Premier League Matchweek 17 24/5
Aston Villa vs Manchester City
The first game of Matchweek 17 in the Premier League saw Unai Emery’s Aston Villa host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at Villa Park. After a brilliant start to the game for Villa, with Pau Torres having his headed effort clawed off the goal line by City keeper Stefan Ortega in the 2nd minute, Villa found a deserved opener. Youri Tielemans played a wonderful ball into the path of Morgan Rogers who was through on goal with Jhon Duran to his right. Rogers was sensible and unselfish, squaring the ball to Duran inside the City penalty area where the Colombian slotted the ball past Ortega to bag his 7th of the season. The rest of the half was tight with City missing a big chance just before the interval. Pep’s goal scoring defender, Josko Gvardiol, fired his headed effort over the bar from ex-Villain Jack Grealish’s cross. The first half finished 1-0 with Villa hoping to jump over City in the table.
Emery’s side all but sealed the 3 points 20 minutes into the 2nd period when Rogers scored his 5th of the season against his former employer. After hitting the post 7 minutes prior, Rogers made a driving run through the City midfield before eventually spreading the ball wide to John McGinn. McGinn progressed with the ball before playing it back to Rogers who drilled the ball perfectly into the far bottom right corner. Villa then flexed their defensive muscle, giving City no real opportunities whatsoever. Emiliano would have kept his clean sheet if not for a defensive slip deep into stoppage time by Lucas Digne. Phil Foden danced his way into the Villa penalty area where a bad touch drew the ball into the feet of Digne. The Frenchman then unintentionally slipped, leading to Foden continuing his run and smashing the ball into the bottom right corner. There was not enough time for City to stage a comeback as the full time score finished 2-1. It was a huge result for Villa which saw them jump over City in the table and into 5th. Pep’s crisis continues as his side have only won a single game in their last 12 as Manchester City sit 6th.

Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
The following game of Matchweek 17 saw Thomas Frank’s Brentford host Nuno Espirito’s Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Stadium. Despite being knocked out of the Carabao Cup during the week, Brentford put that aside and got off to a positive start, causing the Forest defence and Matz Sels in goals all sorts of problems. Forest then struck totally against the run of play, a classic case of smash and grab as Neco Willams drilled the ball into the 6-yard area from the left wing. The cross looked like it was for Chriss Wood, but the Kiwi slipped when attempting to make connection, allowing full back Ola Aina to run in and take the claims, slotting the ball into the bottom left corner. The first half finished 0-1 with Frank’s team feeling hard done by as they had dominated so much of the opening 45 minutes.
Forest made the perfect start to the 2nd period when Swedish winger, Anthony Elanga, netted his 2nd of the season. Nikola Milenkovic’s long ball from his own half was just out of the reach of Elanga as the ball fell to Bees defender Keane Lewis-Potter. Lewis-Potter didn’t deal with it and Elanga was quick to dispossess him and progress into the penalty area. Elanga’s next touch was utter perfection, wrapping his left boot around the ball and watching as it beautifully curled around the reach of Brentford keeper Mark Flekken and rolled gracefully down the side netting. Brentford tried to fire up and find a way back into the fixture but Forest were too strong defensively. The full time score finished 0-2, with Forest doing what no team had achieved this season, winning at the Gtech Stadium which Thomas Frank had turned into a fortress in recent years. They also managed to shut out the 4th top scorers in the league, Bryan Mbuemo and Yoanne Wissa in particular. Forest keep their place of 4th in the table while Brentford stay 12th.

Ipswich Town vs Newcastle United
The next game of Matchweek 17 saw Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town host Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United at Portman Road. Finally finding some form this season, coming off the back of convincing wins against Leicester in the league and Brentford in the cup, Newcastle took the lead inside 60 seconds. A long ball over the Ipswich defence found Jacob Murphy who had acres to run into down the right wing. Murphy drilled the ball into the penalty area where his pass was blocked by centre half Dara O’Shea. Unfortunately for the Tractor Boys, the ball fell right into the path of Alexander Isak where the Swedish striker smashed the ball into the top right corner with a bounced volley. After a good spell of possession and chances for the hosts, it somehow managed to get worse when Newcastle found a 2 goal cushion. Anthony Gordon cut in with the ball from the left wing and into the penalty area where he played it over to the other side of the box. Murphy took one touch before unleashing a powerful strike, watching as his effort pinged off the crossbar and bounced over the line. After the first 2 goals had been put down to Newcastle’s attacking prowess, the 3rd just before half time was all Ipswich’s doing. Keeper Arijanet Muric played a very dangerous short pass into the feet of his teammate Jens Cajuste inside their own penalty area. Cajuste had his pocket picked by skipper Bruno Guimaraes as the ball rolled over to Isak who was left with one of the easiest finishes of his career from 2 yards out. At half time the score finished 0-3 with Newcastle leaving the Tractor Boys no route back into the game.
The Magpies created many chances to make it 4 inside the opening exchanges of the 2nd period before Isak finally found the back of the net in the 54th minute to seal his hat-trick. Murphy was at the heart of it again, making a dangerous run into the host’s penalty area, dancing through defenders before backheeling the ball into Isak. The Swede controlled the ball with his left, and poked the ball in with his right, making for a great Newcastle goal. The travelling side thought they had made it 5 in stoppage time, only for VAR to chalk off Dan Burn’s goal. The full time score finished 0-4, with Newcastle making it back to back 0-4 wins. They now sit 7th in the league. One of Ipswich’s positives from this season is that they have always been in games but this is the first of the campaign where they have been well and truly smashed. McKenna’s side stayed 18th on 12 points.

