Kickoff chronicles

Brentford vs Brighton Hove & Albion

The opening fixture of Matchweek 33 saw Thomas Frank’s Brentford host Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton at the Gtech Stadium. Brentford made an electric start to the fixture, attacking quickly at Brighton and finding the opener inside 10 minutes. Keane Lewis-Potter made a brilliant driving run through the pitch from his left back position before he threaded the ball into the path of main man Bryan Mbeumo. Mbeumo took one touch before slotting the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0. This was a bit of a wake up call for Brighton who switched on after conceding early. The travelling side equalised in first half stoppage time after Mats Wieffer chipped the ball into the Brentford penalty area from the right wing. Striker Danny Welbeck then showed great strength to hold off the challenge from Christian Norgaard before leaning back to head the ball into the bottom left corner to score his 9th of the season. The half time score finished 1-1 with both sides playing out a very entertaining 45 minutes.

Once again, Mbeumo and Brentford made a quick start to the half, scoring inside three minutes. Yoane Wissa poked the ball back out to Mbeumo who had occupied some space in the corner of the Brighton penalty area. He then cracked a shot, watching as his effort crept all the way into the bottom left corner, his 18th goal of this Premier League campaign as he has now doubled his season best of nine. Brentford then made it 3-1 in the 58th minute after Mikkel Damsgaard played a wonderful ball down the right wing over to Mbeumo. Mbeumo then cut the ball back into the penalty area where Wissa saw his first time effort catch a deflection, guiding the ball past Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen. Things then got even worse for Brighton as Joao Pedro was shown a red card after he kicked out on Nathan Collins after being fouled. It was deemed ‘violent conduct’ by VAR as Pedro was sent off. Brighton still managed to find their way back into the game though with Kaoru Mitoma scoring in the 81st minute. Jack Hinshelwood played a lovely ball into the penalty area where Mitoma was able to place it into the bottom right corner and around Brentford keeper Mark Flekken. Despite conceding a second goal, Brentford were able to restore their two goal cushion in stoppage time after Mathias Jensen’s free kick delivery was perfectly headed into the bottom left corner by Norgaard. The full time score finished 4-2, with Brentford putting in a solid performance to claim a huge three points. The Bees remain 11th on the table while Brighton sit just one spot above in 10th.

Crystal Palace vs AFC Bournemouth

The following game in Matchweek 33 saw Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace host Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon. The first half was actionless for the majority, with Palace dominating the opening half hour and Bournemouth having chances in the final 15 minutes of the half but neither side forcing a big save from their respective goalkeepers. Moments before the interval, Palace all but gave up their chances of winning the fixture when centre half Chris Richards was shown a 2nd yellow card after he held back Justin Kulivert. The half time score finished 0-0, but with Palace making the 2nd period so much harder for themselves after Richards was shown his marching orders.

The 2nd half was clearly dominated by Bournemouth, but Palace were too compact defensively and the Cherries were only able to draw four saves from Dean Henderson in the whole second half. The full time score finished exactly the same as when these two sides met at the Vitality Stadium earlier this season (0-0), the points shared. Palace remain 12th in the league on 44 points while Bournemouth jump into 8th on 49.

Everton vs Manchester City

The next game of Matchweek 33 saw David Moyes’ Everton host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at Goodison Park. Manchester City made a solid start to the game, forcing some brilliant saves from Jordan Pickford early on. Everton then rattled the post after the half hour mark when James Tarkowski saw his headed effort from an Everton free kick bounce off the outright. The half time score finished 0-0 with the score a fair reflection on the game.

Everton made a brilliant start to the 2nd half, with Jake O’Brien and Abdoulaye Doucoure forcing superb saves from City keeper Stefan Ortega. Everton then started to burn out in the final 20 minutes of the tie, with Pickford making multiple saves from City’s Savinho and Omar Marmoush to keep the game scoreless. City finally broke the deadlock in the 84th minute after Matheus Nunes’ low cross into the 6-yard box was smashed home by young academy product Nico O’Reilly, his 2nd goal in as many games. The Citizen’s then wrapped up all three points in stoppage time after Mateo Kovacic scored his 6th goal of the season. Jermey Doku received the ball down the left wing where he played it into the feet of Ilkay Gundogan in the Toffee’s penalty area. Gundogan then poked the ball back out to Kovacic who slipped when he struck the ball, aiding his shot as it flew past Pickford and into the bottom left corner. The full time score finished 0-2, with Pep’s side picking up a huge three points as they hope to qualify for Champions League after a very mediocre season. City move into 4th on 58 points although Nottingham Forest are yet to play. Everton drop a rare three points under David Moyes as they move into 13th on 38 points.

