Kickoff chronicles

Arsenal vs Fulham

The opening fixture of Matchweek 30 on Tuesday night saw Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal host Marco Silva’s Fulham at the Emirates Stadium. This came after a 2 week break from the Premier League after a weekend of national football and the quarter final of the FA Cup. After a sluggish start to the game for Arsenal, which saw them lose star centre back Gabriel to a hamstring injury, they finally opened the scoring in the 37th minute. Ethan Nwaneri, who had been Arsenal’s brightest spark so far, received the ball down the right wing from Jurrien Timber before cutting it back to the edge of the penalty area. Makeshift striker, Mikel Merino, took a touch to his right before very intricately getting a shot away, watching as it trickled all the way into the bottom left corner, his 5th goal in 8 starts as an improvised no.9. The first half finished 1-0, with Fulham yet again disappointing their fans, especially after Crystal Palace ran riot on the weekend at Craven Cottage, knocking them out of the FA Cup with a 0-3 win.

The Cottagers came at Arsenal quickly early on in the 2nd period, with Raul Jimenez having his effort from inside the penalty area parried away by Arsenal shot stopper David Raya. The main highlight for the Arsenal support was the return of Bukayo Saka, who had been sidelined for over 3 months due to injury. Saka capped off his return in style, scoring in the 73rd minute straight after being substituted on. Gabriel Martinelli made a tireless run through the middle of the pitch before playing the ball wide to Merino. Merino fired the ball across the penalty area where Martinelli continued his run to expertly flick the ball over the 2 Fulham centre halves, leaving Saka with an easy header from point blank range at the back post. The travelling side then should have made it 2-1, missing a huge opportunity. Alex Iwobi dribbled into the Arsenal penalty area from the left wing before chipping the ball over, watching as striker Rodrigo Muniz shockingly headed the ball wide from a couple of yards out. Muniz then made amends for his error but it was all too late. In the 4th minute of stoppage time, Ryan Sessegnon made a last ditch run down the right wing before drilling the ball into the penalty area. Muniz then flicked the ball at Raya’s goal, watching as it deflected off Arsenal defender William Saliba before finding the bottom corner. The full time score finished 2-1, with Arsenal just holding out for all 3 points. The Gunners remain 2nd, closing the gap to 9 points which separates themselves and Liverpool on 1st. Fulham’s 2nd half was much better but not enough to pick up any points as they remain 8th in the table, with Villa and Bournemouth yet to play.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs West Ham United

The following game of Matchweek 30 saw Vitor Pereira’s Wolverhampton Wanderers host Graham Potter’s West Ham United at the Molineux Stadium. After West Ham had two big opportunities saved in the opening 15 minutes, from Evan Ferguson and Jarrod Bowen, Wolves took full advantage of the situation, scoring in the 21st minute. Fresh off a brace from Matchweek 29, Jorgen Strand Larsen received the ball just outside the penalty area from Marshall Munetsi where he took a little touch to his left. The Norwegian then drilled the ball at the West Ham goal, with it taking a big deflection off former Wolves captain and now West Ham centre half, Maximilian Kilman, on route to goal. The hosts should have made it 2-0 just 5 minutes later after Strand Larsen made a brilliant run into the penalty area. The ball just fell out of his path where Munetsi blasted the ball at Alphonse Areola’s goal, with the French keeper getting lucky as the ball rattled off the underside of the crossbar and away from danger. The half time score finished 1-0 with Potter’s West Ham useless in front of goal as per usual.

The 2nd half was a very physical affair, with lots of strong tackles and harsh words being thrown around the Molineux turf. It just continued to get increasingly frustrating from a West Ham perspective as they wasted chance after chance. Emerson had a huge opportunity in the 77th minute when left back Emerson blasted the ball wide from a couple of yards out before Tomas Soucek dribbled into the penalty area in the 89th minute with Niclas Fullkrug open on his left side. Soucek then made the poor decision to shoot, drilling the ball wide of the right post. The full time score finished 1-0, with Wolves picking up a huge 3 points which all but confirms their Premier League status for the 2025/2026 season. Pereira’s side remain 17th, 12 points clear of Ipswich in 18th though while Potter’s underperforming Hammers sit 16th on 34 points, 5 clear of Wolves.

