Friday, February 28, 2025

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.

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. 

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Tuesday, February 25, 2025

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.

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.

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Friday, February 21, 2025

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.

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.

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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.

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Tuesday, February 18, 2025

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.

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.

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Thursday, February 13, 2025

Premier League Update: Merseyside Madness As League Play Resumes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Wednesday, February 12, 2025

FA Cup: Plymouth Argyle Socks It To Liverpool

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Friday, February 7, 2025

Cups Take Center Stage

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

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

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

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

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

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Tuesday, February 4, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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