Kickoff chronicles

Chelsea vs AFC Bournemouth

The opening fixture of Matchweek 21 saw Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea host Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. After an evenly contested opening 10 minutes, Chelsea found the lead on the 13 minute mark when Cole Palmer netted his 14th of the season. Enzo Fernandez played the ball into the path of Nicholas Jackson who showed great skill to squeeze his way through the Bournemouth midfielders before progressing with the ball into the Cherries’ half. Jackson then spotted the run across the penalty area by Palmer where the Senegalese striker threaded it through to him. Palmer faked a shot, tricking keeper Mark Travers, before slotting the ball into the bottom left corner. The remaining minutes of the first half could have gone either way, with both Justin Kluivert and Jackson striking the woodwork for their respective clubs. The score at the interval stood at 1-0 with Bournemouth still in the tie.

The travelling side found a golden opportunity to go level just 3 minutes into the 2nd period when Moises Caicedo gave away a penalty for a cheap foul on Antoine Semenyo inside the Chelsea penalty area. Kluivert stepped up from the spot and dispatched the penalty perfectly, smashing the ball into the roof of the net to claim his 7th of the campaign. Just 18 minutes later, the Cherries completed the turnaround when Semenyo scored in the 68th minute. Ryan Christie played the ball into the left side of the Chelsea penalty area to Semenyo where the angle looked too tight. Semenyo then shocked the home crowd when he rifled the ball into the top left corner, pulling off the seemingly impossible. With 8 minutes of stoppage time added, Chelsea always fancied themselves to tie the game late on. The equaliser came from a free kick with their injury prone captain, Reece James, the man to perfectly curl the ball around the wall and into the bottom right corner, putting an end to a Premier League thriller. The score finished 2-2 with Chelsea fans starting to worry now as their side sit 4th on 37 points, winless in their last 5 Premier League games. The Cherries remain 7th in the table, with James’ late leveller preventing them from rising to 5th in the league.

West Ham United vs Fulham 

The following game of Matchweek 21 saw Graham Potter take charge of his first Premier League game since 2023 under new employer’s West Ham United after Julen Lopetegui was sacked due to a woeful run of form. Potter’s first opponents as Hammer’s manager at the London Stadium was Marco Silva’s Fulham who have been in a solid run of form this season. After a dominant start by the new-look Hammers side, they found a deserved opener in the 31st minute. Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira received the ball inside his own penalty area from keeper Bernd Leno. Pereira carelessly drilled the ball across the box, not checking his surroundings and watching in pain as Carlos Soler pounced on the poor pass and beautifully placed the ball into the bottom right corner with Leno out of position. West Ham then made it 2 goals in as many minutes when Tomas Soucek netted his 5th of the season. Soler received the ball in the right side of the Fulham area in West Ham’s latest counter attack. Soler crossed the ball over to the right where Aaron Wan-Bissaka controlled the ball down. The wing-back then played it across the box where Soucek professionally chipped the ball into the top right corner. The first half finished 2-0 with West Ham making the dream start under Potter.

After a very sluggish first half from the Cottagers, they made an ideal start to the 2nd when they halved the deficit in the 51st minute. Antonee Robinson made a driving run down the left wing before poking the ball backwards to Alex Iwobi. The Nigerian then whipped the ball in from the left side where Raul Jimenez looked to have flicked the ball past Lukasz Fabianski and into the back of the net. The Premier League officials later went and reviewed the goal and credited it to Iwobi as there were no touches on his cross. After conceding so early into the 2nd period, West Ham conjured up the perfect response in the 67th minute to restore their 2 goal cushion. It was yet again another disastrous Fulham error, with Danny Ings applying too much pressure on goalkeeper Leno resulting in him taking a poor touch. Lucas Paqueta pounced on his mistake, curling the ball brilliantly into an empty net. With only a quarter of an hour left to play, the Cottagers refused to give up, reducing the gap yet again. Robinson found Iwobi down the right wing where the Nigerian chipped the ball into the penalty area. Much like the first, the Robinson to Iwobi cross combination down the left wing looked to have caught a touch off the head of Harry Wilson on its way but it was later found that it was actually Iwobi’s 2nd of the tie. Fulham dominated the rest of the thrilling Premier League tie, coming so close to scoring if not for a brilliant goal line clearance by West Ham academy product Ollie Scarles. The full time score finished 3-2 with West Ham making a dream start under Potter given their current injury crisis. The Hammers jump into 12th in the table, above Tottenham and Manchester United. Fulham still remain 9th in the league, but will be disappointed with their defensive showings and errors against a weakened West Ham side.