West Ham United vs Southampton

The following fixture in Matchweek 33 saw Graham Potter’s West Ham host interim manager Simon Rusk’s Southampton at the London Stadium. Despite their already confirmed relegation, Southampton showed great spirit against the Hammers, dominating the first half. Their two best chances came in the 26th minute and the 31st. In the 26th, Mateus Fernandes played the ball into the right side of the penalty area where Kyle Walker-Peters had run into space. The full back dragged his shot narrowly wide of the bottom left corner which he probably should’ve scored. Just six minutes later, the Saints rattled the upright after the ball fell fortunately to Kamaldeen Sulemana inside the West Ham penalty area. The Ghanaian then had to watch in agony as his first time volley effort thundered off the crossbar. The half time score finished 0-0 with West Ham once again looking woeful under Potter.

The Hammers made a much needed positive start to the second half when skipper Jarrod Bowen scored his 8th of the season inside two minutes. Mohammed Kudus made a driving run down the left wing before he played the ball centrally and into the feet of Niclas Fullkrug. The German striker then passed it on to Bowen who scored what has become his trademark goal, driving into the Saint’s penalty area before cutting the ball back onto his favoured left boot and placing it into the bottom corner. West Ham then put the ball into the back of the Saint’s net again after James Ward-Prowse’s inswinging corner caused much confusion before deflecting into the far corner. West Ham were once again robbed by poor officiating, with referee Andrew Kitchen deeming there was a ‘foul’ on keeper Aaron Ramsdale. The score remained 1-0. West Ham then made the pathetic decision of deciding to sit back against one of the worst sides in Premier League history, letting the Saints attack at them for the final 20 minutes. Southampton finally found a deserved goal late on in stoppage time after Walker-Peters made a brilliant run through the West Ham penalty area. The full-back then crossed the ball in where his ball was deflected back into the path of teammate Lesley Ugochukwu. The Chelsea loanee then smashed it into the bottom right corner, his first goal in the Premier League as the Saints showed great spirit to fight back against the Hammers. The full time score finished 1-1, with West Ham yet again continuing their miserable form at home as they sit 17th on the table with 34 points. Southampton remain rock bottom in 20th, although they have now equalled Derby County 07/08’s points record of 11, meaning they can no longer be the worst ever team in the league.

Aston Villa vs Newcastle United

The final game of Matchweek 33 on Saturday evening was an absolute cracker with two teams in brilliant form fighting it out for points going towards a potential Champions League place, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa and Jason Tindall’s Newcastle United at Villa Park (Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is unfortunately in the hospital due to a case of pneumonia). Aston Villa made an electric start to the tie when they opened the scoring after just 30 seconds. Youri Tielemans intercepted the ball right outside the penalty area where he immediately played a sharp ball into the path of Ollie Watkins. The English striker cut back onto his right foot before he cracked a shot, watching as his effort deflected off the shin of Fabian Schar creeping into the bottom left corner. Villa then came inches away from doubling their advantage after Watkins’ second shot of the evening from inside the Newcastle penalty area rattled off the underside of the crossbar and away from the danger zone. After a dominant start to the game from Villa, Newcastle equalised out of nowhere in the 18th minute after Harvey Barnes crossed in a ball from the left wing. Schar made amends for Watkins’ goal in the opening minute when he rose high to head the ball through the legs of Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez to make it 1-1. Just before the half hour mark, Watkins came so close to restoring Villa’s lead after his header from Marco Asensio’s free kick rattled the frame of Nick Pope’s goal. The half time score stood at 1-1 with Villa showing no signs of tiredness after their recent Champions League quarter final tie with PSG where they were unfortunately knocked out 5-4 after both legs.

