Kickoff chronicles

Manchester City vs Everton

The opening fixture of the Boxing Day Matchweek 18 saw Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City host Sean Dyche’s Everton at the Etihad Stadium. In search of a win after a woeful run of games, Pep’s men looked up to the task, with Josko Gvardiol hitting the woodwork after just 3 minutes of play. City then found a deserved opener in the 14th minute when Jeremny Doku played an intelligent ball into the path of Bernardo Silva who had made a great run into the Toffee’s penalty area. Silva slid in first time to strike the ball, watching as his effort deflected off Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and over keeper Jordan Pickford, finding the far right corner. After a dominant spell of City chances and possession, Everton equalised in the 34th minute totally against the run of play. Abdoulaye Doucoure crossed the ball in from the right wing in search of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The ball was just out of reach for Calvert-Lewin and instead fell into the feet of Iliman Ndiaye. Nidaye didn’t have long to get a shot away, taking a sharp touch before brilliantly poking the ball into the top right corner. The first half finished 1-1 with Everton hoping to cause another upset for a title contending team.

The hosts made an ideal start to the 2nd half when Savinho, City’s most exciting player so far, won a penalty after he was chopped down by Everton wing-back Vitalii Mykolenko inside the penalty area. Erling Haaland stepped up to take the spot kick and never really looked too confident, passing the ball easily into the grasp of Jordan Pickford on the English keeper’s right side. Pickford was unable to hold onto the ball, as Gvardiol headed the ball back to Haaland who cushioned the ball into the bottom corner but everyone inside the Etihad knew he was miles offside. City struggled to break down Everton’s experienced backline for the remaining 90 minutes as the full time score finished 1-1. City’s terrible run continues as Pep’s men have just won just 1 game in 13. They sit 7th in the table, level on points with 8th and 9th and only ahead on goal difference. Everton stayed 15th on the table, only 3 points away from the drop zone despite arguably being the best defensive side in the league this season.

AFC Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace

The next game played on Boxing Day in Matchweek 18 saw Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth host Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace at the Vitality Stadium. The first half was ultimately goalless, but still a very entertaining 45 minutes of Premier League footy. Bournemouth came close to scoring in the 23rd minute when Antoine Semenyo saw his effort from inside the 6-yard area cleared off the line by Palace striker Ismaila Sarr. Sarr then found himself amongst the action again when he put the ball past Cherries keeper, Kepa, and thought he’d given Palace a priceless lead. VAR quickly dismissed his goal though, with Sarr just a few strides in front of the Bournemouth backline as Jefferson Lerma played the ball through to him. It was an evenly contested first 45 minutes, with the next half’s outcome unpredictable.

The 2nd period turned out to be a frustrating day at the office for Bournemouth who dominated for most of the half but couldn’t find the back of the Eagles’ net despite creating multiple chances. Evanilson and Phillip Billing found themselves in promising positions late on but both scraped their efforts just wide of the far post. The full-time score finished 0-0 with a relegation threatened Palace picking up a huge point on the road against a very positive Bournemouth side. Bournemouth drop to 6th in the table while Glanser’s Palace remain 16th, 3 points clear of the drop zone.

Chelsea vs Fulham

The following game played on Boxing Day saw Enzo Maresca’s high flying Chelsea host Marco Silva’s free flowing Fulham at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea opened the scoring inside 16 minutes when their starboy, “Cold” Palmer, made it double figures for goals this Premier League campaign. Palmer received the ball from Levi Colwill in the Fulham half where he immediately turned before brushing off the challenges made by the Fulham midfielders and advancing into the penalty area. Palmer then cut the ball onto his left foot before he passed the ball through the legs of centre half, Issa Diop, and into the bottom left corner. Chelsea came so close to making it 2-0 before the break, with Fulham keeper Bernd Leno brilliantly getting low to deny Marc Cucurella consecutive goals at Stamford bridge after a powerful header. The score at half time stood at 1-0 with Fulham causing Chelsea no problems at all so far.

