Kickoff chronicles

Arsenal vs Chelsea

The postponed Premier League games from match week 29 kicked off with a bang as Arsenal hosted Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners got off to a flying start when one of their most reliable players; Leandro Trossard put them in front inside 5 minutes. Declan Rice made a driving run into the Chelsea penalty area and played it into the path of the Belgian. Trossard took a touch with his right and struck the ball with his left, embarrassing Chelsea keeper Djordje Petrovic by squeezing it inside the near corner. Arsenal dominated the rest of the first half and probably felt they should have been ahead by 2 or 3 when referee Simon Hooper blew his whistle to mark the end of the first 45 minutes. The Gunners made a perfect start to the second half, doubling their advantage after just 6 minutes played in the second period. Rice drilled a shot at the Chelsea goal which caught a deflection, leading it straight into the path of Ben White. The full back hit the ball first time, placing it into the far corner. 2 became 3 five minutes later when Kai Havertz managed to score against his old employers. Martin Odergaard played a brilliant ball to the German leaving him one-on-one with Petrovic. He held off the challenge from Blue’s defender Marc Cucurella and smashed the ball into the roof of the net. Havertz completed his brace 8 minutes later when the tricky feet of Bukayo Saka found him inside the Chelsea 18 yard area. He was given plenty of space from the Chelsea defender, giving him all the time in the world to fire a shot and find the near corner. No.5 came 5 minutes later when the brilliant Odegaard played a ball over the travelling backline to White. White then cushioned the ball with the inside of his boot and played it across the box, intending to find the head of a teammate. Instead, he unintentionally found the top corner of Petrovic’s goal and made it 5-0. Arsenal saw out the win with the score 5-0 after the full 90 minutes. Arsenal put out a statement and also made it the 9th time this season they have succeeded to score 5+ goals in a single game. This puts the Gunners 4 points clear at the top, putting pressure on Manchester City as they will need to win two on the spin as Arsenal have a much stronger goal difference. Chelsea come away from North London with no points and a minus 5 goal difference. If The Blues had won today, it would have meant they’d rise to 7th place, in a Europa Conference League position, and only behind 6th placed Newcastle on goal difference.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Bournemouth

The first game played on Wednesday night of the postponed games was played at the Molineux with Wolves hosting Bournemouth. Bournemouth dominated the opening exchanges and it was only a matter of time before they found the back of the Wolves net. They were finally successful in the 37th minute through a reliable source of goals in Antonie Semenyo. Max Kilman failed to clear the ball across the area from Milos Kerkez and Semenyo was there to smash home the scraps. The half ended 0-1 with Wolves needing to improve if they were to spark a comeback. The hosts thought they had got off to the right start in the 65th minute when Hwang Hee Chan headed in the ball from Nelson Semedo. Unfortunately for the home side, it was ruled out as Matheus Cunha was said to have recklessly hit Justin Kluviert with an outstretched arm during the build up. As a result he was shown a yellow card. The Cherries only made it harder for themselves when Kerkez saw red for a nasty tackle on Matt Doherty. Wolves thought they had punished the Bournemouth red card when Kilman found the back of the net in the final few minutes but after a long VAR check, it was chalked off. He was offside when Boubacar Traore chipped it over to him, before he volleyed the ball into the far corner. The game ended 0-1 with Bournemouth finding themselves leapfrogging Wolves and Brighton and sitting in 10th place, inside the top half of the table. Wolves drop to 12th.

Crystal Palace vs Newcastle United

The next game played on Wednesday night was staged at Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace hosting Newcastle United. Palace were the stronger side in the first 45 minutes and created more chances but Newcastle sent out a few warnings with Alexander Isak being involved in a couple of opportunities. The first half ultimately ended goalless but was still a very intriguing and entertaining game. It didn’t take the Eagles long to find an opener early on in the second period with Jean Philippe-Mateta finding the back of the net with just 10 minutes played in the half. It came from a brilliant passage of play from the hosts, Eze finding Mateta just outside the Newcastle area, Mateta playing a quick 1-2 with Jordan Ayew between the Newcastle backline, leaving him acres of space to bury the ball and make it 1-0. Palace continued to dominate and finally sealed the tie in the 88th minute. Will Huges, who had been a bright spark for Palace all evening, found Mateta inside the area with loads of space. The Frenchman drilled it right at Martin Dubravka, embarrassing him as the ball rolled between the keeper’s legs. The game finished 2-0, with Newcastle missing out on a huge chance to retain their place in the top 6. They now drop to 7th. Palace however are now miles away from the relegation zone and continue their brilliant run of form, sitting 14th but with safety statistically confirmed. 