Villa made an excellent start to the second period, finding the lead once again. Morgan Rogers made a brilliant run through the middle of the pitch where he played the ball into Asensio. Asensio passed the ball first time to Watkins where Watkins held the play before knocking the ball into the path of Ian Maatsen. The Dutch full-back then smashed the ball into the far right of Pope’s goal, scoring his first ever Premier League goal. Villa then all but wrapped up the three points in the 73rd minute after substitute Jacob Ramsey made a positive run down the left wing. The young Villa star then drilled the ball across the penalty area, watching as it deflected off the boot of unfortunate Newcastle centre half Dan Burn as it went down as a Burn own goal. Moments later, Villa scored their 4th in spectacular fashion. Just after he saw his solo effort spectacularly saved by Pope, Rogers received the ball again inside the Newcastle penalty area from Ramsey where he poked the ball back out to substitute Amadou Onana. Onana then rifled the ball into the top left corner beautifully, his goal quite clearly the best of the bunch. The full time score finished 4-1, with Villa putting an end to Newcastle’s brilliant run of form in devastating fashion. Villa claim a huge three points in the race for Champions League qualification as they move into 6th on 57 points while Newcastle remain 3rd on 59.

Fulham vs Chelsea

The first game on Easter Sunday played in Matchweek 33 saw Marco Silva’s Fulham host Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea at Craven Cottage. Fulham made a much stronger start to the tie and thought they’d opened the scoring inside three minutes after Andreas Pereira tapped the ball home from close range. Unfortunately for the hosts, Ryan Sessegnon was offside twice in the build up. The Cottagers finally found a deserved lead in the 20th minute after Sessegnon made a brilliant challenge on Chelsea skipper Reece James to turn the play over. He then progressed down the left wing before finding Alex Iwobi on the edge of the Blues’ penalty area. The Nigerian took one touch with his right before thrashing the ball into the far bottom corner with his left, Iwobi’s 9th of the season. Fulham continued to frustrate Chelsea for the remaining minutes of the half as the score at the interval stood at 1-0, Fulham hoping to do a domestic double over their biggest rivals.

Chelsea came out much stronger for the second period, causing all sorts of problems for Fulham. Pedro Neto in particular was the main man for Chelsea, coming so close to scoring in the 56th minute after his powerful effort was somehow deflected away from goal by the legs of Fulham shot stopper Bernd Leno. Chelsea finally found a deserved equaliser in the 83rd minute after young academy product and super sub, Tyrique George, scored his first ever Premier League goal. A long ball over to the right wing was brilliantly chested down into the feet of Cole Palmer by wide man Neto. Palmer was slow to react to Neto’s pass though, with Fulham captain Antonee Robinson managing to tackle the Englishman, only for the ball to fall to George. The 19-year-old then smashed the ball on the turn, watching as it flew past Leno and into the bottom corner. With only minutes to play in stoppage time, Chelsea completed a dramatic turnaround, scoring in the 93rd minute to win a huge three points against their local rivals. Palmer played the ball out wide to Enzo Fernandez who drilled the ball back into the penalty area with his first touch. Neto then took a brilliant first touch on his right before he spun around and rifled the ball into the roof of the net with a bullet of a strike on his left boot. The full time score finished 1-2, with Chelsea getting revenge on Fulham after they claimed a late win last time these sides played at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea claim a huge win away from home in the fight for the Champions League qualification spots as they sit 5th on the table with 57 points, just two points separating Newcastle in 3rd and Villa in 7th. Fulham drop to 9th on the table after a disappointing end to the fixture with 48 points.

