Kickoff chronicles

Tottenham vs West Ham

The 8th week of the 24/25 Premier League season kicked off at The Tottenham Hotspur stadium with Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs hosting Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham United. As usual, Tottenham came out the blocks quickly but, to the shock of the home crowd, West Ham found an early opener. After defending resiliently for the first 10 minutes, the Hammers then created chances to progress further up the pitch. Jarrod Bowen punished a Destiny Udogie mistake inside the Spurs penalty area before making a dashing run towards the goal line. The West Ham skipper then cut the ball back, watching as Mohammed Kudus smashed the ball into the top left corner. It was a perfect start to the showings for Lopetegui’s side but the lead didn’t last for long. 18 minutes later and Tottenham finally had something to show for all their efforts. Dejan Kulusevski, arguably Spurs’ most dangerous player at the time, received the ball inside the penalty area from James Maddison and cut back onto his favoured left foot. The Swede then got a shot away, gaining a spot of luck as West Ham keeper, Alphonse Areola, saved the ball into the post before it spun across the line and in off the opposite. At half time the game was tightly poised at 1.1 with the game up for grabs.

Ange made a controversial decision at half time to bring off Maddison and sub on Pape Sarr but after just 7 minutes in the 2nd period, his call was already paying dividends. The returning Son Hueng-Min played a smart pass into the path of Udogie deep inside the Hammers penalty area. The Italian cut the ball back to Yves Bissomma who rifled the ball into the bottom left corner giving Spurs the lead for the first time in the afternoon. After a promising first half showing from West Ham, they then fully imploded after Tottenham found a two goal cushion. Son’s shot from inside the penalty was saved by Areola but the unfortunate Jean Clear-Todibo got in the way of  the French shot stopper as the ball ricocheted off them both and into the back of their own net. Three became four as Tottenham scored their 3rd goal in just 7 minutes. Sarr played a brilliant ball down the left wing to Son who was isolated with acres to run into. The South Korean dribbled into the penalty area before drilling the ball past Areola and into the bottom left corner. Things went from bad to worse for West Ham when, arguably their best player, Mohammed Kudus was shown a red card. The Ghanaian firstly fouled Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven before he shoved the Dutchman in the face and then went onto shove Sarr as well. It was a blatant red card which VAR alerted referee Andy Madley to. When Madley blew his full time whistle, the score finished 4-1 with Tottenham bouncing back brilliantly after their poor performance at Brighton last week. It is yet another dreadful performance from Lopetegui, with West Ham fans getting fed up with the Spanish manager. Tottenham sit in 7th place while West Ham languish in 15th.

Fulham vs Aston Villa

The next game of the matchweek saw two very exciting teams playoff at Craven Cottage in Marco Silva’s Fulham and Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. The Cottagers got off to a dream start in the 5th minute when they found the opener via route 1. Keeper Bernd Leno drilled the ball almost the full length of the pitch where Fulham’s no.7, Raul Jimenez, outmuscled Pau Torres leaving him with a golden opportunity to strike ahead. The Mexican took a touch before slicing the ball into the bottom right corner. Fulham’s celebrations didn’t last long as Villa struck back just 3 minutes later. Villa’s most exciting player, Morgan Rodgers, dribbled at the Fulham defenders before firing a shot at the hosts’ goal. Unfortunately for Leno, Rodgers’ shot caught a huge deflection, leading the ball into the opposite corner. Fifteen minutes later, Fulham found the perfect opportunity to restore their lead when Jimenez won a penalty after his header struck the hand of Matty Cash inside the Villa penalty area. Andreas Pereira stepped up to take the spot kick and, unfortunately for the home fans, his effort was weak making for an easy save for shot stopper Emiliano Martinez. At half time, the score was 1.1 with Marco Silva left furious that his team had passed up such a glorious opportunity to regain their lead.

