Premier League Picks Of The Week 28

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 28

The 28th week of the Premier League action saw:

29 goals - most by Arsenal and Liverpool = 5 each

251 shots - most by Man City = 22

65 on target - most by Liverpool = 10

102 corners - most by Man City = 13

176 fouls - most by Southampton = 15

30 bookings - most by Cardiff, Burnley and Man United = 3 each

0 red cards

1 penalty - 1 scored (Agüero for Man City)

What a game! Arsenal and Liverpool were on fire! The Gunners took Bournemouth apart at the Emirates, 5-1 with five different scorers including recalled Mesut Özil with the opener after just four minutes. Substitute Alexandre Lacazette sealed the win making it five with a superb free-kick (78’), condemning the Cherries to their ninth consecutive away defeat for the first time since the 1933-34 season. The result keeps Unai Emery’s men in the top four, one point ahead of Manchester United. More to the Red Devils' impressive win and run below.

The Reds thrashed Watford 5-0 at Anfield, which was just what the doctor ordered for them in the title race and after their disappointing and frustrating goalless draw at Old Trafford on Sunday. Sadio Mané (9’, 20’) and Virgil van Dijk (79’, 82’) starred with a brace each - the prior’s second the cheekiest of cheeky back-healers, absolute stunner, the latter’s both headers. Injured Roberto Firmino's replacement Divock Origi contributed one as well in-between (66’), adding up to their biggest win of the season. But the real star was man of the match and night Trent Alexander-Arnold. Left out at the weekend, the youngster showed how much he was missed, producing top passes, crosses, control and precision, becoming the youngest player ever at 20 years and 143 days to get three assists in a Premier League game. Just wow! The win helped Jürgen Klopp’s men and their goal difference, just one point clear at the top ahead of Manchester City in second. More to the Citizens' lucky winner below.

What a team! Chelsea beat Tottenham at Stamford Bridge, Mauricio Pochettino’s men slumped and bumped out of the title race too easily. The Blues had dropped goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga after his League Cup antiques at the weekend, but his replacement Willy Caballero didn’t have anything to do = 0 shots on target produced by Spurs. The embarrassing scenes were in the opposing goal this time, Hugo Lloris letting the opener by Pedro go through his legs (57’) before watching his team mate Kieran Trippier pass the ball past him and into his own net (OG 84’). That makes it two own goals in their last six Premier League games, as many as in their previous 113 in the competition. They are still in third, but now eight points behind City in second and nine away from the top.

Manchester United recorded their eighth consecutive away win - not even the great Sir Alex Ferguson was able to achieve that! Ole Gunnar Solskjær (still only caretaker) saw his side beat Crystal Palace convincingly despite their looooong list of injuries (of eight first-team players!). Romelu Lukaku stepped up and scored twice (33’, 52’), and Ashley Young drilled in a third (83’), to hand the Red Devils yet another win and keep them in fifth and in the race for the top four, just one point separating them from Arsenal in fourth. Surely, the Norwegian boss will be made permanent, a question of when.. Not if... ?!

What a man! Brendan Rodgers was announced as the new Leicester boss hours before their match against Brighton at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night. The news of his talks with the club was no real surprise, but the speed of his departure from Celtic caught out everyone. It seemed like the Northern Irishman couldn’t wait to get away! The Foxes recorded their first home win in five on the night, beating the Albions 2-1, thanks to goals by Demarai Gray (10’) and Jamie Vardy (63’), Davy Pröpper with a cracking but the only reply for the visitors (66’). But most of the main focus and attention was on the new man in the stands. The 2016 champions are up to 11th, on 35 points, ten points clear of the drop zone, 18 away from the top six. What will the new boss' ambition/aim/target be without any silverware in sight (unlike in Scotland)?!

What a goal! Newcastle’s opener against Burnley at St James’ Park by Fabian Schär (24’) was sublime! Sean Longstaff pounced on the visitors' weak defense to double the home side’s lead (38’). Both goals were clinical and crucial in the relegation battle, ending Sean Dyche’s side’s eight-game unbeaten run in the league and easing the Magpies’ relegation worries.

Everton’s team work goals at Cardiff were top-quality, all three of them. Gylfi Sigurðsson's brace (41’, 66’) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin's late finish (90’+3’) ended the Toffees’ league run of three successive defeats. The win takes them up to ninth, four points behind Watford in eighth and level on points with West Ham in tenth.

Manchester City’s penalty against the Hammers was softer than soft, which was otherwise a very frustrating night for Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad. Sub Bernardo Silva went down without any contact, seconds after coming on. Surrounded by West Ham players, replays showed, if anything, the Portuguese midfielder twisted and tripped over his own feet. But the spot kick was given, and of course Sergio Agüero made no mistake of netting it (pen 59’) and the three points for the Citizens with it, to keep them in the title race, one point behind the Reds. Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini was understandably less happy with that call and result.

