Kickoff chronicles

Newcastle vs Everton

The 31st week of the Premier League kicked off at St. James Park with Newcastle hosting Everton. Newcastle were quick to start and found an opener inside 15 minutes. Alexander Isak chased a long ball played over the Everton backline. Isak took it well and cut into the Toffees area, sitting down Jarrad Branthwaite in the process. He kept going and finally finished it into the bottom right corner. Newcastle dominated the rest of the half with Everton keeper Jordan Pickford being forced into multiple saves. The half ended 1-0 with Newcastle looking comfortable. They thought they had doubled their lead 12 minutes into the second period when Isak passed a ball into the box for Dan Burn to tap in but VAR found him to be in an offside position. Everton then started to flex their attacking muscle and were rewarded with a penalty in the 84th minute. Ashley Young was wrestled to the floor when a Everton free kick came in and after VAR reviewed it, a penalty was given. Dominic Calvert-Lewin stepped up to take it and thundered it down the centre. Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka got a hand to the ball but the strike was too hard and it ricocheted into the roof of the net. The game finished 1-1 with both teams sharing the points at the end. This sees Newcastle stay in 8th and Everton stay in 16th.

Nottingham Forest vs Fulham

The Tuesday night matches continued at the City Ground with Nottingham Forest hosting Fulham. Forest opened the scoring inside 10 minutes when the creative vision and skill of Morgan Gibbs-White saw the run of Callum Hudson-Odoi down the left wing. Hudson-Odoi dribbled into the area and cut back, drilling his shot into the far corner. 10 minutes later, Chris Wood doubled the hosts’ advantage. He was given too much time and space just outside the Fulham area and saw Fulham keeper Bernd Leno in a vulnerable position. He hit the ball cleanly and watched it curl past the poorly positioned Leno and into the back of the net. Forest made it 3-0 just before the break when Gibbs-White made a strong run into the Fulham area. He played a 1-2 with Danilo and placed the ball into the bottom right corner, capping off a superb first half display. The half ended 3-0 with Fulham left with not much left to play for. They did get off to a good start in the second half with Tosin Adarabioyo brilliantly heading in a Andreas Pereira corner to make it 3-1. Fulham had multiple more chances to get themselves back into the game but fell unlucky on every occasion, hitting the frame of the goal countless times. Forest saw out the win, picking up a huge 3 points in the fight for survival. This takes them further away from the drop zone sitting in 17th. Fulham stayed 13th but missed out on an opportunity to jump over Chelsea in the table.

Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace

The next game of the latest Premier League match week was staged at Vitality Stadium with Bournemouth hosting Crystal Palace. Despite Bournemouth’s first half domination, Palace thought they had opened the scoring when Eberichi Eze tapped the ball in from close range. VAR later ruled it out as Jean Phillip-Mateta’s boot was offside when he brought it down in the build up to the goal. The half ended 0-0 with the game still in the balance. The opening 20 minutes of the second half were quiet but in the 65th minute, Bournemouth made a decision to take off Philip Billing and substitute Justin Kluivert. It proved to be an impactful change when Antonie Semenyo dribbled the ball down the right wing and crossed it into Kluivert. The Dutchman took a heavy first touch, taking it away from the path of the Crystal Palace defenders, and then he smashed his finish into the back of the net. This goal put the Cherries ahead with only 10 minutes of normal time to play. The hosts continued to dominate and saw out the three points, taking them above Chelsea and into 11th place. Palace however sit 14th, 9 points behind 13th placed Fulham. 

Burnley vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

The next game of the match week was played at Turf Moor with 19th place Burnley hosting 10th placed Wolves. Burnley were stronger in the opening exchanges and finally scored in the 37th minute through Jacob Bruun Larson. Dara O’Shea played a long pass to the back post which Larson dispatched perfectly. He waited for it and hit the ball first time, drilling it into the far bottom corner. Burnley couldn’t hold onto the lead and were forced to go into the break level when Rayan Ait-Nouri headed in a free-kick from Pablo Sarabia. The half finished 1-1 with the game up for grabs. In the second half, the chances were shared by both teams, each having multiple shots saved. It all ended 1-1 with coaches, Gary O’Neil (Wolves) and Vincent Kompany (Burnley) viewing this as a huge chance to pick up three points. Burnley stayed 19th but tightened the gap between them and 18th placed Luton. Wolves stay in 10th but miss out on a chance to climb further up the table.

