Kickoff chronicles

Fulham vs Everton

The opening game of Matchweek 36 on Saturday afternoon saw Marco Silva’s Fulham host David Moyes Everton at Craven Cottage. Fulham were by far the better side in the opening exchanges and scored a well deserved goal in the 17th minute. Emile Smith Rowe made a brilliant run down the left wing and into the Everton penalty area before he crossed a ball over into the danger area. Striker Raul Jimenez jumped up and ferociously headed the ball into the bottom left corner, a brilliant 11th goal of the season for the Mexican. Fulham then had two more huge chances to double their lead, with Harry Wilson seeing his first effort fly wide of Jordan Pickford’s goal before he forced a brilliant save from the Englishman in the 44th minute. Out of nothing, Everton then scored in the last minute of the half. James Garner’s long throw-in was punched out of the penalty area by Fulham keeper Bernd Leno but only as far as Abdoulaye Doucoure. Doucoure then poked the ball back out to Vitalii Mykolenko who cracked a shot, watching as his effort took a heavy deflection off Kenny Tete before flying past Leno. The half-time score stood at 1-1 with Everton lucky to snatch a goal at the end.

Fulham had a huge chance to restore their lead eight minutes into the 2nd half after Wilson’s lobbed effort was brilliantly tipped away from danger by Pickford, quite possibly the save of the season. After all of Fulham’s domination, Everton then scored once again from a set piece. Dwight McNeil’s corner was crossed all the way over to the back post where Michael Keane was present to head the ball past Leno. Fulham then completely capitulated right from kick off after Everton’s 2nd goal, giving the ball away instantly allowing Everton to counter. Beto won the ball down the left wing before playing it to Carlos Alcarez who had space to drive into. Alcarez played it back to Beto down the left side of the penalty area where Beto’s strike somehow slipped through the grasp of Leno, a lucky 3rd for the Toffees in the 74th minute. Everton continued to hold out Fulham for the remaining minutes as the full time score finished 1-3 with Everton holding out for all three points. Moyes’s side move into 13th with another win while Fulham’s European dream is now over as they sit 11th with 51 points.

Ipswich Town vs Brentford

The following fixture of Matchweek 36 saw Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich host Thomas Franks Brentford at the Gtech Stadium. Brentford took an expected lead in the 18th minute after Kevin Schade found the back of the Ipswich net, fresh off his brace against Manchester United last week. Bryan Mbemmo’s corner was perfect, crossing the ball in from the right wing where Schade leaped high to head it past Alex Palmer in goal. The remaining minutes of the half were actionless as Brentford went into the break brandishing a 1-0 advantage, hoping to hold onto all three points as they aspire to play European football next season.

The first 25 minutes of the 2nd period was once again dominated by Brentford, with Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo drawing spectacular saves from Palmer. To the shock of all Brentford players and fans, Ipswich seemed to really fire up for the final 15 minutes of the tie and had the Bees on the backfoot. Omari Hutchinson was the danger man for the Tractor Boys, having his rocket of an effort saved into the post by Mark Flekken in the 82nd minute. Hutchinson then made two rapid runs down the right wing in stoppage time before crossing the ball in. His first cross was flicked at goal by Cameron Burgess, with Flekken stretching out his left leg to deny the Australian. His second cross was then headed into the palms of Flekken by George Hirst, an easy save for the Dutchman and the last one he was required to make. The full time score finished 0-1, with Brentford claiming a huge three points taking them into 8th on 55 points, the final European spot. Ipswich fail to score despite ending the game on such a positive note. They remain 18th on 22 points.

Southampton vs Manchester City

The next fixture of Matchweek 36 saw Simon Rusk’s Southampton host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at St. Mary’s Stadium. Manchester City made a much more positive start to the game then Southampton, with the hosts showing they had no real intentions of progressing further up the pitch. City had two big chances in the opening half an hour, the first when Josko Gvardiol cut the ball back over goal before it was cleared away from danger by Jan Bednarek to stop Erling Haaland from scoring a certain goal. Kevin De Bruyne then had a big chance from a free kick just 20 yards out from goal. Unfortunately for the travelling side, he blazed the ball over the crossbar, a terrible miss. The half-time score finished 0-0 with Southampton hoping to frustrate last season’s Premier League champions.

