Premier League Match Week 30 Preview: Back To Work

The Premier League awakens from its two-week slumber with a flurry of mid-week matches beginning Tuesday. The league has been on pause to accommodate first the international break and then the FA Cup quarterfinals this past weekend.

Liverpool returns to action with surely still a bad taste in its mouth after being knocked out of two competitions in quick order right before the break. The league leaders go back to work with a Merseyside derby on Wednesday versus Everton. The Toffees have been tough to beat as Manager David Moyes has guided his club to a nine-match unbeaten run which includes a dramatic draw gained with just seconds left against Liverpool back in mid-February. The Reds, meanwhile, could be on track to be the unhappiest Premier League champion of all time because of the disappointments suffered in all their other competitions and the recent news that Trent Alexander-Arnold has agreed personal terms with Real Madrid. And, oh by the way, club great Mohamed Salah remains unsigned beyond this season.

Second place Arsenal, meanwhile, hosts a London derby on Tuesday versus Fulham. The Cottagers are smarting from a home loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup this past Saturday.

Bruno Fernandes

Nottingham Forest eliminated Brighton in FA Cup action and are home on Tuesday to Manchester United. Real Madrid is reportedly also interested in poaching Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes. The departure of the Portuguese international could well be inevitable as Manager Ruben Amorim seems willing to burn the whole thing down after declaring his squad the worst team in club history.

The Tricky Trees, meanwhile, have enjoyed nothing but good tidings. A year after being relegation fodder, the Trees are cruising along third in the table while still competing for FA Cup silverware. The thought of Nottingham Forest in Europe is becoming real after a multi-decade absence.

Who joins the current top three in the Champions League next season is very much in question. Chelsea are five points behind Forest in fourth position, but the Blues have lost four of their last seven league matches as they prepare to host rival Tottenham Hotspur in a Thursday derby. Spurs are well down the table in 14th as Manager Ange Postecoglou’s job hangs in the balance.

Manchester City has had a difficult league season, but the Citizens are only a point behind Chelsea as they host awful Leicester on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola’s side also advanced to the FA Cup semifinals by defeating Bournemouth over the weekend.

The Cherries have lost three of their last four league matches to fall from fifth to 10th in the table. Recovery should begin with Wednesday’s home match against relegation bound Ipswich Town. Despite their recent travails, Bournemouth is still only four points behind Manchester City, their FA Cup tormentor. Unfortunately for the Cherries, however, there are four other teams between them and fifth place Manchester City in the congested Premier League table.

Newcastle United is currently sixth by virtue of goal differential with the Magpies and Brighton both  level on 47 points, one behind fifth place Manchester City. Newcastle took advantage of its recent downtime to celebrate its Carabao Cup title with its supporters during the break and now looks for a late season push up the table for a Champions League berth. That charge will start with a visit from Brentford on Wednesday.

Brighton, meanwhile, was riding a five-match unbeaten run in the league before bowing out on penalties to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup this past weekend. The Seagulls will try to gain altitude again when they host Aston Villa Wednesday. The Villans are locked on 45 points along with Fulham, one point above 10th place Bournemouth. Manager Unai Emery’s Villa squad advanced to the FA Cup semifinals with a win over Preston North End on Sunday. Their league form, however, has been spotty of late with just two victories in their last eight Premier League matches.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, has been one of the hotter clubs in the Premier League going all the way back to early November. The Eagles have lost just three times since a loss to Fulham on November 9th. Nine victories and five draws over that span have lifted the Eagles from the relegation zone to their current 11th place perch in the table. For good measure, the Eagles knocked Fulham out of the FA Cup on Saturday. Palace eases back into league action with a Wednesday visit to relegation bound Southampton.

The relegation picture seems clear at this point as all three of the promoted teams appear headed for a quick U-turn to the second division. The last two safe positions in the table belong to Wolverhampton and West Ham who will square off at Molineux Stadium on Tuesday. All the sides have a quick turnaround as the Premier League will have another full round of matches this coming weekend. 

Premier League Match Week 29 And Carabao Cup Final Results: Horrible Week For Liverpool Ends in Carabao Cup Loss; Newcastle Ends Long Wait For Silverware: Arsenal Tops Chelsea; Brighton Takes Point At Etihad; Trees Prove Too Much For Tractor Boys; Wolves Take Another Step To Safety; Cottagers Sink Spurs

Liverpool was eliminated from a second competition in less than a week as Newcastle defeated the Premier League leaders 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final. Dan Burn and Alexander Isak scored either side of halftime to give Newcastle its first domestic cup since 1955 and its first major silverware of any sort in 56 years. Manager Eddie Howe needed to fight back tears in postgame interviews as the Newcastle manager silenced doubters who questioned whether the long time Bournemouth manager was the right man to lead Newcastle out of the wilderness. In doing so, Howe becomes the first English manager to win a domestic title in England since 2008. Long suffering Newcastle supporters blanketed Wembley with a wall of celebratory sound at match end while Liverpool fans could only shake their heads in shock.

