net.

Chelsea, meanwhile, edged past Arsenal into second place on goal differential after a 5-1 rout of Southampton. The Blues’ 31 goals lead the Premier League this season and are one more than Southampton has conceded after Wednesday’s  colossal mismatch.

This finish from Noni! 🤩#CFC | #SOUCHE pic.twitter.com/BuiYQp2M18

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 5, 2024

Arsenal handed Manchester United Manager Reuben Amorim his first Premier League defeat as the Gunners triumphed 2-0 at the Emirates. Arsenal’s’ artistry on set pieces was on display once again as defenders Jurrien Timber and William Saliba each scored goals for the Gunners off expertly place corner kicks.

Aston Villa put an end to a five-match winless run to beat Brentford decisively in a 3-1 final at Villa Park as all three of the Villans’ goals were scored in a frenetic thirteen-minute period of the first half. Brentford’s defeat left the Bees with the joint worst away record in the league this season.

Tottenham Hotspur players are also far from road warriors. Manager Ange Postecoglou was seen jawing with unhappy traveling supporters after his club lost for the ninth time in its last thirteen away matches in a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth. Tenth place Spurs have now scored just one goal and garnered one point in two matches since an encouraging 4-0 win at Manchester City two weeks ago.

Back-to-back losses over which his club has leaked eight goals to the opposition have pushed West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui closer to the door. The Hammers lost 3-1 to Leicester in Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first match on the touchline for the Foxes after the sacking of Steve Cooper. Jamie Vardy scored less than two minutes into van Nistelrooy’s debut and the Foxes trotted to a three-goal lead before a stoppage time consolation by West Ham’s Niclas Fullkrug. The victory moved the Foxes four points clear of the drop line and just two points behind the struggling Hammers who spent heavily in the summer with the expectation that Lopetegui would deliver a better return.

Crystal Palace supporters are feeling better about their club’s survival chances after Palace defeated fellow relegation candidate Ipswich Town 1-0 on a goal by JP Mateta. A return to the big Frenchman’s form of last season would be a huge boost for the Eagles who, while safe for now, are still hovering only three points above currently relegation bound Ipswich.

Everton is another club battling to stay in the league for next season and home supporters were treated to an uncharacteristic score line as the Toffees were 4-0 winners at Goodison Park over Wolves. Wolverhampton defender Craig Dawson was responsible for two of Everton’s goals as the poor bloke twice deposited the ball in his own net in the second half. Ashley Young and Orel Mangala scored for their own team, Young scoring his 50th Premier League goal to become the fourth oldest player to score a goal in the league. Wolverhampton’s league worst defense has conceded eight goals in its last two matches, 36 on the season. Chaos at the back for Manager Gary O’Neil’s club saw not just an own goal brace on Wednesday but the concession of three penalties versus Bournemouth last weekend.

Brighton conceded three goals for just the second time this season as the Seagulls were rudely treated in a 3-1 loss at Craven Cottage by Fulham. Alex Iwobi is currently on fire for the Cottagers. The former Arsenal and Everton man has scored three goals and assisted on two others in his last five appearances. Fulham are suddenly sixth in the Premier League table after winning three and drawing two of their last six matches. Ironically, Fulham’s only loss during that run has been to downtrodden Wolverhampton. The Cottager’s mettle will be tested this coming weekend when Arsenal visits the Cottage.

Elsewhere in London, Spurs and Manager Ange Postecoglou will host a derby versus high flying Chelsea while in South London, Crystal Palace will play Manchester City after both clubs got much needed wins during the week. London Stadium will be the site of a crucial match for two managers in deep trouble. Home supporters are unlikely to be kind to unpopular West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui unless the Hammers can get off to a good start against currently relegation bound Wolverhampton. Wolves Manager Gary O’Neil has some credit in the bank for Wolves performance last season but the club’s current relegation status and deplorable play, particularly in defense, has the manager clearly on sack watch. In the north of England, Goodison Park will host its final Merseyside derby when the Toffees host archrival Liverpool. Everton is scheduled to begin playing at its new Bramley Moore Dock stadium beginning next season after calling Goodison home since 1892.

