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.

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 12, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Graham Potter

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

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

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

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

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

Premier League Results: Match Week 20

Manchester United showed up and grabbed a point in a 2-2 final at league leading Liverpool on Sunday. Manager Reuben Amorim and Captain Bruno Fernandes, however, joined supporters after the match in wondering why the 13th place Red Devils seldom play in such inspired fashion. Amad Diallo nailed the equalizer in the 80th minute for the Red Devils after Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah had put the home side ahead on a 70th minute penalty kick. For Salah, it was his 18th goal of the season, a haul which tops the league. For Diallo, it was only his third goal of the season but the second game winner against a rival after the 18-year-old bagged the winner in Manchester United’s victory at Manchester City earlier this season. The problem is that Diallo and his teammates usually fail to match these performances against the rest of the league, something that the Red Devils’ manager and captain lamented in postgame comments.

Of the top four clubs, only Nottingham Forest was a winner this week. The Tricky Trees were 3-0 victors at Wolverhampton as Nottingham Forest extended their winning run to six league matches. The 12th of the season for Forest was three more victories than the Tricky Trees accomplished over the entirety of their relegation threatened 2023/24 campaign. The Wolves defeat was the first Premier League loss for new manager Vitor Pereira, managing his third league contest for Wolves. The victory for Nuno Espirito Santo, meanwhile, over the club he once led to Premier League promotion, now has Nottingham Forest level on points with second place Arsenal, six points off the top of the table.

🇧🇷❤️ pic.twitter.com/dswyZkcH1n

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 7, 2025

Neither Arsenal nor Chelsea made up ground on Liverpool as they shared points with opponents over the weekend. Arsenal’s attack is ravaged by injury and illness. Bukayo /Saka is out long term with a hamstring which required surgery. Illness benched Kai Havertz on Saturday and reduced Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli to substitute roles in a 1-1 draw at Brighton. Seventeen-year-old Ethan Nwaneri scored to give Arsenal an early lead before controversy erupted around Brighton’s equalizer. The Gunners’ lead disappeared when a questionable call was made on a headed clearance by Arsenal’s William Saliba which was deemed to have also clipped the head of a Brighton attacker. Joao Pedro made good on the ensuing penalty try as the clubs shared the points. In yet another stroke of bad fortune for the Gunners, Nwaneri needed to be removed from the match with a muscle injury.

Chelsea, meanwhile, experienced some uncharacteristic frustration at Selhurst Park. The Blues have been virtually invincible at the home of London neighbor Crystal Palace but settled for a 1-1 draw when the Eagles’ JP Mateta equalized in the 82nd minute to the delight of Selhurst supporters. Cole Palmer scored his 13th goal of the season, but it was not enough as Chelsea’s winless run extended to four matches.

Newcastle United is just a point behind fourth place Chelsea after the Magpies recorded their fifth consecutive Premier League victory in a 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur. Alexander Isak scored for a seventh consecutive league match to provide the winner for Newcastle over a hapless Tottenham Hotspur side which lost for a fifth time in its last seven league outings.

Manchester City won a second consecutive match for the first time since October with its 4-1 conquest of West Ham. The Hammers committed an own goal in the 19th minute and Manchester City went on to find the net three more times before a meaningless consolation goal from the Hammers. Erling Haaland closed the gap on Mohamed Salah in the scoring race with his 15th and 16th goals of the season. West Ham has been outscored by an aggregate 9-1 margin in two consecutive losses as the pressure mounts on Manager Julen Lopetegui.

Bournemouth stayed on Manchester City’s heels with a 1-0 home win over Everton. The seventh place Cherries got a goal from David Brooks to keep them a point behind Manchester City and only three points removed from a top four berth. Everton, meanwhile, has remarkably scored just a single goal in its last five matches as the Toffees hover dangerously near the drop zone, just a point above currently relegation bound Wolverhampton and Ipswich Town.

The Tractor Boys followed up last Monday’s 2-0 win over Chelsea with another point in a 2-2 draw at Fulham on Sunday. There will be frustration, however, as Ipswich Town twice relinquished the lead and both of Fulham’s goals came by way of Raul Jimenez penalty kicks, including the stoppage time equalizer after the striker was fouled by a tiring Ipswich Town defender.