Ipswich Town vs Arsenal

The following fixture in Matchweek 33 saw Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at Portman Road. Arsenal were clearly the better side in the opening exchanges and found an expected goal inside the opening quarter of an hour. Skipper Martin Odegaard made a powerful run from the halfway line and into the Ipswich penalty area before playing the ball wide to Bukayo Saka. Saka then chopped the ball back centrally where Leandro Trossard managed to get a shot away, watching it creep all the way into the bottom left corner. The Gunners then made it 0-2 just before the half hour mark when Saka made a surging run down the right wing. The starboy crossed the ball in where temporary Arsenal Striker Mikel Merino brilliantly flicked the ball over to the back post where Gabriel Martinelli was unoccupied. Martineli was then left with an easy tap-in, scoring his 50th senior career goal in the process, a landmark for the Brazilian. Ipswich then ruined their chances of any potential comebacks when they were reduced to 10 men. Left back Leif Davis was shown a straight red after he ran his boot down the calf of Saka, a horrendous and dirty challenge. The half time score finished 0-2 with the three points all but confirmed for Arteta’s men.

Arsenal grabbed their 3rd of the tie in the 69th minute, with Trossard registering his brace. Declan Rice took Arsenal’s latest corner short, playing a one-two with Odegaard before finding Trossard inside the Ipswich penalty area. The defending from the hosts was no existent, with Trossard given acres of space to place the ball into the bottom right corner and score his 7th of the season. No.4 came in the 88th minute for Arsenal when Oleksandr Zinchenko played the ball into the path of Ethan Nwaneri inside the Ipswich penalty area. Nwaneri carved out space to get a shot away, watching as his effort deflected off Cameron Burgess and into the bottom right corner of Alex Palmer’s goal. The full time score finished 0-4, with Arsenal putting out a solid performance despite the title already out of their grasp. The Gunners sit 2nd with 66 points, 13 behind Liverpool in 1st. Ipswich’s relegation is now all but confirmed as the Tractor Boys sit 18th on 21 points, 15 points away from safety with five games to play.

Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

The next game played on Easter Sunday in Matchweek 33 saw Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United host Vitor Pereira’s Wolves at Old Trafford. United were the much better side in the first half, coming so close in the 33rd minute after Christian Eriksen’s free kick from 25 yards was brilliantly tipped over the crossbar by Wolves keeper Dan Bentley. Kobbie Maninoo then came inches away from scoring moments before the interval after he played a sharp one-two with Alejandro Garnacho. He then attempted to curl the ball into the bottom right corner of Bentley’s net, his effort respectable, given the distance, as it bounced just wide of the post. The score at the interval remained goal-less with Manchester United playing the more positive football.

Once again United should’ve scored early in the 2nd half, with Garnacho playing a perfect ball across the 6-yard box in search of Hojlund. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, the Dane was unable to get on the end of Garnacho’s ball, sliding in but failing to make any contact. After a second half of Manchester United frustration, Wolves only added to their woes when they scored the opener in the 77th minute. Wolves super sub, Pablo Sarabia, stood over a free kick from 20+ yards out. The Spainaird’s execution was perfect, wonderfully curling the ball into the top right corner to hopefully win the game for Wolves. The Midlands side comfortably held out for the remaining minutes of the game to win 0-1, a 5th successive league victory; the last time Wolves achieved that feat was in 1970. Pereira’s side move into 15th in the league, level on points with Manchester United who sit 14th with 38 points. Amorim’s side lose their 15th game this season, with their focus now solely on the Europa League as they reached the semi-finals midweek after a thrilling 7-6 aggregate win against Lyon.

Leicester City vs Liverpool

The final game on Sunday afternoon in Matchweek 33 saw Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester host Arne Slot’s Liverpool at the King Power Stadium. Liverpool came agonisingly close to scoring inside three minutes after Mohamed Salah’s effort from inside the Foxes’ penalty area struck both posts before bouncing away from danger. Leicester then came very close to opening the scoring themselves inside 10 minutes after left winger Stephy Mavididi made a brilliant run down the left wing. Mavididi then cut into the penalty area and played the ball to Wilfred Ndidi who took one touch before smashing the ball at Alisson’s goal, watching as it fired off the post and back into play. This was a big game for Leicester, knowing if they failed to win today their relegation would be confirmed.  Leicester keeper Mads Hermansen was up for the task, saving everything Liverpool threw at him. It’s hard to see him staying with Leicester in the summer as he is definitely one of the most underrated goalkeepers in the league. The score at half-time remained 0-0 with Leicester defending heroically in the first 45 minutes.