Brentford vs Manchester City

The next game of Matchweek 21 played on Tuesday night saw Thomas Frank’s Brentford host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the Gtech Stadium. The first half of the game was a closely fought contest, with Brentford dominating the opening 20 minutes and Manchester City the remaining minutes. The first half finished 0-0 with a goal surely to come after the solid chances these sides had created.
Moments after Savinho had rattled the woodwork for City, the away side found a deserved lead when Phil Foden bagged his 3rd of the season. Kevin de Bruyne whipped the ball into the penalty area from the right wing to claim his 116th Premier League assist as Foden deftly touched the ball into the bottom left corner. Manchester City then thought they’d wrapped the game up in the 78th minute when they made it 0-2, hoping to win their 3rd win on the bounce. Savinho dribbled in from the left wing and drilled a shot at Bees’ keeper Mark Flekken. Flekken parried the ball away from goal but only as far as ‘the sniper’ Foden, who smashed the ball into the back of the net. Five minutes later Brentford scored a fully deserved goal when Yoanne Wissa bagged his 11th of the season. Mikkel Damsgaard crossed the ball in from the left wing over to the back post where Mads Roerslev cushioned the ball across the box. Wissa was left with way too much time and space in the 6-yard area and composedly smashed the ball past City keeper Stefan Ortega. With only minutes of stoppage time to play, Pep Guardiola’s men fully imploded when Christian Norgaard scored to level the game at 2-2. Keane Lewis-Potter whipped in the ball from the right wing where Bees’ skipper Norgaard brilliantly rose to head the ball at goal. Ortega would’ve felt that he needed to keep out the Dane’s effort, getting his hands to it but unfortunately watched as he could only parry the ball further into the goal. The full time score finished 2-2 with Pep seen to be furious with his players after the full time whistle. Just as things were moving in a positive direction for the Citizens, they blew a 2 goal lead against Brentford to draw 2-2. City stay 6th in the table. Brentford jumped into the top half of the table (10th) with a brilliant comeback staged by Thomas Frank’s men, a much needed one after they were kicked out of the FA Cup by Plymouth Argyle just days prior.

Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool

The final game of Matchweek 21 played on Tuesday night saw Nuno Espirito’s Nottingham Forest host Arne Slot’s Liverpool in what looked a brilliant match up at the City Ground. Nuno’s high flying Forest made the perfect start to the tie when they opened the scoring inside 8 minutes. Two players who were in a rich fade of form combined to score the goal, Anthony Elanga threading the ball through to talisman Chris Wood who was in on goal inside the left area of the 18-yard box. The Kiwi slotted the ball into the bottom right corner, leaving Liverpool keeper Alisson with no chance of saving it, as he registered his 13th of the season. The hosts dominated the rest of the half with Liverpool very fortunate not to go into the interval with a 2 goal deficit. The score finished 1-0 at half time with Forest hoping to rise into 2nd and close the gap between themselves and Liverpool to just 3 points.