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United

The final game played on Tuesday night of Matchweek 30 saw Nuno Espirito’s Nottingham Forest host Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United at the City Ground. Manchester United came so close to scoring inside the opening 3 minutes, with Bruno Ferndes seeing his long range effort tipped wide by Forest shot stopper and recent penalty hero Matz Sels. Sels had saved 2 spot kicks in Forest’s FA Cup quarter final triumph against Brighton, proving why he is one of the best keepers in English football right now. Just as it looked like United were on the brink of a breakthrough after another corner kick, Forest hit them with a classic case of smash and grab. Ex-United winger, Anthony Elanga, was out to prove a point on the night, picking the ball up from outside his penalty area before dribbling the length of the pitch. He showed great strength to knock off the challenge’s from the United midfielders before smashing the ball into the bottom right corner against his former employers, reminding them of the huge mistake they made when letting him go for a relatively low fee. Midway through the 1st half, United came close again after Diogo Dalot’s glancing header rattled off the upright before the rebound effort from Matthijs de Ligt was easily saved by Sels. The halftime score finished 1-0 with Amorim staring down the barrel of a 13th league defeat this season.

Forest came so close to doubling their advantage early in the 2nd period, with Ryan Yates having to watch as his headed effort was brilliantly saved by Andre Onana who leapt down low to his left to deny the Forest skipper. After the travelling side had dominated the majority of the 2nd half, United then had a huge chance to knick a point deep into stoppage time after Noussair Mazraoui whipped one final cross into the penalty area. There was a real scrap in the Forest penalty area with Sels unsuccessful in claiming the cross, leaving his goal unguarded. United centre back Harry Maguire then thought he’d finally broke the deadlock for his side, scrambling a shot away, only for Forest’s star centre half, Murillo, to clear the ball off the line to heroically win the game for the hosts. The full time score finished 1-0, with Nuno’s side claiming a 17th win of the league season to keep them in a very positive position of 3rd with 57 points. Champions League football is now all but confirmed as Forest sit 8 points clear of Chelsea in 4th. Manchester United remain 13th in the league after yet another shocking performance away from home with a drab 37 points after 30 games.

AFC Bournemouth vs Ipswich Town

The first game played on Wednesday night in Matchweek 30 saw Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth host Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town at the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth had a huge chance right on the half hour mark when Alex Scott received the ball inside the Ipswich penalty area with keeper Alex Palmer left vulnerable. Scott then drilled the ball across the turf, watching as defender Dara O’Shea cleared the ball off the line to keep the game at 0-0. Only moments after the Cherries had come so close to scoring, Ipswich silenced the Vitality Stadium when scoring in the 34th minute. Brighton loanee, Julio Enciso, made a driving run through the Bournemouth midfield before slipping the ball into the path of Nathan Broadhead who was located in the right side of the penalty area. Broadhead was given time to compose himself as Enciso had drawn many players towards him, which he used perfectly, cutting back across Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen before slotting the ball through Kepa’s legs in goal. The half time score finished 0-1, with Ipswich scoring a huge goal as they hope to make one last ditch attempt to stay in the Premier League.

After a positive start to the half for Bournemouth, Ipswich then further tightened their grip on the fixture when scoring in the 60th minute to make it 0-2. Liam Delap managed to get on the end of a long ball from inside his own half which saw him progress towards the Cherries’ penalty area. Delap then slipped the ball to his left where Conor Townsend drilled the ball back across the 18-yard box with his first touch. Delap had made an intelligent run into space, allowing him to smash the ball into the far right of Kepa’s net to score a priceless goal for the Tractor Boys. Only 7 minutes later, Bournemouth halved the deficit to get themselves back into the tie. David Brooks’ deflected cross fell into the path of Lewis Cook who fired a shot at Palmer. Palmer saved Cook’s initial effort but was unable to keep out Evanilson’s strike on the rebound who was present to make it 1-2. Unfortunately for the hosts, Ipswich heroically defended the final 25 minutes and for once they were able to see out the late stages of the game without conceding. The full time score finished 1-2, with Ipswich picking up a huge 3 points to keep the relegation battle alive. They sit 18th in the league, still 9 points behind 17th placed Wolves. Bournemouth miss out on a huge chance to jump into the top 8 as they sit 10th on 44 points.

