Kickoff chronicles

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City

The opening game of Matchweek 28 saw Nuno Espirito’s 3rd placed Nottingham Forest host Pep Guardiola’s 4th placed Manchester City at the City Ground. Manchester City almost made the perfect start to the game when Erling Haaland won the ball just outside the penalty area before he scraped his effort just wide. The Citizens then hit the post in the 15th minute after new signing Nico Gonzalez rattled the frame of the goal with a wonder strike from 25 yards out, still in search of his first ever Premier League goal. The first half was quite clearly dominated by Manchester City, with Forest keeper Matz Sels putting in a brilliant display in the first 45 minutes, hoping to register his 12th clean sheet of the league season, which would see him go two clear of Arsenal keeper David Raya. The first half finished goalless, with Nuno needing a much better 2nd half performance from his players if they were to hold onto 3rd place on the table.

The hosts came out much quicker for the 2nd period and it showed, with Nicolas Dominguez having his brilliant volleyed effort early on kept out by City keeper Ederson. The Brazilian shot stopper was then forced into action again, brilliantly diving down low at the last second to tip Callum Hudson-Odoi’s low and hard effort onto the post. Finally, in the 83rd minute, Forest broke the deadlock. Morgan Gibbs-White played a brilliant pass across the pitch over to the right wing where Hudson-Odoi was located. The winger cut back onto his right boot, surprising City full back Josko Gvardiol before squeezing the ball in at the near post to win the game for Forest. The hosts were successfully able to hold out for the final minutes of the tie to win 1-0, a crucial 3 points in the race for top 4. Forest remain 3rd in the table while City remain 4th, now 4 points behind Nuno’s side, as they leave the door ajar for Chelsea who play on Sunday.

Brighton Hove & Albion vs Fulham

The following game of Matchweek 28 saw Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton host Marco Silva’s Fulham at the Amex Stadium. The match got off to an even start, with Yankuba Minteh (Brighton) and Emile Smith Rowe (Fulham) missing big chances for their respective clubs early on. The Cottagers then finally broke the deadlock in the 35th minute after Alex Iwobi made a tireless run down the right wing. The Nigerian then whipped the ball into the penalty area in search of Fulham’s focal point in attack, Raul Jimenez. The Mexican brilliantly chested the ball down before smashing it past Seagull’s keeper Bart Verbruggen. After conceding the opener in such disappointing fashion, Brighton then equalised right before half time when tall centre half Jan Paul van Hecke headed the ball brilliantly into the top left corner after Yasin Ayari whipped in the host’s latest set piece. The first half finished all square at 1-1 with both sides hoping to win a match which would see them tighten their grip on a European place.

It was fair to say Brighton were the much better side for the 2nd half, with Pedro coming so close to giving them the advantage in the 50th minute, playing a brilliant give and go with Georginio Rutter before fluffing his lines when it mattered, smashing the ball over the crossbar. The fans inside the Amex thought they’d then won the game after Simon Adingra composedly slotted the ball past Fulham keeper Bernd Leno but he was later found to be in an offside position when the ball came through from Adam Webster. Just as it looked the game was destined to be a tie with Fulham winning back possession in their penalty area, Pedro came out of nowhere, shocking Fulham midfielder Harrison Reed who unintentionally fouled the Brazilian striker. Pedro then stepped up to take the spot kick, smashing the ball into the right of Leno’s net to win all 3 points for the Seagulls as the game finished 2-1. This was a huge result for Hurzeler’s side as they rise to 6th on the table, just a single point behind Manchester City in 4th. After a good run of form in the league and an FA Cup 5th round win, this was a very disappointing result for Fulham as they drop to 10th in the league, still in contention for a European place.

Crystal Palace vs Ipswich Town

The next game of Matchweek 28 saw Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace host Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town at Selhurst Park. Palace made a bright start to the game, despite missing top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta who unfortunately was on the receiving end of a horror challenge in the 5th Round of the FA Cup. Eddie Nketiah had a huge 1-v-1 chance against Ipswich keeper Alex Palmer inside 2 minutes, with Palmer coming off his line and making himself big to deny Nketiah. It was a very open first half of football, with Ipswich coming so close to scoring just minutes later after Leif Davis made a workhorse run down the left wing. He then crossed the ball into the penalty area where Jaden Philogene drilled the ball at the bottom right corner, with Palace keeper Dean Henderson making a brilliant dive down to his left to get a strong palm to the Villa loanee’s effort. Twenty minutes after Philogene’s effort, Brighton loanee Julio Enciso dribbled past the Palace defence and into a dangerous position before cracking a shot at Henderson who was able to parry the ball away from goal. Regardless, it was a positive half from the Tractor Boys as they went into the break level at 0-0.