Forest made a positive start to the 2nd period but unfortunately for them, an Arne Slot double substitution in the 66th minute saw the Reds strike level. Kostas Tsimikas whipped in Liverpool’s latest corner from the right flag where Diogo Jota jumped up well to head the ball into the top left corner, levelling the match at 1-1. Liverpool dominated all of the possession and chances in the final minutes, with the current leader of the Golden Glove (most clean sheets for a goalkeeper in the Premier League), Matz Sels forced into multiple brilliant saves to keep Liverpool to just the 1. Slot’s team came so close to winning the game late on from another corner, this time the Premier League Golden Boot leader Mohamed Salah watching as his volleyed effort was cleared off the line by Forest defender Ola Aina. The full time score finished 1-1 with a draw a fair result. Liverpool stay at the top of the table, 6 points clear of Forest in 2nd, with a game in hand. Forest will be disappointed they couldn’t tighten the gap at the summit of the table but it has still been a wonderful season so far for Nuno’s side.

Everton vs Aston Villa

The first game of Matchweek 21 played on Wednesday night saw David Moyes take charge as Everton head coach for the first time since 2013 as the Toffees hosted Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at Goodison Park. Aston Villa made a much more positive start to the game, with Everton shot stopper Jordan Pickford forced into a huge save inside 5 minutes and then Ollie Watkins missing the goal from point blank range 17 minutes in. The Villains dominated the rest of the half but failed to find a final instinctive touch in the Everton 6-yard area which would have seen them go up 0-1 at the interval. The half time score remained 0-0 but it was only a matter of time before someone broke the deadlock.

Just 6 minutes into the 2nd period, Villa found a deserved opener through talisman Ollie Watkins. Morgan Rogers won the ball on the halfway line with Everton left vulnerable and immediately played a brilliant through ball to his striker. Watkins let the ball run across him before slotting the ball underneath outcoming keeper Pickford. Everton then finally found their attacking foot and started to press up the pitch a little. The Toffees were pushing hard in the dying minutes to find an equaliser, and should have 3 minutes into stoppage time when Dominic Calvert-Lewin blazed the ball over the bar from inside the 6-yard area. The full time whistle was then finally blown and the score finished 0-1. It wasn’t a great start for Everton in life under Moyes but Everton still sit in a very stable position of 16th in the table. Aston Villa picked up back to back wins in the league as they rose to 7th position in the table, level on points with 6th placed Manchester City.

Leicester City vs Crystal Palace

The following fixture of Matchweek 21 saw Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City host Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium. The opening exchanges of the game were dominated by Leicester with main man Jamie Vardy putting his first chance wide of the post and seeing his second big chance easily saved by Eagle’s keeper Dean Henderson. The rest of the 45 minutes was closely contested with the 0-0 score at half time a fair result.

Only 7 minutes into the 2nd period, Crystal Palace broke the deadlock. Ismaila Sarr threaded the ball through to centre forward Jean-Philippe Mateta. Mateta took the ball in his stride before rolling the ball around Foxes’ keeper Jakub Stolarczyk. The Frenchman was then left with the easy task of passing the ball into a now empty net. It was proving not to be Leicester’s day, with Vardy putting another chance wide of the post and Boubakary Soumare rattling the upright from inside the penalty area. After getting lucky and not conceding an equaliser, Palace then sealed the game in the 78th minute when Marc Guehi popped up with a captain’s contribution. Eberechi Eze chipped the ball into the penalty area from a free kick where Guehi smashed the ball into the roof of the net with a wonderful side footed volley. Once again, Leicester continued to create chances but they failed to find the back of the net, proving their main problem as they have only scored 23 goals this campaign. The full time score finished 0-2 with Palace climbing over Manchester United and into 14th. Leicester’s relegation woes continue as they remain 19th in the table on just 14 points.

Newcastle United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

The next game of Matchweek 21 saw Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United host Vitor Pereira’s Wolves at St. James’ Stadium on Wednesday night. After a dominant start by the high-flying Magpies, it was inevitable that they were always going to find the lead against a relegation-threatened Wolves. It was their main man, Alexander Isak, that broke the deadlock in the 34th minute, dribbling in from the left wing and into a central position before finding some space outside the area to line a shot. Isak’s strike wasn’t perfectly executed, but it was struck well enough to trick Wolves keeper Jose Sa and bobble into the far bottom left corner. Just before the break, Wolves proved they were not out of the game just yet when Jorgan Strand Larsen hit the post after Rayan Ait-Nouri’s brilliant and electric run down the right wing. The half finished 1-0 with the next goal in the tie crucial.

