Premier League Preview: Match Week 26

Reeling from a disappointing Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid, Manchester City has the chance to recapture some pride when the Citizens host Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday. Manchester City meekly lost to the Spanish giants 3-1 on Wednesday, bowing out 6-3 in aggregate over the two-leg tie. Liverpool, meanwhile, drew 2-2 with Aston Villa in a rescheduled Premier League match, also on Wednesday. The Reds are eight points ahead of Arsenal after now having played one additional match. Manchester City, meanwhile, is a full 17 points from the top of the table. The ambition for the Citizens therefore is to ensure a return to next years’ Champions League and to possibly play spoiler in the Premier League title race.

The threat to Liverpool on Sunday will in large part rest with the health of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland who surprisingly was held out of the Real Madrid loss with a cranky knee, jarred during last weekend’s win over Newcastle but thought to be minor when he practiced on it earlier this week. Haaland has 19 league goals this season, five short of Premier League leader and Sunday opponent Mohamed Salah.

Salah scored the opening goal on Wednesday versus Aston Villa and then assisted on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s second half equalizer. With that performance, Salah becomes the first Premier League player in history to both score and assist in ten different matches in one season. The Liverpool star leads the Premier League in assists as well as goals and he has a total of 39 goal involvements in a season where more than half the Premier League teams have scored 38 goals or less.

pic.twitter.com/cmZ56laPHO

— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) February 20, 2025

Arsenal will obviously be a highly interested observer of Sunday’s match between struggling Manchester City and the only club which has snatched the title from the Citizens over the last seven seasons. Arsenal ran a frustrating second to Manchester City each of the last two years and now finds itself chasing a new table leader in the Reds. The Gunners will hope to be three points closer to Liverpool after Arsenal’s London derby on Saturday versus West Ham. The Hammers visit the Emirates after having lost to other London clubs in each of their last two Premier League matches. Things have not been good under new manager Graham Potter with West Ham having lost three of their last four matches and winning just one of Potter’s five league matches in charge. Arsenal supporters, meanwhile, are waiting to see if Manager Mikel Arteta puts midfielder Mikel Merino into his starting lineup at striker. It would seem a good idea after midfielder Merino substituted into the unfamiliar position and bagged a hat rick last week.

Nottingham Forest experienced an unpleasant visit to London last week when the Tricky Tress were defeated at Craven Cottage by Fulham. The Trees continue their road show at Newcastle this weekend where the St. James home supporters will be looking for a response after their Magpies were surprisingly steamrolled by Manchester City last week.

Fulham, meanwhile, enjoys another Saturday at the Cottage, hosting London rival Crystal Palace. The Eagles can be an annoying visitor with only six clubs boasting a better away record than Manager Oliver Glasner’s club. Chelsea is one of those six road warriors but their away form, much like their overall play, has largely fallen off a cliff in recent weeks. Chelsea have lost their last three away matches and are winless in their last six games away from home across all competitions. Saturday the Blues travel to Aston Villa, which must be feeling good after taking a point from Liverpool earlier in the week. Villa Park has not seen the home side lose since August.

Struggling Manchester United is on the road at Everton as the performance of new manger Reuben Amorim comes under increasing scrutiny. Only the four bottommost teams in the Premier League have garnered fewer points than the Red Devils since Amorim took charge. Meanwhile, no club has accumulated more points than Everton since David Moyes took over the Toffees on January 11th. Moyes has won four and lost just once in the six matches since he took over a Toffee side which was engaged in yet another relegation battle. Entering Saturday’s match at Goodison Park, Everton is now 13 points clear of the drop line and is one point above the flailing Red Devils in the table.

Tottenham Hotspur were 1-0 victors over Manchester United last week but need be careful about Saturday’s visit to Ipswich Town. Spurs are nothing but inconsistent and the Tractor Boys are desperate to lift themselves out of the relegation muck. A home win versus Spurs accompanied by a Wolverhampton loss at surging Bournemouth could see Ipswich Town outside the relegation zone after weekend results.

Leicester, level on points but with a worse goal differential than Ipswich Town, is also trying to climb to safety. The Foxes kick off the Premier League weekend with a Friday match at King Power Stadium versus Brentford. Leicester, however, has lost nine of its last ten matches under Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy as the Foxes perhaps rue their dismissal of former manager Steve Cooper who had the club in safe territory before his November sacking. Bottom of the table Southampton, meanwhile, hosts an unwelcome visitor in Brighton.

Champtions League Draw

The virtually indecipherable new Champions League format has now meandered its way to a round of 16. The head scratching continues, however. Liverpool had the top record through the convoluted early rounds of the competition. For that performance, the Reds have inexplicably been rewarded with one of the tougher remaining matchups as they will face PSG. Arsenal, which finished third in the competition’s newly introduced “table” format, gets an easier matchup in PSV Eindhoven. Aston Villa finished eighth and would seem to have caught a break in being drawn with Belgian side Club Brugge. Interestingly, however, the Villans lost to Brugge earlier in this year’s competition. All three English clubs have been placed on the same side of the Round of 16 bracket. The next round, comprised of home and away fixtures, commences  on March 4th and 5th with the reverse fixtures scheduled for the following week.

Premier League Results Match Week 25: Liverpool Survive Late Wolves Attack; Merino Doubles In Arsenal Win; Fulham Chops Down Forest; Maroush Stars In Manchester City Win; Moyes Magic Continues For Everton; Brighton Beats Chelsea Again; Bournemouth Puts Saints To Sword

Liverpool survived a late rally by their visitors to defeat Wolves 2-1 at Anfield. A Mohamed Salah penalty kick resulted in his fifth goal in his last four Premier League matches to give the league leaders a 2-0 halftime lead. Things got a bit wonky from there as Wolverhampton’s Matheus Cunha halved the lead at the 57-minute mark and the visitors frantically pressed the action to secure a point. Liverpool would hang on and bank all three points, however, with little concern for style points after being shocked by a late equalizing goal in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park during the week.

Liverpool’s lead remains at seven points over second place Arsenal which defeated Leicester 2-0. Manager Mikel Arteta made creative use of Mikel Merino to solve his injury induced puzzle at striker. The natural midfielder substituted in at striker and scored twice after the 80-minute mark. Merino’s first goal was set up by another unlikely hero in 17 year old Ethan Nwaneri who also had two of his own attempts bang off the woodwork in Arsenal’s second half surge. The gritty victory by the injury ravaged Gunners inflicted a ninth loss in Leicester’s last 10 Premier League matches.