Liverpool has boat raced the Premier League and entered last week with hopes of a treble of titles this season. A quadruple could even have been in sight if Manager Arne Slot had not chosen a heavily rotated side which failed to survive Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup. Then came elimination form the Champions League a week ago at Anfield after Liverpool had taken a one goal lead in the first leg of their tie with the French champions. The Reds failed to score during regular or extra time at Anfield during the week and only a stoppage time goal by Federico Chiesa avoided a similar fate at Wembley. Chiesa’s consolation goal was not enough for Liverpool to overcome a second straight match where Mohamed Salah and his forward linemates were kept at bay by a disciplined opponent. The loss and his individual performance were particularly disappointing for Salah. The Premier League’s goal and assist leader extended a string of disappointments in title matches for both club and country. The Egyptian international has not scored from open play in eleven cup finals played for Liverpool and Egypt. Salah and his mates now turn their full attention to finishing out the Premier League schedule with that title presumptively theirs.

Arsenal reduced Liverpool’s lead in the Premier League table to 12 points, a still overwhelming margin with but nine matches left, when the Gunners edged Chelsea 1-0 at the Emirates on Sunday. Converted midfielder Mikel Merino headed in Martin Odegaard’s corner kick for the only goal in a match of forward depleted rosters. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer missed the match after sustaining  a minor injury in training. Fourth place Chelsea is now just two points ahead of Carabao Cup champions Newcastle with the Magpies having a match in hand.

Manchester City and Brighton are a point on either side of Newcastle after the Citizens and Seagulls drew 2-2 on Saturday. An own goal by Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov in the 48th minute extended a five-match unbeaten run for Brighton which had strung together four consecutive victories entering the match at the Etihad. Erling Haaland’s first half penalty kick for City made him the first Premier League player to record 100 combined goals and assists in fewer than 100 matches.

Nottingham Forest increased its lead over fourth place Chelsea to five points as the Tricky Trees stayed four points behind Arsenal with a 4-2 win over beleaguered Ipswich Town. The Trees were up 3-0 by halftime after a first half brace from former Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga.

Manchester United also waltzed to victory over a relegation zone opponent as the Red Devils swept by Leicester 3-0 at the Foxes’ King Power Stadium. A goal and two assists by Bruno Fernandes powered the Red Devils and sent Leicester and former Manchester United interim manager Rudd van Nistelrooy to the 13th loss in the Foxes’ last 14 league matches.

Wolverhampton added a further point of separation from both Ipswich and Leicester with a 2-1 win over Southampton. A brace by Jorgen Strand Larsen staked Wolverhampton to a two-goal lead before the Saints responded with a late match prayer which proved too little too late. Wolverhampton now has a nine-point advantage in the battle for the final safe Premier League spot for next season.

Directly above Wolverhampton in the table are three clubs currently level on 34 points but with wildly different stories to tell of their league seasons. Everton and West Ham drew 1-1 at Goodison Park as the Toffees extended their unbeaten run to nine matches under returning manager David Moyes. Moyes also spent two tours of duty at West Ham which parted ways with the Scottish manger after last season. A lack of success under his successor, Julen Lopetegui, led to Graham Potter becoming the Hammers’ third manager in a year’s time. Potter’s start has been mixed in east London but there is a sense of hope that the former Chelsea and Brighton manager can restore the club’s fortunes.

Such hope is dwindling, meanwhile, for Tottenham Hotspur Manager Ange Postecoglou. While better on goal differential than the Toffees and Hammers, Spurs’ 14th place position in the Premier League standings is deemed nothing less than a disaster by the club’s supporters. The north London side lost their derby with Fulham 2-0 on Sunday as Cottagers Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon, a former Spur, found the net for the home side. Spurs supporters cannot be happy with Postecoglou waving the white flag on this league season as the Australian manager rested numerous stars, including Son Heung-min and James Maddison against Fulham. Postecoglou apparently views prioritizing the Europa League and merely playing out the slate in the league as his best chance of returning to the Tottenham Hotspur touchline next season. Supporters accustomed to top six league finishes may feel different.