Newcastle all but sealed the 3 points in the 57th minute when Isak made it a brace for the evening and netted his 15th of the season. Captain Bruno Guimaraes played a cheeky ball into the path of Isak who had found the perfect pocket of space inside the penalty area. Isak composed himself before smashing the ball past Jose Sa, making it 2-0. After Wolves had been pushing for a goal that might see them come back into the game, Newcastle wrapped it all up in the 74th minute with Isak in the thick of it again. The Swede dribbled into the Wolves penalty area in search of a teammate in a better position. Isak beat defender Matt Doherty before passing the ball to Anthony Gordon. Gordon struck the ball first time, watching as it rolled perfectly into the bottom left corner, his 6th of the season. Wolves were under the impression that they’d scored a late consolation from a corner thanks to Santiago Bueno but VAR later disallowed it for a handball. The full time score finished 3-0 with Newcastle continuing their unstoppable run of form in recent months. The Magpies climb over Chelsea and into a Champions League place while Wolves drop into the relegation zone on goal difference. 

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur

The final game of Matchweek 21 played on Wednesday evening was the biggest of the week, the North London Derby, which saw Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal host Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium. After a quick and dominant start to the game from the Gunners, it was a huge shock to the majority of the fans inside the Emirates as Tottenham took a surprise lead in the 25th minute when captain Son Heung-Min scored his 6th of the season. Pedro Porro whipped the ball into the penalty area where Arsenal centre half Gabriel thought he’d done enough, heading the ball outside the danger zone. Unfortunately for the hosts, Son was lurking, waiting for his opportunity to strike. The South Korean saw the ball on the way, hitting the ball on the volley and watching as his cushioned and deflected effort snuck its way into the bottom right corner. After a worrying few weeks for the Gunners, drawing to Brighton and then being knocked out of both cup competitions, they found a much needed equalising goal 5 minutes before the break. It was yet again credited to all their work on set pieces, with Declan Rice whipping the ball in from the left flag for Gabriel to head the ball back across goal at the far post. Gabriel’s header needed a helping hand, flicking off the knee of Dominic Solanke before finding its way past new Tottenham keeper Antonin Kinsky. Only 4 minutes later, Arsenal had turned the game around after Leandro Torassard scored in the 44th minute to make it 2-1. Thomas Partey dispossessed Yves Bissouma in the midfield where Martin Odegaard picked the ball up. The skipper played the ball wide out to the left wing where Trossard was left with space to run into. The Belgian progressed into the area before unleashing a powerful effort, watching as it fizzed into the far right corner. The score at the interval stood at 2-1 with Arsenal showing great character to flip the script.

Arsenal dominated the 2nd period but were just missing a poacher like presence that would see them score their 3rd to win them the game. Instead, Kinsky was left with a number of routine saves to make to keep the deficit to just 1. After soaking up all of Arsenal’s 2nd half pressure, Tottenham made some rare and dangerous ventures forward in the dying minutes of the tie. With 1 minute of stoppage time to play, Porro fired a shot at the Arsenal goal from a ridiculously tight angle. Arsenal stopper David Raya was probably not expecting the ridiculous effort as it flew by him and smashed into his left post, almost making for a spectacular equaliser. Arsenal successfully saw out the game, with the full time result 2-1. It was a great win for Arteta’s men as they jumped into 2nd on the table again, 4 points away from Arne Slot’s Liverpool. It only gets worse for Spurs as they now drop into 13th on the table, London rivals West Ham United climbing over them now.

