Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Match Week 16 Results: Odegaard Fires Arsenal Past Wolves; Citizens Stung by Bees; Magpies Fly Into Break With Win Over Chelsea; Spurs Overcome Leeds’s Leads; United Wins As Ronaldo Rages; Cherries Top Toffees

Arsenal heads into the World Cup break with a five-point lead over Manchester City after the Gunners’ 2-0 win at Wolverhampton. Two goals by Martin Odegaard ensured the Gunners will be top of the table on Christmas Day for the first time since 2007. Wolves offered little threat to the league leaders as the league’s poorest attack failed to score for an eighth time this season.

Manchester City fell further behind in the title race, losing late to Brentford in a surprising 2-1 home defeat at the Etihad which ended City’s 16 match home winning streak. Ivan Toney scored the winner for the Bees in the eighth minute of stoppage time. Toney’s two goal performance was a strong response to his omission from the England squad which will head to Qatar.

Harry Kane is the only Englishman to score more Premier League goals than Toney since the beginning of last season. Brentford secured their first away win of the season.

Newcastle won a fifth consecutive match as the magnificent Magpies trail only Arsenal and Manchester City as the league pauses until Boxing Day. Joe Willock’s goal secured all three points in Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat of Chelsea. Chelsea lost a third consecutive Premier League match and are winless in their last five league matches as the Graham Potter experiment is not going well. Potter’s former club, Brighton, had difficulty scoring goals. Chelsea had trouble scoring goals under former Manager Thomas Tuchel. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, Chelsea still can’t score. The Blues under Potter have only scored twice in their past five league matches after the defeat at Newcastle. Frustrations boiled over in the loss at Newcastle as both Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz got into shoving matches with opponents as the match reached its conclusion. Chelsea is eighth in the table as Potter now gets a pause to consider how best to proceed with his troubled Blues.

Spurs took advantage of a poor Leeds defense to win a seven-goal shootout in London. Rodrigo Betancur scored the tying and winning goals in the 81st and 83rd minutes, respectively, to hand Leeds a 4-3 defeat. The leaky Leeds defense squandered three different leads at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A key objective following last season’s managerial change at Leeds was to tighten the defense following the wide-open play practiced under former manager Marcelo Bielsa. Leeds has failed miserably in trying to achieve that objective as the club has now allowed six more goals after 14 matches than the comparable period last season. Leeds wasted a brace by Rodrigo and a fourth goal in four appearances by Crysencio Summerville. Only three clubs have allowed more goals than Leeds and two of those clubs are in the relegation zone. Spurs, meanwhile, accepted the generosity Saturday and head into the break in the top four.

A stoppage time goal by 18-year-old Alejandro Garnacho gave Manchester United a 2-1 win over Fulham.

The Red Devils stay fifth in the table, three points behind Spurs. Cristiano Ronaldo missed the match due to illness but made headlines anyway with an interview critical of the club and Manger Eric ten Hag as the relationship between club and legend is becoming increasingly untenable. Fulham, meanwhile, were without striker Aleksandar Mitrovic for Sunday’s match as the Serbian rested a troublesome foot injury, hoping to find fitness for the upcoming World Cup. The newly promoted Cottagers remain in the top half of the table after an encouraging start to their season despite the loss.

Liverpool moved up to sixth in the table with a 3-1 win over Southampton. Darwin Nunez scored twice as the Reds put back-to-back wins together heading into the break. Southampton Manager Nathan Jones, not unexpectedly, received  a rude welcome in his Premier League debut.

Unai Emery posted a second consecutive win in his return to the Premier League as Aston Villa defeated Brighton 2-1. Danny Ings scored both goals for Villa while Brighton managed just two shots on target for the game. With the victory, Villa moves to within three points of seventh place Brighton.

Leicester has now won four of its last five matches after a 2-0 victory at West Ham. A goal by James Maddison for the Foxes moved him past Riyad Mahrez on Leicester’s all-time Premier League goalscoring list behind only Jamie Vardy. Maddison needed to leave the match after suffering a knock to his knee but is expected to be fit for his England World Cup debut. West Ham lost at home for a second consecutive week and have only scored one goal during a three-match losing run in the league. The loss to the Foxes was West Ham’s ninth league loss of the season, joint most in the Premier League. The Hammers were also eliminated from the Carabao Cup at home by Blackburn Rovers during the week.

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha missed the target on a penalty kick to deprive the Eagles of a valuable away point in a 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest. Forest has now taken points from five of the last seven matches after a Morgan Gibbs-White goal delivered a third league win of the season. Manager Steve Cooper’s men could yet survive despite losing seven of their first ten league matches to open the season. Palace, meanwhile, are left with a sour taste heading into the break after a flat performance punctuated by Zaha’s failed kick.

