Kickoff chronicles

Arsenal vs Everton

The first game of Matchweek 16 saw Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal host Sean Dyche’s Everton at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal were far superior in the first 45 minutes, but it was fair to say the Gunner’s orchestrator in attack, Martin Odegaard, was having a bad day at the office, mis-hitting the majority of his passes in the final 3rd and firing a few of his attempts over the upright. Jordan Pickford, Toffee’s keeper, also had a big part to play in the first half, making many acrobatic saves to keep the game at 0-0.

Bukayo Saka came within millimeters of scoring 1 minute into the 2nd period when he watched his powerful volley effort superbly saved at Pickford’s bottom right corner. After a frustrating 90 minutes for Arteta’s side, they thought they had edged it right at the end when Thomas Partey believed he’d won a penalty with only stoppage time to play. It looked as though he was clearly fouled by Vitalii Mykolenko and Abdoulaye Doucoure at the same time, but VAR cleared the appeal and the full time score finished 0-0. It was a frustrating day for Arsenal fans as they dropped 2 points at home and stayed 3rd in the table. Everton picked up a crucial point on the road as they put 3 points between themselves and the drop zone.

Liverpool vs Fulham

The 2nd game of Matchweek 16 saw Arne Slot’s top of the table Liverpool host Marco Silva’s high-flying Fulham at Anfield on Saturday afternoon. After dropping points 2 weeks ago away to Newcastle in a thrilling 3-3 draw, Liverpool got off to another shaky start when they conceded after 10 minutes. Antonee Robinson whipped the ball in from the left wing where Andreas Pereira jumped acrobatically to poke the ball past Brazilian teammate and returning Liverpool shot stopper, Alisson. Things then went from bad to worse for the Reds when left back Andy Robertson was shown his marching orders in the 17th minute. A bad ball from Kenny Tete looked like an easy deal for the Scotsman, but he let the ball roll past him, allowing Harry Wilson to get on the end of it and eventually be brought down by Robertson. It was a clear goal scoring opportunity resulting in a red card. At half time, the score stood at 0-1 with Liverpool left with another mountain to climb in the 2nd period.

Slot’s side made the ideal start to the next half when Cody Gakpo scored inside 2 minutes of the restart. Mohamed Salah’s whipped cross from the right wing was on the money, with Gakpo diving over at the back post to head the ball into the bottom right corner, a goal reminiscent of fellow Dutchman Robin van Persie. As 10-men Liverpool were pushing to take the lead, the Cottagers silenced Anfield when they restored their lead. Once again Robinson was in the thick of it, getting on the end of Alex Iwobi’s ball into the penalty area before lunging in to square it to Rodrigo Muniz. Muniz was lucky with his finish, the ball flicking off his right foot and over the confused Alisson in goal. After dominating the majority of the 2nd half, Liverpool found a fully deserved equaliser when Darwin Nunez found fellow striker Diogo Jota. After missing 2 months due to injury, Jota proved how crucial he is to Slot’s team when he received the ball, knocked it around the legs of Jorge Cuenca and spectacularly buried his finish into the bottom left corner. The hosts gave everything they could to try and win all three points but it was always going to be harder with just the 10 men on the turf. The full time score finished 2-2 with Liverpool dropping points in yet another Premier League thriller. They stay 1st but Chelsea closing the gap slowly. Fulham remain 9th in the table, with the top half really close at this stage in the season.

Newcastle United vs Leicester City

The following game of the matchweek saw Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United host Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City at St. James’ Park. After a dominant start, the Magpies opened the scoring on the half hour mark when Jacob Murphy notched his first for the season. Newcastle played a short corner which resulted in Sandro Tonali playing the ball to the goal line where Anthony Gordon was there to receive. Gordon cut the ball all the way back to the edge of the penalty area where Murphy professionally placed the ball into the bottom right corner, leaving Mads Hermansen with no chance of keeping it out. Newcastle dominated the rest of the half and probably should have gone into the break with more than just the 1 goal. Van Nistelrooy’s side were very poor offensively and gave the hosts no problems whatsoever.