Brighton Hove & Albion vs Aston Villa

The following game of Matchweek 30 saw Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton host Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium. The first half was very close, with both sides having penalty appeals early on. The best chance of the half came in the 41st minute for Brighton with a free kick. Brajan Gruda whipped the ball low and hard around the Villa wall and watched in agony as his effort fired off the outside of the woodwork. At half time, the score stood at 0-0 with it all to play for in the 2nd 45 minutes. 

Aston Villa made the perfect start to the 2nd period after Morgan Rogers played a long ball over the Brighton defence to English teammate Marcus Rashford. The Manchester United loanee took a touch before lobbing the ball over Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen, giving the Midlands side a priceless lead. Brighton then thought they’d equalised only minutes later after Simon Adingra smashed the ball in from close range but it was later disallowed by VAR as the provider, Kaoru Mitoma, had controlled the ball down with his wrist before passing it on to Adingra. Twenty-five minutes after Brighton’s goal had been disallowed, Villa all but sealed the 3 points when fellow loanee Marco Asensio scored to make it 0-2. Rogers was once again heavily involved, dribbling down the right wing before drilling the ball across the penalty area where Asensio sliced the ball across the Amex turf and into the bottom right corner. Deep into stoppage time, Villa made it 0-3 with a 3rd winter signing getting his name on the scoresheet. Asensio played the ball to Donyell Malen inside the Brighton penalty area where the Dutchman took a touch before smashing the ball into the bottom left of Verbruggen’s goal. The full time score finished 0-3 with Villa running away in the 2nd half. Emery’s men move into 7th on 48 points while Brighton drop one position below Villa in 8th, with one point less too.

Manchester City vs Leicester City

The next game of Matchweek 30 saw Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City host Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium. City made an electric and much needed start to the game, scoring inside 2 minutes thanks to a goal from Jack Grealish who was rewarded with a rare start. Savinho took the ball down to the bi-line in the Leicester penalty area before cutting the ball backwards to Grealish. Grealish then slotted the ball into the left of Mads Hermansen’s goal, proving a point as to why he should maybe start more games for Pep. City found a 2-goal cushion just before the half hour mark when Omar Marmoush scored his 5th Premier League goal in just his 7th start. Portuguese centre half, Ruben Dias, chipped the ball into the penalty area where Hermansen was unable to claim the cross, with the ball slipping out of his grasp. Marmoush was then present to smash the ball into an empty net to make it 2-0. The half time score stood at 2-0, with Leicester just about managing to keep City out in the dying moments of the 1st half. 

The 2nd half featured much less action than the 1st, with the damage already done by Manchester City thanks to goals from Grealish and Marmoush. They came close to a 3rd goal in the early stages of the 2nd period but after that they took their foot off the accelerator. Leicester once again were hopeless in their final 3rd creating no meaningful chances whatsoever as they went scoreless in a Premier League game. The full time score finished 2-0 with City jumping back into the top 4 on 51 points. Leicester remain 19th on a drab 17 points, 12 points away from safety with relegation all but confirmed.

Newcastle United vs Brentford

The following fixture of Matchweek 30 saw Eddie Howe’s newly crowned Carabao Cup champions host Thomas Frank’s Brentford at St. James’ Park. Newcastle made a quick start to the tie, with Alexander Isak missing a header from point blank range just seconds into the match. Newcastle dominated the 1st half and really should have scored in the 42nd minute. Isak found himself in a perfect position to score after he received the ball on the half way line after Brentford defender Ethan Pinnock misjudged a long ball and let it run through to the Swedish striker. Isak did all the hard work, chopping and churning around other Brentford centre half Nathan Collins and keeper Mark Flekken before he chipped the ball into the air for Harvey Barnes. Barnes headed the ball into an empty net but was furious at Isak as he was offside. Isak should have gotten a shot away instead of playing the ball over to Barnes which was clearly the worse option. It didn’t matter in the end though as Isak scored just before the interval. Jacob Murphy whipped the ball in from the right wing where Isak shoved away Bryan Mbeumo before cushioning the ball into the bottom right corner to net his 20th of the season. It was yet again another Murphy to Isak goal, proving why they are the most prolific partnership in the Premier League. The half finished 1-0, with Newcastle hoping to claim a huge win after their recent Cup success.

