Kickoff chronicles

Leicester City vs Manchester City

The opening fixture of Matchweek 19 saw Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the King Power Stadium with both sides in desperate need of some points. The first quarter of an hour was evenly contested, with Leicester keeper Jakub Stolarczyk making a brilliant save to deny Erling Haaland and City shot stopper Stefan Ortega replicating the feat to prevent Jamie Vardy. City then found the opener they had craved in the 21st minute when Savinho opened his account in sky blue. Phil Foden’s effort from outside the Foxes’ penalty area was parried away from goal by Stolarczyk but not far enough as Savinho followed the shot and smashed the ball over the Polish keeper. The Foxes then had a huge chance to go level before the break when Facundo Buonanotte rattled the woodwork with his header from close range. At half time the score stood at 0-1 with City hoping to win their 2nd game in the last 14.

Leicester made a positive start to the 2nd half, forcing Manuel Akanji into making a goal line clearance from James Justin’s back-heeled effort. Vardy then missed a good chance in the 68th minute when he smashed Wilfred Ndidi’s cross over the upright from close range. After soaking up all of the host’s pressure, Manchester City made a rare venture forward in hope to seal all 3 points. James McAtee showed great skill down the right wing to dance by Victor Kristiansen before playing the ball to Kevin de Bruyne. De Bruyne found Savinho on the opposite wing where the Brazilian winger hung up a cross in search of Haaland. Haaland was unmarked at the back post where he headed the ball past Stolarczyk with ease. Manchester City held out for the rest of the tie to win 0-2 and finally keep a clean sheet after their horrid run of games. Pep’s side jumped into 5th on the table temporarily. Leicester would have felt disappointed they couldn’t convert any of their first half opportunities as they remain in the relegation zone in 18th.

Crystal Palace vs Southampton

The following game of Matchweek 19 saw Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace host Ivan Juric’s Southampton at Selhurst Park. The Saints found a rare opener inside 15 minutes of the tie after left back, Kyle Walker-Peters, made an electric run down the left wing. Walker-Peters made it to the goal line before drilling the ball across the 6-yard area. Adam Armstrong’s shot from close range fell right into the path of Saints’ teenage star, Tyler Dibling. From only a yard out, Dibling smashed the ball past Palace keeper Dean Henderson to give his side the advantage. Only 17 minutes later, the Eagles equalised after Chelsea loanee Trevoh Chalobah scored his 3rd goal of the season. Chalobah headed the ball in from close range after Will Huges’ inswinging corner delivery, but the talking moment from that goal was actually Jean Philippe-Mateta, who clearly shoved Saints’ keeper Aaron Ramsdale as he came out to claim the cross. The first half finished 1-1 with Palace disappointed they couldn’t find a 2nd, with Daniel Munoz seeing his close range effort cleared off the line by Walker-Peters.

Palace found a deserved goal early in the 2nd period to give them the advantage when Eberechi Eze scored his 2nd of the season. After a scrappy series of Palace crosses into the box and Southampton clearances, Eze saw an opportunity when the ball bounced kindly for him outside the penalty area. Eze ran onto the ball and beautifully smashed the ball on the volley into the bottom left corner and under the reach of Ramsdale. There were no more major highlights for the rest of the half as Palace were just able to edge out Southampton in a crucial game. Palace rose to 15th in the table on 20 points while Southampton remained rock bottom on 6.

Everton vs Nottingham Forest

The next game of Matchweek 19 saw Sean Dyche’s Everton host Nuno Espirito’s Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park. Forest made the perfect start to the fixture when they found the opener inside the first 15 minutes. Neco Williams played a brilliant ball over the Everton defence and into the path of talisman Chris Wood who was able to stretch to make first contact with the ball. Wood’s header then bounced into the flight of Anthony Elanga who then headed the ball right back to the Kiwi. Wood then brilliantly lobbed the ball over the outcoming Jordan Pickford and into the back of the net to score his 11th goal of the season. Forest dominated the closing stages of the first half and at the interval they were looking good for their 0-1 advantage. 

