Kickoff chronicles

Fulham vs Manchester City

The 2nd to last series of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign kicked off at Craven Cottage with Fulham hosting title contentenders, Manchester City. The Citizens opened the scoring after 12 minutes when Josko Gvardiol scored his 4th goal in just 8 games. It was a superb goal with 19 passes involved. The Croatian defender cut inside from the left wing, played 1-2 with Kevin De Bruyne, receiving the ball in the penalty area and rolling it past Fulham keeper Bernd Leno. De Bruyne also registered his 111th assist in the Premier League now level with Cesc Fabregas; Ryan Giggs is the only player to have registered more,(162). The half ended 0-1 with Fulham still in the game, hoping to do their London neighbours Arsenal a favour by claiming a result today. City put any Fulham ambitions of a comeback to bed when they made it 0-2. Bernardo Silva made a powerful run into the Fulham area where he lost the ball after he was tackled. Fortunately for the away side, the ball popped out to Phil Foden whose first time effort nestled perfectly into the bottom left corner. If there were any doubts about them not holding on, the Citizens sealed the 3 points when Gvardiol scored his 2nd of the tie. Silva crossed a ball into the back post where Swiss centre back Manuel Akanji narrowly missed it with his outstretched boot. Luckily Gvardiol was behind him, prepared to scrap it in past Leno. The travelling side were then given a chance to go up 0-4 when Issa Diop fouled Julian Alvarez inside the penalty area. He gave away a spot kick and was shown a second yellow, resulting in a red. Alvarez then denied Gvardiol the opportunity to make Premier League history by potentially scoring a hat-trick. He would have been the first ever defender to do so but the Argentinian striker still converted the penalty with the game ending 0-4. The reigning champs go 1st again, 2 points ahead of Arsenal and Fulham stay 14th.

Bournemouth vs Brentford

The next game of the latest Premier League match week was played at the Vitality Stadium with Bournemouth hosting Brentford. The hosts thought they had found an opener inside half an hour when Dominic Solanke’s deflected effort from the right side of the penalty area found the bottom corner but it was chalked off with a handball in the build up. The English striker then had another first half goal disallowed when he dispossessed Nathan Collins and with the keeper well off his line, Solanke dinked it around Mark Flekken and into the near corner. It was later ruled out as Solanke was said to have fouled Ajer when taking the ball off him. The first half finished 0-0 with the Cherries feeling as if they had been robbed of a 2-0 advantage. Brentford were then awarded a penalty mid-way through the second period when Ivan Toney was pushed in the back inside the Bournemouth penalty area. VAR looked back at the penalty claim and overruled it as they thought Toney had dived and simulated the play. Brentford then finally scored a legitimate opener in the 86th minute when Yoanne Wissa cushioned the ball over the hosts defence to Bryan Mbuemo who was unmarked. He took a couple of touches and drilled the ball into the opposite corner, potentially winning the game for the travelling side. All the Bees players ran over to their coach Thomas Frank whose father sadly passed away the day prior. With both teams left with nothing to play for, they certainly put on a show with Bournemouth equalising 3 minutes later. Marcos Senesi then crossed a ball into the Brentford penalty area from at the halfway line where Solanke jumped to head the ball into the top corner. The striker made it 19 goals in the Premier League this season, continuing his blistering form. Brentford then shocked the home crowd when they found another late goal, 5 minutes into stoppage time. Mbuemo played a smart reverse pass to Wissa deep in the penalty area who lashed the ball into the roof of the net, winning the game for the travelling side. It finished 1-2 with the Bees taking all 3 points back to London. They stay in 16th place but will be playing a 4th season of Premier League football in a row as they are 13 points away from the relegation zone. Bournemouth dropped to 11th after Brighton’s result. 