West Ham United vs Brighton Hove & Albion
The following fixture of Matchweek 17 saw Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham host Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton at the London Stadium. The first half was evenly contested with West Ham just having the edge over their opponents in terms of chances created and possession. It was a solid start for the home side after their form this season which saw them dominate the ball against one of the best attacking sides in the league. The closest chance of the half came in the 8th minute when West Ham centre half Konstantinos Mavropanos played a lobbed ball over the Brighton defence and into the right wing with Jarrod Bowen chasing. The West Ham skipped outpaced Brighton wingback Pervis Estupinan and dribbled into the penalty area. Bowen then managed to get a shot away, only to see his effort parried wide of the post by Brighton shot stopper Bart Verbruggen. At half time the score finished 0-0 with the full time score impossible to predict.
The Seagulls made the perfect start to the 2nd period when they found the opener in the 51st minute. Estupinan whipped a cross in from the left wing in search of big centre half, Lewis Dunk. Dunk somehow jumped to beat West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski to the ball and head it backwards to his teammates. Ready to pounce was Mats Wieffer who professionally side-footed the ball into the bottom right corner to bag his first goal in English football. Just 7 minutes later, West Ham found a deserved equaliser. Tomas Soucek released Bowen into the Brighton half with a solid through ball. Bowen danced between the 2 centre halves for Brighton before unleashing a shot inside the penalty area, with Verbruggen there to parry it away. Fortunately for the Hammers, Mohammed Kudus had continued his run and was unmarked to head the rebound into the back of the net to score his 3rd of the season. Brighton dominated the rest of the 90 minutes and if not for some brilliant West Ham defensive challenges, they may have won all 3 points. The full time score finished 1-1 with West Ham unbeaten in 3 games for the first time this season. The Hammers remain 13th in the table while Brighton drop into 10th.

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal
The final game played on Saturday in Matchweek 17 saw Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at Selhurst Park in the Premier League’s latest London Derby. After playing only 3 days ago in the Carabao Cup, the result finishing 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium in Arsenal’s favour, it was always going to be an interesting match. Fresh of scoring a hat-trick mid week, Gabriel Jesus’ continued his form, finding the back of the net inside 6 minutes. Bukayo Saka’s cross from the right wing found its way to Jesus at the back post who drilled the ball past Palace keeper Dean Henderson to make it 1-0. Less than 5 minutes later, Palace equalised when Ismaila Sarr netted his 4 of the season. Tyrick Mitchell found Sarr outside the Gunner’s penalty area where he immediately looked to shoot. Sarr managed to carve a shot away between two Arsenal defenders where his effort perfectly curled through them and into the bottom right corner. This game continued to produce goals as the travelling side restored their lead only 3 minutes later through another set piece. Declan Rice’s lobbed corner delivery was controlled down by Thomas Partey who poked the ball back out to Jesus. Jesus hit the ball first time, watching as his strike perfectly curled around the crowd of players and found the top right corner, with the Brazilian in search of back to back hat-tricks for the first time in his Premier League career. Jesus came so close to scoring a 3rd in the 38th minute when he headed Gabriel Martinelli’s cross from the right wing into the post. Luckily for the Gunners, Kai Havertz was onside and unmarked to tap the ball past Henderson, whose defenders had apparently deserted him. At half time the score finished 1-3 with Palace left with an uphill task in the next 45 minutes.
Arsenal made it 4 on the hour mark when Martinelli scored his 4th of the season. Declan Rice cracked a shot from inside the Palace penalty area where his effort was cushioned into the opposite corner by the left boot of Martinelli, totally confusing Henderson in the Palace net. After having his previous effort stolen off him, Rice put his name on the score sheet, finding his 1st of the season. Rice received the ball from Riccardo Calafiori inside the penalty area where he spun and looked to shoot. The English midfielder did so perfectly, bending his effort around Henderson to find the bottom right corner, putting the cherry on top of what was a superb Arsenal performance away from home. The full time score finished 1-5 with Arsenal closing the gap on Chelsea and Liverpool, the only teams above them in the table. Palace remain 16th and are still 4 points off the drop zone.