Thirteen minutes into the 2nd period, Villa completed the turnaround when Ollie Watkins notched his 4th of the Premier League season. Youri Tielemans’ corner was perfect, with Watkins using all the power and whip from the Belgian’s ball to guide it into the roof of the net. The game was then all but sealed in the 64th minute when Joachim Andersen for Fulham was shown red after denying Watkins a clear goal scoring opportunity. It was a sublime pass from Rodgers which saw Watkins get goalside of the Dane, leaving him with no choice but to bring him down. Two became three just minutes after the red card when Issa Diop, brought on to cover the centre half position which had been deserted by Andersen, diverted the ball into the back of his own net. Lucas Digne’s cross was dangerous with miscommunication from Diop and his keeper Leno resulting in the Frenchman tapping it over the line. Villa then comfortably saw out the game for the remaining minutes but with just moments to go, they saw a red card themselves. Substitute Jaden Philogene saw a 2nd yellow card after he fouled Harry Wilson before complaining to referee Darren England. It was an unnecessary end to the game for Unai Emery’s side but still a very positive win on the road. At full time the score finished 1-3 with Villa climbing into 4th on the table. Fulham sit 9th but will still feel positive after their last 2 games have been against 2 of last season’s top 4 sides.

Manchester United vs Brentford

The 3rd game of matchweek 8 saw two sides in bottom half of the table play at Old Trafford in Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United and Thomas Frank’s Brentford. The Red Devils dominated the majority of the first 45 minutes but it was the Bees who went into the interval with a 1 goal advantage thanks to yet another first half stoppage time goal from Ethan Pinnock. United fans will feel they were left vulnerable after centre half Matthijs de Ligt was being treated with an injury. Mikkel Damsgaard’s corner delivery was spot on, making Pinnock’s job of heading the ball past Andre Onana much easier. At half time, the score was 0-1 with ten Hag needing a huge 2nd half performance from his players if he was to hold onto his greatly scrutinised position in the dugouts.

United responded perfectly to their poor 1st half showings when they equalised inside 2 minutes. Marcus Rashford played a brilliant looping ball over to the back post in search of Alejandro Garnacho. Garnacho met the ball just in time and his connection was nothing short of perfection. The Argentine wrapped his foot around the ball on the volley, watching as it flew into the top right corner, making for an unstoppable goal. Fast forward 15 minutes and the Red Devils had completed the turnaround. Christian Eriksen played a dangerous pass into the path of Bruno Fernades who was located just outside the penalty area. The Portuguese international used his outstanding vision to play a backheel pass through to striker Rasmus Hojlund. Hojlund composed himself before chipping the ball over the outcoming Brentford keeper, Mark Flekken, and watched it bounce into the far corner. Manchester United then saw out the game for the remaining minutes, ending a 5 game winless streak in all competitions. Ten Hag’s men sit 11th on the table, climbing over Brentford who now sit in 13th.

Newcastle vs Brighton

The following game of matchweek 8 saw another 2 exciting teams close in the table take each other on in Eddie Howe’s Newcastle and Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton. Newcastle started the fixture in a positive manner, with Alexander Isak coming so close to scoring on the half hour mark, but it was Brighton who took the lead just minutes later. Danny Welbeck, currently on his best start to a season in terms of goals, was the man to strike Brighton into the lead after playing a smart one-two with Georginio Rutter just outside the penalty area. The Englishman took a couple of touches before slotting the ball into the bottom right corner and giving the Seagulls the lead. It was totally against the run of play but a crucial goal in the scheme of things. At half time, Brighton went in with a 0-1 lead to the disappointment and frustration of the Magpies’ fans.

Once again, Newcastle saw themselves dominating all of the possession and chances but unable to break down a resilient and well structured Brighton defence. It was also worth crediting Brighton shot stopper, Bart Verbruggen, who denied everything that got past his 2 centre halves. The hosts did put the ball into the back of the net in the 5th minute of stoppage time through Dan Burns, but the assistants flag was up as he was well offside. In the end, Hurzeler’s men held out for a huge three points on the road, with this 0-1 win taking them into 5th place on the table. Newcastle drop points at St. James’ as the Magpies sit 8th on the table.