Manchester City continued to dominate the rest of the game, missing chance after chance to make it 0-1. In total, the Citizens had a total of 26 shots compared to the Saints’ two, proving how well Southampton were defending. Aaron Ramsdale made multiple good saves in the 2nd half while Jack Stephens also cleared the ball over the bar to keep it scoreless. In the first minute of stoppage time, substitute Omar Marmoush rattled the crossbar with his first shot of the game. The full time score finished 0-0, with Southampton showing brilliant fighting spirit to claim their 12th point of the season, finally overtaking Derby’s lowest ever point tally of 11 in 2007/2008. To the shock of everyone filled in St. Mary’s, City failed to score against one of the worst sides ever in Premier League history. Pep’s side drop big points in the race for top five as they remain 3rd on 65 points with the Newcastle vs Chelsea game yet to be played.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Brighton Hove & Albion

The following game of Matchweek 36 saw Vitor Pereira’s Wolves host Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton at the Molineux Stadium. Wolves almost scored moments after the five minute mark, with Goncalo Guedes smashing Matheus Cunha’s free kick over the crossbar. Brighton then thought they’d scored in the 23rd minute after Danny Welbeck scraped Tariq Lamptey’s cross into the bottom left corner. Unfortunately for the Seagulls, a lengthy VAR check ruled out the Englishman’s goal as he was marginally offside. Welbeck wasn’t to be denied his 10th goal of the season for long though, as Brighton won a penalty minutes later after Mats Wieffer was fouled inside the 18-yard box by Cunha after Wieffer had just dispossessed the Brazilian. Welbeck showed composure to slot the ball into the bottom right corner to score his 10th of the season, the first time the striker has hit double digits in a single Premier League season. Marshall Munetsi then had two half-chances on his head to draw Wolves level, the first flying over the crossbar before his 2nd was easily claimed by Bart Verbruggen. The half time score stood at 0-1, with Brighton hoping to claim a huge three points which would really boost their European dream for next season.

Wolves made a much better start to the 2nd half, with Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri drawing brilliant saves from Verbruggen. After a half of frustration for Wolves, Brighton scored out of nothing in the 85th minute to steal all three points at the death. Simon Adingra received the ball outside the penalty area where he was able to poke it through to Brajan Gruda. Gruda then poked the ball over Jose Sa to score his first ever Premier League goal to make it 0-2. The full time score finished 0-2, with Brighton putting in a brilliant performance to beat Pereira’s in form Wolves. Brighton move into 9th, level with Brentford on 55 points. Wolves drop to 14th in the league with 41 points after a rare poor performance under Pereira.

AFC Bournemouth vs Aston Villa

The final fixture played on Saturday afternoon in Matchweek 36 saw Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth host Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium. Despite a slow start to the game, Villa started to fire up right at the end of the half, with Marco Asensio rattling the post before Matty Cash saw his powerful header saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga. With the last kick of the half, Villa snatched the lead after Cash intercepted the ball down the right wing. He then played it to Morgan Rogers who whipped a ball in first time which Ollie Watkins poked in at the near post, finally beating Kepa. Watkins now becomes Villa’s record all time Premier League goalscorer, overtaking Gabby Agbonlahor, with his 75th. The half time score stood at 0-1, with Villa hoping to hold onto a huge three points which would see them stay alive in the fight for top five.