Everton vs Chelsea
The first game played on Sunday in Matchweek 17 saw Sean Dyche’s Everton host Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea at Goodison Park. The first half was predominantly dominated by Chelsea, with Everton’s defense just proving too strong for them, causing frustration on multiple occasions for star players such as Cole Palmer and Nicholas Jackson. Toffee’s keeper Jordan Pickford also had much to say about the first half, making a number of good saves, hoping to take the lead in the race for the Premier League Golden Glove (goalkeeper with the most clean sheets at the end of the season). At the interval, the score remained 0-0 with Everton hoping to gain another point against a top 4 side.
To the shock of Maresca and Chelsea, Everton really went at the away side in the 2nd half, drawing plenty of spectacular saves from Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez. At full time, the score finished 0-0 with Everton producing their 4th goalless draw of the season. It was a big point for Dyche’s side though as they jumped 4 points clear of the drop into 15th. Chelsea dropped 2 points away from home in what was a very frustrating game for Cole Palmer and co. The Blues still remained 2nd but left the door ajar for Liverpool who played a few hours later.

Fulham vs Southampton
The next game of Matchweek 17 saw Marco Silva’s free flowing Fulham host, newly appointed manager, Ivan Juric’s rock bottom Southampton at Craven Cottage. Fulham dominated the first 45 minutes and caused many problems for Saints keeper Aaron Ramsdale. The Cottager’s best chance of the half came in the 3rd minute when Ramsdale leaped across his goal line to fingertip Alex Iwobi’s effort wide of the post. At half time the score stood at 0-0 with Juric happy so far with his team’s defensive performance.
Once again, Fulham dominated the game but Southampton were too strong at the back, always frustrating their offensive players. Ramsdale was a brick wall in the Saints goal, with Fulham unable to convert any of their 15 shots in the full 90 minutes. The score finished 0-0 with Southampton picking up a positive point on the road to give their new manager Juric something to work with. The Saints remain 20th and still have lots of work to do in the new year. Fulham dropped 2 frustrating points at home as they were just unable to break down a resilient Southampton side. Silva’s team dropped to 9th in the table, only 2 points off a potential European place.

Leicester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
The next game of the Matchweek saw Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City host fellow relegation candidates, newly appointed Vitor Pereira’s 19th placed Wolves, at the King Power Stadium. Wolves made the perfect start under their new manager when they found the back of the net inside 20 minutes. Nelson Semedo chipped the ball into the right side of the penalty area in search of his fellow Portuguese teammate, Goncalo Guedes. Guedues hit the ball on the turn, watching as his volleyed effort bounced over the reach of Leicester keeper Mads Hermansen and into the far bottom corner. Wolves found a rare 2 goal cushion just 15 minutes later when another of their Portugues young players found the back of the net. Matt Doherty played a switch ball from inside his own half, in search of Rodrigo Gomes. His pass looked like it lacked a bit of power as it flew right into the path of Leicester defender James Justin. Fortunately for the travelling side, Justin swung at the ball and completely missed it, watching in pain as the ball fell to Gomes who took a touch before poking it by Hermansen. Wolves’ afternoon just continued to get better as they all but sealed the 3 points just before the interval. Moments after Jamie Vardy had his effort cleared off the goal line, Wolves looked to counter. Guedes received the ball down the right wing where he slipped it back to star man Mathues Cunha inside the penalty area. The angle was tight for the Brazilian but Cunha still somehow managed to get a shot on target, with his effort hitting the far post and miraculously diverting in. It was a dream start to the job for Pereira as Wolves saw out the first half 0-3. Van Nistelrooy would have been furious with his team’s first half showings as they were pretty much out of the game already.
The 2nd period was much less action packed, with Wolves deciding to flex their defensive muscle after already proving their worth up front. The full time score finished 0-3 with Wolves finally sorting out their defensive issues, just their 2nd clean sheet of the season. Wolves jump over Ipswich and into 18th on goal difference and find themselves just 2 points away from safety. This proved a worrying result for Van Nistelrooy’s Foxes as Wolves are now closing the gap on them. Leicetser sit 17th with 14 points.