Everton vs Sheffield United

As most of the games were played at the same time on Saturday, the next match played at 3pm was staged at Goodison Park with Everton hosting Sheffield United. As Everton were already safe and Sheffield United relegated, both teams had nothing to play for, resulting in a bit of a boring affair. Everton dominated the majority of the first half, forcing some big saves from Blades keeper Wes Foderingham. The opener finally came just after the half hour mark. Dwight McNeil found Dominic Calvert-Lewin inside the Sheffield penalty area who drew out Foderingham. With no keeper in the 6 yard box, Calvert-Lewin chipped it over to the back post for Abdoulaye Doucoure to head it into an empty net. The half finished 1-0 with April manager of the month Sean Dyche happy with his team’s performance so far. The second period was more of the same with Everton dominating. They failed to find the back of the net again but it didn’t affect the full time result as it finished 1-0. The Blades stay rock bottom and have now conceded a record of 101 Premier League goals. Everton stay 15th, but there are positive signs. If they hadn’t been deducted 8 points the Toffees would be sitting in a solid position of 11th.

Newcastle vs Brighton

The 3rd game played on Saturday afternoon was in the North of England with Newcastle hosting Brighton. The Seagulls found an early lead when Joel Veltman smashed the ball past Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka. It all came from a Pascal Gross corner which found its way to the feet of Veltman. Both teams had chances in the next half hour but failed to convert with both respective keepers making huge saves; Martin Dubravka (Newcastle), Bart Verbruggen. Newcastle allowed their fans to breathe a huge sigh of relief when Sean Longstaff levelled the game in the last minute of the half. Anthony Gordon found Elliot Anderson deep in the Seagulls penalty area. The Scottish midfielder squared it to Longstaff who smashed it home. The half finished 1-1 with Newcastle hoping to pick up all 3 points and potentially secure a Europa League spot. After dominating the second period, Newcastle thought they had won the game when Harvey Barnes released Almiron into the Brighton penalty area. The Paraguayan found Gordon who tapped it into an uncontested net but the flag was up on the far side. The game finished 1-1 with the home fans angry the late winner was disallowed. The result takes Brighton over Bournemouth into the top half of the table sitting 10th. Newcastle stayed in 6th but with Chelsea hot on their heels.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley

Down the other end of England in the capital, London, we saw Tottenham Hotspur host relegation candidates Burnley. It was a shaky start from a Spurs point of view with their keeper, Guglielmo Vicario forced into a big save inside 5 minutes. Burnley actually found the opener in the 25th minute when Sander Burge made a powerful run from inside his own half, dribbling past multiple Spurs’ players. The Norwegian then played a perfect pass through the Tottenham defence to Jacob Bruun Larson who smashed it into the back of the net, giving all spectating Clarets fans hope. Tottenham did hit back 6 minutes later, keeping their top 4 dreams alive when fullback Pedro Porro made a driving run from the right wing, cutting in. He was allowed to keep going by the Burnley defenders and when he arrived into the penalty area, he thundered the ball past keeper Arijanet Murc and into the back of the net. The half finished 1-1 with the next goal crucial for both sides. Tottenham dominated for the most of the second half with only last ditch saves and clearances from the Burnley defenders and goalie keeping the game level. It turned out to be the Tottenham defensive pairing of Porro and Micky Van de Ven that would win the game again for Spurs. James Maddison played it to centre back Van de Ven who had made a rare run forwards. He took a good first touch running onto the ball and placing it into the bottom left corner, winning the game for Tottenham. It all finished 2-1 with Tottenham not out of the runnings for top 4 just yet. Burnley are now statistically relegated and Vincent Kompany’s team will be playing Championship football again next season. 

