Premier League: Boxing Day And More

The crazy holiday schedule is in full swing as clubs who played Boxing Day and Friday matches face a quick turnaround with another round of gems scheduled for Sunday and Monday. Chelsea seems to be wearing down a bit with Manager Enzo Maresca coming under fire for not better balancing playing time to relieve fatigued players. Maresca’s recent penchant for running out the same lineup despite the club’s impressive depth is puzzling. Signs of fatigue were evident when Chelsea conceded twice after the 80th minute of play on Thursday to lose 2-1 to Fulham at Stamford Bridge. Maresca has only used four of the 15 in-game substitutions available to him over the Blues’ last three matches. The Chelsea manager made only one change on Thursday, a decision which looked worse after the two late Fulham goals were scored by Cottager substitutes Harry Wilson and Rodrigo Muniz. The absence of healthy winger Noni Madueke from the match day squad is also creating buzz among supporters after the Blues dropped points for a second straight match.

Chelsea’s loss and Arsenal’s Friday win over Ipswich moved the Gunners past Chelsea into second place behind Liverpool. The Tractor Boys were never able to climb out of a ditch of their own making at the Emirates where they desperately hunkered down in defense and failed to launch a single shot on target. Kai Havertz scored the match’s only goal for an Arsenal attack which will be challenged for weeks and perhaps months by what appears a long-term absence for the injured Bukayo Saka.

Capping off 2024 with a W!

Thanks for all the support this year Gunners ❤️ pic.twitter.com/5o8qIS6Dzq

— Kai Havertz (@kaihavertz29) December 27, 2024

Liverpool gave its home supporters a brief scare when Leicester’s Jordan Ayew scored in the sixth minute at Anfield on Thursday. The rest of the match went to form, however, with Mohamed Salah’s goal finishing off the Reds 3-1 victory. Salah’s 16 goals lead the Premier League goal scoring, three better than Erling Haaland who is recently adrift amid Manchester City’s sea of misery. Leicester’s third straight defeat dropped the Foxes into the drop zone for the first time this season, joining fellow promoted sides Ipswich Town and Southampton as the soon to be departed.

Manchester United is closer to the relegation line than to the top four as the Red Devils lost for a fourth time in five Premier League matches in a 2-0 loss at Wolverhampton. The Wolves victory, a second consecutive win for new Wolves manager Vitor Pereira, was not overly shocking given the fragile state of the Red Devils. Manager Reuben Amorim has had no more success in the short term than the final days of former Manager Eric ten Hag. Amorim has only six points from seven Premier League matches, only one more than Wolves’ Pereira has collected in but two matches. Pereira’s win at Molineux Stadium lifted Wolverhampton out of the relegation zone, giving hope to home supporters who had been suffering through a miserable season. It was just Wolverhampton’s second home victory at Molineux Stadium against six losses and a draw. Adding to the encouragement is the fact that Wolverhampton, the joint leakiest defense in the league, has not conceded a goal in two matches under Pereira.

Nottingham Forest also posted a second consecutive clean sheet and, more importantly, a fourth consecutive victory in a 1-0 over Tottenham Hotspur. The Tricky Trees retain their lofty top four status after a 28th minute goal by Anthony Elanga gave Nottingham Forest Manager Nuno Espirito Santo the victory over his former employers. Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, is floundering as current manager Ange Postecoglou could be on the hot seat with his squad currently sitting outside the top half of the table.

A third straight victory has moved Newcastle into the thick of the European chase after the Magpies cruised to a 3-0 home win over Aston Villa on Thursday. Newcastle has outscored their opponents 11-0 in those three matches.

Manchester City did not lose on Boxing Day but a 1-1 draw at the Etihad versus Everton did little to encourage supporters of the declining club. The Toffees’ Jordan Pickford stopped an Erling Haaland second half penalty to secure a point for the Evertonians and extend City’s winless run in the Premier League to four matches. A frustrated Haaland is reportedly mad to exit the Manchester morass and is supposedly speaking with Barcelona.

Everton, meanwhile, remains level on points with Crystal Palace, three points above the drop line. The Eagles secured a valuable away point of their own in a goalless match at Bournemouth. The return of Eagles’ midfielder Eberechi Eze provided some counter threat and possession for Palace as the South London side ground out a result on the road. Despite a frustrating afternoon for the Cherries, Bournemouth extended its league unbeaten run to six matches.

West Ham also won on the road this week as Jarrod Bown’s 59th minute goal from close range gave the Hammers a 1-0 victory at Southampton, spoiling the debut of Saints’ Manager Ivan Juric. Jarrod Bowen’s 100th career Premier League goal extended a four match unbeaten run  for the Hammers which has lifted them to within three points of 10th place Brighton.

The Seagulls continued to list with a goalless and joyless home draw with Brentford. Fourth in the table as November ended, Brighton now risks falling out of the top half of the table. Brighton  will be on the road Monday at Aston Villa which is hovering two points above the Seagulls in the Premier League table. Brentford, meanwhile, will face Arsenal at the friendly confines of Gtech Stadium where the Bees have lost but once this season.