After Chelsea had pushed to find an all important next goal for most of the 2nd period, Fulham flipped the script completely when Harry Wilson scored yet again from the bench in the 82nd minute. Antonee Robinson chipped the ball over to the back post with a perfect ball from inside the Chelsea half. Timothy Castagne then headed the ball across the face of goal, with Wilson present to tap the ball into the far corner to level the game late on. Fulham once again flexed their squad depth muscle, with Wilson coming off the bench to equalise and Rodrigo Muniz coming on to score their late winner in added time. They hit the hosts on the break, who were in search of a winner themselves. Wilson played a brilliant trivela ball to Sasa Lukic down the right wing where Lukic squared the ball to Muniz who was unmarked in the penalty area. Muniz composed himself before drilling the ball into the bottom right corner, winning the game for the Cottagers in spectacular style. The full time score finished 1-2 with Chelsea unexpectedly dropping 3 points. Maresca’s side remained 2nd in the table, but Arsenal are left with a game in hand. Fulham jumped to 8th on the table, level on points with Manchester City in 7th.

Newcastle United vs Aston Villa

The next game of Matchweek 18 saw Eddie Howe’s Newcastle host Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at St. James’ Park. The Magpies made a stellar start to the tie when Anthony Gordon netted the opener inside 2 minutes. Gordon received the ball from Joelinton in the left corner of the penalty area where he immediately looked to shoot, perfectly curling the ball into the far top corner, bagging his 4th of the season. After an evenly contested next half an hour, Villa managed to make it worse for themselves as they were reduced to 10 men. Striker Jhon Duran was chasing a loose ball which Fabian Schar had already intercepted, sliding in and kicking the ball out for a Villa throw-in. Duran then slipped but dug his studs into the back and head of Schar, resulting in an obvious red card decision for referee Anthony Taylor. Newcastle pushed for a 2-goal advantage for the rest of the half, with only the outstretched hands of Emiliano Martinez halting them from doing so. The half time score stood at 1-0 with it only a matter of time before Newcastle ran away with the fixture.

The Magpies all but sealed the 3 points when Alexander Isak bagged his 11th of the season to make it 2-0. Skipper Bruno Guimaraes played a superb ball into Jacob Murphy in the right side of the Villa penalty area. Murphy squared the ball to Isak who was left with the easy task of tapping the ball into an uncontested net. The scoreline was not representative of the way the game was going. Newcastle were running riot at St. James, hitting the crossbar with Isak also having a goal chalked off for an offside and Guimaraes having his disallowed for a slight handball. Finally, in the 1st minute of stoppage time, Newcastle found their deserved 3rd goal. Joelinton jumped on yet another terrible error in the Villa half, intercepting a woeful Amadou Onana pass from inside his own penalty area. Joelinton progressed into the penalty area before beautifully whipping the ball into the top right corner with his wand of a right foot. The full time score finished 3-0 with Newcastle starting to hit their best form. The Magpies rose to 5th in the table. Villa miss out on the chance to climb into the top 5 themselves as they sit 9th.

Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur

The following fixture of Matchweek 18 saw Nuno Espirito’s Nottingham Forest host Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground. Forest dominated the opening exchanges and always looked to pounce on Tottenham’s defensive liabilities after Ange found himself only starting 2 actual defenders due to injuries. They eventually found the opener in the 28th minute after a brilliant counter attacking move. Skipper Ryan Yates turned the ball over deep inside his own half where he found Morgan Gibbs-White. Gibbs-White progressed forward with players either side of him. Anthony Elanga was to the right of him, motoring down the right wing as he so often does. Gibbs-White perfectly timed his pass into the path of Elanga who beat Tottenham keeper Fraser Forster to the ball and poked it into the bottom left corner. Tottenham had a few solid chances to equalise before the break but it was Nottingham Forest who led at half time 1-0, with Nuno hoping to beat his former employer for the first time at Forest.

The 2nd half was evenly fought out, with Forest hoping to find the goal that would all but seal their 3 points and Tottenham hoping to score a goal that would bring them back into the contest. In stoppage time, Tottenham were dominating possession and chances, hoping to find a goal that would earn them at least a point. Unfortunately for Spurs, Djed Spence was given his marching orders after he was shown a 2nd yellow card for an intentional challenge on Jota Silva. This took the sting out of Tottenham’s run of recent attacking momentum as the full time score finished 1-0. Elanga made it the 3rd game running in which he’d scored, all leading to wins as Forest rose to 3rd in the table, their best since getting promoted in 2022 (although Arsenal were yet to play). Tottenham have now lost the 4th most number of games in the Premier League this season after relegation threatened Southampton, Wolves and Leicester. Spurs sit 11th in the league with Ange’s time at the helm of Tottenham surely in threat.