Premier League Update: Liverpool Takes Charge Entering Busy Season

Liverpool put an exclamation point on its early season form with a 2-0 victory over defending champion, but currently struggling, Manchester City. The victory was not unexpected but satisfying nonetheless for Liverpool supporters. The Reds even harkened back to the glory days of Jurgen Klopp when their second goal resulted from the kind of pressing which characterized the Klopp era. Klopp however was only able to beat Manchester City for the title on one occasion. New Liverpool Manager Arne Slot is attempting to do so in his first year in charge. Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, was somewhat comically subjected to chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” by Anfield supporters. Guardiola’s response was to raise six fingers representing the number of Premier League titles he has won with the Citizens. It now seems unlikely he will add to that total this season as his club is now on a seven-match winless run across all competitions. Manchester City has lost six times in those seven outings, the lone exception being a 3-3 Champions League draw in a match where the Citizens squandered a three-goal advantage.

Liverpool opened an eleven-point advantage in the Premier League table over Manchester City as Mohamed Salah scored and assisted on Sunday as he continues to shine for the Reds with his contract about to expire. If this is his final season on Merseyside, he seems intent on leaving on as high a note as possible.

The main competition to Salah and Liverpool right now is offered by Arsenal and Chelsea, both clubs delivering decisive victories over the weekend. Arsenal exploded for five goals in a 5-2 demolition of West Ham which saw the Gunners score four goals in six minutes. The game was over at halftime in a match which saw seven goals scored in the first half for only the fourth time in Premier League history.

Chelsea, level on points with Arsenal and nine points back of Liverpool, was similarly dominant in a 3-0 defeat of Aston Villa as Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer each scored their eighth goal of the season for the Blues.

Brighton had been level on points with Arsenal and Chelsea but ran into some unexpected resistance from Southampton as the Seagulls dropped points in a 1-1 draw with the Saints. The result marked only the third time that the Saints have not lost this season.

Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, performed in a most unsurprising manner in its own 1-1 draw with Fulham. Home supporters are ready to tear their hair out as Manger Ange Postecoglou’s side dropped points in a match following a win for the fifth time this weekend. All the momentum from an encouraging win over Manchester City the week before is gone for the rollercoaster north London side.

Nottingham Forest leapfrogged Spurs into sixth place in the table by snapping a two-match losing run with a 1-0 victory over relegation bound Ipswich Town. While the Tractor Boys are currently above only cellar dwelling Southampton in the table, the relegation race is still being run by numerous clubs, Ipswich Town being low man on a totem pole of five clubs separated by just two points.

Crystal Palace edged out of the zone of dread, on goal differential alone, after a 94th minute equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle.

Wolverhampton slipped back into the muck with its 4-2 capitulation to Bournemouth. After conceding just a single goal in its last two matches, the fallibility of Wolves defense returned with a vengeance. Wolverhampton has conceded 32 goals to lead the league this season, five more than any other club. Saturday’s loss was particularly brutal as errors in the back led to Bournemouth’s Jacob Kluivert converting three penalty kicks. The Cherries’ Evanilson drew all three of those penalties, becoming the first Premier League player to draw three penalties in a single match. Kluivert’s hat trick, meanwhile, was the first time a Premier League player had ever completed a trifecta from the spot. Ugliness extended beyond the pitch when Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa tangled with his own home supporters at halftime of an ugly spectacle at Molineux Stadium.

Things were much cheerier at Old Trafford where Manchester United Manager Reuben Amorim earned his first Premier League win with a 4-0 walkover of Everton. Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee each had a brace in a match where the Red Devils were up three goals by halftime.

Four goals were also posted at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium where the Bees defeated Leicester 4-1. A hat trick by Brentford’s Kevin Shade kept the Bees undefeated at home this season.

Premier League sides take to the pitch again in midweek as the league schedule enters its annual period of congestion. Liverpool will try to extend its current four match winning run when the Reds visit Newcastle on Wednesday. A lot of eyes, however, will be on the match at the Emirates that day when Manchester United Manager Reuben Amorim faces Arsenal for the first time. Manchester City, meanwhile, will try to snap its run of bad fortune when the Citizens host Nottingham Forest. Among the other matches during the week, Chelsea will try to heap more woe upon Southampton’s season while a relegation rumble will take place on Tuesday when Crystal Palace heads to Portman Road to face Ipswich town. That battle at the bottom of the table could see the Tractor Boys climb out of the relegation zone at Crystal Palace’s expense. 