Palace came millimetres away from scoring 5 minutes into the 2nd period after Eberechi Eze’s powerful effort from outside the penalty area took a huge deflection off Dara O’Shea which saw it loop over Palmer and bounce onto the right post of the Ipswich goal. The Tractor Boys then came so close to scoring themselves after Liam Delap directed a powerful headed at the Palace goal from their latest corner which was unconvincingly saved by Henderson. Jens Cajuste then lashed at the rebound which was brilliantly cleared off the line by Ismaila Sarr. Palace then finally broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute after Adam Wharton played the ball into the path of substitute Daichi Kamada. Kamada attempted to play a 1-2 with Sarr but he was tackled when receiving the ball back from Sarr. It turned out to be a brilliant ball for the makeshift striker though as Sarr was left through on goal, brilliantly lifting the ball over Palmer to win the game for Palace. The full time score finished 1-0, with Palace picking up a huge 3 points at home without their main man. The Eagles move into 11th on the table, hoping to make a late surge for a European place. Ipswich yet again fail to pick up any points at all in a game they played really well in. McKenna’s side remain 18th, 6 points away from safety with relegation looking more and more likely. 

Liverpool vs Southampton

The following game of Matchweek 28 saw Arne Slot’s 1st placed Liverpool host Ivan Juric’s 20th placed Southampton at Anfield. It was fair to say Liverpool made a very sluggish start to the game given their opposition as they failed to break down the most vulnerable defence in the league during the 1st half. Their best chance came in the 5th minute when Curtis Jones watched his low driven shot fly just wide of the bottom left corner. To the shock of Anfield, Southampton found the lead minutes before the interval. It came from a very rare Liverpool defensive mishap, with captain and arguably the best centre half in the league, Virgil van Dijk, not communicating properly with his goalkeeper Alisson resulting in Will Smallbone intercepting the ball inside the penalty area, although the angle was very tight. Smallbone then somehow managed to squeeze the ball through the legs of Alisson and across the line making for a spectacular finish which saw the bottom team go into half time with a 0-1 lead against the league leaders.

After a woeful 1st half performance, Liverpool made the best start to the 2nd period when equalising the game in the 51st minute. Luis Diaz made a brilliant run down the left wing, outpacing Southampton full back Kyle Walker-Peters before cutting the ball back into the 6-yard box. Ready to pounce was Uruguayan no.9, Darwin Nunez, who brilliantly made first contact with the low cross, smashing the ball past Saints keeper Aaron Ramsdale. Moments after levelling the game for Liverpool, Nunez gave the hosts a golden chance to flip the game on its head after he won a penalty after clearly being fouled by Southampton goalscorer Smallbone. Mohamed Salah stepped up to take the spot kick and dispatched it brilliantly, confidently smashing the ball into the top left corner for his 26th goal of the season. Liverpool were finally able to wrap up all 3 points in the 88th minute after Diaz chased down a long ball into the Southampton penalty area. Diaz managed to shove full back Yukinari Sugawara just enough off balance which saw the Japanese defender use his elbow to keep the ball away from Diaz. VAR recommended referee Lewis Smith review the call where he overturned his decision and awarded a penalty. Salah once again converted from 12-yards, smashing the ball into the top right corner to score his 184th goal in the Premier League, taking him into equal 5th of all time. The full time score finished 3-1, with Liverpool claiming all 3 points thanks to 2 Salah spot kicks. Liverpool extended their gap at the top of the table to 16 points, with the title all but won. Southampton lose again as they stay 20th with a drab 9 points.

Brentford vs Aston Villa

The next game of Matchweek 28 saw Thomas Frank’s Brentford host Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at the Gtech Community Stadium. Villa made a much more dominant start to the game, with both Youri Tielemans and Tyrone Mings forcing saves from the Premier League’s most underrated keeper, Brentford’s Mark Flekken. Centre half Nathan Collins was also forced to head a curling effort from Villa’s Jacob Ramsey over the crossbar which looked destined for the top corner. The hosts offered up nothing for their home fans in the 1st half, creating no real chances and lacking any attacking energy in the final 3rd. The half time score finished 0-0 with it surely only a matter of time before Villa found the lead.