Meanwhile, a promising season has taken a recent downturn for Bournemouth manger Andoni Iraola who is often tagged as a possible replacement for Postecoglou. The Cherries lost for a third time in their last four matches, falling 2-1 at home to Brentford. Christian Norgaard scored the 71st minute winner for the Bees who drew within three points of the now 10th place Cherries.

Premier League Match Week 29 And Carabao Cup Final

Arne Slot

A humbled Liverpool side will take the pitch versus Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final this weekend. The Reds topped the “league” portion of the reconstituted Champions League format. They have cruised to a 15-point lead in the Premier League table. And yet the Reds were eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday when Dawin Nunez and Curtis Jones missed their shootout penalty tries. PSG had knotted the two-leg tie earlier on an Ousmane Dembele goal in the first half of regular play at Anfield. The defeat was the second exit from a cup competition this season for Liverpool. Manager Arne Slot played a heavily rotated side in February against Plymouth Argyle and his club meekly withdrew from the FA Cup. A Premier League title seems assured but the last chance for multiple trophies in Slot’s maiden season is Sunday versus Newcastle. The Magpies have not won a trophy in 56 years and will be without the suspended Anthony Gordon at Wembley. The biggest question may be the Liverpool mindset. Will they be angry and eager to prove this is indeed a special season? Or will they be deflated by their disappointing midweek loss?

The rest of the league still has business to conduct even as the runaway league leaders are otherwise occupied. The Carabao Cup championship results in a reduced Premier League schedule with Crystal Palace and Aston Villa also sitting out his week’s dance. The feature match is a London derby involving two of the top four clubs as Arsenal plays host to Chelsea. Arsenal is a distant second in the Premier League and their attention may be quickly shifting to the Champions League where, unlike Liverpool, they eased to the next stage with a 2-2 draw versus PSV during the week after obliterating the Dutch side 7-1 in the first leg. Manager Mikel Arteta was able to rest starters during the week and his team should be fresh for the clash versus their rivals on Saturday. Arsenal have been dominant in recent league play versus Chelsea as the Gunners have won four and drawn two of the last six league meetings between the clubs. Chelsea comes into this match, however, in better form after back-to-back victories. The Blues are fighting to stay in the top four with three teams nipping at their heels only three points or less behind Manager Enzo Maresca’s squad. Cole Palmer is expected to be recovered from an illness which limited his participation in the Blues’ 1-0 win over Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League during the week.

Manchester City and Brighton are two and three points, respectively, behind Chelsea in the table. The Citizens and Seagulls meet at the Emirates for another match with huge European qualification implications. Brighton has won four matches on the trot under 32-year-old manager Fabian Hurzeler. Manchester City, meanwhile, has fared poorly against top clubs during a recent run of five matches in which the Citizens lost to Arsenal, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The Seagulls will try to snap a 10-match losing run for Brighton at the Etihad.

A glorious 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest at Vitality Stadium in January seems a long time ago for Bournemouth as the Cherries host Brentford at their home venue on Saturday. Bournemouth has been losing ground in its chase for Europe, winning but one of its last five league contests. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, faces a “trap” game at relegation bound Ipswich Town after the Tricky Trees’ emotional win over Manchester City last week. The Tractor Boys are yet to win this calendar year. Their last two battles with Nottingham Forest, however, have been tight affairs. Ipswich lost 1-0 in a November league clash to the Trees and then lost on penalties to Nottingham Forest in the FA cup earlier this month. Ipswich is six points south of Wolverhampton and safety in the table. Wolves faces cellar dweller Southampton Saturday with a chance to widen that margin.

Everton no longer has to worry about relegation after the miraculous turnaround Manager David Moyes has delivered on his return to the club. The Toffees have not lost since the 15th of January. This match will have extra meaning for Moyes as he faces the club that he led to the Europa League title in 2023 before departing at the end of last season. Moyes might rightfully feel underappreciated by West Ham ownership and supporters who were fine with the results but less enamored with his pragmatic style of play. Graham Potter, West Ham’s second manager of this current season, has won three of his nine matches across all competitions for the Hammers.

Another former Moyes employer is also wondering whether it has the right man in charge. Manchester United Manager Ruben Amorim has only won five of his 17 Premier Legue matches. Last week’s draw with Arsenal was thus something of an unexpected surprise and now Amorim faces the former interim manager who preceded him at Old Trafford. Rudd van Nistelrooy and his Leicester Foxes will host Manchester United with the Foxes desperate for a result. Leicester have lost 12 of their last 13 matches as they sit six points below the relegation line. Manchester United is 14th in the table, level on points with an equally disappointing Tottenham Hotspur side.