Premier League Preview: Match Week 13

Two clubs headed in opposite directions play a pivotal game on Sunday. The Champions League results this week highlighted how different things are going for Liverpool and Manchester City who face each other in Sunday’s featured Premier League match at Anfield. Whereas Liverpool, which leads the Premier League in the fewest goals conceded, occupies the pole position in both the Premier League and Champions League tables, Manchester City is in dire straits. The daunting Liverpool defense posted yet another clean sheet in defeating defending Champions League winner Real Madrid on Wednesday. A day earlier, Manchester City’s fragility was on full display against Feyenoord. After five straight losses across all competitions, there was hope that Tuesday could be different for Manchester City, particularly when the Citizens took a three-goal lead after Erling Haaland’s second goal of the match in the 53rd minute. Alas, the Manchester City defense crumbled. A 3-3 final put an end to Manchester City’s winless run but might have been even more painful than another defeat as the Citizens coughed up a three-goal lead later than any club had previously done in the history of the Champions League. Manchester City thus enters Sunday’s match with its tail dragging while Liverpool is flying. After downing the defending Champions League winners on Wednesday, the Reds will now be favored to take down the defending Premier League champions on Sunday. If that happens, Liverpool will lead Manchester City by 11 points in the table and potentially dash the Citizens’ hopes for a fifth straight title. Liverpool would also be a minimum of nine points ahead of Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton, who are all one point behind second place Manchester City.

Chelsea faces an Aston Villa side which has hit a rough stretch in going winless in its last six matches across all competitions. Despite its recent form, however, a victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday would put Aston Villa level on points with currently third place Chelsea.

Following their impressive pasting of pretender Nottingham Forest last week, Arsenal plays a London derby at West Ham on Saturday. The Hammers also impressed in their last match, taking all three points at Newcastle to take some pressure off Manager Julen Lopetegui. Building on that momentum with a home win versus Arsenal could change the entire storyline for Lopetegui’s first season at London Stadium which saw the Hammers lose their first three home matches for the first time ever.

Brighton, off to a grand start under new manager Fabian Hurzeler, will be seeking its seventh win of the young season when the Seagulls host bottom of the table Southampton on Friday.

Sixth through eighth in the Premier League table are another three teams deadlocked on points. Sharing the same point total as Aston Villa are Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest. Spurs hosts Fulham, just another point further back in the table, in a London Derby Sunday. Nottingham Forest, following two humbling defeats in its last two matches, has a chance to pick up the pieces at home against currently relegation bound Ipswich Town.

Newcastle, level on points with ninth place Fulham, will try to shake off the incredulity of a home loss to West Ham when the Magpies visit Crystal Palace. The Eagles are presently relegation bound, failing miserably after a promising end to last season under Manager Oliver Glasner. The London based Eagles, however, may have more than the usual home advantage against Newcastle on Saturday as the Magpies have lost on six of their last eight visits to England’s capital.

Wolverhampton has pulled itself out of the relegation zone, if only by goal differential, by winning its last two matches and extending its unbeaten run to four games. The rejuvenated side is home to Bournemouth on Saturday where another win by Wolves could lift the once bedraggled side past both Everton and Leicester in the table.

The Toffees are at Manchester United where new Red Devil Manager Ruben Amorim will be looking for his first Premier League victory. Ruud van Nistelrooy, interim manager for Manchester United before Amorim’s arrival, now seems poised to take over Leicester after the Foxes’ recent axing of Manager Steve Cooper. It is unlikely however, that Van Nistelrooy will be on the touchline when Leicester meets Brentford on Saturday. 