Nuno’s side then scored their all important 2nd goal 16 minutes into the 2nd period, with Wood and Elanga heavily involved again. Elanga intercepted a bad pass from Abdoulaye Doucoure where he immediately found Wood outside the Toffee’s penalty area. Wood held onto the ball before perfectly timing a pass into the feet of Morgan Gibbs-White down the opposite side of the 18 yard box. Gibbs-White chopped the ball back onto his left boot and chipped in with a captain’s contribution, smashing the ball into the roof of the net, leaving Pickford with no chance. Nottingham Forest came so close to making it 3 only moments later after Ramon Sosa made a brilliant individual run down the left wing. Sosa cracked a shot from outside the penalty area which lacked any real conviction but was still too hot to handle for Pickford. It bounced off the Englishman and into the path of Williams who then saw his close range effort kept out by Pickford before Sosa was then denied again, with the Toffees’ shot stopper proving why he is one of the contending goalkeepers in the race for the Golden Glove. Everton created some chances late on but none were enough to really scare the Forest supporters and defence. The full time score finished 0-2 with Nuno continuing his brilliant run of form. His side climbed into a temporary 2nd on the table, with 37 points at the halfway mark of the season. Everton are finally beaten after their heroic 3 game drawing streak against title contending sides. Dyche’s side dropped to 16th in the table, on 17 points and 3 away from relegation.

Fulham vs AFC Bournemouth

The following fixture of Matchweek 19 saw Marco Silva’s Fulham host Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at Craven Cottage. After a positive start to the game for Bournemouth, new addition to the starting XI James Hill thought he’d scored to give the Cherries the lead when he headed home Ryan Christie’s corner delivery. Unfortunately for the travelling side, Hill’s goal was ridiculously disallowed by referee Robert Jones for a ghost foul in the penalty area. After soaking up all the Bournemouth pressure, Fulham found the opener from a corner in the 40th minute. Andreas Pereira whipped the ball in from the right flag where striker Raul Jimenez had made a late unmarked run into the crowd of bodies. The Mexican was then given acres of space as he headed the ball into the far bottom corner, giving the Cottagers a priceless lead. The score at the interval stood at 1-0 with Bournemouth so unlucky not to have something to show for their first half efforts.

The Cherries found a deserved equaliser 6 minutes into the 2nd period when Hill chipped the ball over the Fulham defence and into the path of record signing and star striker, Evanilson. The Brazilian brilliantly smashed the ball on the half volley into the far top corner from what seemed an impossible angle, Evanilson’s 5th goal of the campaign. The momentum then took a swing in favour of the hosts as they restored their lead in the 72nd minute when Harry Wilson made it goals in consecutive games. Antonee Robinson proved yet again why he was one of the best players so far this Premier League season, whipping the ball in from the left wing for Wilson to brilliantly head into the top right corner. With only minutes to play in the tie, Bournemouth found their 2nd of the game to level the tie. Antoine Semenyo’s shot from deep in the Fulham penalty area was deflected into the path of Dango Ouattara who had plenty of space on the right side of the area. Where most players would have opted for power, Ouattara showed real class and professionalism when he composedly chipped the ball over the outcoming Fulham keeper, Bernd Leno, and watched as his effort bounced across the line. The full time score finished 2-2 with these 2 exciting and free flowing attacking sides playing out an entertaining Premier League tie. Bournemouth drop to 6th in the table on 30 points while Fulham remain 8th, 1 point shy of the Cherries.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