Ethan's endless energy ⚡️

POTM performance from Nwaneri 👏 pic.twitter.com/2Wka2J7PzH

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 17, 2025

The Foxes are one of three teams battling to stay in the league next season and avoid a relegation fate which seems all but assured for Southampton. The Saints have accumulated a measly seven points after 25 matches following Southampton’s 3-1 loss at Bournemouth. Leicester and Ipswich share the relegation zone with the Saints, but both are eight points ahead of the south coast side and only two points behind currently safe Wolverhampton.

Ipswich Town drew level on points with Leicester with the Tractor Boys’ 1-1 draw at Aston Villa. Aston Villa fell to ninth in the Premier League table as its European qualification for next year looks in jeopardy. Unai Emery’s squad hosts Liverpool on Wednesday having won just three of their last 10 Premier League matches.

Fulham moved past Aston Villa in the table with the Cottagers 2-1 win at Craven Cottage over Nottingham Forest. The Cottagers had not won any of their previous five league matches at the Cottage but rose to the occasion on Saturday to defeat Nottingham Forest for the second time this season. Calvin Bassey’s  goal from a 67th minute corner kick secured the victory and handed Nottingham Forest a second defeat in the Tricky Trees’ last three Premier League matches.

Manchester City, meanwhile, vaulted over Chelsea into the fourth spot, just three points behind Nottingham Forest with a surprisingly easy 4-0 victory over Newcastle at the Etihad. Omar Manoush was the star man for the Citizens with his first Premier League hat trick, finding the net three times in his fifth match with the club after his January transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt. All three of Marmoush’s goals came in the first half as Newcastle were quickly swept away by the Citizens. Nico Gonzalez, recently acquired by Manchester City from Porto, was also instrumental in the win as the midfielder returned a sense of control to a midfield devasted by the season ending injury to Ballon d’ Or winning midfielder Rodri. Gonzalez, making his first start for Manchester City, repeatedly stopped the Magpies early in their attempted counterattacks and provided a sense of security seldom enjoyed by Manager Pep Guardiola’s side this season. Elation at the dominant performance by Manchester City was tempered, however, when Erling Haaland went down without contact in the 88th minute. Fears of a potential ACL tear have since been put to rest with Haaland fully participating in Tuesday’s practice as the Citizens prepare to play Real Madrid in the second leg of City’s Champions League tie on Wednesday.

Chelsea’s hopes for Champions League play next season were damaged in  a 3-0 defeat at American Express Stadium as the Blues lost to Brighton for a second time in less than a week. Yankuba Minteh scored twice for the Seagulls who were little troubled by a Chelsea side which did not register a single shot on target. Chelsea’s attack was actually worse than last Saturday’s FA Cup defeat to these same Seagulls when the Londoners managed one shot on target. Chelsea passed the ball over 700 times and controlled the ball for 70% of Friday’s contest without finding the net. The Blues failed to win for the seventh time in their last nine Premier League matches as the seat is becoming much warmer for Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca.

While Chelsea declines, Bournemouth continues to ascend. The Cherries moved past Chelsea and are only a point behind Manchester City after a 3-1 stroll past Southampton. Only Liverpool has been able to defeat Bournemouth in the Cherries’ last 13 matches.

A draw versus Liverpool is the only non-winning effort in a five-match unbeaten run by Everton. Newly returned manager David Moyes has worked wonders with a Toffees squad which is now 13 points clear of the drop line after a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace. Carlos Alcaraz, acquired on loan from Flamengo in January, scored the winner in his first start for Moyes.

Moyes’ former club West Ham, meanwhile, is still struggling with its second managerial hire since Moyes left the Hammers after last season. Graham Potter has lost three of his five matches, winning just once, in charge at West Ham after Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Brentford. The Bees, meanwhile, won a third consecutive Premier League away match for the first time in the club’s history courtesy of a fourth minute goal by Kevin Schade.

Tottenham Hotspur won at home for the first time since early November in a 1-0 defeat of Manchester United as James Maddison had the winner in his return from a four-week injury absence. Manchester United has now lost eight of its last twelve Premier League matches as things have seemed to go from bad to worse under new manager Ruben Amorim.

Premier League Update: Merseyside Madness As League Play Resumes

Everton created a lasting memory for its supporters when James Tarkowski struck an equalizer in the 98th minute of a 2-2 draw on Wednesday in the final Merseyside derby played at Goodison Park. Befitting the intensity of the historic rivalry, a scrum erupted post-match as Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure taunted Liverpool fans, infuriating Liverpool’s Curtis Jones who cannoned into the rival player and ignited wider chaos as more players clamored to the fray. Doucoure and Jones were red carded, and the celebrations continued for Everton supporters who will watch their team play in its new Bramley-Moore Dock facility next season. Wednesday’s draw ensured that the Toffees and Reds conclude their run at Goodison with 41 victories each in Merseyside derbies played at the venerable old stadium.

THE DEFINITION OF SCENES. 🤯

JAMES TARKOWSKI BRINGS EVERTON LEVEL IN THE FINAL MOMENTS. pic.twitter.com/PpZl3GXud1

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 12, 2025

The electric moment by Tarkowski overshadowed another outstanding performance by Liverpool star Mohamed Salah who scored and assisted for the league leaders. The Reds suffered their second shock result inside a week after being upset by Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup last weekend. After two straight ambushes, Liverpool will now try to fend off Wolves at Anfield on Sunday and recover the form that has put them at the top of the Premier League table.

Everton travels to south London on Saturday where it will try to extend a five-match unbeaten run in matches versus Crystal Palace. The Toffees need beware, however, of an Eagles squad which has lost just two of its last 13 Premier League matches. JP Mateta has 10 Premier League goals for the homestanding Eagles who have now distanced themselves from the relegation pack after a disturbing beginning to their season.

Second place Arsenal travels to Leicester with a struggling Gunners attack further weakened by a hamstring injury suffered by Kai Havertz during the club’s training in Dubai earlier this week. The injury is rumored to be so severe that Havertz could miss the rest of this season. Such a development could be devastating to Arsenal’s title chances as the Gunners are already missing attackers Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, and Gabriel Martinelli to injury. Those injuries have compounded the absence of a true striker in Manager Mikel Arteta’s squad. Havertz, an uncomfortable fit in the Number Nine role,  leads Arsenal with 15 goals across all competitions. The cupboard is close to bare in terms of replacing those goals. Raheem Sterling is an option, but the former Manchester City star has appeared washed at his subsequent stops at Chelsea and now Arsenal. The Gunners failed in their attempt to sign Ollie Watkins during the January transfer window and now find themselves in even deeper trouble at the point of attack.