Spurs Manager Ange Postecoglou takes his high risk, not so much reward playing approach to Craven Cottage this weekend to face Fulham. The Cottagers are on the fringe of the European places, sitting 10th in the Premier League table after losing a key battle to Brighton last weekend.  

Premier League Results Match Week 28: Nottingham Forest Trumps Manchester City; Arsenal Drops More Points; Liverpool Cruises Past Saints; Chelsea Wins Maresca Bowl, Barely; Seagulls Nip Cottagers

Nottingham Forest proved its mettle once again as the club which barely escaped relegation last season toppled the defending champions 1-0 to remain third in this year’s Premier League table. Callum Hudon-Odoi scored in the 83rd minute of the tense match to take all three points from a Manchester City squad which was held without a goal for the fifth time this season, a low water mark for Manager Pep Guardiola’s time at the club. Hudson-Odoi had been robbed on an acrobatic save by Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson earlier in the match, but the City goalkeeper left daylight at the inside post which was breached for the winning goal. Nottingham Forest, as has been its wont this season, conceded most of the possession to its opponent, waiting to capitalize on a moment of magic.

The Tricky Trees are two points ahead of fourth place Chelsea which sailed past Manchester City in the table when Manager Ezo Maresca completed a sweep of the club he managed to the second-tier title last season. Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Leicester did little to assuage the mounting concerns of Chelsea supporters but Marc Cucarella’s second half goal was enough to frustrate the futile Foxes. Chelsea’s slumbering attack has been epitomized by the poor form of Cole Palmer. The young star who took the league by storm last season, and looked to build on that earlier this campaign, has now gone scoreless in his last nine matches and missed his first penalty kick on Sunday after converting on his first twelve Premier League spot awards. A frustrating afternoon which saw Chelsea unable to solve Leicester’s plucky defense was rescued for the home side when Cucarella bounded forward to find space and strike the winner in the 60th minute.

The excitement of this Premier League season is now clearly focused on the tight battle to qualify for Champions League and the lesser European competitions. The title chase is all but done. Liverpool teased Southampton by conceding a goal on an uncharacteristic mix-up between center back Vigil van Dijk and goalkeeper Allison in first half stoppage time. Three second half goals, including two penalties by league leading scorer Mohamed Salah, ended the Saints’ hopes in a 3-1 win by the table leaders. Darwin Nunez brought Liverpool level in the 51st minute and then drew the penalty for the first of Salah’s two conversions from the spot. Salah’s second goal, his 27th of the season, resulted from a Southampton handball in the penalty area.

Liverpool’s lead in the title chase is now 15 points over Arsenal after the Gunners dropped more points in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Following a seven-goal outburst against PSV during the week, Arsenal’s injury ravaged attack was again largely quiet. The Gunners have scored two goals in their last three league matches where they have dropped seven of the nine available points to doom their title chase. With goals at a premium, the Gunners have a small margin for error. An error by referee Anthony Taylor may have helped Manchester United on the match’s opening goal when the official inexplicably set Arsenal’s wall well back from the regulation 10 yards. The extra space made it easier for Bruno Fernandez to find the net and put the Red Devils ahead at halftime. Declan Rice equalized in the second half to salvage a point for Arsenal, but the two points dropped were yet another blow to the Gunners seemingly doomed title chase. For beleaguered Manchester United, now 14th in the Premier League table, there was at least some solace to extending a current Premier League unbeaten run to three matches.

Meanwhile, only five points now separates fourth place Chelsea from ninth place Bournemouth in the chase for European places. The Cherries did not help themselves on Sunday when they squandered a late lead over Tottenham Hotspur when former Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga took the legs out from under Son Heung-min to create a penalty kick opportunity. Son calmly converted from the spot to damage Bournemouth’s dreams of Europe.

Both Brighton and Aston Villa moved past Bournemouth in the table with their victories over the weekend. Brighton’s Joao Pedro captured a dramatic three points for the Seagulls when his 98th minute penalty kick defeated Fulham 2-1. Brighton won a fourth consecutive outing and notched a sixth win in their last eight Premier League matches. The Seagulls are now a point behind Manchester City and Newcastle who are level on points in fifth and sixth position in the table, respectively.

Newcastle bounced back from its loss at Liverpool the week before to triumph 1-0 at West Ham. Bruno Guimares scored the winner to deliver only the second win in the Magpies’ last five Premier League matches. Aston Villa remained a point behind Brighton by winning 1-0 at Brentford, Ollie Watkins scoring the winner with his 13th Premier League goal of the season. Victory was sorely needed for a Villa team which had won only one of its prior six league matches and was coming off a 4-1 spanking by Crystal Palace the week before.