Another interesting Week 19 contest would have been expected to be a key relegation battle before the season began. Instead, Nottingham Forest, 17th in the table last year with little expectation of improvement, is sitting fourth in the table off a run of four consecutive wins as the Tricky Trees visit Goodison Park on Sunday to face Everton. The Toffees, though still at relegation risk, are on a four-match unbeaten run of their own, albeit three of those contests resulted in draws. A steadfast Toffee defense has conceded just a single goal across those matches.

Fifth place Newcastle is anxious to close the current five-point gap to Nottingham Forest as the Magpies visit Manchester United on Monday. The reeling Red Devils will have both Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte suspended for that match.

Chelsea will try to regain its momentum after dropping points in the Blues’ last two matches with a trip to relegation bound Ipswich Town. Liverpool will head to London Stadium to face much improved West Ham. Elsewhere in London, struggling Tottenham Hotspur will host suddenly dangerous Wolves under new manager Vitor Pereira.

Premier League Christmas Edition

Week 17 saw some of the top contenders make a statement entering the busy holiday week. Liverpool outclassed Tottenham Hotspur in a 6-3 embarrassment in front of Spurs fans. Mo Salah scored twice and assisted on a third goal during the rout to become the first Premier League player ever to reach double digit goals and assists before Christmas.

Arsenal also served notice that the Gunners are not done with this title race. Like Spurs, Crystal Palace was embarrassed in front of its home fans as Arsenal pinned a 5-1 defeat on the Eagles. Gabriel Jeus continued his dominance over Crystal Palace, scoring twice in Saturday’s league win after notching a hat trick in a Carabao Cup victory over the Eagles on Wednesday. Jesus’s form could be crucial for Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta in the coming weeks. The Gunners have had problems scoring from open play and now could be without the services of talisman Bukayo Saka for an extended period. The winger’s torn hamstring in Saturday’s win cast a pall over an otherwise perfect afternoon for Arsenal.

The Gunners are now two points behind second place Chelsea after the prolific Blues attack was shut down in a goalless draw at Everton. Tenacious defense by the Toffees delivered the point to their new ownership, The Friedkin Group, who completed their purchase of the historic side just days before the match. Everton’s win put an end to an eight-match winning run across all competitions for Chelsea. Toffee results of late are subject to interpretation. Everton have lost only twice in their last 12 matches but, on the other hand, have won just three of their 16 Premier League matches.

The quality of Nottingham Forest, however, is becoming clearer as the Tricky Trees won their ninth Premier League game, matching the win total of Arsenal, with a 2-0 win at Brentford. The Forest victory, the third consecutive win and fourth in five matches by the Trees, marked the first time a visitor had captured three points at Brentford’s Gtech Stadium this season.

This team. 🩵 pic.twitter.com/2vd9Z4Lkho

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) December 21, 2024

Bournemouth is another side that has won four of five matches to move up the table. Sunday’s 3-0 win at Manchester United extended a five-match winning run that has seen the Cherries jump from 13th to fifth place in the Premier League table. Manchester United is currently 13th in the table after a third loss in its last four matches. New Manager Reuben Amorim has received a rude welcome to the Premier League as he grasps an improved understanding of the challenges that face Manchester United.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, responded to its own loss last week to the Cherries by getting well at the expense of beleaguered Manchester City. Morgan Rogers had a goal and an assist as the Villans moved past Manchester City in the table. Rogers is one of several former Manchester City prospects now enjoying success elsewhere in the league as the Citizens’ roster ages and  declines. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, of course, is the most noteworthy case of the “one that got away” from the Citizens. Manchester City has now lost nine of its last twelve matches across all competitions. Aston Villa leapfrogged over Manchester City into the top six with the victory. Villa’s other goal scorer on the day, Jhon Duran, tied Ollie Watkins for the team lead with his seventh league goal of the season.

The bottom of the table saw both Wolves and Southampton get a result after the sacking of their mangers last weekend. Wolves prevailed 3-0 at Lecester to pull within two points of the Foxes and safety. Goncalo Guedes had a goal and an assist to help new manager Vitor Pereira to his first Premier League victory. Perhaps more surprising than Wolves notching a win over another relegation threatened side, however, was Southampton going into Craven Cottage and emerging with a point in a goalless draw versus a Fulham side which has spent much of the season in the top half of the table. Despite Saturday’s potentially valuable point in the survival race, the Saints point total of six still represents the third lowest total at this point in the season in Premier League history.

New Manager Ivan Juric watched on from the press section. Ipswich Town, still with the manager it began the season with, was smashed 4-0 by Newcastle and is now level on points with Wolverhampton. The Tractor Boys’ manager Kieran McKenna could not feel too comfortable as he watched Newcastle’s Alexander Isak strafe his defense for three goals.

A three-match unbeaten run has alleviated some minor relegation threat for West Ham. The Hammers are now eight points clear of the league’s laggards after a 1-1 draw with Brighton.

Boxing Day will see eight Premier League matches with an additional two on Friday. Newcastle will have the opportunity to move past Aston Villa in the table with a win over the visiting Villans at St. James’s Park on Thursday. Other Boxing Day matches include Chelsea hosting a London derby versus Fulham while streaking Nottingham Forest will be home to face reeling Tottenham Hotspur.

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.