Ipswich Town vs Brighton Hove & Albion

The first game of Matchweek 21 to be played on Thursday night saw Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town host Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton at Portman Road. The first 45 minutes was quite clearly dominated by the Tractor Boys, with Nathan Broadhead, Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson all drawing superb leaping stops from Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen. The first half score remained 0-0 but it was looking positive for the hosts and their supporters.

After another positive start to the 2nd period for Ipswich, coming close to scoring, Brighton went on to score in the 59th minute totally against the run of play. Yasin Ayari found himself at the goal line of the Ipswich penalty area where he hooked the ball back for Matt O’Riley. O’Riley showed great composure when he opted not to shoot from a tricky angle and lay the ball off to Kaoru Mitoma. Mitoma’s effort wasn’t the most powerful, but he managed to pass the ball into the bottom right corner, with Ipswich keeper Christian Walton left frustrated he couldn’t keep the shot out as he was unable to spot the ball through the crowd of legs. After Brighton’s first, the Blue heads dropped around Portman Road with the momentum taking a heavy swing in favour of the Seagulls. After missing a few chances to seal the game, Brighton wrapped it up in the 81st minute. Ayari took Brighton’s latest free kick from the left wing. Ayari’s set piece was hard and low and when Danny Welbeck attempted to flick the ball over to the back post, he took all the force out of the pass which landed perfectly for Georginio Rutter. With not much time or space, Rutter was able to shrug off his man and poke the ball into the bottom left corner, making it 0-2 on the night. The travelling side saw out the remaining 10 minutes plus stoppages to win their first game after an 8 game winless run. Hurzeler’s side moved back into 9th on the table. Ipswich drop back into the relegation zone on 16 points, although this is only due to goal difference as they are level on points with Wolves in 17th.

Manchester United vs Southampton

The closing fixture of Matchweek 21 on Thursday night saw Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United host Ivan Juric’s Southampton at Old Trafford. After an unusual and rare positive start to the game for the Saints, Juric’s side found a deserved opener just before the break in the 43rd minute. Mateus Fernandes’ corner delivery was on the money as Tyler Dibbling flicked it into a dangerous area. Andre Onana, Manchester United keeper, was proving hard to beat from the opening exchanges but Southampton finally managed their way past him in unlikely circumstances. Dibbling’s header deflected off the back of Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte and in at Onana’s near post. The first half finished 0-1 with Southampton hoping for a first league win since the start of November.

Manchester United were playing well at the start of the 2nd period but it was starting to seem like it was just not their day. One of the club’s record signings, Anthony, missed an absolute sitter from a couple of yards out, passing the ball back to Saint’s keeper Aaron Ramsdale as he stretched out to tap the ball into an empty net. Finally, after 80 minutes of agonising football for the Old Trafford fans, the hosts scored. Amad Diallo received the ball in the right side of the Southampton penalty area. Amad’s initial effort was blocked by Kyle Walker-Peters but the ball very fortunately fell right back into his path. Amad lashed at the ball, making no mistake as it flew under the body of Ramsdale and into the back of the net. United’s player of the season so far was soon at it again, securing his brace in the 90th minute to win the game for the Red Devils. Amad dribbled with the ball down the right wing before playing it to Christian Eriksen in a central position. Eriksen then played a very intelligent chip pass over the Saint’s defense and into Amad. Amad then lunged out to poke the ball past Ramsdale, allowing Old Trafford to breathe a huge sigh of relief. The young Manchester star then put the cherry on top of a wonderful solo performance when he completed his 12 minute hat-trick. Amad ran at Taylor Harwood-Bellis who had just received the ball from his keeper Ramsdale. Harwood-Bellis’ first touch was poor, allowing Amad to pick his pocket and pass the ball into an empty net to secure his first ever professional hat-trick. The full time score finished 3-1 with the Red Devil’s surviving a scare against the worst team in the league thanks to their brightest star. United jumped into 12th in the table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone. The writing is now on the wall for Southampton as they lose from yet another winning position. At this point in a Premier League season, they are statistically the worst ever performers, mustering up a woeful 6 points as they sit rock bottom.

Written by Ollie Wade