Southampton vs West Ham United

The next game of Matchweek 18 saw Ivan Juric’s Southampton host Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham United at St. Mary’s Stadium. The Hammers got off to a positive start, with Carlos Soler coming so close to opening his West Ham account after rattling the upright from Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s ball across the penalty area. To the woes of the away end, rock bottom Southampton dominated the rest of the half, with Lukasz Fabianski the clear man of the match so far. He made multiple acrobatic saves to keep Southampton out before unfortunately being forced off due to a shock head injury after Nathan Wood collided with the Polish keeper. The oldest player in the Premier League was then stretched off the pitch with a neck brace to the applause of St. Mary’s. The first half finished 0-0 with Juric happy with his team’s first half showings in his first game as head coach of Southampton.

West Ham midfielder, Guido Rodriguez, has not had the greatest start to his West Ham career and it came close to taking another downward spiral as his initial red card for a challenge on Kyle Walker-Peters was overturned by VAR. West Ham then managed to find a scrapy opener in the 59th minute when Jarrod Bowen popped up with a captain’s contribution to make him West Ham’s 2nd highest Premier League goal scorer. Edson Alvarez recycled a cleared cross, chipping the ball over to the back post. Tomas Soucek then headed the ball across the 6-yard box where Niclas Fullkrug made first contact in the area, flicking the ball into a dangerous patch where Bowen slid in to poke the ball past Aaron Ramsdale, scoring his 100th league goal. Southampton continued to play well for the remaining minutes but West Ham’s defence was the perfect mixture of youth and experience, making for an unbeatable backline. The Hammers saw out the game 0-1 for a very unconvincing win against the worst side in the league. West Ham are now unbeaten in 4 games, their best run of form under Lopetegui. They jumped over Manchester United and into 13th. Southampton obviously remain 20th, with Juric left with an almost impossible task of keeping the Saints up as they are now 9 points away from safety.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United

The following game of Matchweek 18 saw Vitor Pereira’s Wolves host Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United at the Molineux Stadium. Manchester United made a sluggish start to the game which was almost pounced on by Wolves, with United keeper Andre Onana forced into action on a few occasions. The Red Devils came closest to scoring in the 20th minute when Diogo Dalot’s top corner bound effort was parried wide by the fingertips of Portuguese shot stopper Jose Sa. The half time score finished 0-0 with Wolves still yet to concede a goal under new manager Pereira.

United made probably the worst start possible to the 2nd period when captain Bruno Fernandes was shown his marching orders for the 3rd time this season after he received a 2nd yellow card for a nasty tackle on Nelson Semedo. Amorim then thought his side had conceded when Wolves’ striker Jorgen Strand Larsen smashed the ball into an uncontested net although it was later ruled out as Larsen was offside when Semedo’s cross came flying in. Wolves did find a deserved opener in the 59th minute when their star player conjured up yet another wonder goal. Mathues Cunha added to his list of sumptuous goals at the Molineux when he scored directly from a corner kick, whipping the ball in from the left flag and watching as it curled around Onana, United keeper, and into the far corner, the Premier League’s latest ‘Olimpico’. United were pushing for a late leveller which would see them come away from the Midlands with at least a point to show but Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle had other ambitions. Doyle intercepted Alejandro Garnanco with ease before thumping the ball almost half the length of the pitch to Cunha. The Brazilian had no defenders to stop him as they had all pushed up in search of an equaliser. He also had the luxury of striker Hwang Hee-Chan to the left of him. Having already scored himself, Cunha squared the ball to Hwang inside the penalty area where the South Korean smashed it into the top right corner to win the game for Wolves. The full time score finished 2-0 with the hosts continuing their perfect defensive record under Pereira as well as scoring 5 goals in those 2 games. Wolves finally climbed out of the relegation zone and into 17th on 15 points. United drop into 14th, their worst ever placing in the Premier League post Christmas. Amorim will have his work cut out for him in January when the transfer window opens up, with the majority of these players nowhere near talented enough for a club like Manchester United.

Liverpool vs Leicester City

The final game played on Boxing day in Matchweek 18 saw Arne Slot’s top of the table Liverpool host Ruud van Nistelrooy’s relegation threatened Leicester City. To the shock of every fan seated in Anfield, Leicester took the lead inside 6 minutes. Stephy Mavididi made an electric run down the left wing before drilling the ball across the penalty area. No Liverpool player was able to clear the ball and it fell to the feet of Foxes’ striker Jordan Ayew. The experienced Premier League Ghanaian took the ball on his left foot before spinning around and smashing the ball into the bottom left corner. After a worrying first half for the Reds, they finally found an equaliser just before the break to settle the nerves of the home crowd. Alexis Mac Allister played the ball to Cody Gakpo down the left wing. The Dutchman cut in from the left and shaped to shoot, perfectly bending his effort into the top right corner. At half time the score stood at 1-1 with the momentum fully in favour of Liverpool after Gakpo’s spectacular equaliser.