Premier League Results Match Week 12: Spurs Stomp On Manchester City; Liverpool’s Salah Sinks Saints; Arsenal Chops Down Forest; Cooper Sacked after Leicester Loses To Chelsea; Amorim Draws In Manchester United Debut; Wolves Devour Cottagers; Villa Forced To Salvage Point Versus Crystal Palace

Tottenham Hotspur extended Manchester City’s shocking run of losses to five matches across all competitions with a 4-0 victory at the Etihad. It was the second time during City’s losing run that Spurs were on the winning end, the London side having earlier defeated Manchester City in the EFL Cup. An up and down season had seen Spurs lose to newly promoted Ipswich Town before the international break, allowing supporters to fill the dead time with calls for the head of Manager Ange Postecoglou. The Australian manger has at least temporarily quieted those calls with his club’s masterful performance at the home of the defending league champions. Ange Ball was at its peak form in overrunning a Manchester City midfield rendered toothless by the absence of all world player Rodri. James Maddison scored twice for Spurs in a rout which sent Manchester City to a third straight Premier League loss.

Pedro Porro & James Maddison #MCITOT pic.twitter.com/9u7gXGAp0n

— ًًً (@HQwallp) November 23, 2024

The Citizens find themselves eight points behind Liverpool after the Reds defeated surprisingly game Southampton 3-2 on the south coast. Manager Arne Slot’s undefeated league leaders found themselves down 2-1 in the second half before Mohamed Salah placed the world back on its axis with two goals to send the cellar dwelling Saints to a 10th league loss. Liverpool will thus host second place Manchester City next weekend having won seven of eight matches to take control of the title chase. While Liverpool has created separation at the top, only five points separates second place Manchester City from 10th place Newcastle United. Three clubs are locked on 22 points, one behind the Citizens, three clubs are a further three points back on 19 points and two clubs are tied with 18 points.

Chelsea remains third in the table on goal differential over Arsenal after a victory in the Maresca derby at Leicester on Saturday. A rare goal by Enzo Fernandez in the 75th minute gave Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca a victory in his first battle against the Foxes after leading them to promotion last season. Fernandez assisted Chelsea’s first goal by Nicolas Jackson before scoring the winner with his first goal since February in a positive response to Maresca’s calls for the midfielder to become more involved in the club’s attack. Following the defeat, Leicester parted ways with Manager Steve Cooper. The sacking seemed premature for the former Nottingham Forest manager who has had but 12 matches to implement his system. Ownership, however, pushed the panic button as a third loss in four matches dropped the Foxes to within a point of the relegation line.

As Cooper departs, two other Premier League managers made their case to extend their stay over the weekend. Wolverhampton manger Gary O’Neil was nearing the door after his club lost seven of its first eight matches this season to take up residence in the relegation zone. Wolves moved out of that feared space (on goal differential) with a second consecutive victory, defeating Fulham by a decisive 4-1 scoreline at Craven Cottage. Wolves ceded the opening goal to their hosts before scoring four consecutive times, a barrage which included a brace by Matheus Cunha. The suddenly prolific Wolves attack has scored ten goals, half their season total, in a current four match unbeaten run.

West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui, meanwhile, orchestrated West Ham’s most impressive win of the season in a 2-0 victory at Newcastle. The win moved West Ham to within three points of 10th place Newcastle in a victory sorely need by the Hammers’ new manager who had failed to impress supporters with just three wins, two against current relegation sides, entering Monday’s match.

Nottingham Forest supporters, meanwhile, were thrilled by their club’s early success this season. The Tricky Trees were fooling the entire league as Manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, expected to be relegation ramblers this season, had  risen all the way to third in the table after ten matches were played. Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Arsenal dropped the Trees to seventh as Forest has conceded six goals across two consecutive losses. Arsenal snapped a three-match winless run in the league to stay nine points behind Liverpool.

Only Liverpool has lost fewer matches than fifth place Brighton after the Seagulls downed Bournemouth 2-1. Brighton scored twice before having to navigate with ten men after a 59th minute red card, successfully holding off the Cherries until a 93rd minute Bournemouth consolation goal.

Bournemouth slipped behind now 12th place Manchester United as the Red Devils drew 1-1 at Ipswich Town in the debut of Manchester United Manager Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese manager has much work to do after the Red Devils failed to score a victory over the newly promoted and currently relegation bound Tractor Boys. An exciting second minute goal by Marcus Rashford was followed by the more typical futility of the Red Devil attack, Amorim’s debut being spoiled when Tractor Boy Omari Hutchinson scored in the 43rd minute. Ipswich Town currently shares the relegation zone with last place Southampton and the more surprising drop candidate, Crystal Palace.