Nottingham Forest will be short of an attacker when the Tricky Trees host Ipswich Town this weekend after Taiwo Awoniyi suffered a broken nose during the Trees’ FA cup win over Exeter City on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Chelsea faces a long stretch without Nicolas Jackson whose hamstring injury appears far more serious than previously thought. The Senegalese forward was held out of the Blues’ FA Cup loss to Brighton in midweek after suffering what was initially thought to be a minor hamstring problem in last week’s win over West Ham. Further evaluation points to a lengthier absence and he will again be sidelined for Chelsea’s rematch with the Seagulls in league play on Friday. Jackson could be out for months, a devastating blow to an already sputtering Chelsea attack.

Should Chelsea fail to win at Brighton, Manchester City and Newcastle will face each other on Saturday with a chance to overtake Chelsea and land in the Premier League’s top four. The two clubs are level on points, two behind Chelsea in the table, as Newcastle visits the Etihad. The Magpies have lost two of three matches after a six-match winning run put them back into the top four conversation. They will face a Manchester City team which once again demonstrated its vulnerability by relinquishing a one goal lead with five minutes left in a loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United might well have entertained thoughts of the top four prior to this season but such hopes have since been dashed by their horrific league seasons. Manchester United is 13th in the table, two points above teetering Tottenham, as the Red Devils visit Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend. Spurs has lost half of its Premier League home matches during an injury ravaged season.

Elsewhere in London, West Ham will play host to Brentford as the Bees try to rebound from their disappointing home loss to Spurs last week. West Ham, meanwhile, is still searching for traction under new manager Graham Potter with the Hammers having posted two losses and a draw since Potter’s debut win at London Stadium.

Southampton won for just the second time this season in a 2-1 win over fellow relegation battler Ipswich Town last weekend. That winning streak is likely short lived as the Saints host Bournemouth on Saturday. The Cherries’ loss to league leading Liverpool last week was the first time Bournemouth had lost since November, ending an eleven-match unbeaten run which lifted Bournemouth into seventh position in the Premier League table.

FA Cup: Plymouth Argyle Socks It To Liverpool

Liverpool Manager Arne Slot gambled with a heavily rotated lineup and saw his Premier League leading club unceremoniously bounced from the FA Cup 1-0 by Plymouth Argyle, a lesser opponent mired at the bottom of the Championship table. Slot’s risky lineup choices contributed to one of the most shocking results in the recent history of the tournament. Even accounting for the nine changes made to his starting eleven, Slot could not have predicted the poor performance delivered by what still were Premier League quality players competing against the worst the second tier could offer. Federico Chiesa, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz could produce nothing in attack for the Reds and a late cameo by Darwin Nunez produced little change in a stagnant attack. Liverpool’s reshuffled midfield was outplayed and a handball by Harvey Elliot led to the game’s only score on a successful penalty kick by Plymouth’s Ryan Hardie. Thus did the Championship cellar dwellers, who opened this season under the sad management of the quickly departed Wayne Rooney, topple the Premier League leaders who will have one less opportunity for silverware this season. Plymouth Argyle, meanwhile, will try to continue its giant killing ways in the next round against Manchester City which advanced with a 2-1 win over Leyton Orient on a Kevin De Bruyne 79th minute winner.

Far less surprising than Liverpool’s defeat was another failure by Tottenham Hotspur, which was eliminated from the competition in a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa. The London side was eliminated from the FA Cup just three days after Liverpool booted Spurs out of the Carabao Cup semifinals. It did not take long for Manager Ange Postecoglou to realize he was in for another long day when Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey scored before sixty seconds had elapsed in the match. The home side would extend the lead to two before a meaningless stoppage time goal narrowed the final margin. After the match, the increasingly irascible Postecoglou would again rant about the injuries which have ravaged his roster. While injuries have been a factor, Postecoglou has done little to overcome them, and his increasingly surly post-match behavior is becoming tiresome from the embattled Australian manager. With elimination from both domestic cup competitions, the sole hope for the Premier League stragglers to  salvage something from this season rests on the Europa League.

Chelsea is still in the mix for a top four Premier League finish and will have more time to focus on that objective after being eliminated from domestic cup competition with its 2-1 loss to Brighton in the FA Cup on Saturday. Chelsea could generate little versus the Seagulls, its lone score coming on a Brighton own goal as the Blues managed just one shot on target. Chelsea supporters were less than thrilled with Manager Enzo Maresca’s post-match remarks which cited the ability of his club to now focus attention more fully on the Premier League and Europa Conference League. The listless performance versus the Seagulls, however, further heightened alarm bells after the seventh non-winning effort in Chelsea’s last ten matches. Brighton Manager Fabian Hurzeler, meanwhile, got the response he needed from his players after the Seagulls were smashed 7-0 by Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last weekend. Brighton and Chelsea will do it all again when the two sides meet in a league match this coming weekend.

Newcastle will be Brighton’s opponent in the FA Cup’s next round after Joe Willock’s second goal of the match proved the winner in a 3-2 Magpie win over Birmingham.

It's @Joewillock again 🤩

He's put @NUFC ahead late on!#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/iSmMVoHwbv

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 8, 2025

Defending FA Cup champion Manchester United will face Fulham in another all Premier League fifth round draw after the Red Devils squeaked by Leicester on a stoppage time header by Harry Maguire. The loss was extra painful for former Manchester United interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy who rightfully noted that Maguire was offside when striking the winner versus his Foxes. VAR is only being introduced for the next round of the tournament so van Nistelrooy and his Foxes can only lament the unfairness of the poor on pitch refereeing.

Fulham advanced by the same 2-1 score over Wigan Athletic and now will visit Old Trafford in a rematch of an FA Cup quarterfinal match of tow years ago when the Cottagers were reduced to nine men in a comeback victory by the homestanding Red Devils.

