Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 26
The 26th week of the Premier League action saw:
31 goals - most by Man City = 6
268 shots - most by Crystal Palace = 25
103 on target - most by Liverpool and Leicester = 9 each
102 corners - most by Wolves = 13
218 fouls - most by Watford = 21
38 bookings - most by Fulham, Palace, Huddersfield, Southampton, Cardiff, Tottenham and Newcastle = 3 each
1 red card - Zouma for Everton
5 penalties - 4 scored (Pogba for United, Noble for West Ham, Barnes for Burnley, Agüero for City)
What a game! City!!! WTF?!?!?! They absolute swept Chelsea aside, 6-0 in the Super Sunday encounter, more to that humiliating thrash below.
It was a super-late double-drama at Southampton! Sol Bamba had opened the scoring for Cardiff from close range with their first shot on target of the match (69’). The Saints thought they had grabbed a late point, with Jack Stephens’ tap-in making it 1-1 in the first minute of stoppage time. But two minutes later, Kenneth Zohore struck and Neil Warnock’s men ended up on top and out of the relegation zone. It was another emotional day, the Welsh side still mourning the death of their record signing Emiliano Sala after his body was formally identified just a couple of days before the match. Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side had dominated but Neil Etheridge made some impressive stops to make sure his side stayed in the match. Southampton on the other hand, have kept just one clean sheet in their past 16 Premier League games (0-0 v Chelsea in January), and with the other results saw them slip into the bottom three for the first time since the beginning of January. But on the brighter side, it's their first defeat in six (W2 D3).
What a team! Tottenham are winning the ugly way. The Londoners frustrated the hell out of Leicester on Sunday, but they all count, and should not be ignored in the title race. Ugly win? Or uglier defeat? The Foxes fought back after Dávinson Sánchez (33’) and Christian Eriksen (63’) had put the home side ahead at Wembley. Sub Jamie Vardy pulled one back (76’) after Hugo Lloris denied him from the spot, seconds after coming on. But Son Heung-min sealed the win 3-1 (90’+1’), Spurs’ fourth consecutive league win. Form. Who is/needs Harry Kane?!
Arsenal recorded their first away win since November, beating bottom club Huddersfield 1-2 at the Kirklees Stadium. The result saw the Gunners remain sixth for the day, but moving within a point of fourth-placed Manchester United and level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea, before swapping places with them on goal difference after their thrashing at City on Sunday. The Red Devils had it too easy in the early kick-off on Saturday at Fulham, ending up comfy 0-3 winners at Craven Cottage, continuing Ole Gunnar Solskjær's unbeaten run as their caretaker boss (= 11 games = 10W + 1D).
What a man! Claude Puel’s days are numbered after a reported bust-up with Vardy saw the striker start on the bench. The French boss' voice was all that could be heard in the background at times at Wembley. Mental! It was a sour defeat and another nail in the Foxes manager's coffin. Harsh? But true! A lot of fans have been showing how unhappy they are with Puel at the helm.
Man of the match at Selhurst Park Wilfried Zaha scored his first home goal in 11 games in all competitions for Crystal Palace, since netting against West Brom on the final day of the 2017-18 campaign. The equaliser denied West Ham a crucial win, but the point saw the Hammers climb two places to 10th, whilst Roy Hodgson’s side are up to 13th, four points clear of the drop zone. Both the former England boss and his counterpart Manuel Pellegrini can be happy with their sides’ progress, having looked much more in danger a couple of months back.
What a goal! It was a cheeky one by Georginio Wijnaldum, tipping it over and in to make it 2-0. And a lovely third one saw some top-quality team play off a throw-in, Roberto Firmino’s back-heeler setting up Mohamed Salah in the box, for the great Egyptian to curl it in. Added to Sadio Mané’s powerful headed opener, it was a comfortable and confident 3-0 win for the Reds, keeping them at the top and unbeaten in their last 34 Premier League home games, winning 24 and drawing 10. Note: City have played an extra game because of rearranged fixtures due to the League Cup final, hence, they went back to the top after Sunday’s thrash.
Sergio Agüero, after missing one from five yards, put the sweetest of the sweet shots in from 25 yards to make it 2-0 to the Citizens early on against Chelsea. And it was 3-0 after 18:06!!! Not the contest everyone imagined!!! The Argentine ended up with a hat-trick (13’, 19’ and 56’ pen), his 11th in the Premier League, putting him level with Alan Shearer. Added to Raheem Sterling’s brace (4’ and 80’) and İlkay Gündoğan's low drive (25’), it ended 6-0, an absolute beating, the Blues’ worst defeat since they lost 7-0 at Nottingham Forest in April 1991. Humiliation.
Wolves' last-second equaliser against Newcastle, Rafael Benítez was absolutely fuming, understandably so, but I knew it! Said it! Typical! Would have been too good to be true for the Toons! Isaac Hayden had put the visitors ahead earlier on at Molineux (56’), and it looked like a deserved goal and three points. But the longer the clock ticked, one could feel it was not going to last. And when Willy Boly headed one in five minutes into injury time to make it 1-1 and one point each, the ground erupted. The Spaniard was not happy as there seemed to be a foul in the buildup, apart from play continuing later than late into added time (although, it is minimum added time, not maximum, as cruel as it sounds now, but fact). The result leaves Newcastle one point above the bottom three in 16th place while Wolves remain seventh.
Saed Kolašinac's own goal represented the Terriers' first in 597 minutes of football, it was not enough to retrieve a point against the Gunners, as mentioned above.
What the hell?! Similar to Liverpool’s second, it was a sweet goal for Watford against Everton. Half-time sub Andre Gray tapped in Will Hughes’ low cross (65’), condemning the Toffees to yet another disappointing defeat, their third on the trot. "Sacked in the morning" chants could be heard again, just like last week... From both sides of the ground? It was Marco Silva's first return to Vicarage Road since he was sacked by the Hornets at the end of the 2017-18 campaign. Not. Sweet. At. All. A post-match sending off as tempers flared after the final whistle, Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma given two yellows, added more to the visitors’ misery. Can anything else go wrong for the Toffees?!
Come on ref: TWICE in the first half, it was an obvious handball and Brighton penalty not given before Burnley’s spot kick and third goal after the break! Ashley Barnes converted the penalty (74’), with Chris Wood’s brace (26’, 61’), giving Sean Dyche’s side a comfortable lead. But the Albions didn’t give up, pulled one back soon after, thanks to Shane Duffy’s header (76’). But it was not to be, Tom Heaton made some brill saves, it ended 1-3, the Clarets unbeaten in seven league games and level on 27 points with the Seagulls - three above the relegation zone.
My Predictions - Actual Results
Fulham 0:3 Man United - 0:3
Crystal Palace 2:1 West Ham - 1:1
Huddersfield 1:2 Arsenal - 1:2
Liverpool 2:1 Bournemouth - 3:0
Southampton 1:1 Cardiff - 1:2
Watford 1:1 Everton - 1:0
Brighton 0:0 Burnley - 1:3
Tottenham 0:1 Leicester - 3:1
Man City 3:1 Chelsea - 6:0
Wolves 1:1 Newcastle - 1:1
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