The next game of Matchweek 19 saw Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur host Vitor Pereira’s Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium. Wolves opened the scoring inside 10 minutes in spectacular fashion. Rayan Ait-Nouri played Wolves’ latest set piece across the penalty area to Hwang Hee-Chan who was fresh from scoring last Matchweek. Hwang’s strike was perfect, watching as his effort curled around the Tottenham wall and rolled down the side netting of Fraser Forster’s goal. Tottenham didn’t take long to level the tie though, scoring just 5 minutes later. Pedro Porro whipped in Spurs’ latest corner delivery, perfectly finding the head of Rodrigo Bentancur who brilliantly headed the ball into the top right corner and past Wolves keeper Jose Sa. Just before the interval, Wolves made a terrible error when their midfielder Andre gifted a penalty to the hosts after bringing down Brennan Johnson. It was a clear spot kick which skipper Son Hueng-Min stepped up to take, hoping to become the 2nd South Korean scorer in the afternoon. Son’s penalty was poor though, making for an easy save for Sa as he leapt to his right to deny him. Luckily for the captain, Spurs were able to find a 2nd goal late in first half stoppages. Dejan Kulusevski received the ball from Porro inside the penalty area where he held off the challenges from the Wolves’ defenders before squaring it to Johnson. The Welsh international rifled the ball into the top right corner, giving Spurs a deserved advantage and scoring his 11th goal. The score at half time finished 2-1 with Wolves conceding their first 2 goals in the new Pereira era.

After a 2nd period mainly dominated by Wolves, Pereira’s side found an all important 2nd goal in the 87th minute. Ait-Nouri registered yet another assist in the afternoon when playing a brilliant through ball into the path of no.9 Jorgan Strand Larsen. Strand Larsen still had work to do though, somehow smashing the ball into the roof of the net from what looked an unworkable angle, leveling for Wolves in spectacular style to score his 7th of the season. The full time score finished 2-2 with a draw, a fair result given how the game panned out. Wolves continue their unbeaten run under their new manager as they go 2 points clear of the relegation zone in 17th. Tottenham dropped points once again as they stayed in the bottom half of the table. It is now just 1 win for Spurs in their last 7 Premier League games, proving that they have their work cut out for them in the winter transfer window.

West Ham United vs Liverpool

The following game of the Matchweek saw Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham United host Arne Slot’s top of the table Liverpool at the London Stadium. After a strong defensive first half showing from the Hammers, Lopetegui’s side fully capitulated in the 30th minute when Luis Diaz notched Liverpool’s first. Diaz picked up the ball outside of the penalty area where he attempted to play it to Cody Gakpo on the left side of the box. His pass was blocked by Vladimir Coufal and fell right into his path as he smashed the ball into the bottom right corner to make it 0-1. Just after Mohammed Kudus had hit the post for West Ham in a rare trek up the pitch, the Reds’ made it 0-2 just 10 minutes later when Gakpo scored his 5th of the season. Mohamed Salah received the ball inside the Hammer’s penalty area from Diaz where he managed to poke the ball through the West Ham centre halves and across to the Dutchman who was left with the goal gaping. Gakpo tapped the ball into the net with Salah claiming his 12th assist of the season as well, leading the charts for both goals and assists. Minutes before the half time whistle, Liverpool sealed all 3 points when Salah got his name on the scoresheet. Curtis Jones played the ball across the penalty area to the Egyptian who fired an optimistic shot at Alphonse Areola’s near post. Areola let the ball roll right through his palm and into the back of the net as Salah made it 17 for the season, in search of his 4th Premier League Golden Boot. The half time score finished 0-3 with Liverpool running riot in the capital as West Ham were left with no way back into the tie.

Liverpool made it 0-4 just 9 minutes into the half in wonderful fashion. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is no stranger to the spectacular, picked up the ball from Ryan Gravenberch where he only had one thought on his mind, shoot. From 25 yards out, Trent hit the ball with  real conviction, watching as his shot rifled through the air, the ball’s movement so great that it looked as though it had caught a deflection. Areola was caught wrong footed as Trent’s shot flew by him to make it 0-4. No.5 came in the 84th minute when Diogo Jota became the 5th name on an exclusive scoresheet. Salah drove at the West Ham centre half pairing of Jean-Clair Todibo and Maximilian Kilman with Jota to his left. The Egyptian probably could have scored on his own but opted to play his teammate who had a better chance. Jota only needed one touch, placing the ball into the top right corner. The full time score finished 0-5, with Liverpool not looking as though they would ever be beaten. Slot’s men remain 1st in the table with a game in hand and an 8 point lead. The result sums up West Ham’s first half of the season as they remain 13th with their defence a huge issue.