Liverpool were once again far superior in the second half, with Hermansen forced into action on multiple occasions. Leicester then thought they’d found a shock opener in the 66th minute after Ndidi’s deflected effort from inside the Liverpool penalty area flew high into the air, making for an awkward claim for Alisson. The Brazilian shot stopper was then unable to claim the ball as Patson Daka showed great strength to hold him off before poking the ball back into the 6-yard area. Conor Coady was then left with an easy header from a yard out, only for referee Stuart Attwell to rule it out for absolutely no reason. If the incident happened anywhere else on the pitch, it would’ve been a goal but because goalkeepers are such a ‘protected species’ Attwell disallowed it. The game then took another controversial turn after Liverpool were awarded a corner when it was clearly a Leicester goal kick. Salah hit the post with a header before Diogo Jota hit the bar with his volley before the ball fell to substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold. The local boy smashed the ball through Hermansen, with the Danish keeper clearly distracted as his teammate Luke Thomas was on the floor with a terrible head injury. Despite the controversy, it didn’t stop Trent going to celebrate with his fans for maybe the last time as his departure to Real Madrid in the summer is all but confirmed. The full time score finished 0-1 with Liverpool picking up another lucky win thanks to poor officiating. Slot’s side sit 1st with 79 points, needing just one more win to seal just their 2nd Premier League trophy. Leicester’s relegation is now confirmed, despite such a good performance, as the Foxes remain 19th on 18 points.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest

The final game of Matchweek 33 on Monday night saw Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur host Nuno Espirito’s Nottingham Forest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Forest made an electric start to the fixture, opening the scoring inside five minutes as they looked to jump back into the top three. Anthony Elanga’s corner bobbled all the way through Tottenham’s penalty area before Nicolas Dominguez flicked the ball backwards to Elliot Anderson who was located right outside the 18-yard box. Anderson fired a shot back at Guglielmo Vicario’s goal, watching as it took a deflection off Rodrigo Bentancur before spinning over the reach of Vicario. Forest thought they’d doubled their advantage in the 10th minute after Chris Wood prodded Anderson’s cross past Vicario and into the bottom corner but it was quickly disallowed by VAR as Wood was offside. The Kiwi was not to be denied for long though as he put the ball in the back of the Spurs net just six minutes later. Elanga was at the heart of the move again, whipping in a peach of a cross from the left wing for Wood to brilliantly head into the bottom right corner. Tottenham were far from their best in the first half as Ange had made the decision to rest most of his first team players for their upcoming Europa League semi-final vs Bodoe/Glimt. The score at the interval stood at 0-2, with Forest hoping to hold on to what would be a huge three points in the fight for the top five in the Premier League.

The travelling side should have made it 0-3 in the opening moments of the 2nd period after Chris Wood poked the ball through to Morgan Gibbs-White with only Vicario left to beat for the captain. Unfortunately, Gibbs-White snatched at the ball, watching as it flew wide of the near post. After a few positive substitutions, Spurs started to find their way back into the fixture. Dejan Kulusevski’s header from Pedro Porro’s corner in the 64th minute drew a spectacular goal line clearance from Harry Toffolo to keep it at 0-2. Tottenham striker Richarlison had been causing trouble for the two Forest centre halves all game and came so close to scoring in the 80th minute. His wonderful header from Porro’s cross drew a spectacular save from Matz Sels who got down to his right to parry the ball away. After another frustrating game for Spurs fans, they were awarded a glimmer of hope after the same duo combined seven minutes later to half the deficit. Porro whipped in a cross from the right wing where Richarlison placed his header into the exact same corner, Sels not as quick to react this time as it bounced over the line. It proved to just be a consolation for Spurs though as the full time score finished 1-2. Nuno’s side claim a huge three points as they move back into 3rd on 60 points, with just three points separating them and Villa in 7th. Tottenham lose their 18th league game of the season as they drop to 16th with 37 points, although it’s safe to say their attention is solely on the Europa League which could prove a priceless backdoor into next season’s Champions League if they can lift the trophy in May.

Written by Ollie Wade