Nottingham Forest escaped an upset bid by League One side Exeter City before prevailing in penalty kicks as goalkeeper Mats Selz saved two Exeter attempts and put the Tricky Trees into the next round where Forest will host fellow Premier League side Ipswich Town. The relegation threatened Tractor Boys took out some of their frustration from their Premier League struggles by waxing second tier Coventry 4-1 on Saturday.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, defeated Everton 2-0 in what will be the final FA Cup match to be played at Goodison Park as the Toffees relocate to their new stadium next year. The venerable stadium where Everton has played since 1892 will host its final Merseyside derby between the Toffees and rival Liverpool in a rescheduled league match being played on Wednesday. The Cherries will continue on their FA Cup journey against a rejuvenated Wolverhampton side under new manager Vitor Pereira.

Wolves easily dispatched Blackburn Rovers by the same 2-0 scoreline by which the club took down Aston Villa in Premier League play last weekend. Southampton, meanwhile, were 1-0 cup losers to Burnley while Crystal Palace defeated Doncaster 2-0 to set up a nasty next round matchup with south London rival Millwall. The FA Cup’s fifth round will be played March 1st.

Cups Take Center Stage

The Premier League is on pause as domestic cups take center stage in England. The finalists are set for the Carabao Cup championship match March 16th at Wembley Stadium. Arsenal will not be one of those clubs competing for the silverware. The Gunners, already eliminated from the FA Cup, were knocked out in the Carabao Cup semifinals by Newcastle on Wednesday with the Magpies prevailing by the same 2-0 margin as their first leg conquest of the Gunners. Arsenal’s challenges in finding the net once again raise concern that they will not take that next step forward without the addition of another attacking player. Ironically, Newcastle’s Alexander Isak has been rumored to be that final piece in the Arsenal puzzle. Isak, who has 17 Premier League goals, did not find the net on Wednesday though it was his shot which deflected off the post and was quickly put back for the opening goal by Newcastle’s Jacob Murphy. Anthony Gordon would provide a second half insurance goal for the Magpies to ensure safe passage to the Wembley final. Arsenal, meanwhile, was again a model of futility, failing again to find the net and only putting 6 of 33 shots on target over the two-leg semifinal, none of those attempts finding their way past Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

The Magpies, meanwhile, are headed to their first domestic cup final in 55 years. Isak and Aaron Gordon spearhead an opportunistic attack that capitalizes on key moments without dominating possession. Newcastle Manager Eddie Howe lined his club up with five men at the back on Wednesday, a tweak which seemed to surprise Arsenal and drew plaudits for the English manager, an often-underrated tactician who got the better of counterpart Mikel Arteta in this semifinal matchup. The Magpies now move on to face Liverpool in the final at Wembley.

THIS TEAM ✊ pic.twitter.com/jKO0Qoq4EC

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) February 6, 2025

The Reds steamrolled Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 on Thursday to erase a one goal deficit carrying over from the first leg of the clubs’ semifinal tie. The outcome at Anfield was not surprising, Spurs defense being always capable of delivering embarrassment. The fact that Spurs could not land a single shot on target, however, added to the infamy. Tottenham Hotspur’s defense is terrible, its attack inconsistent, and its results this season usually poor. The first leg victory over Liverpool thus always seemed to have been an anomaly. Liverpool, the Premier League leaders, saw four different players find the net as the Reds knotted the tie on Cody Gakpo’s first half strike before a second half trifecta of goals buried their opponent. A Mohamed Salah penalty kick in the 51st  minute would be all that was needed to punch the ticket to Wembley. Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk would then lend heft to the final score with their late match goals. The pressure on Tottenham Hotspur Manager Ange Postecoglou increases enormously with his club’s poor effort at Anfield. The league season is lost, casting greater importance on cup success only to have Postecoglou’s players shockingly fail to show up for the critical second leg of the semifinal.

Attention now turns to the FA Cup this weekend where Tottenham Hotspur will face another difficult challenge against fellow Premier League side Aston Villa. Liverpool, meanwhile, will continue its quest for multiple trophies this season with an appointment at Plymouth Argyle, a club currently at the bottom of the English second tier table.

Nottingham Forest and Newcastle, two clubs in the current top six of the Premier League table, will face third-tier sides Birmingham and Exeter City, respectively. An all Premier League showcase will feature Chelsea visiting Brighton in perhaps the best match of the weekend. Two other Premier League sides will compete for the chance to salve the wounds of egregious league seasons with a decent cup run. Relegation bound Leicester plays Manchester United at Old Trafford, a venue that has provided little in the way of home pitch advantage for the Red Devils this season. Manchester United somewhat shockingly knocked Arsenal out of the FA cup, winning on penalties at the Emirates while the Foxes thrashed second tier QPR in the last round.

Match Week 24 Results: Salah Leads Liverpool Over Cherries; Arsenal Swats Manchester City; Chelsea Spoils Potter Return; Nottingham Forest Blitzes Brighton; Crystal Palace Wins At Old Trafford; Newcastle Beaten By Visting Cottagers; Everton Wins Third Straight; Southampton Wins !

Liverpool continued its unbeaten road rampage with a 2-0 victory at Bournemouth. The Premier League leaders relied on a brace from Mohamed Salah, the league’s leading scorer, to secure the ninth win of a twelve-match undefeated run away from home. Salah’s goal total moved to 21 on the season as he raised the ante on his next contract, with the Reds or elsewhere. Only Alan Sherer, Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane have exceeded Salah’s five seasons with 20 or more Premier League goals. Salah’s second goal on Saturday was his 178th goal in the league, moving him ahead of Frank Lampard to sixth on the list of all-time Premier League scorers. He remains unsigned, however, past this season. The Liverpool victory, which snapped an 11-match unbeaten run by Bournemouth, keeps the Reds six points ahead of second place Arsenal with the league leaders having played one fewer match.

pic.twitter.com/K2npuabrHd

— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) February 2, 2025

Arsenal unleashed years of frustration on reeling Manchester City as the Gunners routed their tormentors of the past two years 5-1 at the Emirates. Arsenal ran second each of the past two seasons to the defending title winners. This, however, is not Manchester City’s year while Arsenal continues its chase of a title, this time in pursuit of Liverpool. The rout of their struggling nemesis on Sunday will give added confidence to an Arsenal side which has overcome injuries to remain in striking distance of Liverpool. Five different players scored for Arsenal in the win over Manchester City but there will be question as to whether this was fool’s gold as the Gunners failed to land a true Number 9 in the now closed transfer window, the club still lacking what many perceive to be the final piece necessary to the club’s final ascent of the Premier Leage mountain. Manchester City, meanwhile, slipped out of the top four following the loss but remains part of a crowded field contending for European qualification for next year.