Both sides had big chances in the early exchanges of the 2nd half, with Boubacar Kamara seeing his effort flash wide inside 30 seconds of the restart before Justin Kluivert poked his effort wide for the Cherries in the 48th minute. With 10 minutes plus stoppages to play in the game, Villa made the remaining stages of the game much harder after Jacob Ramsey was shown a 2nd yellow card for a tactical foul on David Brooks, a clear red card. Emiliano Martinez was brought into action twice late on, once to deny a brilliant header from Evanilson and once again to make contact with Antoine Semenyo’s cut back which took the ball away from Daniel Jebbison. This made a certain tap in for Jebbison much harder for him as he headed the ball over the bar from a yard out. Villa barely managed to keep their clean sheet as the full time score finished 0-1. Villa secure European football for next season, but they will hope for the Champions League as they sit once place out of the top five in 6th with 63 points. Bournemouth drop points at home again as their European dream is surely over, they sit 10th with 53 points.

Newcastle United vs Chelsea

The first game played on Sunday afternoon in Matchweek 36 saw Eddie Howe’s 4th placed Newcastle host Enzo Maresca’s 5th placed Chelsea at St. James’ Park in what was a huge game in the fight for top five. Newcastle made an ideal start to the game, scoring inside two minutes. Sandro Tonali dispossessed Romeo Lavia before playing the ball centrally to his captain, Bruno Guimaraes. The Newcastle skipper then spread the ball wide to Jacob Murphy where the Englishman played a wonderful first time cross over to the back post where Tonali was waiting. The Italian had started the move and he capped it off with a neat finish over Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez to make it 1-0. After a closely contested next half an hour, Chelsea were then reduced to 10 men after Nicolas Jackson was sent off for elbowing Sven Botman in the head while attempting to win an aerial duel with the Dutchman. Jackson showed clear intent of going for Botman and not the ball making for an easy red card decision for referee John Brooks. The first half score  finished 1-0, with Chelsea left with an almost impossible task in the 2nd 45 minutes.

To the shock of the Newcastle fans, Chelsea really fired up for the 2nd half and came close to scoring on multiple occasions. They were looking dangerous down the left side, with Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez forcing solid saves from Magpies’ shot stopper Nick Pope. After Newcastle had soaked up all of Chelsea’s pressure and possession in the 2nd half, they then went on a rare venture forward in the final minute of the game to wrap up all three points. Dan Burn received the ball down the right wing from Tonali where he played it to Guimaraes. He looked for a quick return pass from the Brazilian but Guimaraes had other ideas, cracking a shot and watching as it deflected off the shin of Malo Gusto and into the top right corner. The full time score finished 2-0, with Newcastle so close to securing a Champions League spot as they move into 3rd on 66 points (now only two points away from Arsenal who sit 2nd). Chelsea’s unbeaten streak comes to an end as they drop crucial points away from home, although the red card was far from helpful. Maresca’s side drop to 5th on 63 points (only ahead of Villa in 6th because of goal difference and Forest in 7th by one point).

Manchester United vs West Ham United

The following fixture of Matchweek 36 saw Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United host Graham Potter’s West Ham United at Old Trafford. With both these big clubs struggling in the Premier League this season, it was a match both managers would have wanted their team to play well to try and win over their fans. United made a better start to the tie, with Bruno Fernandes blasting an early shot over the crossbar before Amad Diallo forced a strong save from Alphonse Areola. In the 25th minute, West Ham scored a goal from a rare venture into the United final 3rd after Aaron Wan-Bissaka played a sharp one-two with Aaron Cresswell down the left wing. The ex-United player, who departed Old Trafford in the summer, played an intelligent reverse pass into the United penalty area, finding Mohammed Kudus. Kudus then fired the ball across the 6-yard area where Tomas Soucek flicked the ball past Altay Bayindir to score his 9th of the season. West Ham then continued to keep the ball and create the odd chance as they went into half-time with a 0-1 lead. 