Thanks to a goal and assist by Ismaila Sarr, the Eagles managed what could be a crucial point in their survival fight in a 2-2 final at Aston Villa. It could have been three points but for a 77th minute equalizer for Aston Villa by Premier League veteran Ross Barkley. Despite clawing back for the point, Aston Villa saw its current winless run extended to six matches. Only Southampton has scored fewer goals than Crystal Palace this season while Everton has scored the same paltry 10 goals as the Eagles after 12 matches.

The Toffees, a precarious two points above the drop, ground out a second consecutive goalless draw in their match with Brentford on Saturday. Helping Everton to the point was a 41st minute red card assessed against the Bees which stalled the Brentford attack. Unsurprisingly, Everton was unable to capitalize for a much-needed home win. The frustrated Bees, meanwhile, have yet to win an away match this season.

Premier League Preview: Match Week 12

The Premier League returns from international break when Chelsea and Manager Enzo Maresca face the manager’s former club, Leicester City, in Saturday’s early game. Maresca led the Foxes last season to the Championship division title which returned Leicester to the Premier League. This year he has brought success (so far) to a Chelsea side badly in need of a steadying hand after former Manager Mauricio Pochettino exited the ownership induced chaos at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea is currently third, by goal differential, in the Premier League table while Leicester is hovering three points above the relegation line under former Nottingham Forest Manager Steve Cooper.

Forest and Arsenal, along with Brighton, share the same point total as Chelsea in a crowded chase for the top four. The Tricky Trees are at Arsenal this weekend, hoping to continue their fairy tale start to a season which many expected would end in relegation for Manager Nuno Espirito Santo and the Trees. Arsenal, meanwhile, never expected to be nine points back of league leading Liverpool at this juncture and cannot afford more dropped points.

Front running Liverpool is on the south coast for a match with Southampton which sits at the bottom of the Premier League table. The Saints have lost nine of their 11 matches to date and would seem to be just marking time as they await inevitable demotion.

Second place Manchester City, which stumbled into the break with two consecutive Premier League losses, announced this week that Manager Pep Guardiola has agreed to a two-year extension with the club. The new deal is surprising in two respects. First there was strong speculation that Guardiola was ready to move on, having already delivered multiple Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy at City. Second, it has been reported that the new contract contains no “break clause,” which would free Guardiola in the event that the 115 allegations of financial foul play against Manchester City were to result in a relegation. The contract reflects Guardiola’s previously stated confidence that Manchester City has done nothing wrong off the pitch. In the meantime, Guardiola’s club needs someone besides Erling Haaland to do something right in front of the net. Last year’s Premier League Player of the Year, Phil Foden, is one of several prominent City attackers yet to find a first goal this season. This weekend should provide an opportunity to kickstart the Manchester City goal machine when the Citizens host visiting Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs’ wide-open style of play creates spaces vacated by defenders bombing forward in attack. Foden and friends, including the prolific Haaland, should be able to make them pay.

Manchester United, meanwhile, will hope Ipswich Town provides a warm welcome for new Red Devil Manager Ruben Amorim.

❤️ pic.twitter.com/2SJWewzwBx

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 22, 2024

The new leader, however, will have had little time to work with players who have been trickling in from duty with their national clubs. Amorim’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation is different from what the club employed under former Manager Eric ten Hag, particularly for its use of three defenders and two Number Tens. It will thus be interesting to see how the Red Devils line up versus the Tractor Boys on Saturday. Despite disappointing results and the firing of their manager, Manchester United is only four points removed from third place Chelsea and the three other clubs that are level on points with the Blues.

One of those deadlocked clubs in the chase for the Champions League is Brighton, which will travel down the coast to visit Bournemouth on Saturday. Bournemouth, level on points with 13th place Manchester United, is a dangerous club which has recently defeated both Manchester City and Arsenal. Saturday’s match will feature two of the league’s brightest new managers with Fabian Hurzeler finding early success with the Seagulls as the league’s youngest manager and the Cherries’ Andoni Iraola building on his own successful debut of last season.