West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur

The last game played on Tuesday night was in the capital with West Ham hosting local rivals Tottenham at the London Stadium. Spurs got off to an electric start, opening the scoring inside 5 minutes. Timo Werner was too hot to handle for Vladimir Coufal on the left wing who played a ball across the West Ham 6 yard area. Waiting was Brennan Johnson who readjusted his body’s position to tap the ball into the back of the net. West Ham needed to react to the quick start from Tottenham and react they did. Hammers skipper, Kurt Zouma found himself heading in a Jarrod Bowen corner and registering his 3rd headed goal of the season. The hosts dominated the last 25 minutes of the half but failed to find a goal to put them ahead. James Ward-Prowse came close to scoring from a free kick in the 36th minute but it was parried away by Spurs keeper, Guglielmo Vicario. The half ended 1-1 with both managers needing more from their respective players. West Ham came out of the blocks firing on all fronts and had multiple opportunities to go ahead after just 5 minutes in the second period. The best chance of the game that wasn’t converted was when Michail Antonio was released deep into Tottenham’s half by Ward-Prowse. The Jamaican international did the hard part, fending off a challenge by Micky Van de Ven but fluffed his lines when it came to his finish, shooting it right into the palms of Vicario. The next 20 minutes were fairly quiet with neither team creating many meaningful chances. Destiny Udogie had a chance to win it at the death for Tottenham but his volley was powered straight at Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham keeper), and the game finished level (1-1). Tottenham miss out on a big chance to go into the top 4 and West Ham fail to pick up an extra 2 points and strengthen their place in 7th.

Arsenal vs Luton Town

The first game played on Wednesday night was at the Emirates Stadium with Arsenal hosting Rob Edward’s Luton Town. Arsenal started well and found their first after just 24 minutes. Emile Smith Rowe won the ball in Luton’s half and laid it off to Martin Odegard. Odegard quickly passed it to Kai Havertz who played outback to him at the opposite side of Luton’s penalty area. The Norwegian connected with it first time and fired it into the bottom left corner leaving travelling keeper Thomas Kaminski with no chance. After dominating the rest of the first half, Arsenal soon found their second goal just before the interval. Smith Rowe received it from Leandro Trossard from the left wing and progressed into the Luton area. He cut it back in search of Reiss Nelson but fortunately for the Gunners, Luton defender Daiki Hashioka put it into the back of the net for them. The half ended 2-0 with Luton lucky that they had not conceded 3 or even 4. The second half wasn’t very entertaining for the neutral fan with Arsenal coming back out to defend their lead and Luton not really troubling them at all. The game ended 2-0 taking Arsenal to the top of the table again. It was a crucial 3 points for the Gunners in their hunt for the title now putting pressure on rivals Manchester City and Liverpool who must also win their respective ties. Luton will not be as positive though as they sit in the bottom three after Nottingham Forest picked up a big win over Fulham earlier. 

Brentford vs Brighton

The next game of the week was played at the Gtech Stadium with Brentford hosting Brighton in the capital. The first half was dominated by Brighton but they failed to find the final touch to beat Bees keeper Mark Flekken and find the back of the net. The half ended 0-0 with Brentford needing to take it up a notch if they were to get something out of the game. The second period was exactly like the first with Brighton dominating but failing the score. Their best chance was created when Danny Welbeck was through on goal only to see his chipped effort blocked by a sliding in challenge from Kristoffer Ajer. The game finished 0-0 with Brighton missing out on a chance to climb over European qualification rivals in the table leaving them in 9th. Brentford also had the opportunity to put 8 points between them and the drop zone, but failed to do so as they sit 15th.

Manchester City vs Aston Villa

The final game on Wednesday night was played at the Etihad with Manchester City hosting Aston Villa. Despite resting key players such as Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and John Stones, City found their first after just 10 minutes. Jeremy Doku cut the ball back from the right side of the area which Rodri was first to. He ran in at speed and smashed the ball into the roof of the net. It didn’t take Aston Villa long to hit back even without their main man Ollie Watkins. Striker Jhon Duran played a 1-2 with Morgan Rodgers inside the area. He received it from a tight angle but was still able to somehow thread the ball through City keeper Stefan Ortega’s legs and find the far corner. The hosts reacted well to the shock goal and dominated the rest of the half. They eventually found their second of the game when Jack Grealish won a free kick just outside the Villa penalty area. Phil Foden took it and smartly placed the ball in between the Aston Villa wall and found the bottom left corner. The half ended 2-1 with City too hot to handle for the away side in the end. The hosts got off to another strong start in the second period doubling their advantage after just 17 minutes into the half. Rodri was the architect, dribbling his way into the box and passing it off to Foden. The Englishman tucked it away into the bottom right corner, hitting it first time and continuing his outstanding form in this season. 5 minutes later Foden completed his hat-trick. Seconds after trying to claim a free kick, he got back up and won back possession just outside Villa’s penalty area. He took a touch and let one fly. As he made contact, he slipped over helping it rise and smash into the top right corner leaving the away keeper, Robin Olsen with no chance. City saw out a comfortable 4-1 victory keeping them within touching distance of Arsenal and Liverpool. Villa still sit in a strong position of 4th, but would have liked to pick up a result at the Etihad with Tottenham closing in on them in the race for the last top 4 spot.