Newcastle made a much slower start to the 2nd half and were exposed by Brentford who won a penalty in the 63rd minute. Mbeumo played a brilliant chipped pass into the path of Yoane Wissa who took a perfect first touch before inevitably being brought down by Newcastle keeper Nick Pope. Mbeumo stepped up to take the spot kick and dispatched it brilliantly, rolling the ball into the bottom right corner to tie the game. Less than 10 minutes later, Newcastle restored their lead with a goal of the season contender. Harvey Barnes received the ball down the right wing where he played it into the path of Sandro Tonali. Isolated in the corner of the pitch, it looked like the Italian’s only option was to cross the ball but what the midfielder conjured up next was a thing of beauty. Tonali drilled the ball at Flekken’s goal, hoping to catch him out, which he did superbly. The ball moved in the air before eventually swinging back in and finding the back of the Brentford net. Brentford dominated the late stages of the game, searching for an equaliser, but Pope well and truly made up for the penalty he gave away, saving everything Brentford shot at him. The full time score finished 2-1, with Newcaslte picking up a huge 3 points in their search of Champions League football. Howe’s Magpies sit 5th in the table on 50 points while Brentford remain 11th on 41 points.

Southampton Vs Crystal Palace

The next game of Matchweek 30 saw Ivan Juric’s rock bottom Southampton host Oliver Glanser’s FA Cup semi final bound Crystal Palace at St. Mary’s Stadium. Crystal Palace and Jean-Philippe Mateta in particular came so close to scoring inside minutes after the Frenchman’s shot from outside the penalty area rattled off the underside of the crossbar and back into play. Southampton then shocked Glasner’s side in the 20th minute when they took a rare lead. The Saints worked the ball well down the right side of the pitch before Mateus Fernandes eventually whipped in a cross. Six foot eight striker, Paul Onuachu, rose high and powerfully headed the ball into the bottom right corner, with Palace keeper Dean Henderson getting a hand to the ball but it was just too powerful for the English shot stopper. The travelling side dominated the rest of the half with Mateta coming so close again after a quick swivel and shot inside the Saints’ penalty area, forcing an acrobatic save from keeper Aaron Ramsdale. The half time score finished 1-0 with Southampton hoping to win just their 3rd game of the season.

Palace once again showed they were the better side but failed to do what Southampton had early on in the first half, score. Eberechi Eze had two big chances, smashing one wide of the near post and a free kick over the crossbar. In early stoppage time, the home fans finally thought they were about to witness just their 2nd home win of the season but Palace had other ideas. Jefferson Lerma whipped a cross in from the left wing where Mathues Franca stooped down low to awkwardly flick the ball into the bottom left corner. It was the Brazilian’s first ever Premier League goal for the Eagles after he had been dealing with injuries in the past year, stopping him from featuring. The full time score finished 1-1, with Palace escaping a huge embarrassment thanks to a brilliant header from Franca. The Eagles miss out on what they would have looked at as an easy 3 points before kick off as they remain 12th on the table with 40 points. Southampton just delay the inevitable as they stay rock bottom in 20th on 10 points. One small positive for the Saints, they are 1 point closer to no longer be the worst ever side in Premier League history as they are now on 10 points, 1 less than the infamous Derby County team in the 2007/2008 season. 