After a first half of frustration, Villa finally took the lead in the 49th minute through their top scorer, Ollie Watkins. Villa hit Brentford on the counter attack after Tielemans won the ball in his own penalty area before playing the ball out the the left wing where Jacob Ramsey was located. Ramsey progressed down the wing before playing the ball to Watkins who was ahead of him. Watkins cut into a more central position where he opted to shoot instead of passing. His effort was not accurate yet very powerful, flying through the legs of the so far unbeatable Flekken and into the bottom left corner. Villa then thought they’d doubled their lead just seconds after the restart from the first goal after Watkins squared the ball for Morgan Rogers. Rogers then tapped the ball in from closer range but VAR later found Watkins to have been in an offside position and the goal was ruled out. Villa seemed to take their foot off the gas for much of the 2nd half with Brentford coming so close to equalising the game when Keane Lewis-Potter rattled the frame of the goal with a lovely strike from outside the penalty area. At the end, Brentford were getting frustrated as they had a few penalty appeals go against them and were failing to create any other chances. The full time score finished 0-1 with Villa picking up a priceless 3 points on the road. Emery’s side move up to 7th on the table, only 2 points away from the top 4. Brentford surprisingly fail to score at home as they drop to 12th on the table on 38 points.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Everton

The final game played on Saturday evening in Matchweek 28 saw Vitor Pereira’s Wolves host David Moyes’ Everton at the Molineux Stadium. Everton made a positive start to the game, with both Jarrad Branthwaite and Beto having chances saved from corner kicks. They finally broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute when Everton’s Jack Harrison scored his first goal in 39 games. Harrison received the ball out on the left from Jesper Lindstrom where he immediately looked to shoot. It was fair to say that he was very lucky in the way the ball found its way past Wolves keeper Jose Sa, catching a deflection off both Joao Gomes and Matt Doherty before creeping into the bottom right corner. The momentum of the game shifted hugely after the Everton goal, with Wolves finally coming to life. Just moments after Harrison’s goal, both Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Andre for Wolves put shots wide of the Toffees’ goal. The hosts finally levelled the fixture in the 40th minute after Rayan Ait-Nouri played the ball to Bellegrade outside the Everton penalty area. Bellegarde then slotted the ball into the path of Marshall Munetsi who brilliantly guided the ball into the bottom left corner with his first touch making for a swift Wolves move. The score at half time stood at 1-1 with both managers appearing happy with their teams’ respective performances.

Wolves came out quickly for the 2nd half, with Pablo Sarabia narrowly missing a free kick early on before Jorgan Strand Larsen drew a spectacular save from Jordan Pickford 20 minutes later. Everton then created a big chance to snatch all 3 points late on after Carlos Alcaraz received the ball from James Garner where he was able to hit Wolves on the counter with Beto to his left. Alcaraz progressed all the way to the opposition penalty area where he opted to play in Beto whose effort was below average, with Sa easily parrying away the Portuguese international’s shot. The rest of the game was evenly contested, with the full time score finishing 1-1. Pereira’s Wolves remain in 17th place, although they are 7 points clear of the relegation zone. Everton jump into 14th on 33 points, unbeaten in 8 Premier League games now under David Moyes.

Chelsea vs Leicester City

The first game of Matchweek 28 played on Sunday afternoon saw Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea host Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City at Stamford Bridge with both sides craving 3 points. After a sluggish start to the game, Chelsea found a golden opportunity to score the opener. The tricky feet of Jadon Sancho were too much for Leicester midfielder Victor Kristiansen who fouled him inside the penalty area. Cole Pamer then stepped up to take the penalty, hoping to end a 6 game goal/assist drought. Unfortunately for Chelsea, he was kept out thanks to a brilliant save from Leicetser shot stopper Mads Hermansen who dove down low to his left to parry the ball away. Minutes after missing a penalty, Chelsea almost conceded after James Justin’s cross in from the right wing caused confusion in the penalty area. Blues keeper Robert Sanchez came out to punch the ball away and was unsuccessful in clearing it. Centre half Tosin Adarabioyo then thought the Spanish keeper was still on his line and headed the cross towards his own goal, with the ball bouncing off the crossbar and very fortunately cleared away by other centre half, Levi Colwill, to stop Jamie Vardy from scoring a tap in. The score at half time finished 0-0, with Chelsea looking very rusty and shaky after their showing in the opening 45 minutes.