The Magpies found a two goal cushion just 2 minutes into the 2nd half when Bruno Guimaraes popped up with a captains contribution. Gordon stood over yet another set piece, crossing a free kick over to the back post where an unmarked Lewis Hall headed the ball back across goal. The Brazilian midfielder was then left with the easy task of heading the ball into an uncontested net, with the praise all going to Hall for his intelligent header. The hosts sealed the game in the 50th minute, just 3 minutes after their 2nd, when Alexander Isak bagged his 7th of the campaign. Hall and Gordon were yet again heavily involved down the left wing, with Hall’s cross deflecting perfectly into the path of Isak who headed the ball past Hermansen. Newcastle were just too much for the Foxes’ defence as they made it 4-0 on the hour mark. Isak weaved a ball through to Murphy who completed his brace for the afternoon when he controlled it before drilling the ball into the far bottom corner. The hosts saw out the rest of the game for a comfortable 4-0 victory. It was a much needed win for Howe’s side as they stay 12th, only 2 points away from the top 6. Leicester lost their first game under Ruud in worrying fashion as they dropped to 17th in the table.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs IpswichTown

The following game of Matchweek 16 was a huge 6 pointer in the bottom 3, with Gary O’Neil’s 19th placed Wolverhampton Wanders hosting Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town at the Molineux Stadium. After a promising start for the Tractor Boys, they found a priceless advantage in the 16th minute. Liam Delap made a powerful and surging run down the right wing and into the penalty area where he squared the ball to Omari Hutchinson. The Chelsea loanee panicked right in front of the Wolves goal and hit the ball straight into Matt Doherty who was guarding the goal line for Wolves. It pinballed back out to Conor Chaplin who was unmarked on the edge of the area. Chaplin wrapped his boot around the ball, only to watch his rocket of a shot headed off the line by defender Toti Gomes. Toti was so unlucky, rising to his feet only to see the ball bundle over the line after his clearance hit the back of Doherty. At half time, the score finished 0-1 with O’Neil’s job on the line. 

Wolves’ 2nd half performance was streets better than their 1st and they found a deserved equaliser in the 72nd minute thanks to their star player, Matheus Cunha. Goncalo Guedes slipped the ball through to Cunha in the left side of the penalty area where Cunha struck the ball unexpectedly, watching as it crept past Tractor Boy’s keeper, Arijanet Muric. With Wolves pushing to win the game in the final 20 minutes, Ipswich silenced the Molineux Stadium when they stole all three points with the last kick of the game. Jack Clarke’s corner from the left side was on the money and it was matched with a perfect header from Jack Taylor, watching as his header glided gracefully down the right side netting of the Wolves’ goal. The full time whistle was blown with the score finishing 1-2. Ipswich picked up a huge 3 points, with the late drama finally falling in their favour. The Tractor Boys sit 18th in the table on 12 points, only 2 shy of safety. It continues to get worse for Wolves as they have now lost 4 consecutive games all against fellow relegation threatened sides. In the aftermath of the game, Rayan Ait-Nouri was shown a red card and Cunha will likely be suspended as well due to his actions after the final whistle. This all comes after Mario Lemina was stripped of his captaincy from his outrage after the full time whistle against West Ham last week. Wolves sit 19th, 6 points away from safety.

Note: O’Neil was sacked Sunday morning, less than 24 hours after full time.

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa

The final game played on Saturday afternoon in Matchweek 16 was a very interesting matchup, with Nuno Espirito’s Nottingham Forest hosting Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at the City Ground. The first half was surprisingly actionless, although Villa felt they had been robbed of a penalty in the 38th minute and they were right to feel that way as Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson clearly had a tight hold on the arm of Morgan Rogers who was through in the host’s penalty area. At the interval, the score finished 0-0 with both sides knowing if they won this game, it would be enough to see them climb into the top 4.