Chelsea jumped over Manchester City into the top four with a 2-1 comeback victory over West Ham at Stamford Bridge though it was not pretty for a Blues side which has seen its attack stall in the new year. An opportunistic put back by substitute Pedro Neto and an own goal by the Hammers’ Aaron Wan-Bissaka overcame a first half West Ham lead and made for an unhappy return by former Chelsea and current West Ham Manager Graham Potter.

Another of Potter’s former teams, Brighton, was thrashed by Nottingham Forest in a 7-0 massacre perpetrated at the City Gound. Chris Wood had three goals and Anthony Elanga had three assists as the Trees responded in in the best way possible to their own thrashing at the hands of Bournemouth last weekend. The routing of a fellow European contender in Brighton will have restored any lapsed confidence as Forest posted its eighth win in the Tricky Trees’ last ten matches, a stretch which included a close fought draw with current table toppers Liverpool. The Seagulls, meanwhile, have lost altitude after flying as high as fourth place at the close of November only to now nest  in 10th position after Saturday’s loss.

Brighton’s hated rival, Crystal Palace, has closed to within four points of the Seagulls after a 2-0 win over Manchester United, the Eagles third victory in their last four matches. JP Mateta had a second half brace to send Manchester United to a fifth defeat in its last six Premier League matches at Old Trafford. The Palace striker has found the net six times in his last five league appearances and now has 10 goals on the season. Manchester United’s seven defeats in 13 home matches this season is the worst Red Devils’ league performance in front of the home crowd since the 19th century. Manager Reuben Amorim’s claim that this might be the wort Manchester United team ever appears to be an accurate assessment. The Red Devils also lost defender Lisandro Martinez to a knee injury during the match as the tale of woe continues for Amorim and home supporters. Meanwhile, the club sent Marcus Rashford and Antony out on loan without any appreciable additions to its attacking force.

The problems at Manchester United made for a real headscratcher when the Red Devils won at Fulham last weekend. The Cottagers had lost only one other time in their preceding 10 matches which included  draws with the league’s top two clubs, Liverpool and Arsenal. The Cottagers returned to form this weekend by going to St. James Park and taking all three points from Newcastle in a 2-1 final. Down a goal at halftime, Fulham’s comeback began with a goal by Raul Martinez and was complete when Rodrigo Muniz found the net for the winner in the 82nd minute. The collapse by Newcastle, which dropped a second consecutive match at St. James’s Park, allowed Chelsea to leapfrog the Magpies in the table as Newcastle and Manchester City sit level on points just outside the top four.

Aston Villa’s hopes for European qualification, meanwhile, took a wrong turn with its trip to Molineux Stadium. Wolverhampton’s 2-0 victory over the Villans moved Wolves out of the relegation zone for the first time since November.

Replacing Wolves among the doomed is Leicester, 4-0 losers to suddenly dangerous Everton. The Toffees won their third consecutive league match and are nine points clear of the endangered Foxes.

Danger does not begin to describe the survival prospects of Southampton. Saturday was a rare day to cheer for the Saints, however, as the beleaguered club notched only its second win of the season in a 2-1 victory at Ipswich Town. The loss by the Tractor Boys bodes ill for their own survival. Ipswich Town is three points from safety after the weekend’s results. Happy New Year to Tottenham Hotspur, which won a Premier League match for the first time this year in a 2-0 win at Brentford. The win by Spurs  snapped a four-match losing run and was the first victory in eight matches for the north London side.

Match Week 24 Preview

After a relatively few number of spotlight games last weekend, where Bournemouth’s rout of Nottingham Forest raised the most eyebrows, Match Week 24 provides a broader landscape of key matchups for Premier League fans. Bournemouth can put an exclamation point on last week’s victory by taking down the league leaders when Liverpool visits Vitality Stadium. The Cherries have not lost since November and, while still a massive 13 points from Liverpool’s lofty perch at the top of the table, the Cherries are but a single point removed from fourth place Manchester City in the scramble for European places.

WWWDWDDWDWW

Our @premierleague unbeaten run continues 📈👊 pic.twitter.com/yTmeqJcARd

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) January 25, 2025

Their opponent, however, has been in a different stratosphere. Liverpool has been dominant in Arne Slot’s first season as manager. The Reds’ only loss was an early season 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, a blemish which makes more sense now that Forest has continued to contend for its own place in Europe. Liverpool has sliced up Premier League opponents and advanced in cup competitions despite many of its stars rumored to be spending their final season on Merseyside. Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk are all playing under the final year of their contract with their futures in Red subject to continued speculation. Those three have formed the core of Liverpool teams which have captured Premier League, Champions League and both domestic cup trophies during their stay. The Salah contract situation has captured the most attention. Liverpool’s fourth all-time leading goal scorer is 33 years old but leads the Premier League in both goals and assists to fuel his side’s success in Slot’s maiden year as manager.

Arsenal has lost just one more game than Liverpool but finds itself six points back of the Reds with Liverpool having played one less game than the Gunners. Despite much handwringing by Arsenal fans, Manager Mikel Arteta’s side has not lost since November 2nd, overcoming a series of injuries which includes the devastating long-term absence of star Bukayo Saka. While Liverpool is the team which Arsenal is chasing this season, the last two Premier League title chases saw the Gunners run second to Manchester City. The Citizens come to the Emirates on Sunday as they continue their comeback tour. Things looked dire earlier this season for the defending champions. In November and December, the club experienced a four-match losing run amid a stretch of six losses in eight Premier League games, unheard of during the Citizens’ multi-year run of excellence. The players looked old, the play seemed disjointed, and the futures of Manager Pep Guardiola and leading scorer Erling Haaland were uncertain. Since then, Guardiola and Haaland have signed extensions, and the club has put together an unbeaten run of six matches featuring four victories. While the possibility of a points deduction for financial irregularities still looms, the club has returned to the top four, six points behind second place Arsenal.

Manchester City thumped Chelsea 3-1 last week and Chelsea fans who have seen their heroes win just one of their last seven Premier League games, now brace for the return of a manager they discarded during the tumultuous early beginnings of the Todd Boehly regime at Stamford Bridge. West Ham visits for Monday’s London derby with Graham Potter at the helm for the Hammers. Potter, who enjoyed success and respect at Brighton and previous posts, lasted less than seven months as Boehly’s first managerial appointment at Chelsea. Potter has since expressed a bit of bitterness over his fall guy role amid the early (some would say continuing) chaos of the Boehly regime.