Jordan Pickford and Alex Iwobi both had unpleasant exchanges with their own away fans as Everton continued to struggle in a 3-0 loss at Bournemouth. The Toffees also lost by three goals to the Cherries in a Carabao Cup match earlier in the week. Everton Manager Frank Lampard is once again settling into the hot seat after the Toffees lost for a fifth time in their last seven league matches. Everton are a slender point from the relegation zone as they appear destined to repeat their survival battle of last season. Whether Lampard will be participating in that fight is a different question. Bournemouth, meanwhile, ended a four-match losing run to stop its own slide toward the relegation scrap.


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Friday, November 11, 2022

Match Week 16 Preview: Chelsea Faces Top Four Newcastle; Gunners Set Sights On Wolves; Spurs Tries To Get Back On Track; Next Man Up At Southampton; Forest Home To Eagles

Chelsea hasn’t won in four consecutive matches, has lost its last two contests and has only scored twice during its winless run. Graham Potter’s crew have tumbled from the top four to a current seventh place position in the table. The Blues head to Newcastle Saturday to face a club on a more positive trajectory. The Magpies have risen to third in the table after winning four consecutive matches and five of their last seven. It could be time for Newcastle to end a run of four straight league defeats to Chelsea.

League leading Arsenal has scored 23 more goals this season than the relegation bound Wolverhampton. That gap should increase when the Gunners visit Molineux Stadium Saturday.

Brentford have not won at Manchester City since 1937 as the Bees approach a daunting task at the home of the second place Citizens. The Bees have yet to win on the road this season.

Tottenham Hotspur has lost three of four matches as it prepares to host Leeds. The recent poor run of form by the north London side has them holding onto the final Champions League qualification slot by just three points over Manchester United. Spurs Manager Antonio Conte should have more weapons at his disposal this weekend as Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski appear set to return from injury. Leeds has won back-to-back matches to put three points between Manager Jesse Marsch’s side and the drop zone.

Manchester United will also be in London this weekend as the Red Devils visit Craven Cottage to take on Fulham. The Cottagers lost in heartbreaking fashion on a late penalty versus Manchester City last weekend and will be eager to take out that frustration on the other Manchester club. United are coming off a surprising two goal loss to Aston Villa which was playing its first match under Unai Emery.

Villa heads to the south coast Sunday to face Brighton. The Seagulls have found their scoring touch in back-to-back victories where they have scored seven goals in total.

Liverpool are home to a Southampton side playing its first league match under Manager Nathan Jones as the Saints have wasted little time in replacing former manager Ralph Hasenhuttl who was sacked last week. Jones is taking a big step up to his first Premier League job. The Welshman had been managing Luton Town in the English Championship division. He faces a daunting task at Anfield where the Saints have conceded 16 goals and scored none in losing on their last five league visits to Liverpool.

Liverpool is currently outside the European places based on the club’s current eight place standing but will hope to build on its impressive win at Spurs last week.

Bournemouth is just a point above Southampton as the Cherries hover just outside the drop zone after suffering four straight losses. The Cherries will host Everton which is in a similar position just a point better than Bournemouth. Everton has severe problems scoring with only relegation dwellers Wolverhampton and Nottingham Forest having scored fewer goals than the Toffees. The two clubs met earlier this week in the Carabao Cup with Bournemouth emerging with a 4-1 victory.

Nottingham Forest will try to lift itself off the bottom of the table when Crystal Palace visits the City Ground. Palace has moved into the top half of the table after winning three of its last four matches. The Eagles are getting performances from some of their young stars such as Eberichi Eze and Michael Olise to ease some of the burden on Wilfried Zaha.

West Ham lost at home to the Eagles last week and the Hammers are at London Stadium again this weekend to face Leicester. The two clubs are now level on points after a run of three wins in four by the Foxes. Leicester’s defense has turned around remarkably. The Foxes have conceded only three goals in their last seven matches after shipping 22 goals in the first seven games of the season.


Carabao Cup

The Carabao Cup concluded its third round during the week. Manchester United reversed its result versus Aston Villa in league action just days earlier with a 4-2 victory to move on in the tournament. Arsenal surprisingly was bounced out of the competition by Brighton in a 3-1 final as the Seagulls continue to find the net with regularity. Chelsea also exited the tournament in a 2-0 loss to Manchester City. Liverpool barely survived to the next round by wining on penalties versus Derby County after fielding a largely unrecognizable line-up. West Ham exited on penalties to Blackburn Rovers while Nottingham Forest overcame a 75th minute red card to hold onto a shocking 2-0 result over Spurs. Other Premier League clubs advancing to the next round included Bournemouth, Leicester, Wolves, Southampton and Newcastle. Bournemouth and Wolves eliminated Premier League rivals Everton and Leeds, respectively. The Cup resumes in December with Round of Sixteen matches highlighted by an attractive Liverpool versus Manchester City matchup.
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Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Match Week 15 Results: Arsenal Trips Chelsea; Liverpool Tops Spurs; Haaland Late Penalty Closes Out Cottagers; Villa Routs United in Emery Debut; Eagles Put Down Hammers; Hasenhuttl Ousted After Sinful Saints Loss To Newcastle; Wolves Score Twice, Still Lose; Super Summerville