Forest came out for the 2nd half fired up and should have scored in the 60th minute. Anderson whipped in the host’s latest corner from the left flag which was headed at goal by Nicolas Dominguez. His Argentine teammate, Emiliano Martinez in goal for Villa, then made one of the best saves in Premier League history, brilliantly turning in a full 360 to somehow scrape Dominguez’s header off the goal line. Moments after Martinez’s brilliant save, Villa took the lead through Jhon Duran, who had finally been rewarded with a start after his terrific form this season. John McGinn crossed in the ball from outside the penalty area where Duran superbly flicked the ball into the top left corner with a class header. The Reds then started to dominate the possession and chances, with Duran’s goal firing this game into life. Moments after Chris Wood had a goal disallowed, Forest scored a legitimate goal in the 87th minute when Nikola Milenkovic made it 2 goals in as many games. Morgan Gibbs-White chipped the ball in from the right side of the penalty area where the big Serbian rose high to head the ball on target. Martinez would have been disappointed with his save, getting both hands on the ball before tripping and dropping the ball over the line. Forest then completed the impossible 6 minutes later when they found a stoppage time winner. Ex Red, Matty Cash, gave possession away to Anderson who made a great run towards the bi-line before drilling the ball across the 6-yard box. Anthony Elenga, who had only been on the pitch for a couple of minutes, made a late run to smash the ball past Martinez and earn Nuno’s side a crucial 3 points. The full time score finished 2-1 with Forest picking up their first win of the season from a losing position. They jump over Manchester City to sit 4th in the league. Emery’s side lost again, after they thought they had gotten over their poor patch of form. They remain 6th in the league. 

Brighton vs Crystal Palace

The first game played on Sunday afternoon in Matchweek 16 was one of the biggest derbies in the Premier League this season, with Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton hosting Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace at the Amex Stadium. The Eagles made the perfect start to the derby when Chelsea loanee, Trevoh Chalobah, scored his 2nd of the season to put the travelling side ahead in the 27th minute. Will Hughes’ corner from the right side bobbled around in the 6-yard box before Chalobah slid in to smash the ball into the roof of the net. Palace then further silenced the Amex when they doubled their advantage, just 6 minutes after their 1st. Tyrick Mitchell had luck on his side when controlling Maxence Lacroix’s long ball down with his back. The full back then dribbled down the line with the ball before mis-hitting a cross. The lofted delivery from Mitchell turned out to be the perfect ball for Ismaila Sarr who had made a run at the back post, unmarked and free to head the ball past Brighton keeper, Bart Verbruggen. Palace dominated the rest of the half and could have taken a 0-3 lead into the break. At the interval, the score stood at 0-2 with Seagull’s fans fuming at their side’s performances in their biggest game on the calendar.

Brighton looked much better in the 2nd period, and should have scored if not for some spectacular saves by English shot stopper, Dean Henderson. After defending so well to keep their clean sheet intact, Palace turned their attention to the other end of the field to seal the 3 points. Hughes headed the ball into the path of Eddie Nketiah who lobbed it over the Brighton defence and into the path of Sarr with an intelligent header. Lewis Dunk should have intercepted the pass but stood as still as a statue as Sarr ran though to get on the end of Nketiah’s pass before slotting the ball into the bottom right corner, sending the Palace fans into a state of delirium. Brighton scored a late consolation in the 87th minute. Pervis Estupinan’s corner fell into a dangerous area where it pinballed around the 6-yard box. Lacroix attempted to clear the ball out of the penalty area, but ended up drilling it into the chest of skipper Marc Guehi where the ball bobbled over the line. It wasn’t an ideal end to the game for Palace, but it was still a huge 3 points on the road, as well as bragging rights over their fiercest rivals. The Eagles sit 15th in the table, 4 points clear of the relegation zone. Brighton are in their own mini crisis as they drop to 9th in the league, with improvement needed after recent poor showings.

Manchester City vs Manchester United

The next game of the Matchweek was the most anticipated, with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City hosting their biggest rivals, Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium. After a promising start to the game for the Citizens, they found a deserved opener in the 36th minute. City took their corner short where Kevin de Bruyne eventually whipped the ball in from the left wing. Josko Gvardiol rose high over the United defenders to head the ball past Andre Onana and score his 4th of the season, now Manchester City’s 2nd highest goal scorer of the season, playing as primarily an inverted left back. At half time the score stood at 1-0, with Amorim’s United not playing as bad as the score line indicated, stopping City from dominating possession as they so often do at the Etihad.

