Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 15
The 15th week of the Premier League action saw:
30 goals - most by Brighton, West Ham, Liverpool and Tottenham = 3 each
274 shots - most by Fulham = 25
113 on target - most by Liverpool = 12
124 corners - most by Everton = 14
203 fouls - most by Newcastle and Wolves = 18 each
35 bookings - most by Newcastle = 5
1 red card - Duffy for Brighton
3 penalties - 2 scored (Murray for Brighton, Milivojevic for Palace)
What a game! It was a good old clash between rivals Manchester United and Arsenal on Wednesday night, first half more than the second, with bookings galore! I don’t know how all 22 players stayed on the pitch after a brutal first 45 minutes, which saw six bookings (three each), none after the restart! The clash had everything, howlers, bangers, smashers, grabbers... Each time the Gunners took the lead, thanks to Shkodran Mustafi's tame header (26') and Marcos Rojo's own goal (68'), the Red Devils hit back promptly, through Anthony Martial (30') and Jesse Lingard (69'), both pouncing on keeping and defensive errors respectively. After Alexandre Lacazette's cheeky header off keeper David de Gea's loose gloves was disallowed in the last couple of minutes of the match, many followers and the MOTD commentator pointed out Gary Crosby’s goal that stood much in contrast to this decision. A big and crucial call. It meant it stayed at two all and one point each. Shared spoils. It was the first time José Mourinho saw real fight in his side, whilst Unai Emery was happy with the performance but will still have been gutted to have seen two points dropped.
Tuesdays matches were madder than expected! Bournemouth’s “mojo” has returned according to their boss Eddie Howe after their 2-1 against Huddersfield, who threw everything at the Cherries (6-23 shots, 2-6 on target), but it was just not enough. Brighton crushed Crystal Palace 3-1 despite being down to ten men for over an hour after Shane Duffy was sent off for a stupid headbutt (28’). Chris Hughton’s side did brilliantly well keeping control, scoring some beauties, and can be very happy about the three points. Sour for Roy Hodgson though after his side had double the chances (9-18) and with the extra man, but couldn’t make anything of it.
What a team! Abdoulaye Doucouré scrambled one over the line in the 85th minute for Watford to make it a nervous finish for Manchester City at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night. Both sides recorded the same number of shots on target = seven each, the home side pushing and creating most in the dramatic final minutes. But Leroy Sané (40’) and Riyad Mahrez (51’) had done enough each side of the interval to bag yet another win and keep the Citizens at the top, five points ahead of Liverpool before the Reds played the next day, Burnley did get them worried as well, more to their win below.
What a man! New Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri's pre-match programme notes, facing his former side Leicester, beat them all! So touching and true after the tragedy that hit his ex-club. The one-all draw was a fair result, in the end, although James Maddison's equaliser (74') must have hurt after the hosts looked on course for a win after Aboubakar Kamara had given them the lead before the break (42'). The Cottagers's unwanted record of no clean sheets this season continues... They had 25 chances! But just seven on target, and one scored. The result keeps the London side at the bottom of the table. Worrying for their Italian boss.
Sub Lucas Pérez came off the bench to score two goals in five minutes to bank a very special win for West Ham against Cardiff. It ended 3-1, thanks to Hammers keeper Łukasz Fabiański’s first-half penalty save as well, denying Joe Ralls and any chance for the Welsh side to take the lead. The win takes the London club up to 12th, whilst Neil Warnock’s men have only taken one point from seven away games this season and are just two points above the drop zone.
What a goal! James Milner’s equaliser for Liverpool at Burnley was a fine low finish and crucial as hell (62’). The home side had taken a shock lead thanks to Jack Cork capitalising on Alisson’s blunder, unable to gather the ball off a corner (54’). Jürgen Klopp had named a much very different lineup after the Merseyside derby on Sunday, but that was changed after the break, Roberto Firmino’s first touch put the visitors ahead, the second goal just as banging as the first, a decisive tap in (69’)! And Xherdan Shaqiri added an extra boom late on (90’+1) to make it 1-3 and keep the Reds in the title race, two points behind league leader City. The only downside to the comeback was the injury blow to Jo Gomez, who had to be replaced halfway through the first half and will be out for over a month with a fracture.
Newcastle’s great counter equaliser spoilt the night for Everton, who rued lots of missed chances,to then drop two points (19-8 shots to be exact, and 14 corners!).
Charlie Austin’s goal for Saints against Spurs was just a consolation as they lost 3-1 at Wembley, but it was top quality and worth a smile for their new manager Ralph Hasenhüttl (I had to Google the name, it's a funny one and I am half German!).
What the hell?! Wolves 2-1 Chelsea, yes, you read right! What a comeback it was by Nuno Espírito Santo’s men... I was surprised not too see this surprise on first on MOTD! The Blues had dominated with 70% possession and 17 chances in total and it was no surprise when Ruben Loftus-Cheek 25-yard effort was deflected in and gave Maurizio Sarri's men the lead they deserved (18'). But everything changed after the restart, with two goals in four minutes, Raul Jiménez (59') and Diogo Jota (63') turning the game and Molineux on its head. The win takes Nuno's men up to 12th, just four points behind Everton in sixth, whilst Chelsea have suffered back-to-back league defeats on the road and drop to fourth, level on points with Arsenal in fifth, ten points off the top.
And an interesting final note, for the first time in eight years, every single team scored!
My Predictions - Actual Results
Bournemouth 0:0 Huddersfield* - 2:1
Brighton 0:0 Crystal Palace* - 3:1
West Ham 3:1 Cardiff - 3:1
Watford 1:2 Man City - 1:2
Burnley 0:3 Liverpool - 1:3
Everton 3:1 Newcastle - 1:1
Fulham 1:2 Leicester - 1:1
Man United 2:2 Arsenal - 2:2
Tottenham 2:0 Southampton - 3:1
*prediction failed to save, damn it, was doing so well!
Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.
All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter, and RMC Sports coverage.
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