Leicester City is sinking deeper into the relegation zone after its 2-1 loss at Aston Villa. The Foxes have now lost five consecutive Premier League matches after beginning life under new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy with a win and a draw. With a possible off-the-pitch point deduction looming, Leicester could be in trouble. Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey scored his first goal of the season for the winner in a match where the Villans were missing two of their top three goal scorers in suspended attackers Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers.

Southampton’s dreary march to oblivion can’t end soon enough for the Saints as the homestanding club was routed 5-0 by visiting Brentford at St. Mary’s Stadium. A 16th loss of the season leaves the Saints 10 points from safety and eight points below the next nearest club in Leicester. Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo scored a brace in the blitz by the Bees and now has 13 on the season, joint third in the league scoring race with Cole Palmer and Alexander Isak.

Premier League Preview: Match Week 20

Historic rivals Liverpool and Manchester United face off at Anfield on Sunday in a derby which has become increasingly one sided. Liverpool has lost just once in the last seven seasons of Premier League matches between the sides. The Reds are the current Premier League leaders and lead the league in both goals scored and, along with Arsenal, fewest goals conceded. Manchester United, meanwhile, is a mess. The 14th place Red Devils appear in need of a vast rebuild with new manager Reuben Amorim unable to get results from his inherited roster. While Amorim’s start in the Premier League has been miserable, Liverpool’s Arne Slot has lived a charmed life in Merseyside to date. The Dutch manager has the Reds atop the Premier League while the Reds are still contending for additional silverware in Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Slot has suffered just one loss across all competitions, that being a Premier League defeat to currently third place Nottingham Forest. Amorim already has five losses in his first eight Premier League outings and number six is highly probable on Sunday.

Vitor Pereira, Manager of Wolverhampton

Second place Arsenal will be at Brighton on Saturday trying to extend the Seagulls’ current seven match winless run while third place Nottingham Forest faces an interesting challenge in a Monday Premier League matchup. Wolves would have been thought to be easy prey just weeks ago, but new Wolverhampton manager Vitor Pereira has pulled the club out of the relegation zone with two victories and a draw in his first three league matches. Molineux Stadium should be rocking for the Monday night clash with the Tricky Trees.

Chelsea will have little fear as it embarks on a visit to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace. The Blues have come away with a victory on 12 of their 15 Premier League visits to their London neighbors.

Further north in London, Tottenham Hotspur will be hosting Newcastle in a contest of clubs in far different form. Spurs has won just one of its last seven Premier League matches while Newcastle is challenging for a top four spot after winning four consecutive league matches. Spurs already has four home losses this season and a further defeat on Saturday before the home supporters will not be good for the declining standing of Manager Ange Postecoglou.

The seat is even hotter for another London manager, West Ham’s Julen Lopetegui, as the Hammers visit Manchester City. A 5-0 drubbing at Liverpool last Sunday was the eighth time this season that West Ham lost by three or more goals. Another heavy loss at the Etihad could push the unpopular Lopetegui closer to the door. Making a turnaround more difficult for Lopetegui will be the fractured ankle of the Hammers’ leading goal scorer and assist maker, Jarrod Bowen, who was injured in the Liverpool debacle. Bournemouth, Fulham and Aston Villa are all within two points of Manchester City and crashing the top six party. All three clubs face opponents from the lower end of the table this weekend.

The Cherries are home to Everton. Fulham hosts Ipswich Town and Aston Villa entertains Leicester. Bournemouth and Fulham are both riding seven match unbeaten runs. Aston Villa has the fourth best home record in the Premier League this season with five wins and four draws against only one loss. Southampton, meanwhile, has the worst home, and overall, record in the league as the bottom of the table Saints prepare to welcome Brentford to St. Mary’s on Saturday. It is likely to be a swarm of angry Bees anxious to end a winless run which has seen Brentford lose three of its last four matches. Southampton is an attractive foe to cure those winless woes.