Aston Villa vs Brighton Hove & Albion

The first game played on Monday night in Matchweek 19 saw Unai Emery’s Aston Villa host Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton at Villa Park with both sides in desperate need of a result. The Seagulls made the perfect start to the tie when they found the opener on the 12 minute mark. Lewis Dunk pinged a long ball from inside his own half and into the host’s penalty area. Striker Joao Pedro shoulder-barged defender Ezri Konsa out of the way, leaving Simon Adingra with some space in the 18 yard area. Adingra used the space to his full advantage, dribbling onto his right before smashing the ball into the top right corner. Only moments after Morgan Rogers was denied a blatant penalty after a dangerous run into the Brighton area, he was awarded one after Joao Pedro kicked his feet from underneath him in attempting to clear Villa’s latest corner. Ollie Watkins stepped up to take the spot kick and dispatched off it professionally, placing the ball into the bottom left corner. The score at the interval stood at 1-1 with almost every stat you looked at in this game so far pointing to a very even match up. 

Villa made the perfect start to the 2nd period when they completed the turn around just 2 minutes in. Watkins received the ball outside the penalty area where he saw the run of Rogers over at the far post. Watkins chipped the ball into his path before Rogers cheated the ball down inside the 18 yard area before drilling the ball into the bottom left corner leaving Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen with no chance. It was a very evenly contested next half hour until Brighton finally found a deserved 2nd goal in the 81st minute. Right back Tariq Lamptey picked the ball up inside his own half and made a driving run across the pitch, eventually spreading the ball over to the opposite wing which was occupied by Kaoru Mitoma. Mitoma cut the ball back to the edge of the penalty area where Pedro flicked it up, ready to strike. To the shock of Villa park, the Brazilian was unselfish, poking the ball back to Lampty who unleashed a rocket of a shot which nestled perfectly into the bottom left corner. At the end of 90 minutes, the score finished 2-2 with a point a piece, a very fair result. Villa dropped to 9th in the table on 29 points while Brighton remained 10th on 27.

Ipswich Town vs Chelsea

The following game of Matchweek 19 saw Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town host Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea at Portman Road in what looked an intriguing tie. After a very average start to life back in the top flight, Ipswich were looking to cause a major upset on Monday night, especially after they were awarded a penalty just 10 minutes in. Leif Davis played a brilliant ball into the penalty area in search of danger man Liam Delap. Delap made first contact with the ball ahead of Chelsea keeper Filip Jorgensen who knew he’d made a huge risk committing himself by coming out. Delap took the ball around Jorgensen before inevitably being brought down by the outstretched leg of the Dane. Delap then dispatched the spot kick perfectly, smashing the ball into the bottom left corner making no mistake. Chelsea came so close minutes later after Cole Palmer’s free kick rattled the woodwork before the rebound from Christopher Nkunku was saved on the line by Tractor Boy’s shot stopper Christian Walton. The Blues then thought they’d scored in the 24th minute after Joao Feilix smashed Cole Palmer’s cross from the right wing into the roof of the net. VAR later found the Portuguese international to be offside. The first half finished 0-1, with it surely only a matter of time before Chelsea found an equaliser, especially after Palmer had forced a save of the season contender just before the interval out of keeper Walton on his return to the starting XI.

With Chelsea pushing really hard to break down the host’s resistant defence, Ipswich scored from a classic case of smash and grab. Axel Disasi made a weak pass back to Tosin Adarabioyo which was pounced on by workhorse striker Delap. Delap drove into the area before cutting back and assessing his options. He laid it off to Omari Hutchinson who cut into a more central position and buried the ball into the bottom left corner, his 2nd goal in the league this season and possibly his most important one. The goal also happened to be against his former employer. Ipswich defended heroically for the remaining minutes to win 2-0 and hold out for their first home win in the Premier League since 2002. Ipswich moved into 18th place, only 1 point away from safety. Chelsea fail to win for the 3rd consecutive game as the Blues drop to 4th.