The Eagles continued their winning form with a much narrower 1-0 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday. The Crystal Palace attack clearly missed leading goal scorer JP Mateta who was brutally injured by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts in the FA Cup. Such was the ferocity of Roberts’ challenge that he was suspended for six matches for his actions. The Eagles still prevailed on Saturday when Ismaila Sarr scored in the 82nd minute and performed Mateta’s patented goal celebration to honor his fallen teammate. Crystal Palace won its third consecutive match amid a run of 11 matches in which the Eagles have won seven times and lost just twice.

Everton is now unbeaten in eight matches after a 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton. It was perhaps an even more important point for Wolverhampton, however, as the Black Country side moved six points clear of the drop as it increasingly appears that all three recently promoted sides (Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich Town) will be returning to the Championship division shortly.

Premier League Preview: Match Week 28

Things could become cringeworthy at Anfield on Saturday when Premier League leading Liverpool, fresh off a Champions League win over PSG midweek, will face one of the worst sides in Premier League history, basement dwelling Southampton. Liverpool’s recent run of success has been more efficient than overwhelming as witnessed by the 1-0 victory over PSG and no more than two goals scored by the Reds in their last five league matches which resulted in four wins and a draw. Saturday, however, could unleash an attack which leads the Premier League with 66 goals when it faces a Saints side which has conceded a league high 65 goals. Liverpool is chasing titles. Southampton needs to add three more points to its current total of nine to avoid the ignominy of accumulating the lowest point total in Premier League history.

Arsenal’s hopes, meanwhile, of catching Liverpool are all but extinguished as the Gunners could trail Liverpool by 16 points when they take to the pitch at Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Sunday. The frustration of recent weeks was vented on poor PSV in the Champions League this week when the Gunners exploded for seven goals after being whitewashed in their last two Premier League matches. Martin Odegaard had two of those midweek goals, a productive appearance from the Arsenal captain who has been largely invisible during his club’s recent rough patch. The Gunners will face a Manchester United club which has won but two of its last seven matches as the standing of Manager Ruben Amorim, only appointed in November, is already very much in question.

While Liverpool’s dominance has taken the air out of the title race, the chase for Champions League and other European qualification bids remains heated. Two of the top four contenders face off when Manchester City visits the City Ground to face surprising Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees are clinging to third in the table, just a point ahead of their Saturday visitors and two points ahead of fifth place Chelsea. The last time Nottingham Forest faced a Manchester City team below them in the topflight table was 1995 when Erling Haaland’s father was collecting splinters on the Tricky Trees’ bench. While City has dominated the last three Premier League meetings between the clubs by an aggregate 7-0 scoreline, Forest is unbeaten in its last seven league matches at the City Ground. Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood is enjoying his best topflight season ever at the age of 33. The striker has 18 goals this season and has eight of those goals, along with three assists, in his last nine Premier League matches. Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, has searched endlessly for answers this season as his club’s performance has fallen below its lofty standard. The defending champions have made more changes to their starting lineup this campaign than any club but for newly promoted and likely soon to be relegated Ipswich Town.

Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca will be in the spotlight when the club he managed to a second-tier title last season, Leicester, visits Stamford Bridge. Chelsea has endured some recent adversity under Maresca, dropping three of its last five league matches, but the Italian manager dodged a bullet in escaping what has been a disastrous promotion season for the Foxes. Leicester ownership is under heavy criticism from supporters after a lack of investment left the club ill-prepared to compete in the top tier. Maresca’s replacement, Steve Cooper, was sacked in November after winning just two of the Foxes’ first twelve matches. The club has won just twice since then and has tumbled into the relegation zone under new manager Rudd van Nistelrooy.

Only five points currently separates fourth place Manchester City from 10th place Aston Villa in the tightly congested Premier League table. The Villans, however, risk falling out of the top half after winning just one of their last six Premier League matches. Manager Unai Emery’s side strangely has played much better in Europe, defeating Club Brugge in a Champions League Round of 16 match on Tuesday. Emery will hope for some carryover when his side hosts Brentford in league play on Saturday.

Brighton and Fulham occupy the two places just above Villa in the table as the Cottagers head south to face the Seagulls this weekend. Homestanding Brighton will be looking to defeat Fulham for the first time in what will be their 10th Premier League meeting. Only Liverpool and Arsenal, however, have averaged more points per away match than the road warrior Cottagers this season.

Newcastle and Bournemouth are sixth and seventh in the Premier League table, respectively, despite each side having lost three of its last fourth league matches. Anthony Gordon will miss Newcastle’s match at West Ham after his red card in the Magpies’ FA Cup loss to Brighton last weekend.