West Ham vs Luton Town

Another big game to determine what would happen at the bottom of the table was to be played at the London Stadium with West Ham United hosting Luton Town. The Hatters took a shock early lead when Albert Sambi Lonkango scored inside 6 minutes. Alfie Doughty crossed a ball in from the left wing where the run from Lokonga was not tracked and he was able to head the ball past Hammer’s keeper Alphonse Areola and make it 0-1. West Ham dominated the rest of the half but failed to find an equaliser. Their best chance came when Lucas Paqueta’s cross from the left wing was met by Jarrod Bowen’s left boot, only for the post to deny him. The half ended 0-1 with Rob Edwards hoping that his side could hold out for what could be a potential Premier League status saving win. West Ham found an equaliser early on in the second period when James Ward-Prowse popped up with his 7th Premier League goal of the season. Bowen’s effort was saved by the foot of Thomas Kaminski where it rolled out to the Englishman. Ward-Prowse hit it first time, drilling it into the far corner. The Hammer’s took the lead 10 minutes later when Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek scored his 7th goal of the season as well. Ward-Prowse’s cross was headed out only as far as Soucek where he smashed it on the volley first time, watching it nestle perfectly into the bottom right corner. Mohammed Kudus, who had just missed from point blank range then made up for his mistake by assisting West Ham’s 3rd goal of the afternoon. The Ghanaian made a brilliant run down the right wing and cut into the area, taking it all the way to the byline before squaring it. Inside waiting was 2nd half sub and recent academy graduate George Earthy who had recently just come back from a major head injury. The 19 year old tapped it in and ran to celebrate with his fans and Kudus. The game finished 3-1 with West Ham capping off a brilliant win in David Moyes final home game for the Hammers. They have failed to pick up results in the prior months though and cannot qualify for any European competition. Luton are now all but mathematically relegated as they sit 18th, 3 points away from Nottingham Forest. If they are to somehow jump above them on the final day, they will need to overcome a -12 goal difference.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Crystal Palace

Moving over to the Midlands, Wolves were to take on Crystal Palace in what looked to be an interesting match up. Palace strung together a nice amount of passes deep in the Wolves half before Adam Wharton found Michael Olise just outside the area. The Frenchman dribbled into a more central position before curling his effort beautifully into the far corner, making it 0-1. Palace made it 0-2 two minutes later when Olise flicked it over the defender to Nathanial Clyne inside the Wolves box. Clyne’s first time volley struck the woodwork but ricocheted out to Jean Phillippe-Mateta. Mateta, who had been cooking under Oliver Glasner, was not going to miss from 6 yards out and he cushioned it into the empty net, registering his 13th Premier League goal of the season. The half finished 0-2 with Crystal Palace continuing their amazing run of form under Oliver Glasner. Wolves gave themselves a lifeline though when Matheus Cunha scored in the 66th minute. He passed the ball to Hwang Hee-Chan down the right wing who squared it. The South Korean’s cut back caught a deflection taking it to the Brazilian Cunha who smashed it into the roof of the net reducing the deficit and making it 1-2. It was originally chalked off for an offside call but it was later looked at by VAR and given. Palace then sealed all 3 points when their 2 flair players combined in Olise and Eze. Olise played a superb ball through the Wolves backline to Eberichi Eze. The Englishman was one-on-one with hosts keeper Dan Bentley and he rounded him before passing the ball into an uncontested empty net. Unfortunately for Palace, midfielder Naouirou Ahamada was sent off, receiving a second yellow after a nasty slide tackle on Cunha just outside the penalty area. It ruined what was a stellar performance from the Eagles. The tie finished 1-3 with Palace jumping over Fulham and now over Wolves on goal difference sitting in 12th. Wolves sit level on points with them in 13th.

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea

The next game kicked off half an hour later in Nottingham with Forest hosting Chelsea at the City Ground. The Blues went up 0-1 in the 8th minute when Mykhailo Mudryk chipped in with his 5th goal of the season. Cole Palmer played a brilliant ball down the left wing where Mudryk’s first touch was immaculate, taking him to the edge of the 6 yard box where he passed it into the far corner. Palmer registered his 10th assist of the Premier League season, taking his goal involvement tally to 31, level with Ollie Watkins in 1st. Forest then found a huge equaliser 8 minutes later when Willy Bolly headed Morgan Gibbs-White free kick in at the back post. The half finished 1-1 with Forest hoping to hold on and claim a result to confirm their Premier League status for the 24/25 season. Their best bet of doing so was former Chelsea player, Callum Hudson-Odoi who had been let go by the hosts and picked up by Forest. He was fired up and almost scored in the 70th minute when he hit the upright. In the 74th minute, he finally put the hosts ahead, dribbling in from the left wing, cutting in, and curling it perfectly into the far corner, adding to his former employee’s woes. 2nd half substitute, Raheem Sterling then equalised the game and it was almost a mirror image of Hudson Odoi’s goal. He cut in from the left wing and beautifully curled the ball into the far corner. Another Chelsea sub was to be involved in their next goal when Reece James, who had just come back from injury, crossed the ball in from the right wing. Unmarked at the back post was Nicholas Jackson who headed in James’ cross to win the game for Chelsea. It all ended 2-3 with Chelsea picking up a huge 3 points in their aspirations of Europa League football. They sit 7th, only behind 6th placed Newcastle on goal difference. Forest’s safety is all but confirmed, ahead of Luton by 3 points, and 12 goals better off in goal difference. 