Arsenal notched its 11th win of the season, tops in the league, as the Gunners defeated Chelsea and former Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang by a 1-0 margin at Stamford Bridge. Aubameyang was a non-factor from the beginning, touching the ball just eight times versus the 64 touches for Arsenal’s new striker, Gabriel Jesus. Jesus was unable to find the net, however, and it was a different Gabriel, center back Gabriel Magalhaes, who struck the game winner in the 63rd minute. The victory at Chelsea marked the first time in a decade that Arsenal has won three consecutive matches over traditional Big Six clubs. Chelsea, meanwhile, has captured only two of the available twelve points in its last four league matches after Sunday’s defeat followed the embarrassing loss at Graham Potter’s former Brighton club last week. Potter has his work to do with a Chelsea roster which looks a collection of ill fitted pieces. Chelsea’s older roster visibly struggled to keep pace with the far younger Gunners on Sunday.

Former Arsenal Manager Unai Emery enjoyed his first match back in the Premier League when his Aston Villa side embarrassed Manchester United 3-1. Manchester United was unable to find the net on its own as Jacob Ramsey of Aston Villa scored a goal for either team.

Villa won a home match against Manchester United for the first time since 1995. Cristiano Ronaldo captained Manchester United for the match less than three weeks after walking out on the club during a match versus Spurs.

Liverpool won its first game away from home this season by defeating Spurs in London Saturday. Mohamed Salah had a brace for Liverpool, assisted on his first goal by teammate Dawin Nunez and assisted on his second goal by a gaffe from Spurs defender Eric Dier. A Harry Kane goal in the 70th minute brought Spurs back to within a goal but the comeback ended there as Manager Antonio Conte’s side suffered its third loss in the last four matches. Despite the loss, Tottenham Hotspur remains fourth in the table, three points ahead of Manchester United. Liverpool, currently eighth in the table, ended a two-match losing run.

It was Erling Haaland to the rescue as the indomitable Norwegian striker entered the match in the second half for 10-man Manchester City and delivered a penalty kick in the sixth minute of added time to defeat Fulham 2-1. City was undermanned from the 26th minute onward due to a Joao Cancelo red card. The winning score was Haaland’s 18th goal of the Premier League season and keeps Manchester City a point behind league leading Arsenal. The loss by ninth place Fulham ended a four-match unbeaten run for the Cottagers.

Michael Olise had a 95th minute winner to give Crystal Palace its first away victory of the year in a 2-1 defeat of West Ham at London Stadium.

Ironically it was the first Premier League goal for Olise since he scored against those same Hammers in January of this year. Crystal Palace has won three of its last four matches and has lost only one of its last six outings. A third loss in four matches for the Hammers has drawn them once again into the relegation race with but a two-point cushion on 18th place Southampton.

The Saints fell into the drop zone and Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl was fired following a dismal 4-1 loss to Newcastle. Hasenhuttl commented to reporters after the match that he didn’t see a way out of the Saints current slump. He was gone the next day. Newcastle, meanwhile, once again flexed its muscles as the now third place Magpies won for a fourth consecutive outing, extending their unbeaten run in the league to nine matches.

Brighton and Hove Albion put together back-to-back wins for the first time since August with a 3-2 defeat of Wolves. The Seagulls have scored a total of seven goals in the two victories, just one less than Wolves have scored all season. Saturday was the first time Wolverhampton has scored two goals in a match all season.

Bottom of the table Nottingham Forest are now level on points with Wolverhampton after a 2-2 draw with Brentford. An own goal by Bees defender Zanka in the 96th minute handed the point to Forest. Brentford leads the league with seven draws after a third non-decision in the Bees’ last four matches.

Crysencio Summerville scored the matchwinner for a second week in a row as Leeds defeated Bournemouth 4-3. Summerville has notched three goals in his last three appearances with none of those goals coming earlier than the 84th minute. Bournemouth lost a fourth consecutive match after squandering an earlier two-goal lead.

The Foxes are now breaking into a trot up the table as Leicester took all three points in a 2-0 away win at Everton. The Foxes have won three of their last four matches to rise to 14th in the table, level on points with both Everton and a West Ham side who the Foxes will face next week. James Maddison assisted on both Leicester goals versus Everton, doubling his season assist total and submitting a late bid to join the England team heading to Qatar. Oft injured Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, meanwhile, limped off the field to make for even a worse day for Manager Frank Lampard’s Toffees. 

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