Liverpool completed the turnaround within 5 minutes of the 2nd period when Curtis Jones scored his 3rd of the season, continuing his brilliant form this campaign. Mohamed Salah picked up the ball on the right side of the penalty area before slipping the ball through to Mac Allister. The Argentine then drilled the ball into the 6-yard area where it was just a matter of the right place at the right time for Jones. The Reds wrapped up the 3 points in the 82nd minute when their Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah, made it 34 goals and assists in all competitions this season. Gakpo played a nice lobbed pass out to the right wing with Salah still left with a job to do. Salah progressed into the penalty area and chopped through the Leicester defenders before waving his wand of a left boot and curling the ball into the bottom far corner. The full time score finished 3-1 with Liverpool proving too strong for the travelling Foxes. Liverpool extended their lead at the summit of the table, especially after Chelsea slipped up at home to Fulham. After Wolves won spectacularly at home hours prior, Leicester dropped into the bottom 3, 1 point shy of their Midlands rivals.

Brighton Hove & Albion vs Brentford

The first game played on Friday night in Matchweek 18 saw Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton host Thomas Frank’s Brentford at Amex Stadium.  Brighton almost made the perfect start to the evening when South American wonderkid, Julio Enciso, clipped the post with a finesse shot from inside the Bees’ penalty area. Brentford then thought they had opened the scoring when Yoanne Wissa smashed the ball into Bart Verbruggen’s net from close range, only to later find that he was in an offside position when Mads Roerslev threaded the ball through to him. Brighton just edged Brentford in possession and chances for the remaining minutes of the half, although they were unable to find the back of the net as the score at the break remained 0-0.

The next half was an interesting prospect, with Brighton dominating possession but Brentford having the better chances due to their brilliant ability to attack teams on the counter. Joao Pedro, Brighton striker, was then very lucky to escape a potential red card after he was fouled by Brentford midfielder, Yehor Yarmoliuk. Pedro then decided to swing a violent elbow at the Ukrainian, getting fortunate as his attempt to harm the Brentford player just missed his face by a couple of inches. Brighton had one last chance to win the game in stoppage time, with Solly March finding some space outside the penalty area after their latest corner was cleared. March panicked and thrashed the ball over the bar. The score finished 0-0 with Brentford happy to play out for a point in the end. Brighton’s winless streak continues as they sit 10th while Brentford remain 1 position below in 11th.

Arsenal vs Ipswich Town

The final game of Matchweek 18 saw Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal host Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town at the Emirates Stadium. After an electric start by the Gunner’s, they inevitably gained the advantage in the 23rd minute when Kai Havertz scored his 7th league goal of the season. Leandro Trossard received the ball down the left wing where he immediately looked to make something happen. The Belgian dribbled to the goal line before crossing the ball across goal, with Havertz occupying the perfect position to rifle the ball over Ipswich shot stopper Arijanet Muric. Only 10 minutes later, Gabriel Jesus thought he’d scored his 6th goal in the last 2 weeks when he got on the end of Trossard’s ball which took him all the way to the goal line. Jesus then somehow squeezed the ball past Muric from what looked an impossible angle, only to be met with the assistant referee’s flag, raised for offside. The first half finished 1-0 with Arsenal looking good for their lead.

Arsenal dominated the majority of the 2nd period but were just unable to find their all important goal that would spur them to a 10th league victory of the season. After soaking up all of Arsenal’s pressure, Ipswich made a rare venture forward into the host’s penalty area deep into stoppage time. Nathan Broadhead received the ball inside the 18 yard box where he drilled a shot at goal, watching as his effort was deflected wide by the elbow of Havertz. VAR had a look at the incident and sunk the hearts of the away end when ruling out the penalty appeals, deeming Havertz’s arms were by his body. The full time score finished 1-0 with Arsenal just holding out for a win against 19th placed Ipswich. The Gunners move back into 2nd, 6 points behind Liverpool although the Reds do have a game in hand. After Wolves beat United, Ipswich fell further into the relegation zone, with McKenna’s side now needing a total of 4 points to reach safety.

Written by Ollie Wade