Southampton vs Leicester

The next game of the matchweek saw 2 promoted teams playoff at St. Mary’s stadium with Russell Martin’s Saints taking on Steve Cooper’s Leicester City. After hitting the upright with just 3 minutes played, Southampton found a deserved opener in the 8th minute. Ryan Manning played a dangerous ball into the 6-yard area from Kyle Walker-Peters’ driving run. On the end of Manning’s ball was Cameroon Archer who finally put the ball into the back of the net for the first time at St. Mary’s to score his 2nd of the season. Southampton doubled their advantage 19 minutes later, with Walker-Peters the architect of the move again. The full back made a dancing run down the left wing before taking it to the goal-line and crossing the ball in. Archer showed his brilliant vision, stepping over the ball and leaving Joe Aribo with time and space to tap the ball past Mads Hermansen in the Leicester goal. The Foxes offered up nothing much and it was fair to say Southampton deserved their 2 goal lead at the break.

Leicester found themselves a lifeline in the 64th minute when, arguably their star player all season, Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte found the back of the net for the 3rd time this season. Abdul Fatawu made a dangerous run down the right wing before drilling a ball across the 6-yard area. On the end of his cross was Buonanotte who lunged in to poke the ball past Aaron Ramsdale in the sticks for Southampton. The whole game was then completely flipped on its head in the 72nd minute when the Saints’ fans thought Ramsdae had made a spectacular save after a Fatawu header. After VAR had a look at the whole incident, it was picked up that Southampton midfielder, Ryan Fraser, had a firm grasp of Jamie Vardy’s shirt, halting him from tapping the ball over the line with Ramsdale still recovering from his initial save. Referee Anthony Taylor was left with no choice but to award Leicester a penalty and send Fraser off. Vardy, who won the spot kick, stepped up and dispatched it perfectly, thrashing the ball into the top left. After continuing to put pressure on the Saints’ backline, Leicester had 1 more chance to complete the turnaround with a corner in what would turn out to be the last kick of the game. Harry Winks took it and played a pass along the deck to Jordan Ayew who was on the edge of the penalty area. The Ghanaian’s strike was far from perfect, but it somehow travelled through the crowd of players and bobbled into the bottom right corner, winning the game for the Foxes. Ayew even wrote his name in the history books for Leicester as the Foxes have never won from a 2 goal deficit in the Premier League before. Steve Cooper’s side sit 14th in the table as they start to find some good form. It gets even worse for Southampton as they stay 19th with 1 point after 8 games. They will travel to the Etihad next week in what will be their hardest game of the season so far.

Ipswich vs Everton

The following game of the matchweek saw Scott McKenna’s newly promoted Ipswich Town host Sean Dyche’s Everton at Portman Road. The Toffees dominated the early exchanges and found a deserved opener in the 17th minute through new signing Iliman Ndiaye. The original cross looked like it was dealt with by Dara O’Shea for Ipswich as the ball fell to Wes Burns who had time to clear it. Unfortunately for the Tractor Boys, Burns dallied on the ball and Ndiaye was quick to punish him, taking the ball from him before smashing the ball into the top right corner, leaving Arijanet Muric with no chance of keeping his wonder strike out. Jack Clarke then thought he had won a penalty for the hosts in the 26th minute when he tripped inside the 18-yard area. Referee Michael Oliver was then informed to look at the on field monitor and he decided to overrule the penalty and the score stayed at 0-1. Everton then doubled their advantage minutes before the interval when Michael Keane scored a rare worldie. Dwight McNeil was able to spot the centre half using tricky feet and a perfect pass to find him deep inside the penalty area. Keane let the ball run by him before he unleashed a ruthless strike, roofing the ball into the back of the net and giving Everton a priceless 2 goal cushion. At half time, the Toffees lead 0-2 looking good for their lead. 

