Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 27
The 27th week of the 2019-2020 Premier League Football season saw:
28 goals - most by BUR, MUN, WOL, ARS and LIV = 3 each
269 shots - most by Southampton = 28
101 on target - most by Burnley = 10
115 corners - most by Liverpool = 16
213 fouls - most by Aston Villa = 17
38 bookings - most by Newcastle = 6
1 red card - Lazaro for Newcastle
3 penalties - 2 scored (Jay Rodriguez for Burnley, Bruno Fernandes for Man United)
#CHETOT
The Blues were bossing it at Stamford Bridge. Olivier Giroud broke the deadlock off a rebound (15’), after the ball came off the woodwork from Ross Barkley’s shot, following Hugo Lloris' save against the ex-Arsenal man’s first attempt. Brilliant goal! Marcos Alonso doubled their lead shortly after the break (49’), a yard outside the area, with his left foot, across goal and into the bottom right corner. BOSS! Frank Lampard’s choices and lineup were definitely vindicated. And it could have been a much worse thrashing for José Mourinho’s men, if it weren’t for their French stopper, and Giovani Lo Celso should have been sent off for an aweful challenge on Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta, but the VAR didn't feel it was worth anything - the officials at Stockley Park later admitting it was a mistake and should have been a red card. But there will be no retrospective action taken as it was all in the referee’s report. Absolute farce. VARce. Erik Lamela’s shot/cross was deflected in by Antonio Rüdiger to pull one back for Spurs (90’), which made added time more interesting (and my prediction bang-on). But Mourinho is still winless as an away manager at the Bridge, and Spurs have only won one of the last 34 clashes at the ground. The great Portuguese didn’t see or comment anything of note in the match. Yeah, rrrrright. Liar liar, you’re gonna get fired! Again.
#BURBOU
After consulting the VAR, referee Mike Dean overturned Josh King’s opener because there was a handball by Philip Billing in the build-up (24’). Matěj Vydra controlled Dwight McNeil's through-ball, ran at the defence and hammered his strike home (53’). And then again, Dean chalked a Bournemouth goal off, Harry Wilson denied this time after a counter, Adam Smith this time the one handling the ball in the build-up - and a penalty was given to Burnley instead! Absurd! Jay Rodriguez netted the spot kick in the top corner to double the home side’s lead (61’). Mad. McNeil’s left-foot drive into the bottom corner made it three (87’). Absolute misery for the Cherries. Ridiculous refereeing. Clear win for the Clarets, taking them up to eighth, whilst Eddie Howe's men remain 16th, just two points away from the drop zone
#CRYNEW
Patrick van Aanholt bent in a brilliant free-kick to open the scoring just before the break (45’). In the final minutes, Valentino Lazaro was given a straight red card for bringing down Wilfried Zaha, pulled him back as he was through on goal. It all helped Roy Hodgson’s men to their first win in 2020, ending their run of three league defeats, the two sides exchanging places to 13th and 14th respectively. Magpies boss Steve Bruce summarised it well in the post-match interview: "The better team won."
#SHUBHA
Smashing opener into the roof of the net by Enda Stevens to give the Blades the lead (26’). The visitors instantly replied, United unable to deal with a free kick, Neal Maupay headed it home to level the score 3:09 minutes after the opener (30’). The VAR checked a coming together between John Lundstram and Lewis Dunk (85’): No red card was given for the Blades midfielder. Of course. They are asking for broken legs before they take action. FFS. Four years ago this month Sheffield United lost to Wigan, Bury and Rochdale in a League One north-west nightmare as Chris Wilder was on his way to winning League Two with Northampton. Now, this draw keeps them in sixth, level on points with Spurs in fifth, definitely in contention for a European qualifying spot. Mad.
#SOUAVL
The Saints controlled the match, Shane Long kneed them ahead early on (9’), poor from the Villans. Stuart Armstrong doubled the home side’s lead in the final seconds, easy one on an empty goal (90+5’). The Villa boss Dean Smith didn’t hold back in his disappointment and understandably so, saying some of his players had “played their way out” of next Sunday’s Carabao Cup final. The result keeps the sides in 12th and 17th respectively, the winners level on points with Arsenal in 11th, the losers just one point away from the drop zone.
#LEIMCI
Gabriel Jesus made the difference, coming off the bench to score the winner at the King Power Stadium (80'). Both sides wasted a lot of chances, Jamie Vardy hitting the woodwork in the first half, the Foxes should have been on top at the break. Kasper Schmeichel was kept the busier after the restart, denying Sergio Agüero from the spot, continuing the Blues' penalty woes. It was the stopper's fourth Premier League penalty save - one more than his father Peter made in his entire PL career. Not bad. But it all counted for nothing in the end, the super-sub making the difference for Pep Guardiola and his men, cutting the gap to the top to 19 points. Brendan Rodgers was left bitterly disappointed meanwhile, and rightly so, the VAR missing out a few calls for penalties and harder cautions, missing or just ignoring replays of handballs and fouls. Pf. The Foxes stay third, six points ahead of Chelsea in fourth, seven points behind the Citizens.