United came out with the same tempo as the first half, dominating possession but finally pushing into the final 3rd of the City half. Skipper Bruno Fernandes should have scored in the 73rd minute, putting a 1v1 chance against Ederson wide of the far post. Finally, in the 87th minute, Amorim’s side found a fully deserved leveller after Mathues Nunes played a horrible back pass to his goalkeeper, Ederson, leaving Amad Diallo with acres of space and loads of time isolated in the 18-yard area. Diallo was composed with the ball, taking it centrally before Nunes, in desperation to make amends for his error, sprinted back to take the United winger out, resulting in an obvious penalty. Fernandes stepped up to take the penalty and dispatched it brilliantly, slotting it into the far right, silencing the Etihad. Pep’s side then fully capitulated in the 90th minute when they conceded their 2nd in as many minutes. Centre half, Lisandro Martinez, played a brilliant lobbed ball over the City back line and into the path of Amad. Amad dinked the ball over the outcoming Ederson before professionally passing the ball into the bottom right corner from a tight angle, winning the game for the Red Devils in style. City failed to equalise the game in stoppage time, with the full time score finishing 1-2. United fans will hope this is a stepping stone for Amorim as he looks to take United out of the bottom half of the table and back into European contention. They sit still 13th on 22 points. City drop out of the top 4 and into 5th place after they fail to win yet again. Pep’s side have now lost 8 of their last 11 games in all competitions and have only won 1.

Chelsea vs Brentford

The following game of Matchweek 16 was the only London derby of the weekend, with Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea hosting Thomas Frank’s Brentford at Stamford Bridge. After a promising start from the Blues, Chelsea’s most controversial player, Marc Cucurella, found a goal just before the interval that would give them a 1-0 lead. Noni Madueke whipped in a cross from the right wing where Cucurella had made a late run in from the back post. He ducked around Mads Roerslev before jumping to head the ball past Bees’ shot stopper Mark Flekken. The first half finished 1-0 with Chelsea hoping to pounce after Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City had already dropped points.

Chelsea should have doubled their advantage 15 minutes into the 2nd period when Cole Palmer dribbled by many Brentford defenders to find Jadon Sancho in the left side of the penalty area.  The Manchester United loanee sprinted to the bi-line before cutting the ball back, leaving Nicholas Jackson with an open net to aim for. Jackson was too nonchalant with his finish, leaning back and smashing the ball over the bar, the miss of the season so far. The Senegalese striker soon made up for his open goal miss, scoring in the 80th minute to all but seal the points for the Blues. Chelsea hit Brentford on the counter after Enzo Fernandez released him down the right side of the Brentford half. Jackson progressed up the pitch with only Ethan Pinnock back to prevent him. Jackson took the ball past the Jamaican with a good touch before burying the ball into the bottom right corner in spectacular fashion. The Bees gave the Blues something to think about when they scored in the 90th minute. Kevin Schade made a driving run through the middle of the park before playing a brilliant through ball into the path of Bryan Mbuemo. The last Chelsea man back, Levi Colwill, committed himself and failed to get the ball, leaving Mbuemo 1-on-1 with Robert Sanchez and free to slot it by the Spaniard. Chelsea held out for the rest of stoppage time to pick up a huge 3 points, taking them within 2 points of the summit in 2nd place. There was a sour end to the game for Blues fans though as Cucurella was shown a 2nd yellow card for an ugly brawl after the full time whistle. Maresca is proving all the pundits wrong, turning a troubled and expensive Chelsea side into real title contenders. Brentford fans won’t be too bothered about their loss as they still sit in a promising position of 11th, 1 point shy of the top 6.