Another of Potter’s former clubs will look to rebound this weekend after Brighton lost for the first time in seven matches in a 1-0 shock at Everton last week. The Seagulls, however, could face an even more motivated opponent when they travel to Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees were smashed 5-0 at Bournemouth last week in an embarrassing end to an eight-match unbeaten run which had seen the Trees drop just two points since the first week of December. Both Brighton and Nottingham Forest will be out to prove that last weekend’s results were mere anomalies.

Speaking of anomalies, Leicester went into Tottenham Hotspur last week and emerged with a victory that ended the Foxes’ seven match losing run. That win lifted Leicester out of the relegation zone as they now turn their attention toward a trip to Goodison Park on Saturday. Everton snapped a three-match losing run with the Toffees’ own triumph over spiraling Spurs two weeks ago. Now after a winning effort at Brighton last week, Everton Manager David Moyes hopes to lead his charges to a third consecutive victory. The Toffees’ recent success has them positioned seven points clear of the drop zone, six points above the barely safe Foxes. Tottenham Hotspur’s recent incompetence in losses to Leicester and Everton have fueled the survival hopes of those clubs.

Tottenham Hotspur has been terrible as a cranky Ange Postecoglou has watched his club lose four in a row, six out of seven and eight out of ten Premier League matches.  The Londoners will try to get off the schneid in a derby at Brentford on Sunday. The Bees are currently seven points above Spurs in the standings after winning another London derby versus Crystal Palace last week.

The Eagles will be at Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Sunday where a victory would see the Eagles fly past Manchester United in the table. Manchester United surprised Fulham last week with the Red Devils capturing all three points with a deflected shot finding the net at Craven Cottage. The Cottagers now face a tough trip to Newcastle with the fifth place Magpies squarely in the fight for a top four berth in the league.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, is battling for European qualification with the Villans currently sitting eighth in the Premier League table as Manager Unai Emery takes his side to Molineux Stadium to face Wolverhampton this weekend. Wolves are one of three sides currently in the relegation zone. The other two doom patrols face off when Southampton visits Ipswich Town. Saturday’s match means little for an already doomed Southampton. Ipswich Town, however, still has hope for safety, a prospect which would be severely damaged by not taking all three points against the visiting Saints. 

Match Week 23 Results: Cherries Smash Forest; Arsenal Escape Wolves; Liverpool Cruises; Leicester Hands Spurs A Fourth Straight Loss; City Defeats Mistake Prone Chelsea; Manchester United Surprises Fulham; Moyes and Everton Win Again; Hammers Grab A Point At Aston Villa

Dango Ouattara struck for a hat trick as Bournemouth dominated Nottingham Forest in a 5-0 win at the Cherries’ Vitality Stadium. The victory extended an 11 match Bournemouth unbeaten run and ended the eight-match unbeaten streak of Nottingham Forest in a match which featured two of the Premier League’s more surprising success stories this season. Bournemouth’s unbeaten run of Premier League success is a club record and has Cherries’ supporters dreaming of a once unthinkable berth in Europe for next season. Jason Kluivert, the author of a hat trick in last week’s Bournemouth win over Newcastle, got the Cherries started early on Saturday with a ninth-minute goal, his 11th of the season. It was Outtara, however, who would take center stage on this day with three second half goals which chopped down the Trees and handed Forest its first loss since December 4th. While the scoreline was embarrassing, Nottingham Forest can take some solace in becoming one of several top clubs which have fallen to the Cherries this season. Bournemouth had already taken down Arsenal and Manchester City this season and just last week dominated fellow European contender Newcastle by a 4-1 margin.

Wins by Manchester City and Newcastle moved both clubs within three points of Nottingham Forest which remained third in the Premier League table. Manchester City capitalized on Chelsea’s goalkeeping problem to notch a fourth win in their last five league matches. While inordinately spending on a variety of similar attacking players, Chelsea has entrusted its goalkeeping to Robert Sanchez, a marginal player who was having difficulty keeping his place for Brighton before taking his gloves to London. He has since regularly unnerved Chelsea supporters with mistakes. Just last week was a goal gifted to Wolverhampton. On Saturday, Sanchez was worse. A weak parry of a Manchester City shot attempt allowed a second attempt to find the net for Manchester City’s equalizer. The go-ahead goal by Manchester City, however, was the most galling to Chelsea supporters. An out of position Sanchez could only flail his arms uselessly as Erling Haaland chipped what would be the winning goal over the beleaguered goalkeeper. It was the fifth time a Sanchez mistake directly led to an opponent goal, joint tops in the Premier League this season. Meanwhile, Chelsea loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga kept a clean sheet this weekend for streaking Bournemouth. Ouch...

Robert Sanchez booed by the Chelsea fans!

Enough is enough now pic.twitter.com/KQzcJ4aYrw

— Charlie Patrick (@charliepatrick0) January 25, 2025

After being held by Kepa to a single goal in a home loss to Bournemouth last week, Newcastle’s stalled attack needed a confidence boost which Southampton was more than capable of providing. The Magpies rolled over the Saints 3-1 with Alexander Isak scoring twice. The Newcastle striker, held scoreless last weekend for the first time in nine appearances, rebounded to become the first player in club history to score in five consecutive Premier League away games. Southampton has conceded the most goals in the league, nine in their last three matches.

Ipswich Town, meanwhile, has conceded ten goals in its last two matches after providing some entertainment for Liverpool and its supporters in a 4-1 win by the league leaders at Anfield. Cody Gakpo registered a brace for Liverpool while Mohamed Salah also joined the fun to improve his league leading goal haul to 19, one better than Erling Haaland and two more than Newcastle’s Isak.

Arsenal was hard pressed to keep pace with Liverpool after going down to ten men in the 43rd minute of its match with Wolverhampton on a Myles Lewis-Skelly red card. The cynical foul by Arsenal’s 18-year-old defender on Wolverhampton’s Matt Doherty ignited controversy, those defending the card claiming a rake of the Achilles, those angered by the referee’s decision finding no violent intent on the part of Lewis-Skelly. Ten-man Arsenal would labor until the 70th minute when Wolverhampton earned a red of its own. Four minutes later, Ricardo Calafiore found the net for Arsenal’s winner in a nervy 1-0 outcome.