Manchester United vs Arsenal

The only game to be played on Sunday afternoon was the most anticipated of the week with Manchester United hosting title contenders Arsenal. The Gunners made an ideal start in the 20th minute when they scored the opener. It all came from poor United defending again after keeper Andre Onana gave the ball away with a bad pass. Casemiro was lazy getting back into line and Kai Havertz was onside when the pass from Ben White came over. The German dribbled with it and played a pass across the 6 yard box, with neither Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Casemiro tracking the run of Leandro Trossard who was able to tap the ball past Onana and make it 0-1. The half finished 0-1 with Arsenal going back to the top as it stood. Manchester United fired up in the first 20 minutes of the second period with Alejandro Garnacho their most positive player. Attention then turned to Arsenal with both Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice being denied by the palms of Onana. The Gunners were able to hold on and it finished 0-1. This takes them to the top of the table by 1 point, putting the pressure back on Manchester City who play Spurs away in 2 days time. Either way, the title will be decided on the final day, making for another enticing finale day of the Premier League season. Manchester United sit 8th, 3 points from 7th.

Aston Villa vs Liverpool

The final game of the match week was staged at Villa park on Monday night with Aston Villa hosting Liverpool. The Reds found a shocking opener on the 1 minute mark when Villa goalie, Emiliano Martinez scored possibly one of the most embarrassing own goals in Premier League history. The cross from the right wing by Harvey Elliot looked like an easy claim for the keeper but he fumbled it and it rolled towards goal. He then outstretched an arm to stop it but accidentally punched it into his own net, gifting Liverpool an early advantage. The Villains hit back inside 10 minutes after a brilliant run down the left wing from Ollie Watkins. The Englishman cut it back to Youri Tielemans who was placed just outside the Liverpool area. The Belgian struck it well and watched it glide into the bottom left corner. This game was only just starting as Liverpool found the lead again 10 minutes later. Luis Diaz poked it to Joe Gomez who had made a run inside the right of the Villa area. He hit it first time, playing it across the 6 yard box where Martinez failed to get a strong hand to it and Coady Gakpo scored a simple tap in. The half finished 1-2 but this enthralling game still had 45 minutes to go. The travelling side doubled their advantage straight from the get go when Jarell Quansah scored his first ever Premier League goal. Elliot’s free kick floated all the way over to the back post where Quansah jumped high to head the ball into the top left corner. In the next 20 minutes, both sides had goals disallowed for offside, Watkins and Mohamed Salah respectively. 2nd half sub Jhon Duran then gave his side a lifeline when he scored to make it 2-3. Alexis Mac Allister gave the ball away just outside the Liverpool area where Calum Chambers laid it off to Duran. The Colombian set himself up and drilled the ball into the near corner, with still 5 minutes to play plus added time. The super sub, Duran then equalised the game in the 88th minute. Moussa Diaby made a powerful run at the Liverpool defence and played a strong pass to the striker. It hit his thigh as he was running and nestled into the bottom right corner, making it 3-3. Villa could have won it 3 minutes later when Diaby saw his rocket of a shot saved by Liverpool keeper Alisson. The dramatic end-to-end game finished 3-3. Liverpool have been out of the title race for a while now and stay 3rd. Villa miss out on a chance to establish themselves as a Champions League team for 2024/25, but know if Tottenham don’t beat Manchester City tomorrow, it will be confirmed.

Written by Ollie Wade