Premier League New Year’s Edition: Liverpool Dominates Hammers; Gunners Swat Bees; Chelsea Swoon Continues; Nottingham Forest Wins Fifth Straight; Manchester City Ends Winless Run; Manchester United Sinks Towards Relegation; Wolves Claw Back At Spurs

Liverpool asserted its quality in dramatic fashion by smashing West Ham 5-0 at Anfield. Mohamed Salah notched a goal and two assists as his magical season continues. The Egyptian wonder has now recorded at least one goal and at least one assist in eight Premier League matches this season. No player had done that more than seven times in an entire season before Salah who leads the Premier League in both goals (17) and assists (13). The Reds won for the 14th time this season and lead Arsenal by six points in the Premier League standings with Liverpool having a game in hand. Woeful West Ham failed to record a single shot on target against the table leaders.

Arsenal then fired back on New Years Day with a 3-1 triumph at Brentford, handing the Bees their second consecutive home loss. After falling behind on Bryan Mbeumo’s 11th goal of the season, Arsenal’s comeback began with a goal from Gabriel Jesus, his sixth scoring strike in the Gunners last four matches. The former Manchester City forward has caught fire at an opportune time for the Gunners as they battle to overcome the extended injury absence of Bukayo Saka. Jesus’ equalizer was followed by second half goals from Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli. The script was familiar for a Brentford side which has dropped more points after scoring first than any Premier League side since the beginning of last season.

Nottingham Forest is now third in the Premier league table after the Tricky Trees won their fifth consecutive league match in a 2-0 win at Everton while Chelsea dropped points for a third consecutive outing in an alarming 2-0 loss at relegation battler Ipswich Town. Everton had not allowed a goal in its three previous home matches before conceding to Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White. Wood’s 15th minute ice breaker was his 11th goal of the season, and the New Zealander would then go on to assist on Gibbs-White’s second half insurance goal. Forest recorded a clean sheet for a third consecutive match.

A picture perfect Morgan Gibbs-White goal to send @NFFC up to second 🖼️ pic.twitter.com/DQNxoQwCYD

— Premier League (@premierleague) January 1, 2025

Chelsea has scored but one goal over what is now a three-match winless run after the Blues’ shocking loss at Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys prevailed for just the third time this season and recorded their first victory at home. The three points could prove critical for Ipswich Town’s survival chances amid a congested bottom of the table which sees the two clubs below and above the relegation line separated by no more than three points.

Southampton would seem the only club whose destiny is certain as the Saints remain on six points, 10 points from safety, after a 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace.

Manchester United, meanwhile, could soon join the relegation discussion after the Red Devils fell for the fifth time in their last six Premier League matches in a 2-0 loss to Newcastle. The loss at Old Trafford on Monday marked the first time that Manchester United had lost three straight matches at the historic venue in 45 years. Manchester United suffered five league losses in December as shell-shocked manager Reuben Amorim became the club’s first manager to lose five of his first eight matches in charge in more than 100 years. Newcastle is just three points outside a top four berth after a fourth consecutive win which saw Alexander Isak find the net for a sixth consecutive match. The Swedish forward now has 12 goals on the season. Four clubs are within two points of the Magpies with Manchester City just a point behind Newcastle in sixth position after the defending champions ended a four-match winless league run with a 2-0 victory at Leicester.

Savinho had a goal and an assist for Manager Pep Guardiola’s beleaguered title defenders and Erling Haaland scored his 14th goal of the season in a match which marked Guardiola’s 500th match in charge. The Citizens won for the first time in their last 14 tries across all competitions.

The next five teams, after Manchester City, were all involved in draws. Bournemouth drew at Fulham and Aston Villa drew at Brighton in pairings that pitted clubs no more than two points distant from each other and did little to differentiate the sides.

Tottenham Hotspur, however, shared the points with Wolverhampton in a match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which highlighted both the current struggles of Spurs and the rising tide which is Wolves under new Manager Vitor Pereira. Tottenham Hotspur’s only Premier League win in its last seven matches is over lowly Southampton and the north London side finished 2024 outside the league’s top seven for the first time since the 2008/09 season. Wolverhampton, meanwhile, has climbed out of the relegation zone and is unbeaten in three matches under its new manager after an 87th minute goal by substitute striker Jorgen Strand Larsen provided the equalizer on Sunday.