Manchester United vs Newcastle United

The final game played on Monday night in Matchweek 19 saw Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United host Eddie Howe’s Newcastle at Old Trafford. Newcastle added to Manchester United’s recent woes when scoring the opening goal inside 4 minutes. Bruno Guimaraes played a brilliant switch ball over to the left side of the penalty area where fullback Lewis Hall had made the run in. Hall then whipped in a peach of a cross, with star striker Alexander Isak left with the easy task of nodding the ball past Andre Onana in the United net to claim his 12th of the campaign. After coming so close to making it 0-2 inside 15 minutes, the Magpies pretty much put the game to bed in the 19th minute when they scored off yet another cross from the left wing and another header, exposing Manchester United’s incapability of defending crosses. Anthony Gordon whipped the ball in from the left wing where Joelinton rose well over 5 foot 9 centre half Lisandro Martinez to head the ball past Onana. Newcastle were so unlucky not to wrap the game up before half time, with Sandro Tonali rattling the woodwork from 6 yards out. The first half finished 0-2 with Manchester United’s season going from worse to dreadful.

Manchester United did play better in the 2nd period with Harry Maguire hitting the post with a header from close range, Matthijs de Light having his shot cleared off the line and Leny Yoro having to watch his header just fly wide of the far post. The full time score finished 0-2, with Newcastle’s season just going from strength to strength. Howe’s side have now won their last 4 Premier League games, conceding 0 and scoring 13. Newcastle jumped back into the top 5 on 32 points. United lost yet again, with Ruben Amorim left with the hardest job in football at the moment with quite possibly one of the worst squads in the league and worst ownership in England. They remain 14th, their worst ever finish in the Premier League if they are unable to climb up to league.

Brentford vs Arsenal

The first Premier League fixture of 2025 and final of Matchweek 19 saw Thomas Frank’s Brentford host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the Gtech Stadium. The Bees made an electric start to the latest London derby as they found  the back of the net inside 15 minutes. Mikkel Damsgaard intercepted the ball near the halfway line before driving through the pitch and finding Bryan Mbeumo down the right wing. Mbeumo brilliantly progressed into the area before squeezing the ball into the bottom right corner, leaving his old Brentford teammate and current Arsenal keeper no chance of saving his effort. After some scrapy exchanges by the Brentford defenders and Arsenal attackers outside the penalty area on the half hour mark, Thomas Partey found the ball in some space and drilled it towards Bees’ keeper Mark Flekken. Flekken was able to parry away Partey’s effort but no defender was able to halt Gabriel Jesus from heading in the follow up. The first half finished 1-1 with Arsenal hoping to comeback to claim all 3 points to take them into 2nd on the table.

The Gunners completed the turnaround 5 minutes into the 2nd period when Mikel Merino netted his 2nd goal in red and white. It was another ugly goal from Arsenal but the Spainaird didn’t care, smashing the ball into the roof of the net after their latest corner was not cleared by the Bees’ defenders. The travelling side then all but sealed the 3 points when Gabriel Martinelli scored his 5th of the season 3 minutes later. Ethan Nwaneri whipped the ball in from the right wing where his cross was initially headed away from the danger area by Bees’ centre half Nathan Collins. Unfortunately for the hosts, Martinelli was in a good position to control the ball down and volley it into the far right of Flekken’s net. Arsenal then defended strongly for the remaining 90 minutes as they saw out a very successful 1-3 win on the road. Arteta’s side closed the gap on Liverpool to just 6 points, although Liverpool still have a game in hand. Brentford fans will be disappointed with how their side defended today, though they’ve had a solid start to the season, sitting in 12th on 24 points at the halfway mark.

Written by Ollie Wade