Danger, however, lurks for managers further down the table. Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace has been one of the greatest disappointments in the early stages of this campaign as the Eagles nest in the relegation zone after an encouraging end to last season. That status is unlikely to change with Palace facing a daunting challenge at Aston Villa Saturday.

Wolverhampton Manager Gary O’Neil, meanwhile, has his own problems when his  relegation bound Wolves visit seventh place Fulham. O’Neil’s side has conceded a staggering 27 goals this season.

The pressure on Everton Manager Sean Dyche has subsided a bit as the Toffees have recovered from a dreadful start to lose only one of their last seven matches, albeit that one loss was an embarrassment which accounted for the only Southampton win of the season. Brentford visits Goodison Park on Saturday. The 11th place Bees are only three points removed from third place Chelsea as Ivan Toney has become a distant memory with current star Bryan Mbeumo banging home eight goals to rank joint second in Premier League scoring. Goals were absent when West Ham played Everton to a turgid draw just before the break.

Hammer supporters, never shy to criticize their club’s manager, have been outspoken about West Ham’s uninspiring play to date, not to mention five Premier League losses already under new man in charge Julen Lopetegui. The Hammers now go to St. James’s Park on Monday to face a Newcastle side which has knocked off top four contenders Nottingham Forest and Arsenal in consecutive matches before the break. Newcastle’s recent form has moved the Magpies into the thick of the chase for European places and enhanced the current job security of Manager Eddie Howe who is in his third season working for Newcastle’s Saudi ownership. With no more international breaks until March, clubs are back to business approaching the busy holiday schedule.  

Premier League: International Break Edition

International break provides an opportunity to assess the state of the Premier League table 11 matches into the season. Two storylines dominate the top of the table. The first thing to know about the first 11 matches is that the transition from Jurgen Klopp to Arne Slot has gone far better than any Liverpool supporter could have hoped. The Red are out to a five-point lead atop the table and have conceded only six league goals to date. Of course, Liverpool was far from shoddy on defense under Klopp. Only champion Manchester City and second place Arsenal allowed fewer goals last season. Slot, though, has further tightened that attention to defense, eliminating some of the mistakes to be expected with Klopp’s more frenzied style, and taken Liverpool past Manchester City and Arsenal in the season to date standings.

The second story line is the sudden fallibility of those latter two teams who have run first and second in the league the last two seasons. There seems to be an air of inevitability surrounding the wind down at Manchester City. Technical director Txiki Begiristain, the front office architect of City’s recent title winning squads, has already announced he is leaving at the end of the season. Manager Pep Guardiola’s contract expires this summer with the manager non-committal regarding his future with the club. Rumors regarding Guardiola taking the reins of the Brazilian National team next year have just this week given way to a purported agreement for a one-year extension with the club he has led to six Premier League titles. Superstar striker Erling Haaland has already been reported to have his eyes on a move elsewhere. Kevin De Bruyne, meanwhile, is hurt more often than he is healthy in what seems the final years of his illustrious career. The biggest factor in Manchester City’s poor start by their standards this season, however, is the absence of Rodri, the defensive midfielder and Ballon d’Or winner who is out for the season.

Arsenal, meanwhile, risks falling back before ever reaching the mountain peak. A key injury to their midfield captain and creative engine, Martin Odegaard, has been a major blow to Arsenal’s attack. The Gunners dropped eight points during Odegaard’s seven match injury absence to fall an ominous nine points behind Liverpool in the table. Unlike Rodri’s season ending status, Odegaard’s return provides hope, but has too much damage already been done to the Gunners’ title chances?

Back stronger.

Martin Odegaard returns to full training ❤️ pic.twitter.com/C3UhiuYbuU

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 5, 2024

Chelsea, third on point differential over Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Brighton in a crowded top four scramble, seems to have stabilized after a tumultuous period of seeming madness by their ownership. The Blues new manager Enzo Maresca has asserted himself in terms of who he wants to play from the club’s deep roster of options and has been ruthless in his personnel decisions. Excess passengers such as Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell have suffered transfers out or exile to the reserve team under the manager. Fixtures in the lineup include rising league superstar Cole Palmer, improving young striker Nicolas Jackson and defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo who has settled in and begun to flash the form which helped make him such a hot commodity when he was patrolling the pitch for Brighton.