After a rare three goal outburst last weekend, Everton managed only a single shot on target, three shots in total on Saturday. The Toffees prevailed again, however, defeating Brighton 1-0 on a 42nd minute penalty by Iliman Ndiaye in Everton Manager David Moyes’ 700th Premier League game. The two consecutive victories have removed Everton from relegation peril for the time being as the Toffees have climbed seven points clear of the drop. Brighton controlled almost 70% of the possession but only one of the Seagulls’ 16 shots was on target in a frustrating display which extended Brighton’s winless Premier League run at Amex Stadium to five consecutive matches.

The home support at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, meanwhile, was not shy in voicing their displeasure with Manager Ange Postecoglou and Chairman Daniel Levy as the Spurs spiral continued with a home loss to relegation threatened Leicester. The Foxes had lost seven straight matches under Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy before coming back from an early deficit to inflict a sixth home loss of the season on Spurs. Only the bottom four Premier League clubs, including Leicester, have lost that many home matches. Of course, Spurs have also lost seven away matches to help put them 15th in the table. A halftime lead on Sunday evaporated for the Londoners in the first four minutes of the second half on goals by the timeless Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss with Bobby De Cordona Reid assisting on each score. While Chairman Daniel Levy remained stone faced amid the vocal fan outrage, Postecoglou once again showed the stress he is under when he came back out from the tunnel after the match to trade barbs with angry fans. Not a good look for the Australian manager who has become increasingly aggressive with media and fans with the wining of his club fortunes and perhaps his own job security.

Another “Big Six” club whose current table standing belies that description is Manchester United. The Red Devils, however, pulled off a surprise by going to Craven Cottage and emerging with a 1-0 victory over Fulham when defender Lisandro Martinez’s attempt in the 78th minute was deflected into the net. Manchester United moved to 12th  in the table, four points removed from 10th place Fulham. Realistically, fortune favored the Red Devils as the Martinez deflection masked another lackluster performance. Manchester United would win the match with just a single shot on target as underwhelming Fulham had only three shots on target of its own in a match which was hard on the eyes. The Cottagers lost for a second time in three matches after an eight-match unbeaten run had raised hopes at the Cottage.

Brentford remained two points above United and closed to within two points of Fulham with a 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace. The Bees secured just their second win in 10 matches with two second half goals to disappoint Crystal Palace supporters at Selhurst Park. The Eagles had been flying high with just one loss in their last eleven Premier League matches entering the match. The crash landing on Sunday began when Brentford was given a second opportunity for Bryan Mbeumo to convert his penalty kick after Palace was whistled for encroaching upon the penalty area too soon on his first attempt. Brentford would add an insurance goal by Kevin Schade before a consolation goal by Crystal Palace proved too little, too late in the end. Aston Villa remained unbeaten at home for an 11th consecutive match.

Suspended Manger Unai Emery experienced some nervy moments watching from the stands, however, as his side needed to survive a late flurry from West Ham which saw the Hammers score a 70th minute equalizer and threaten a winner with near chances right to the ending whistle in a 1-1 draw at Villa Park. The Hammers’ resilience drew kudos for the impact of new manager Graham Potter. Aston Villa, meanwhile, was left to rue not just dropped points but another knee problem for defender Tyron Mings who returned in October after a yearlong absence following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Match Week 23 Preview

The south coast will be the site for a match between two of the Premier League’s most in-form clubs when Bournemouth plays host to Nottingham Forest. Bournemouth has not lost in its last 10 league matches, winning six and drawing four to enter the chase for a top four berth. Remarkably Manager Andoni Iraola’s side seems more capable of finding answers when struck by injuries than many other Premier League sides who lament a lack of depth in times of crisis. Bournemouth came into this season having said goodbye to leading scorer Dominic Solanke who left for the mess which is Spurs right now. Evanilson stepped in ably for Solanke but broke his foot. Now it is Diego Outtara who fills the number nine role while Bournemouth looks increasingly to wingers Antonio Semenyo and Justin Kluivert for goals. Kluivert had a hat trick in last week’s 3-1 win at Newcastle. The Cherries currently sit seventh in the table but are only three points back of fourth place Chelsea. Nottingham Forest can be found even further up the table. The Tricky Trees have won seven times during an eight-match unbeaten run which has seen Manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad rise to third in the table, separated from second place Arsenal by goal differential. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, has found gold in Chris Wood, a 33-year-old Premier League veteran having perhaps his best season as he leads the line for Nottingham Forest. Wood has 14 goals this season for the Tricky Trees and only three players in the Premier League have more. Forest’s Mats Selz, meanwhile, leads all Premier League goalkeepers with nine clean sheets. Reflecting the disciplined approach of their manager, Forest have conceded fewer goals this season than all but Liverpool and Arsenal.

Manchester City can move past Chelsea and into the top four with a win over the Blues on Saturday. Manchester City has been quietly righting its ship after losing six league matches across November and December. The Citizens looked like their old selves last weekend in a 6-0 rout of poor Southampton, a victory which extended City’s current unbeaten run to five matches, three of those resulting in all three points. Some of that confidence from last weekend’s thumping of the Saints, however, may have dissipated with the Citizens’  4-2 failure in Champions League competition versus PSG on Thursday. Chelsea will be better rested with no European adventures having crowded their midweek. Chelsea’s win over Wolves last weekend ended a five-match unbeaten run where Manager Enzo Maresca’s attack seemed to stall after menacing the league for much of the early season. Questions remain whether striker Nicolas Jackson remains the answer for Chelsea up front or whether the transfer market should be explored for a more reliable, accurate point man.

Spurs has an opportunity to improve on recent form when it hosts spiraling Leicester at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Foxes represent a welcome opponent after having dropped seven consecutive league matches, scoring just twice across all those barren minutes.

Liverpool and Arsenal also face bottom of the table opponents. Liverpool will play host to Ipswich Town which likely remains stunned by the six goals Manchester City put on the Tractor Boys last week. Ipswich is level on points in a current battle for survival with 17th place Wolverhampton. Wolves supporters received some encouraging news this week when Manager Vitor Pereira claimed that 25-year-old star Matheus Cunha is not for sale and that the club was looking to add players in this transfer window to aid their survival battle. Cunha has attracted interest from several clubs after failing to agree a new contract with Wolverhampton. Wolves hosts Arsenal on Saturday with the Gunners knowing they can’t afford to let their guard down after dropping points in two of their last three matches.