The Toffees dominated the 2nd period much like the first, with Ipswich causing them no problems at all. They had the opportunity for more with Dominic Clavert-Lewin making great movement, but failing to finish from any of the positions he found himself in. The full time score finished 0-2 with Everton continuing their decent patch of form, seeing them climb into 15th. Ipswich need Palace to lose tomorrow as they sit 17th on 4 points, with the Eagles just 1 point worse off.

Bournemouth vs Arsenal

The last game played on Saturday evening saw Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium. It always looked like an enticing tie, with Arsenal having to play without Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka who had both picked up injuries in the international breaks. For the 3rd time this season, Arsenal carelessly made life difficult for themselves, going down to 10 men inside the first half once again. Leandro Trossard played a terrible lobbed back pass to centre half William Saliba which would’ve left Cherries striker, Evanilson, 1-on-1 with Arsenal keeper David Raya if Saliba had not pulled him down. Referee Robert Jones had no choice but to send the Frenchman off with Arsenal failing to win either of the other 2 games where they had been reduced to 10 this season. That now makes 5 players sent off so far this matchweek. The sending off didn’t affect the Gunners immediately though as Mikel Merino missed a good chance from 12 yards out. In the final minutes of the half, Bournemouth started to create opportunities and could have easily gone into the interval with a one goal lead. At half time, the score remained 0-0 but Bournemouth with a huge 1 man advantage.

Bournemouth dominated the 2nd period as expected and found the opener in the 70th minute. It was a well practised set piece that saw the Cherries find their 1st. Lewis Cook played a corner along the deck where Justin Kluivert flicked it backwards to Ryan Christie. The Scotsman then rifled the ball into the top right corner, raising the roof of the Vitality. Nine minutes later, Bournemouth all but sealed the game when Arsenal shot themselves in the foot with yet another defensive error. Jakub Kiwior, who was subbed on to fill Saliba’s place in centre half, played a poor back pass to his keeper David Raya, allowing Evanilson to run onto it. The Brazilian took it around Raya before inevitably being brought down by the outstretched arms of the Spaniard resulting in a spot kick for the Cherries. Kluivert stepped up for the hosts and converted the penalty perfectly, placing the ball into the bottom right corner. The Cherries held out for only their 2nd ever win against the Gunners, taking them to 10th on the table. Arsenal dropped 3 big points and will now miss Saliba in next week’s crucial game against Liverpool. Arteta’s side sit 3rd on the table with Manchester City and Liverpool ahead of them.

Wolves vs Manchester City

The first game of Sunday afternoon saw Gary O’Neils rock bottom Wolves host Pep Guardiola’s champions, Manchester City, at the Molineux Stadium. Against all odds, it was Wolves who struck first thanks to, arguably their brightest player all season, Jorgen Strand Larsen. After some solid build up play which resulted in Nelson Semedo receiving the ball down the right wing, the full back whipped it into the penalty area. Making a late run from the back post, Strand Larsen lunged in to poke the ball past Ederson giving the hosts a valuable lead. The Citizen’s hit back with a champion-like response just 26 minutes later when they levelled the tie. Josko Gvardiol, who was no stranger to the spectacular, received the ball outside the area from Jeremy Doku before shaping to shoot. His finish was nothing short of world class, watching as his shot curled past Wolves’ keeper Jose Sa and into the top right corner. At half time, the score was still level at 1-1 with both keepers, Ederson (City) and Sa (Wolves), making huge saves for their respective sides to keep the game at 1 a piece.

Expectedly, Pep’s side dominated the majority of the 2nd period with Sa left to make some more crucial saves. Despite Wolves defending heroically to keep the Citizens at bay, it almost seemed inevitable that City would find the winner at some point. They left it late but Pep’s side finally sealed the 3 points with almost the last kick of the game through a corner. Phil Foden’s delivery was spot on, leaving John Stones with the easier task of nodding the ball past the seemingly impenetrable Sa. At first the goal looked like it was going to be chalked off due to Bernanrdo Silva interfering with Sa from an offside position but VAR checked and decided that he had ducked just in time, not affecting the play. With that, City had won the game 1-2 thanks to another last minute goal from John Stones. City retained 2nd in the table after Arsenal lost to Bournemouth on Saturday. Wolves still sit 20th with just 1 point.