West Ham then doubled their lead in the 57th minute, with Wan-Bissaka at the heart of it again, proving to Manchester United why it was such a mistake letting him go. He first dispossessed Manuel Ugarte in the midfield which allowed Kudus to drive into the United penalty area. Kudus then fired a shot at Bayindir, with his effort deflecting kindly into the path of Wan-Bissaka down the left side of the 18-yard box. Wan-Bissaka made the correct decision to square the ball across the box to skipper Jarrod Bowen who rolled the ball over the line for his 11th of the season, with Wan-Bissaka and Bowen the only two in the current West Ham side who haven’t put a foot wrong all season. In the final minutes of the game, Hammers shot stopper Areola was brought into action twice to brilliantly deny United striker Rasmus Hojlund. The full-time score finished 0-2, with West Ham finally putting an end to their 8-game winless streak and securing a league double over Manchester United for the first time in over a decade. The Hammers leapfrog over Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur as they move into 15th on 40 points. United drop into 16th, two places shy of relegation, with just 39 points although their attention is now solely focused on their Europa League final vs Tottenham later in the month.

Nottingham Forest vs Leicester City

The next game of Matchweek 36 saw Nuno Espirito’s Nottingham Forest host Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City at the City Ground. Forest made a quick start to the tie, with Chris Wood heading Anthony Elanga’s cross over the bar from close range, a rare miss from the Kiwi. Leciester then silenced the City Ground in the 16th minute after a long throw-in from Luke Thomas found its way to Bilal El Khannouss outside the Forest penalty area. The Moroccan struck the ball on the volley, watching as his fizzing effort was brilliantly saved by Matz Sels before Conor Coady was unmarked and free to head in the rebound. Less than 10 minutes later, Forest scored a much needed equaliser after Morgan Gibbs-White jumped up brilliantly to head the ball past Leicester keeper Jakub Stolarczyk, his 6th of the season which now means this is his most prolific season in the Premier League. The half-time score stood at 1-1, with Forest knowing they had to claim all three points if they were to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

Just 10 minutes into the 2nd period, Forest had their all important 2nd goal after Gibbs-White whipped the ball into the Leicester penalty area in search of Wood. Wood leapt down low to head the ball into the back of the net against one of his former employers, his 20th of the season now. Despite their already confirmed relegation, Leicester showed great spirit in the 81st minute when they scored to make it 2-2. Brighton loanee, Facundo Buonanotte, received the ball from Jamie Vardy right outside the Forest penalty area. He dropped his shoulder to brilliantly beat defender Morato before he slotted the ball past Sels. Leicester then had a huge chance to claim all three points in the final minute of stoppage time after Boubakary Soumare played a brilliant ball over to Vardy down the left wing as the Foxes looked to counter. Vardy was tackled by Ryan Yates where the ball sat up kindly for 15-year-old Jeremy Monga. Monga struck the ball well, watching as Sels was just able to stop the teenager’s shot from finding the back of his net. The full time score finished 2-2 as Forest dropped crucial points in the race for Champions League football. Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, demonstrated his frustration with his side’s recent form, storming onto the pitch to have a confrontation with Nuno. Forest drop to 7th in the table on 62 points, with some form of European football confirmed for next season, although it would be deemed a failure if they are unable to qualify for the Champions League given they have been in the top three for the majority of the season. Leicester pick up a solid point away from home as they remain 19th, level on points with Ipswich in 18th.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace

The following tie played on Sunday afternoon in Matchweek 36 saw Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham host Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. With both sides having big cup finals to focus on (Tottenham the Europa League and Palace the FA Cup) the game was always going to be an interesting matchup. Palace thought they’d scored a wonderful goal in the 8th minute, passing the ball brilliantly in the Tottenham final 3rd before Ismaila Sarr tapped home Daniel Munoz’s cross. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Jean-Philippe Mateta’s arm was offside with the first pass of the move and the goal was harshly disallowed. Palace were the equal best attacking side from set pieces in the Premier League this season and were proving it, with Mateta forcing a brilliant save from Antonin Kinsky in the 25th minute before Maxence Lacroix actually scored with a header from Will Hughes’ corner in the 43rd minute, only for it to be disallowed as the ball struck captain Marc Guehi’s arm en route to goal. It ended up being 3rd time lucky for Palace as they finally scored a goal that counted in the last minute of the half. It was once again after a wonderful string of passes to beat the Tottenham high-press, with Mateta eventually releasing Munoz down the right wing. Munoz rolled the ball across the penalty area to Eberechi Eze who smashed the ball past Kinsky to score his 6th of the season. The half-time score finished 0-1, with Spurs lucky it wasn’t 0-2 or even 0-3.