Liverpool vs Sheffield United

The first game played on Thursday night was at Anfield with 2nd placed Liverpool taking on rock bottom Sheffield United. Liverpool took an expected lead after just 16 minutes when Darwin Nunez ran at United’s keeper, Ivo Grbic. Brbic was slow on the ball and when he went to clear it, Nunez jumped to block it. He succeeded and watched the ball bounce its way into the back of the net. Liverpool dominated the rest of the half but failed to find the back of the net once again and strengthen their advantage. It ended 1-0 with the Reds looking comfortable. Sheffield United shocked the stadium in the 58th minute when they drew the game at 1-1. James McAtee floated a lovely ball from the right wing over the far post in the Liverpool area. Running in was Gustavo Hamer who headed the ball back across the box. His header hit the shin of Liverpool defender Conor Bradley and bounced through the legs of his keeper, Caoimhin Kelleher. Liverpool reacted to the equaliser and started to press United even more. They eventually regained their lead when they scored in the 76th minute through Alexis Mac Allister. The Blades cleared out a ball that was crossed into the area, but only as far as the outside of the penalty area. It sat up nicely for Mac Allister who put his laces through the ball, watching it rise and smash into the top right corner. Liverpool sealed the 3 points in the last minute of normal time when Coady Gakpo headed in a wonderful cross from the left wing by Andy Robertson. The game ended 3-1 proving a huge result for Liverpool as it took them over Arsenal and back into 1st place. The same can’t be said about Sheffield United as they still sit 20th, 10 points away from potential survival. 

Chelsea vs Manchester United

The final game of the match week was played at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea hosting Manchester United. Chelsea made an ideal start after just 4 minutes. Malo Gusto dribbled with the ball down the right wing and into the United area. He cut it back and on its way the ball caught a deflection, taking it into the path of Conor Galleghar who buried it into the bottom right corner making it 1-0. Referee Jarred Gillett then made the controversial decision to award Chelsea a penalty after Antony was said to have fouled Marc Cucurella in the left side of the area. Cole Palmer stepped up to take it and dispatched it perfectly placing it into the bottom right corner. United were gifted a way back into the tie when Moises Caicedo played a poor pass back to Benoit Badiashile. Alejandro Garnacho pounced on it and found himself 1 on 1 with Djordje Petrovic. He finished it professionally, halving the deficit for the away side. United then found an equaliser with only 5 more minutes to play in the first half when he found himself unmarked at the back post to head in Diogo Dalot’s ball in from the left side. The first 45 minutes ended 2-2 with Mauricio Pochettino fuming his side had given away their 2 goal lead. Chelsea kicked off the second period in the right fashion but it was United who were to score next. Antony, who had given away the penalty in the first half, was fired up for the second half and he went on a driving run down the right wing to put in a cross with the outside of his left boot. Waiting inside the area was Garnacho who let the ball bounce before heading it past Petrovic and going to celebrate with the away fans. It was a perfect goal for United and what Erik Ten Hag would have wanted from them after the first half. In the 6th minute of stoppage time the 3 points looked all wrapped up for United but Chelsea still had something to say about the outcome. 2nd half substitute, Noni Madueke made a powerful run into the Manchester United penalty area, drawing a clumsy foul from Dalot, and winning a penalty for the hosts. Palmer once again stepped up to take it and this time put it in the same corner, levelling the game. This dramatic game was not finished yet though as Chelsea won a corner with just seconds to play. They took it quickly with Palmer unmarked inside the United area. He took a couple of touches and drilled it at the goal. On its way, the ball took a deflection off Scott McTominay, directing it into the back of the net and winning the game for Chelsea. This was a huge 3 points for Chelsea, taking them to 10th in the league, but only 2 points of 7th with a game in hand. United still sit in 6th with their chances of Champions League football well and truly over.

Written by Ollie Wade- About Me