Manchester United vs AFC Bournemouth
The next game played on Sunday in Matchweek 17 saw Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United host Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at Old Trafford in what looked an interesting encounter. After a positive start to the game for the Red Devils, Bournemouth found the opener on the half hour mark when they exposed the hosts inability to defend set pieces. Ryan Christie’s free kick delivery was on the money for Bournemouth teenager Dean Huijsen to jump and head the ball into the top far corner. Manchester United created multiple opportunities to strike level before the interval but Kepa (Cherries shot stopper) was having one of the games of his career, parrying everything away that United shot at him. At half time, the score stood at 0-1 with Amorim furious that his side was not leading in this game, let alone even drawing.
After just clearing a dangerous United corner off the line, Bournemouth countered down the other end of the pitch and found a golden opportunity to double their advantage in the 60th minute after Justin Kluivert was fouled inside the penalty area by full back Noussair Mazraoui. It was a clear penalty which Kluivert took, perfectly dispatching the spot kick, smashing the ball into the top left corner and leaving Manchester United keeper Andre Onana with no chance of denying him. United fully capitulated in the 63rd minute when Antoine Semenyo got in on the action. Dango Outtara smartly cut the ball back to Semenyo who was unmarked in the penalty area where the Ghanaian drilled the ball through the legs of Onana, making for a brilliant Bournemouth 3rd. Once again, United dominated and were ultimately unlucky not to score, with Kepa keen to keep his clean sheet intact after a superb performance. The full time score finished 0-3 with Bournemouth registering back to back wins at Old Trafford in successive Premier League seasons, a first for the Cherries as they rise to 5th in the table, continuing their brilliant form under Iraola. United still stay in 13th after many weeks languishing in the bottom half of the table as their season just continues to get worse.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool
The final game of Matchweek 17 was the most anticipated with Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur hosting Arne Slot’s Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. After a quick start to the tie from Slot’s top of the table Liverpool, they found an expected opener in the 23rd minute. One of Liverpool’s most dangerous men on the ball, Trent Alexander-Arnold, whipped the ball in from the right wing where Luis Diaz had made a late run in from the back post. Diaz threw himself at the ball, watching as his diving header spun off the turf and found the back of the Spurs net. Thirteen minutes later, Liverpool found a priceless 2nd goal after Andy Robertson whipped in a cross, this time from the left wing. Dominik Szoboszlai made first contact with the ball, taking the pace out of it so Alexis Mac Allister could run on and head it past Tottenham keeper, Fraser Forster. The hosts found a route back into the game in the 41st minute when Dejan Kulusevski dispossessed goalscorer Mac Allister outside the Liverpool penalty area. James Maddison intercepted the ball with time outside the box. He perfectly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner around a crowded defence, with Alisson unable to see the Englishman’s effort. Just after Tottenham thought they had put the game back into balance, Liverpool sunk the hearts of the Tottenham fans in the Stadium when Szoboszlai made it 1-3. Trent played a ball into the middle of the pitch from his own half where Szoboszlai headed it down for Mohamed Salah. After making a driving run up the pitch with the ball, the Egyptian played it back to the Hungarian who then slotted the ball through the legs of Forster to score his 2nd of the season. At the interval, the score stood at 1-3 with Tottenham left with an almost impossible hill to climb in the next 45 minutes.
Liverpool sealed the 3 points in the 54th minute when Diaz slipped the ball into Cody Gakpo inside the penalty area. Gakpo played the ball across the 6-yard area where the ball ricocheted around the penalty area before Salah tapped the ball over the line to get in on the action. It was probably the easiest goal of his Reds career which also saw him become the equal 4th highest goal scorer in Liverpool’s history. Tottenham further succumbed to the electric Liverpool attack when Salah registered a brace. Gakpo played the ball into the path of Szoboszlai where the Hungarian took a brilliant touch which saw the ball bounce around Tottenham defender Archie Gray and into a deserted spot of turf inside the penalty area. Szoboszlai then squared the ball to Salah who rolled the ball over the line from a similar position to make it 1-5. Tottenham gave their fans something to cheer about in the 72nd minute when their best performer of the season, Kulusevski, scored his 5th of the latest Premier League campaign. The Swede played the ball into the path of Dominic Solanke outside the penalty area where Solanke returned it to Kulusevski with a lobbed pass over the Red’s defence and into the 18-yard box. Kulusevski hit the ball on the volley, watching as his spectacular effort flew by Alisson and into the near corner. Spurs did give Liverpool something to think about in the 83rd minute when Lucas Bergvall crossed the ball in from the left wing. Brennan Johnson headed the ball down from the back post where Solanke was in the middle to poke the ball by Alisson. After conceding 2 needless goals in quick succession, Liverpool found their 6th to wrap up what had been a crazy Premier League game. Salah made it 4 goal contributions for the evening, playing a smart reverse pass into Diaz who managed to squeeze the ball past Forster into the far bottom corner from a tight angle in the right side of the penalty area. The full time score finished 3-6 with this mental game producing a total of 9 goals. While it was a great advert for the Premier League, it only adds to Tottenham woes as they concede a whopping number of 6 at home to Liverpool. Ange’s refusal to adapt his tactics for his players had yet again cost Spurs as they sit 11th in the league on 23 points. Liverpool pounced after Chelsea dropped points in Merseyside hours prior and are now 4 points clear on the summit with a game in hand.

Written by Ollie Wade