Bournemouth’s loss at Brighton two weeks ago was its first road defeat in its last eight league matches away from Vitality Stadium and the Cherries will try to recapture their away magic at Tottenham Hotspur this weekend. Spurs’ horrendous season took another dire turn during the week when an own goal committed by Lucas Bergvall handed AZ Alkmaar a 1-0 win over the Londoners in the Europa League.

Everton’s season looks much different since David Moyes took charge with the Toffees trying to extend a seven match unbeaten Premier League run when they travel to Wolverhampton. Wolves, meanwhile, have moved five points clear of the relegation zone by winning two of their last four matches.

Crystal Palace returns to league play having lost just twice in the Eagles’ last ten league matches. A 4-1 punishing of Aston Villa two weeks ago in the league was followed by an FA Cup win over Millwall last weekend. The win over their south London rival, however, could prove costly for the Eagles due to a head injury suffered by Crystal Place striker JP Mateta on a ghastly challenge by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts. The Eagles’ leading scorer will miss Saturday’s clash versus Ipswich Town after needing 25 stitches to close a gash inflicted by Roberts’ boot. 

Premier League Results Match Week 27: Liverpool Widens Its Lead

Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League table is now 13 points after the Reds made easy work of Newcastle, 2-0, and Arsenal dropped further points in a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest. Mohamed Salah added to his league leading assist total but left the scoring on the day to Liverpool midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. The story of the day, however, was the Liverpool defense which held Newcastle without a single shot on target and to a measly three shots in total. The second consecutive clean sheet by Liverpool was the eighth whitewash posted by the Reds this season. Beyond the brilliance of Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s title march to date has been marked by Manager Arne Slot’s disciplined defense which trails only Arsenal in goals allowed with the next stingiest side conceding six more times than Liverpool. The home side’s organization seemed unaffected by the absence of Slot and his top assistant who are now serving a two-match suspension for their behavior following the Mersey side derby. Newcastle could generate nothing on Wednesday, particularly in the absence of striker Alexander Isak who was a surprising late scratch due to a groin issue. The comfortable Liverpool victory marked the end of a stretch in which the Reds played five league matches in a space of two weeks. The Reds entered that stretch leading the table by six points, an advantage they have now more than doubled. Mohamed Salah had scored in the last four matches but happily played creator to set up Mac Allister’s second half goal which removed all doubt on Wednesday.

Arsenal, meanwhile, suffered again from a lack of quality up front in failing to penetrate the Nottingham Forest defense. The Gunners’ plethora of injured attackers includes Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz and their collective absence is proving is proving to be too much for the Gunners to overcome. The duo of Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino up front on Wednesday were unable to create a spark against Nottingham Forest. Arsenal’s 65% possession resulted in just a single shot on target. Nottingham Forest’s attack was little better, the Trees’ managing just two shots on target and failing to find a winner. Forest, however, will take far more satisfaction from Wednesday’s drudgery as the point earned from Arsenal helps keep alive the Tricky Trees’ Champions League dreams alive. For Arsenal, unfortunately, it was just another nail in the coffin of their hopes for the Premier League title.

A hard fought point at home.

Thank you for your support tonight. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/XplcP4ErWJ

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) February 26, 2025

Nottingham Forest remains third, a point ahead of Manchester City and two points above Chelsea after both those pursuers won during the week. Erling Haaland returned from his knee injury to score in the 12th minute of Manchester City’s match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. His early strike held up for all three points as the Citizens ended Spurs’ three match winning run in the league. Curiously, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski began the match on the bench for Spurs Manager Ange Postecoglou before entering in the second half. Apparently, the match against the defending champions was not a priority for Spurs’ unconventional manager.

Finishing this season as quickly as possible is the priority for the sad Saints of Southampton who hope for better luck in the second-tier next season. Chelsea were the beneficiaries of Southampton’s incompetence on Tuesday with the Blues rolling to a 4-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. Much maligned forward Christopher Nkunku had a goal and an assist while goalkeeper Flip Jorgensen, a goat versus Aston Villa in his previous match, stopped the only two shots launched on target by the sinking Saints. Southampton has accumulated only nine points from its 27 matches played and still needs three points to avoid replacing 2007/08 Derby’s 11 points as the worst club in Premier League history. Chelsea moved past Newcastle and Bournemouth into fifth place in the table.

The Cherries were 2-1 losers at Brighton when substitute Danny Welbeck found the net less than four minutes after his second half introduction to propel the Seagulls to their third consecutive Premier League victory. First year Brighton Manager Fabian Hurzeler has his team poised just four points behind fourth place Manchester City.