Leicester had put in a solid performance so far and came so close to scoring in the 52nd minute after Jamie Vardy received a bouncing ball in the right side of the Chelsea penalty area. Vardy cracked a shot, with Sanchez’s fingertips enough to deny the 38-year-old of a spectacular opener. The hosts then finally broke the deadlock right on the hour mark after goal scoring left back Marc Cucurella popped up with his 4th of the season. Ezno Fernandez played the ball out to the left wing from the centre of the pitch where Cucurella immediately drove towards the Leicester penalty area. The full back let fly from 25 yards out, with his effort perfectly rifling into the bottom left corner leaving Hermansen with no chance. Chelsea dominated for the remaining minutes and were unlucky not to find a 2nd but it didn’t matter as at the full time whistle, Chelsea came out 1-0 victors. Maresca was able to complete a managerial double against his former employers as Chelsea regain their place in the top 4 on 49 points in 4th. Leicester fail to pick up points or score yet again as they remain 19th on 17 points, 7 away from potential safety.

Tottenham Hotspur vs AFC Bournemouth

The following game of Matchweek 28 saw Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur take on Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Spurs made a terrible start to the game, almost conceding inside 20 seconds after centre half Christian Romero played a horror pass across the backline and right into the path of Evanilson. The Brazilian striker got a shot off quickly, watching as his effort was tipped just wide of the post by Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario. After an evenly contested 1st half, Pedro Porro cheaply gave the ball away to Bournemouth full back Milos Kerkez who was able to break away down the left wing. The Hungarian ate up the North London turf, motoring down the flank before whipping in a beautiful cross over to the back post. Unmarked and ready to meet his ball was Marcus Tavernier who slid in to smash the ball past Vicario to give the Cherries the lead just before the interval. The half time score finished 0-1 with Ange needing a much stronger 2nd half performance from his side if they were to come away with anything.

Bournemouth thought they’d found a two goal cushion just 6 minutes into the 2nd period after Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo showed great link up play down the left wing. Tavernier then played the ball centrally to Evanilson, splitting the Tottenham defence before Evanilson squared it to Justin Kluivert who was left with a tap in from 12 yards out. Unfortunately for the Cherries, it was ruled out as Semenyo came in from an offside position when he played the ball back to Tavernier. Bournemouth then found a 2nd goal that stood in the 65th minute after Ryan Christie played a brilliant ball into the feet of Kluivert. The Cherries’ top scorer then threaded it through to Evanilson who slotted the ball past Vicario to score his 6th of the season. Just as it looked like Spurs were out of the contest, 22-year-old Pape Sarr conjured up a strike from the football heavens to half the deficit. The Senegalese star was dribbling with the ball down the right wing where from about 25 yards he decided to cross the ball perfectly into the top left corner. His outswinging shot was unsavable, looping over the reach of Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa. Only 15 minutes later, Tottenham found a brilliant opportunity to level the tie after Son Heung-Min was fouled inside the area, chasing down a ball from James Maddison and eventually being brought down by the outstretched arms of Kepa. After winning it, Son stepped up and cheekily rolled the ball down the middle of the goal from 12 yards to level it at 2-2. In the end, there was not enough time for a winner as the full time score finished all square at 2-2. Ange’s side completed a solid comeback, but it was still far from a performance to be proud of as Spurs sit 13th with 34 points. Bournemouth drop 2 points away from home and they also miss out on the chance to climb into the top 6. Iraola’s side sit 8th on 44 points.

Manchester United vs Arsenal

The last game of Matchweek 28 played on Sunday afternoon, which was arguably the most anticipated of the weekend, saw Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at Old Trafford. Arsenal made a much more dominant start but all of their efforts were outside the penalty area, with Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard all missing their respective long range efforts. It was clear that Arsenal were missing their strikers, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, and just before the break things got even worse. Trossard gave away a needless free kick in first half stoppages, fouling Alejandro Garnacho and giving United captain Bruno Fernandes a brilliant chance to try and give the home fans something to get excited about. Fernandes took full advantage of the opportunity, curling the ball beautifully into the top right corner to give the Red Devils a priceless lead going into the break. At the interval, the score stood at 1-0 with Arsenal yet again staring down the barrel of another silly loss.