Southampton has fallen so far that the 20th place Saints are eight points removed from the nearest other Premier League side at the bottom of the table. Newcastle will visit Saint Mary’s on Sunday hoping to erase memories of the Magpies’ heavy loss to Bournemouth last week. Their prospects should be good against an opponent that has conceded 50 goals this season while finding their opponent’s net only 15 times.

Manchester United, which scored a victory against Southampton two weeks ago for the Red Devils’ only win in their last six league outings, travels to London to face Fulham. Craven Cottage is normally a safe haven for Manchester Unted with the Red Devils winning on their last seven visits to Fulham’s home on the Thames. Optimism is not infusing Manchester United supporters for this visit, however. Fulham still entertains hopes for a European berth with the 10th place Cottagers situated three points below eighth place Aston Villa and five points removed from the top six. Manchester United has lost six of its last nine Premier League matches and a loss on Sunday would mean the most defeats in a 10-match stretch in 35 years for the Red Devils. That additional bit of history would be unsurprising for a team that their manager Reuben Amorim has described as potentially the worst in the club’s history.

Brighton is one point above Fulham, two points behind Villa amid the scramble of clubs on the fringe of European qualification. The Seagulls embarrassed Manchester United 3-1 at Old Trafford last week and will be seeking a third consecutive victory when they host Everton on Saturday. Brighton, however, has failed to leverage its home advantage to full advantage season, drawing six and winning just three of 10 matches at American Express Stadium. Everton visits the Seagulls on Saturday on the heels of a jaw dropping offensive outburst. New Manager David Moyes’ side spanked Spurs with three goals after having scored just once in the Toffees’ six previous matches.

Another new manager faces a tough match on Sunday when Graham Potter brings his Hammers to Aston Villa. Villa defeated West Ham in the FA Cup in Potter’s first match in charge. The former Chelsea and Brighton manager has a win and a loss in his first two league matches but likely needs an attacker in this transfer window for any meaningful success with the Hammers.

Match Week 22 Results: Nunez Strikes Late to Carry Liverpool Past Bees; Arsenal Squanders Two Goal Lead In Villa Draw; Nottingham Forest Holds On To Defeat Southampton; Ange Ball Craters In Spurs Loss To Everton; Manchester City Smashes Ipswich Town

Darwin Nunez came off the bench to score two stoppage time goals and lead Liverpool to a 2-0 win over Brentford. The haul by Nunez doubled his two-goal league production entering the match and provided a much-needed spark for the league leaders who had raised some light concern after drawing their last two Premier League matches which surrounded a loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup. Liverpool’s lead in the table is now six points, with a match in hand, over an Arsenal side which fumbled away a two-goal lead in the final 30 minutes of regulation at the Emirates. Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins scored second half goals to capture the point for Aston Villa, capitalizing on the collapse of an Arsenal defense impacted by the absence of injured center back William Saliba. Jurrien Timber slotted in for Saliba with midfielder Thomas Partey taking over for Timber at right back. Partey’s play in his unaccustomed role was complicit in both the late goals.

Nottingham Forest drew level on points with Arsenal as the Tricky Trees managed to survive their own late scare in a 3-2 win over Southampton. A three-goal halftime lead for the trees narrowed to the match’s final margin as Southampton showed a resilience that has been lacking most of this season for the Premier League’s bottom club.

Chelsea is four points back of Arsenal and Nottingham Forest after the Blues defeated Wolverhampton 3-1 on Monday. Marc Cucarella and Noni Madueke delivered second half goals which snapped a five-match winless run and launched Chelsea back into the top four in replacement of Newcastle.

Happy to be back in winning ways. 🐧 Let’s keep going Blues! 💙 pic.twitter.com/pXtYno9IVR

— Marc Cucurella (@cucurella3) January 20, 2025

The Magpies suffered a shocking 4-1 home loss to Bournemouth on Saturday. Justin Kluivert posted his second hat trick of the season for the Cherries as they ended Newcastle’s six match Premier League winning streak. The Cherries successfully shut down Alexander Isak’s run of goals in nine consecutive appearances across all competitions, the Newcastle forward failing to register a shot from open play on Saturday.

Manchester City also leapfrogged over Newcastle as the Citizens pummeled Ipswich Town 6-0, making it three wins and two draws in City’s past five matches as the defending champions work to salvage a disappointing season. Phil Foden, a missing person for much of this season, delivered two goals and an assist in the romp. Kevin De Bruyne notched two assists and Erling Haaland scored to draw within a single goal of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in the Golden Boot chase.

Brighton delivered some humble pie to Manchester United with a 3-1 win at Old Trafford. It was Brighton’s third consecutive Premier League away victory at Old Trafford, a feat previously only accomplished by Manchester City. Following the sound defeat in front of the home supporters, Manchester United Manager Reuben Amorim lamented that this might be the worst Manchester United side in the club’s storied history.

Crystal Place moved past Manchester United in the table with the Eagles’ 2-0 victory over West Ham. JP Mateta scored both goals for Crystal Palace which registered a second consecutive victory and extended a current undefeated run to five matches. The Eagles have lost just once since November 9th.

Tottenham Hotspur remained two points behind the 15th place Hammers after a 3-2 loss at Everton. Ange Ball has cratered of late as Spurs lost for the fifth time in seven league matches and for a seventh time in their last nine matches. The porous Spurs defense allowed the Toffees three first half goals, the first time Everton had accomplished that since 2009. The infamy of Spurs’ poor display is captured in the fact that Everton had scored just a single goal in its previous six Premier League matches. Two late goals could not avert another humiliation for Ange Ball. With their league season in tatters, the hopes of Spurs supporters rest on the Carabao Cup where the club improbably defeated Liverpool in the first leg of their semifinal matchup earlier in January. The first victory for returning Toffee manager David Moyes moved Everton four points clear of the drop line.

Leicester, meanwhile, may have given up too soon on former manager Steve Cooper. The Foxes were above the drop line when Cooper was sacked in late November. The club is now spiraling, a 2-0 home loss to Fulham marking a seventh consecutive league loss for new Manager Rudd van Nistelrooy. The Foxes are 19th in the table and looking like an increasingly sure bet for a quick return to the Championship tier of English football.