Everton vs Liverpool

The following game played on Wednesday evening was at Goodison Park with Everton hosting Merseyside rivals, Liverpool. Everton kicked off with a bang and thought they had won a penalty inside 5 minutes when Dominic Calvert-Lewin took the ball around Liverpool keeper Alisson and then was brought down by the outstretched arms of the shot-stopper. Fortunately for Jurgen Klopp’s men, Calvert-Lewin was offside when the ball from Jack Harrsion came in. The Toffees eventually found a scrappy opener in the 27th minute when Liverpool failed to clear the ball out of their own area countless times. Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister then passed it right into the path of Jarrad Branthwatie whose effort just spun across the line after it rolled under the body of Alisson. It was a huge goal that impacted both ends of the table with Everton going 8 clear of the drop and Liverpool needing to find a way to turn it around and go level with Arsenal at the top. Liverpool created multiple chances for the next quarter of an hour but front men, Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah, and Darwin Nunez all failed to convert in every opportunity. The half ended 1-0 with Liverpool needing to rouse a comeback in the next 45 minutes. Everton only made matters worse for Liverpool when they scored to make it 2-0 after just 12 minutes played in the second period. Clavert-Lewin rose high to head in a brilliant corner kick from Dwight McNeil who had put in a stellar performance so far. The travelling side continued to create chance after chance but Everton were strong and held out for a spectacular win. It all finished 2-0, taking Everton 8 points clear of the drop and they are still appealing their second point deduction. It only gets worse for Liverpool, leaving them 2nd but only 1 point ahead of 3rd placed Manchester City who have 2 games in hand.

Manchester United vs Sheffield United

The last game played on Wednesday night was staged at The Theatre of Dreams with Manchester United hosting rock bottom Sheffield United. The Blades found an early lifeline in the 35th minute when Jayden Bogle punished a woeful pass out from Manchester United keeper Andre Onana. Bogle intercepted it and progressed into the United area. For the second time in the passage of play, he embarrassed Andre Onana, squeezing the ball past him at his near post. United hit back almost instantly when Harry Maguire drew them level. It was his second goal of the week after finding the back of the net in their FA Cup semi final game against Coventry. Alejandro Garnacho crossed in a ball from the left wing where the English centre back glanced his header into the far corner. The half finished 1-1 with the game surprisingly still in the balance. Sheffield United made the perfect start to the second period when Ben Brerton Diaz found the back of the net after just 5 minutes after the interval. Ben Osborn cut a ball back right into the middle of the United penalty area where Diaz slid in to smash the ball into the roof of the net and put the Blades in front. Once again United drew level straight away. Maguire was involved, getting wrestled down by Auston Trusty when Bruno Fernades’ corner came in. Fernades stepped up to take the penalty and didn’t disappoint when he buried it into the top right corner on the hour mark. For the first time in the game, Manchester United found themselves leading the tie, when Fernandes put them in front at the 81st minute. He received it from Kobbie Mainoo about 30 yards out and took a touch, setting himself up. The Portuguese struck it perfectly, watching it curl into the opposite corner that he had just previously scored in. 4 minutes later, United sealed all three points when Rasmus Hojland ended a 6 game scoring drought for himself. The Dane ran onto a brilliant ball across the box by Fernandes and slid in, smashing it into the roof of the net and winning the game for the hosts. It all finished 4-2, taking Manchester United back into the top 6 in the league. Relegation for Sheffield United is looking more and more probable each week with their chance of survival now at an all time low.

Brighton vs Manchester City

The final game of the delayed Premier League match week 29 was played on Friday night with Brighton hosting Manchester City. After an awkward opening 10 minutes for the Citizens, they eventually found the opener through one of their key players at this time of the season in Kevin De Bruyne. Kyle Walker crossed a ball in from the right wing which De Bruyne then brilliantly leapt to head the ball into the top right corner. No.2 came 9 minutes later when the travelling side won a free kick just outside the Brighton penalty area. Phil Foden stepped up to take it and when he shot the ball, it caught a deflection off the back of Valentin Barco, wrong footing keeper Jason Steele, and finding the back of the net. Foden scored his 2nd of the game and his 16th of the season when Bernardo Silva punished a mistake by the young Argentinian debutant, Barco. It all came from Brighton trying to pass it around the back dangerously and City putting up a high press. Silva intercepted the pass which Foden ran onto and placed perfectly into the far corner. The half ended 0-3 with City putting out somewhat of a title statement here at the Gtech. It was a game that was won in the first half, but if there were any hopes of a Brighton comeback, Julian Alvarez put those thoughts to bed when he made it 0-4. Ederson played a brilliant ball over the Brighton defence to Kyle Walker who had made a run down the right wing. Walker took a heavy touch and lured out Steele in the Brighton goal. He slid in and laid off his touch to Alvarez who had an empty net to aim for, placing it into the bottom left corner. The experienced Manchester side held out and kept their clean sheet intact, the tie ending 0-4. This takes City into 2nd place only one point away from Arsenal with a game in hand. Brighton stayed 11th, missing out on a chance to go 9th.

Written by Ollie Wade