After scoring late on in the 1st half, Palace scored early on in the 2nd after Eze played a wonderful ball out to Sarr down the right wing. Sarr progressed into the penalty area before cutting the ball back to Eze who had continued his run. Eze then slotted the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 0-2. Palace then cooled their tempo a little, not wanting any unnecessary injuries for their big game next weekend. Tottenham created a few chances at the end, but none of any real danger. The full time score finished 0-2, with Palace claiming all three points and a huge confidence booster for their FA Cup final versus Manchester City next weekend. Glasner’s side remain 12th on the table with 49 points. Tottenham lose their 20th league game of the season as they drop into 17th with 38 points although they were also cautious of any unnecessary injuries as the league now means nothing to them. Ange will be fully focused on the 22nd of May when his side take on Manchester United in Bilbao in what could provide his side an alternative entry into next season’s Champions League after a horror of a season.

Liverpool vs Arsenal

The final game of Matchweek 36 saw Arne Slot’s champion Liverpool side host Mikel Arteta’s 2nd placed Arsenal at Anfield. With Arsenal now knocked out of the Champions League after their midweek semi-final loss to PSG, Liverpool were really hoping to rub salt in the wounds of all Gunners’ fans with a statement win. They made a solid start to the game, scoring inside 20 minutes after Andy Robertson crossed the ball into the Arsenal penalty area from the left wing. Arsenal’s defending was shambolic, with both their centre halves leaving Cody Gakpo unmarked and free to head the ball past keeper David Raya. Only seconds after their 1st, Liverpool made it 2-0 after Mohamed Salah played a brilliant ball over the Arsenal defence to Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian then rolled a teasing pass across the 6-yard box, with Luis Diaz beating William Saliba to the ball to bundle it home, his 13th of the season. The half-time score stood at 2-0, with Arsenal needing a much better 2nd half performance if they were to come away with anything against the champions.

The Gunners made an ideal start to the 2nd period, scoring inside two minutes. Leandro Trossard whipped the ball in from the left wing where Gabriel Martinelli jumped up well to head the ball past Alisson and into the bottom right corner. Arsenal then completed their comeback in the 70th minute after Martin Odegaard received the ball outside the Liverpool penalty area from Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal captain fired a shot, watching as Alisson took most of the sting out of Odegaard’s powerful effort as he parried the ball onto the post. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was booed onto the pitch by the Anfield crowd in the 67th minute given his confirmed departure, was lazy and let Mikel Merino run onto the rebound and head it past Alisson who only had Trent to blame for his ball-watching. Despite scoring Arsenal’s 2nd, Merino was soon made out to be the villain for Arsenal fans after he was shown a red card in the 80th minute for a 2nd yellow card for a reckless foul on Szoboszlai. This ruined Arsenal’s hopes of snatching all three points as their only striker was sent off. After they’d let the game slip from their grasp, Liverpool thought they’d won it at the death after Virgil van Dijk headed Alexis Mac Allister’s corner powerfully at Raya. Raya was able to save the Liverpool’s captain’s initial effort but was unable to keep out Robertson on the follow up. Fortunately for the Gunners, the goal was disallowed as Ibrahima Konate clearly fouled Myles Lewis-Skelly in the penalty area. The full time score finished 2-2, with these two sides playing out their second 2-2 draw this season. Liverpool move onto 83 points while Arsenal move to 68 as their 2nd place spot is now in jeopardy, with Newcastle only two points away from the Gunners.

Written by Ollie Wade