Liverpool vs Everton

The final game on Wednesday night in Matchweek 30 saw Arne Slot’s Liverpool host David Moyes’ Everton in the Premier League latest Merseyside derby at Anfield. Everton got very lucky in the early stages, with Jarrad Branthwaite blocking a goal bound shot from Diogo Jota before fellow Everton centre half James Tarkowski made a horrible challenge on Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. Tarkowski got the ball, but the follow through was horrendous and high on the Argentine, with Mac Allister very fortunate his leg was not snapped in two. Tarkowski was somehow not sent off by referee Samuel Barrot and only awarded a yellow card. Everton striker Beto thought he’d scored his 7th of the season just 10 minutes later after he controlled down a long ball into the penalty area, held off Virgil van Dijk with brilliant strength, before he slotted the ball through the legs of Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher only for the linesman’s to raise his flag for offside. Beto was clearly getting the better of arguably the best centre half in the league, Van Dijk, in the first half, dribbling past him in the 33rd minute again leaving him one-on-one with Kelleher. Beto was so unlucky with his effort, watching as it agonisingly struck the post and bounced out of the danger area. The first half finished 0-0, with Liverpool lucky to still be on level pegging.

Liverpool took the lead early on in the 2nd period, but it was in a very controversial manner. Ibrahima Konate fired the ball into the feet of Luis Diaz who was clearly offside and left the pass, but while he didn’t directly interfere with play, he influenced Tarkowski’s decision to intercept the ball not knowing the Colombian was offside. Jota then picked up the ball from Tarkowski before he chopped and changed through the remaining Everton defenders before smashing the ball into the bottom left corner. After their controversial goal, Liverpool decided to sit back and frustrate Everton as they held out at 1-0 for a 29th Merseyside Derby win in the Premier League era. Liverpool remain top of the table on 73 points, a whopping 12 points clear of Arsenal. Everton’s 9-game unbeaten run under Moyes comes to an end in disappointing fashion as they remain 15th on the table on 34 points.

Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur

The final fixture of Matchweek 30 played on Thursday night saw Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea host Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. This was the most anticipated tie of the week, known for many classic matches in the past. The game got off to a very frantic start, with Chelsea hitting the post inside two minutes. Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah played a long ball over the Tottenham defence into the path of Nicholas Jackson who was then in a race with Spurs defender Micky van de Ven. Van de Ven won the race, but as he attempted to clear the ball, he smashed it into the shin of Jackson which saw the ball fizz into the post and fly out of the danger zone. The rest of the half was end-to-end involving a number of turnarounds in the midfield with Chelsea having one last big chance before the interval. Pedro Neto crossed a ball in from the right wing where it travelled all the way to opposite winger Jadon Sancho at the back post. Sancho took a touch before volleying the ball hard at Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario. The Italian keeper then threw himself to his left and somehow flung a wrist at the powerful effort to keep it scoreless at halftime.

Chelsea made an ideal start to the 2nd period when scoring inside five minutes of the restart. Cole Palmer finally put an end to his poor run of form, crossing the ball in from the left wing for captain Enzo Fernandez to head into the top left corner with ease to bag his 5th of the season. Only six minutes later, Chelsea had the ball in the back of the Spurs net again after a wicked volley from Moises Caicedo. Fernandez whipped in Chelsea’s latest free kick where Levi Colwill headed the ball backwards to Caicedo on the edge of the penalty area. The Colombian then struck the ball perfectly into the bottom right corner, only for VAR to disallow his wonder goal as Colwill was in fact offside when Fernandez crossed the ball in. With the score back to 1-0, Spurs thought they’d equalised in the 68th minute after Pape Sarr dispossessed Caideco in the middle of the pitch. Sarr then motored with the ball for 15 yards before unleashing a strike, watching as his effort flew through the palm of Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez and into the back of the net. It was a wonderful goal, but once again VAR ruled the goal out, this time they said it was because Sarr allegedly fouled Caicedo. Despite VAR reasoning the foul was clear and obvious, it took them over six minutes to make a decision. Spurs had a few chances late on but failed to convert as the full time score finished 1-0. The fixture certainly lived up to all the hype, with 10 yellow cards brandished along with Tottenham’s controversial disallowed goal. Chelsea pick up a big 3 points against their rivals as they move into 4th on 52 points. Tottenham remain 14th on 34 points.

Written by Ollie Wade