United came so close to doubling their advantage in the 54th minute after Diogo Dalot received the ball down the left wing in the host’s latest counter attack. Running in from the right was fellow wing back Noussair Mazraoui where his unmarked run was spotted by Dalot. Dalot crossed the ball over where Mazraoui drilled it with his first touch at the bottom left corner, forcing a brillant save from Arsenal keeper David Raya who denied the Moroccan with his outstretched shin. Arsenal then equalised the game in the 74th minute through their record signing, Declan Rice. Jurrien Timber did superbly to dribble into the penalty area and then find Rice on the edge of the 18-yard box. Arsenal’s no.41 then curled the ball effortlessly into the far left of Andre Onana’s net to score his 2nd of the season. Moments after leveling the game, Rice was then forced to keep it at 1-1 after Mikel Merino carelessly gave the ball away to United substitute Rasmus Hojlund. The Dane was maybe a bit rusty, allowing the experienced Rice to run back and heroically intercept his shot. The end of the game was very end to end with both teams making real efforts to snatch all 3 points. Odegaard saw his long range effort saved in the 1st minute of stoppage time by United keeper Onana before Garnacho made a tireless run down the right wing to create one last chance. He then played it into the penalty area to Mazraoui who turned past Rice before cutting it back into a dangerous area. Fernandes ran onto the ball and smashed it at Raya, with the Spanish keeper pummeling backwards in the air before recovering and punching the ball away from danger. The full time score finished 1-1, with the match a prime example of why the Premier League is the best league in the world. Arsenal close the gap between Liverpool in 1st by 1 point, although the title race is now over as they are 15 points adrift. Manchester United move into 14th on 34 points, but fans will be feeling slightly more positive after one of their best performances of the season.

West Ham United vs Newcastle United

The final game of Matchweek 28 played on Monday night saw Graham Potter’s West Ham host Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United at the London Stadium. West Ham made an electric start to the game and with all things considered, should have scored inside the opening 60 seconds. Mohammed Kudus made a powerful run down the left wing before hanging the ball up, searching for Jarrod Bowen or big centre midfielder Tomas Soucek. The ball very fortunately fell for Soucek but his finish was very clumsy, taking a touch before smashing the ball over the crossbar. West Ham continued to make a positive start to the game but after the opening 15 minutes, they moved into a more defensive shape as Newcastle started to create some chances. Harvey Barnes, who had been summoned to the Newcaste starting XI because of Anthony Gordon’s red card in the FA Cup, was the real danger man for the travelling side. Barnes knew how it felt to score against the Hammers, netting a late brace against them last season to see his side win 4-3. The winger had 3 clear chances in the first half, putting one wide before drawing two spectacular saves from West Ham shot stopper Alphonse Areola from inside the 6 yard box. The first half finished 0-0 with Newcastle unlucky not to be ahead.

West Ham yet again had a positive start to the 2nd period, creating some good chances and dominating possession around the Newcastle penalty area but were yet again lacking an instinctive striker’s touch in the 6 yard box. The Magpies then came so close to scoring in a very fortunate circumstance, with West Ham defender Maximilian Kilman making a huge error when attempting to clear Jacob Murphy’s cross, flicking the ball high into the air and forcing Areola into making an acrobatic save to keep the score at 0-0. In the end, all of Areola’s hard work was cancelled out after Newcastle skipper Bruno Guimaraes scored to give the travelling side the lead. Barnes floated in a teasing cross from the left wing where Guimaraes lunged in to poke the ball past Areola, making it 0-1 in the 63rd minute. West Ham dominated the rest of the tie but it was clear that their main source of problems currently was decision making inside the opponents penalty area. The full time score finished 0-1, with Newcastle picking up a huge win before their Carabao Cup final against Liverpool this weekend. Howe’s side also jump back into the top 6 on 47 points. It is yet another loss at home without scoring for West Ham as they sit 16th with 33 points. With their season essentially over, as they can’t get relegated but also are unable to challenge for a European place, Potter will look to try and build his side for next campaign.

Written by Ollie Wade