#MUNWAT
Bruno Fernandes was brought down by Ben Foster in the box, clear penalty, and the fouled was the taker, converting from the spot to score his first goal for the club, giving the Red Devils the lead at the end of a less threatening and more frustrating half (42’). That goal ended a wait of 235 minutes for a Premier League goal by Manchester United at Old Trafford. Mason Greenwood got the last one, in a 4-0 win against Norwich on 11 January (PL Week 22). Watford’s ping-pong equaliser off a corner was disallowed and correctly so by the VAR as it came off Craig Dawson’s arm before bouncing off the woodwork for Troy Deeney to net the rebound (52’). It would have been a deserved leveller, but it was not to be. And shortly after that Anthony Martial doubled the hosts’ lead with a lovely looping finish over and in after Foster saved his first attempt (58’). Martial has scored in three successive games now. The Frechman has not done that since September 2017. A lovely run, take and finish by Greenwood made it three (75’). The win took United up to fifth, just three points separating them from Chelsea in fourth, whilst the Hornets remain 19th, one point from safety.
#WOLNOR
Norwich played well, dominated the game early, just to fall behind. That summarises their season. A lovely flowing Wolves counter attack ended with Matt Doherty collecting the ball in the D, spinning and finding Diogo Jota running on, who nutmegged Tim Krul to break the deadlock (19’). And the Portuguese forward tapped in Romain Saïss’ cross to double the hosts’ lead (30’). Raúl Jiménez made it three after the restart banging in the rebound off Jota’s shot that came off the post (50’). The comfortable victory takes the Wanderers up to eighth, just two points behind the Red Devils in fifth, whilst the Canaries are stuck rock-bottom, seven points from safety.
#ARSEVE
23 games without defeat for the Gunners against the Toffees, but it didn't come easy: Dominic Calvert-Lewin broke the deadlock after 49 seconds, overhead-kicking the ball in after Arsenal were unable to deal with Gylfi Sigurðsson’s free kick, David Luiz seeing the ball come off his back, the defence all over the place. Bukayo Saka produced the perfect cross from the left, Eddie Nketiah netted it with a fine leap and right-footed connection to level the score from the centre of the box, a lovely recovery after a poor start for the hosts (27’). Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang broke clear and poked Luiz’s lovely through-ball across and in to turn the score around (33’). Richarlison beat the keeper to Mina’s flick-on, or did Bernd Leno touch it into his own net?! It was an equaliser just before the break either way (45+4’), a messy one to end a crazy half. And 25 seconds after the restart, Aubameyang headed the Gunners ahead, Carlo Ancelotti looked absolutely gob-smacked, his HT-team-talk out of the window. This was the third game in Premier League history to see a goal scored inside the opening minute of both halves, after Newcastle v Arsenal in January 1996 and Charlton v Leeds in March 2001. Leno made a couple of good stops denying DCL. Nketiah hit the woodwork late on in a tense ending, which saw DCL head a chance wide as well. Mikel Arteta's men ended up banking the three points, to the Spaniard's relief, taking his side up to ninth, four points away from the fifth spot.
#LIVWHU
Liverpool equalled Manchester City's all-time English top-flight record of 18 league wins in a row with their 21st successive league victory at Anfield, which also equalled their own English top-flight record for consecutive home wins, set between January and December 1972. The Reds are unbeaten in eight league matches against West Ham (W6, D2), scoring four goals in four of those eight matches. The Hammers have won only three of their 58 top-flight away matches against the Merseysiders (D15, L40). Georginio Wijnaldum's header put the league leaders ahead (9’), before Issa Diop levelled the score with a nod in of his own soon after (12’). 174 seconds between the two goals. All Reds were just watching in the box when Pablo Fornals banged the Hammers ahead (54’). Mo Salah beat Łukasz Fabiański unmarked in the box, putting the ball through the keeper’s legs for the second equaliser (68’). And Sadio Mané poked the third into an empty net from close range after the visitors were just unable to clear or do anything with the ball, a bit all over the place (81’). That was the turnaround completed by Jürgen Klopp's men and their record(s) kept in tact, as mentioned above. Top. David Moyes' side have won only three of their last 21 Premier League fixtures - as many as in their opening six games. They have lost 22 points from a winning position this season. Their last league win was on New Year's Day. Flop.
My Predictions - Actual Results
Chelsea 2:1 Tottenham - 2:1
Burnley 1:0 Bournemouth - 3:0
Crystal Palace 1:1 Newcastle - 1:0
Sheffield United 2:1 Brighton - 1:1
Southampton 2:1 Aston Villa - 2:0
Leicester 3:2 Man City - 0:1
Man United 2:0 Watford - 3:0
Arsenal 2:1 Everton - 3:2
Liverpool 4:0 West Ham - 3:2
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