Nottingham Forest and Brighton round out the top six with Forest’s position in the table truly shocking. The Tricky Trees faced a tricky survival battle each of the last two seasons yet now they are suddenly contending for Europe. A defense which has conceded fewer goals than any club but Liverpool has been key for the Trees. Goalkeeper Matz Sels is second in the league with four clean sheets to his credit. In attack, 32-year-old New Zealand striker Chris Wood is the joint second highest Premier League goal scorer, having found the net for eight of the Tricky Trees’ 15 goals scored so far.

Brighton, meanwhile, posted a top six finish two years ago but fell back to midtable last season and said goodbye to highly acclaimed manger Roberto De Zerbi who thought the club’s player investments to be insufficient. In comes 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler, the youngest manager in Premier League history and the Seagulls are soaring once again. Only Liverpool and Manchester City have won more matches and in its last two matches, Brighton has gone toe to toe with both, losing 2-1 to the league leaders and then defeating the defending champions by that same score.

Fulham has also pleasantly surprised supporters this season as the club sits just a point outside the top six. Former Arsenal man Emile Smith Rowe has injected creativity to the Cottagers’ attack and perhaps left the Gunners with some regret over parting ways with the attacking midfielder who could have helped the Gunners during Martin Odegaard’s injury absence. Instead, Smith Rowe has five goal involvements to date for the Cottagers and has become a focal point for Manager Marco Silva’s attack. Former Liverpool man Harry Wilson has also caught fire with three goals in the Cottagers’ two consecutive wins entering the break. Level with Fulham on points are Newcastle and Aston Villa, two clubs who have been streaky this season as they try to establish themselves as perennial top six contenders.

Streaky does not even begin to describe the schizophrenic results delivered by the wide-open style of Tottenham Hotspur Manager Ange Postecoglou. Spurs followed each of their last three victories with a loss, the last two inexcusable defeats to relegation battlers Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town. After 11 matches this is a tightly congested table.

Brentford is level on points with 10th place Tottenham Hotspur, Bournemouth and Manchester United a point further back in a Premier League table which sees only four points currently separating third and 13th  place in the table. Manchester United are currently 13th, again based on goal differential, as the Red Devils’ uninspiring performances led to the seemingly inevitable departure of the perpetually excuse making Eric ten Hag. The Dutchman is now gone and, with the club having already showed improved form under interim manager Rudd van Nistelrooy, incoming Manager Ruben Amorim takes over a squad which should not be dismissed yet from talk of the European places.

West Ham and newly promoted Leicester currently fall in behind the Red Devils in the table standings. Julen Lopetegui is already in trouble after a poor start to replacing David Moyes at West Ham while Leicester Manager Steve Cooper is also seemingly on thin ice, van Nistelrooy having been mentioned as a possible Cooper replacement.

Everton is in familiar territory as it hovers three points north of the drop line as the Toffees face a relegation battle for the third time in a largely nerve racking four years for Toffee supporters. Everton’s survival chances may be buoyed, however, by the disasters which have been the seasons to date of Wolverhampton and Crystal Palace. The surprisingly poor play of those two clubs has been a boon not just to Everton but has also helped lift newly promoted Leicester and Ipswich Town out of the bottom three, if only marginally and perhaps temporarily.

Wolverhampton has spent all season in the relegation zone, conceding at least five more goals than any other Premier League side. A recent uptick in form by Wolves must be qualified by noting four of five points captured in the last three matches came against Southampton and Crystal Palace, the two clubs who currently share the low rent relegation district with Wolves. The Saints’ struggles are not terribly surprising as the promoted side tries to apply an aggressive style which worked at the Championship level but is far less effective against better Premier League competition. Crystal Palace, however, is a headscratcher. The Eagles were one of the best performing clubs down the stretch last season. While the loss of winger Michael Olise was an expected yet painful departure during the offseason, no one expected the type of regression which has seen the Eagles find the net only eight times this season, the poorest production of any club but for the Saints. Eagles Manager Oliver Glasner is now at risk to see his Premier League career, which began so brightly, end quickly in flames.