The Seagulls leapfrogged Aston Villa in the table as the Villans were 4-1 losers at Selhurst Park to Crystal Palace. Ismaila Sarr scored twice for an Eagles team which won for the eighth time in a run of 15 matches in which the club has lost but three times. Once relegation threatened, the south London side now has its sights set on the top half of the table.

Eleventh place Brentford hovers two points above the Eagles after the Bees’ 1-1 home draw versus Everton. The reinvigorated Toffees have proven a tough out for any team as Everton extended its unbeaten run in the Premier League to seven matches when Jake O’Brien scored the equalizer, his first goal for the club, in the 77th minute. The Toffees find themselves in some odd company in the never world of mid-table where Spurs, Manchester United and West Ham all currently sit with just one more point than Everton.

Manchester United overcame a 43rd  minute red card at Ipswich Town to prevail 3-2, overcoming a two-goal performance by the Tractor Boys’ Jaden Philogene. Unlikely hero  Harry Maguire scored the 47th minute winner just four minutes after young defender Patrick Dorgu was sent off .

West Ham, meanwhile, built on the momentum of its win over Arsenal by defeating a lesser opponent in Leicester by a 2-0 margin on Thursday. The Foxes lost for the 11th time in their last 12 Premier League games as relegation beckons once again for the one-time Premier League champions. The only good news for Leicester was Wolves’ 2-1 defeat to Fulham. Wolverhampton’s margin over relegation zone tenants Leicester and Ipswich Town remains at five points. The Premier League cedes the stage to the FA cup this weekend. 

Premier League Results Match Week 26: Is The Title Race Decided ?

Liverpool took a large step toward locking up this year’s Premier League title with a 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday, one day after Arsenal suffered a damaging defeat to West Ham at the Emirates. Liverpool professionally dispatched a Manchester City squad which was playing without star striker Erling Haaland. Reds Manager Arne slot adjusted his formation to incorporate an extra midfielder and frustrated the already diminished Manchester City attack. Liverpool’s own attack featured none other than the Premier League’s best player, Mohamed Salah, who both scored and assisted for the 11th time this season, the first time a player in Europe’s five major leagues has done that since Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in 2014/15. Salah’s league leading goals AND assists now stand at 25 and 15, respectively, six ahead of his nearest challenger in both categories . Salah’s 14th minute goal was assisted by Dominik Szoboszlai who was the beneficiary of Salah’s assist later in the first half which essentially  closed out the match. Liverpool’s lead in the Premier League table has now stretched to 11 points, a margin that seems insurmountable given the current form of nearest pursuer Arsenal.

The Gunners, ravaged by injury to key attacking players, were rescued last week by a brace from midfielder turned striker Mikel Merino. No such Merino magic occurred on Saturday as the Gunners lost their London derby to West Ham and new manager Graham Potter 1-0. Arsenal’s decision not to secure a striker in the January transfer window looks to have been a devastatingly poor decision as the Gunners appear headed to a third consecutive failed title chase. Jarrod Bowen’s 44th minute header did the damage as former West Ham captain Declan Rice was caught ball watching. Bowen’s 50th Premier League goal ended Arsenal’s 15 match Premier League unbeaten run and perhaps their title hopes as well. Any chance for an Arsenal comeback largely disappeared when 18-year-old defender Myles Lewis-Skelly was booked for his second red card of the season in the 73rd minute. The takedown of West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus initially drew a yellow card but was ruled the denial of a clear goal scoring opportunity after VAR review.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) straight red card against West Ham United

- 72 mins@premierleague https://t.co/XkeKKEEIl1 pic.twitter.com/gZUkL85HYC

— Emmy Sam (@emmySam_Cfc) February 22, 2025

While Liverpool distanced itself from its closest title contender, the race among those clubs scrambling behind Liverpool and Arsenal for Champions League berths tightened up. The next six clubs behind the top two are separated by only five points after the weekend results.

Nottingham Forest lost for a second consecutive week and for the third time in four matches as the Tricky Trees were felled 4-3 at Newcastle. The Magpies secured the critical three points courtesy of a first half explosion which saw Eddie Howe’s side score four times in a span of 11 minutes. Alexander Isak scored two of his club’s four first half goals. The Swedish striker now has 19 goals on the season, joint second in the Premier League. His second goal of the first half was his 50th in 76 Premier League games with only six players having reached the 50 mark more quickly. Things quieted, however, for the Newcastle attack in the second half as Nottingham Forest crept closer and made things interesting when Ryan Yates scored in the 90th minute to make it a one-score match. The home side persevered through the nervy minutes of stoppage time, however, and by securing all three points, Newcastle moved to within three points of third place Forest and drew level on points with fourth place Manchester City.