Liverpool vs Chelsea

The final game played on Sunday afternoon was maybe the most anticipated fixture of the week with Arne Slot’s Liverpool hosting Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea at Anfield. After already having a penalty appeal overturned, the Reds won a penalty in the 26th minute after Curtis Jones was brought down in the 18-yard box by Levi Colwill. Mohamed Salah stepped up to take the penalty and rifled the ball into the back of the net, scoring his 5th of the season. It was totally against the run of play though as Chelsea had dominated the ball but failed to create any meaningful chances inside the Liverpool 3rd. The hosts then thought they had doubled their advantage after Coady Gakpo slid in to tap the ball into an uncontested Chelsea net, but Salah, who had rolled the ball across the 6-yard box to his teammate, was clearly offside. Referee John Brooks then pointed to the spot for the 3rd time in the game, but once again, his call was overturned by VAR. At half time Liverpool led by 1 goal thanks to a Salah penalty.

Just 3 minutes into the 2nd period, Nicholas Jackson equalised for Chelsea, scoring his 5th of the campaign as well. Moises Caicedo played a defence splitting ball through to the Senegalese international who was strong, holding off the challenge from Andy Robertson. Jackson showed great composure, slotting the ball past Caoimhin Kelleher to level the tie. Almost instantly, Liverpool restored their lead when Salah returned the favour to Jones. The Reds’ Egyptian king played a brilliant whipped pass into the path of Jones who was well onside. Jones’ first touch wasn’t great, with Chelsea keeper Davison Sanchez left favourite to come and claim the ball, but Jones’ 2nd was much better, quickly snapping at the ball and poking it past the Spaniard. Liverpool then looked defensively solid for the rest of the game as they saw out their 7th win of the season at 2-1. After being heavily criticised for ‘not beating a bigger team yet’ Liverpool and Arne Slot put those allegations to bed as they sit 1st on 21 points. Chelsea failed to break down Liverpool’s stalwart defence and they will most likely put that down to their star players such as Cole Palmer having a rough day at the office. The Blues sit 6th in the table.

Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace

The final game of matchweek 8 saw Nottingham Forest host Crystal Palace on Monday night at the City Ground. Forest had 3 members of their squad missing due to red cards: Morgan Gibbs-White, James Ward-Prowse and head coach Nuno Espirito. With Forest’s recent home form (their last win at the City Ground was in April ‘24) Palace will have fancied themselves to pick up a first win of the campaign. The first half was an end to end affair, with both sides hitting the woodwork. Ryan Yates with a header for Forest and Eddie Nketiah with a 30-yard strike for Palace. At the end of the first 45 minutes, the fixture remained 0-0 with Palace having the more positive start.

Oliver Glasner will have been disappointed his side couldn’t strike ahead in the 1st period as Forest were definitely the more dominant side in the 2nd. Moments after Eberechi Eze had a wonder strike of his own tipped onto the upright by Forest keeper Matz Sels, Chris Wood conjured up a quite scrumptious strike of his own. Villa loanee, Alex Moreno, attempted to play a long ball over the Eagles’ defence to wideman Callum Hudson-Odoi. Palace centre half Trevoh Chalobah thought he’d dealt with it when he headed the ball out of Hudson-Odoi’s path. Unfortunately for the travelling side, the ball fell perfectly into the flight of Forest talisman, Chris Wood, who hit the ball first time on the volley from outside the 18-yard box. His strike was powerful yet Palace keeper Dean Henderson felt he should’ve got a stronger palm on the ball as he managed to make initial contact on it, just not enough to prevent the ball from finding the bottom left. The hosts continued to dominate the game and held out for a first home win of the season. Forest now sit in the top 8, continuing a stellar start to the 24/25 campaign. Palace failed to win yet again, making that 3 points from 8 games as they sit 18th on the table. The 24/25 season is now the only one which has seen 4 teams winless after 8 matches.

Written by Ollie Wade