Southampton vs Tottenham Hotspur

The final game played on Sunday of Matchweek 16 saw Russell Martin’s rock bottom Southampton host Ange Postecoglou’s underperforming Tottenham at St. Mary’ Stadium. Tottenham made an electric start to the game, scoring in exactly the 37th second. Djed Spence made a driving run through the Saint’s midfield before playing a brilliant ball into the path of James Maddison. Maddison didn’t even need to take a touch, running onto it before slotting the ball around keeper Alex McCarthy and into the far bottom corner. It was a brilliant finish and start to the game for Ange’s side who were in desperate need of 3 points. Tottenham made it 0-2 in the 12 minute after James Maddison’s cross from the right wing was flicked over to the back post by Southampton defender Jan Bednarek. The Pole’s header took the ball out of the paths of the other defenders and into the firing range of Spurs skipper Son Heung-Min who smashed the ball underneath McCarthy. Tottenham all but sealed the 3 points when Dejan Kulusevski scored his 4th of the season just 2 minutes later. Son crossed the ball into the 6-yard box from the right wing, in search of Dominic Solanke. Bednarek made a brilliant interception to cut the pass out, but the ball fell right into the path of Kulusevski who tapped the ball in with ease. No.4 for Spurs came in the 25th minute when Son found Pape Sarr outside the Saints’ penalty area. Sarr’s first touch was brilliant, taking him into a little bit of space before he carved out a shot through a crowd of legs, watching as it crept in at the near post. Spurs then made it 0-5 with the last kick of the half after Son played a wonderful ball with the outside of his boot into the path of Maddison who was inside the penalty area. Maddison took it to the goal line, where he chopped back and from an impossible angle, somehow smashed the ball into the top right corner. At half time, the score stood at 0-5 with Southampton left with no route back into the game.

In the 2nd half, Tottenham took their foot off the pedal, with the damage already done. Southampton had a couple of late chances to score a consolation but Fraser Forster was not going to let his clean sheet slip. The full time score finished 0-5 with Tottenham picking up a much needed win. Ange’s side jumped into 10th on the table, 1 point away from a European place. The signs are now all there for Southampton that something needs to change. The Saints sit 20th on a woeful 5 points after 16 games. It doesn’t help that Martin continues to play with his attacking minded tactics, when he would be better off sitting back and countering like most newly promoted sides have done in the past to regain their Premier League status.

Note: Martin was sacked hours after the Saints shocking showings vs Spurs.

AFC Bournemouth vs West Ham United

The final fixture of Matchweek 16 was played on a Monday night with Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth hosting Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham United at the Vitality Stadium. The opening 45 minutes of the tie was very even. Bournemouth dominated the first 20 minutes of the half with Antoine Semenyo hitting the woodwork from inside the Hammers penalty area after Justin Kluivert headed the ball into his path. West Ham then hit the upright themselves when Mohammed Kudus played a through ball to Jarrod Bowen in a swift counter move. Bowen wasn’t fast enough to progress into the penalty area so he dug out a shot with his favoured left boot, watching as it curled over Cherries’ keeper Kepa, only to hit the crossbar and go out for a goal kick. At half time the score stood at 0-0 with the game unpredictable so far.

Bournemouth dominated the 2nd period and drew multiple acrobatic saves from the oldest player in the Premier League and West Ham no.1, Lukasz Fabianski. With just 10 minutes plus stoppage time to play, West Ham found a late opener in the 87th minute, totally against the run of play. Aaron Wan-Bissaka made a brilliant run down the right wing where his cross was deflected off the hand of Tyler Adams. West Ham substitute, Niclas Fullkrug, then saw his header spectacularly saved by Kepa, only for referee Chris Kavanagh to be brought back to the on-field VAR screen and award West Ham a penalty for the Adams handball. Lucas Paqueta stepped up to take the spot kick and professionally dispatched it into the bottom right corner. With just added time to be played, Bournemouth needed a bit of magic to score against this resilient Hammers defence. West Ham centre half, Konstantinos Mavrapanos, gave away a free kick 25 yards away from goal where Cherries substitute, Enes Unal, stood over the ball. Fresh of scoring a late leveller against Ipswich last weekend, Unal struck the ball perfectly, watching as it flew over the wall and perfectly out of the reach of the so far unbeatable Lukasz Fabianski. The full time score finished 1-1 with a draw the fair result. Bournemouth miss out on the chance to jump over Manchester City but still go into the top 6. West Ham picked up a point against a tough opposition away from home as they remain 14th in the table.

Written by Ollie Wade