The fifth place Magpies flew past Chelsea and Bournemouth in the table as both clubs found themselves on the wrong end of results. Chelsea were 2-1 losers at Aston Villa. The Villans actively reinforced their squad during the January transfer window and were rewarded in Saturday’s win by two of those new players. Loanees Marco Asensio (Paris Saint-Germain) and Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) combined for both Aston Villa goals, Ascencio delivering the brace off two Rashford assists. The second half goals erased an early Chelsea lead provided in the ninth minute by Enzo Fernandez. Chelsea star Cole Palmer again failed to make a positive impact on the proceedings and his negative body language is attracting as much attention as his reduced goal and assist metrics. Where once thought to be a possible title contender and probable Champions League club, Chelsea now risks missing out on European football for next season. Chelsea has fallen to seventh in the table, ahead of Bournemouth on goal differential and one point ahead of Saturday’s host Aston Villa.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, lost a second consecutive home match in a surprising 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton at Vitality Stadium. The Cherries’ Illia Zabarnyi was red carded in the 31st minute. Wolves’ Matheus Cunha scored five minutes later, and his club picked up three valuable points in its battle to avoid relegation. Cunha’s goal was his fourth in four matches and he has scored in seven of his last 11 matches. None of the current relegation sides possess a player of Cunha’s quality, the biggest reason why Manager Vitor Pereira’s side has now moved five points clear of the relegation morass. All three of the clubs currently in the relegation zone were paddled this past weekend with each team leaking four goals to their opponent.

Ipswich Town and Leicester lost 4-1 and 4-0 to Spurs and Brentford, respectively. Brennan Johnson scored twice in the Spurs win over the Tractor Boys, Son Heung-min providing the assist on both Johnson scores, and later goals by Djed Spence and Dejan Kulusevski completed the rout by the Londoners. Tottenham Hotspur has now won three consecutive Premier League matches but remains mired in mid-table. Eighteenth place Ipswich Town has lost five times and drawn twice in its last seven Premier League matches as the Tractor Boys look like a good bet to be uprooted from the top tier after a brief one season appearance.

Leicester looks set to join them after losing for the 10th time in their last eleven matches. The Foxes had no answers for a Brentford side which posted its second consecutive away clean sheet. Brian Mbeumo scored his 15th goal of the season and Yoane Wissa found the net for the 12th time this season in a dominant performance which further angered Leicester home supporters. Fans voiced their unhappiness at the foul Foxes and then left early as King Power Stadium was roughly a quarter full at the final whistle.

Bottom of the table Southampton, meanwhile, provided its usual embarrassing display in a 4-0 loss to Brighton. Kaoru Mitoma continued his hot streak for the Seagulls, finding the net for the fifth time in his last seven matches. Brighton moved past Fulham, into ninth position in the table, with the Cottagers losing 2-0 at home to Crustal Palace. Fulham defender Joachim Andersen suffered the indignity of committing an own goal versus his former employers before the Eagles’ Daniel Munoz provided the insurance goal for an Eagles side which has performed quite the turnaround  this season. Crystal Palace were mired in 18th place in the table, seemingly headed for relegation, on November 9th after losing to these same Cottagers by an identical 2-0 score. From that point, Crystal Palace has posted seven victories and five draws in fifteen matches to move 16 points clear of the drop zone and set its sights on a possible top half finish. Fulham currently occupies the 10th spot in the table, six points ahead of Crystal Palace.

Everton has similarly turned its season around since the hiring of Manager David Moyes. The Toffees are just a point behind Crystal Palace after extending their unbeaten run to six matches in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United. Moyes, however, will not be happy with his club’s second half play which saw the Red Devils erase a two-goal deficit in an unusual show of resilience by the struggling visitors. Despite their second half vulnerability, the Toffees still had a chance at winning when Manchester United’s Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt both made contact with Everton’s Ashley Young in the penalty area. The penalty award was controversially rescinded, however, after VAR review.

The Premier League will have a full slate of games on Tuesday and Wednesday as Match Week 27 is played in advance of this weekend’s FA Cup Fifth Round. The feature games come on Wednesday. Newcastle attempts to play giant killer at Anfield where only Nottingham Forest has beaten Liverpool this season. The Tricky Trees have their own top four opponent to deal with on that same day when Arsenal visits the City Ground. It may already be too late for Arsenal in terms of catching Liverpool in this year’s title chase, but Newcastle and Nottingham Forest could desperately use three points from their matches with the league’s top two clubs as the Magpies and Tricky Trees fight for Champions Lague qualification.

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.

Champions 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.