What the hell?! HUDDERSFIELD WON!!! SCORED AND WON!!! Celebrations galore!!! Lots of sickies up North on Wednesday, I bet. Yes, they are still bottom, but sweeter than sweet it still was for them. Only the third win of the season. First since November. After seven consecutive defeats at home. Sweet home. After African striker Steve Mounié scored the winner in the 91st minute, he got buried under his team mates as a thanks. Boss Jan Siewert was also taken over by wild celebrations with his backroom staff after the German's first win in charge of the club. Wolves were their victims, having lost eight of their last nine league matches against the Terriers and seven of their 12 against teams starting the day at the bottom of the Premier League. Southampton meanwhile moved out of the relegation zone after beating Fulham 2-0, and with Cardiff’s defeat, will have added to the bottom club’s celebrations and the tiniest of tiny glimmer of hope that has returned for them in their chance of somehow climbing out of the deep and dark relegation swamp they’re in.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Cardiff 0:0 Everton - 0:3

Huddersfield 1:2 Wolves - 1:0

Leicester 1:1 Brighton - 2:1

Newcastle 2:2 Burnley - 2:0

Arsenal 2:0 Bournemouth - 5:1

Southampton 2:1 Fulham - 2:0

Chelsea 3:1 Tottenham - 2:0

Crystal Palace 1:3 Man United - 1:3

Liverpool 2:0 Watford - 5:0

Man City 3:0 West Ham - 1:0

Click here for the previous Picks Of The Week.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter and RMC Sports coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 27

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 27

The 27th week of the Premier League action saw:

29 goals - most by Watford = 5

243 shots - most by Newcastle = 29

84 on target - most by Newcastle = 12

110 corners - most by West Ham and Newcastle = 12 each

213 fouls - most by Liverpool = 17

29 bookings - most by Wolves = 5

1 red card - Smith for Huddersfield 

3 penalties - 2 scored (King for Bournemouth, Jiménez for Wolves)

What a game! The Super Sunday clash between arch rivals Manchester United and Liverpool ended goalless, quite disappointing after all the hype and buildup, but not a big surprise. The Red Devils defended well, held solid against all the Red pressing, whilst the visitors were unable to get the breakthrough at Old Trafford and had their keeper Alisson and defender Virgil van Dijk to thank for a breathtaking save against sub Jesse Lingard and a masterclass in stopping, blocking and denying Paul Pogba any look into the game. United stopper David de Gea kept his 100th clean sheet, which wasn't too difficult on the day, having just faced one shot on target, his side just producing three of their own at the other end as well. Mohamed Salah looked very clumsy, losing the ball too easily and too often, and it was no surprise when the

Egyptian was subbed off as well. Not much action, but plenty of injuries saw Ole Gunnar Solskjær forced to use up all his substitutions in the first half! 
And to add frustration to injuries, his men dropped two points and one place down to fifth after Arsenal’s comfortable 2-0 win against Southampton. That victory saw the Gunners overtake the Red Devils. Jürgen Klopp’s side meanwhile, returned to the top, one point ahead of the Citizens. Pep Guardiola's men won the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on the same day after some penalty drama, having played and won the scheduled Premier League fixture of this weekend a couple of weeks ago, ending up 0-2 winners at Everton on the 6th February.*(See the note in brackets at the bottom of this blog.)

What a team! Leicester have lost four consecutive home Premier League games for the first time since January 2000. The oldest ever manager in the Premier League with 71 years and 198 days = Roy Hodgson and Crystal Palace meanwhile, are in dreamland after thrashing the Foxes 1-4 in their own backyard on Saturday evening. Claude Puel was sent packing not even 24 hours later, no surprise there, sad but true. The home side had over four times the attempts (27-7), but just the same on target (5-5), the scoreboard reflecting the sour and fruitless times. The more surprising his replacement is: Brendan Rodgers, surprising everyone including his Celtic players with the news of his departure.

Huddersfield are down and out. Nothing new there, they have been rock bottom for months now, but the way they lost at Newcastle, there was just no chance, no way, not even half a penny of hope, outdone and outplayed in every way, especially after (but not because of) the sending off. Good result for Rafael Benítez’s men, taking them up to 15th. The Magpies have recorded a league double over the Terriers for the first time since 1964-65 with their third successive Premier League win at St James’ Park for the first time since April.

What a man! Watford’s Gerard Deulofeu is only the third player to score a Premier League hat-trick on a Friday, after Dean Windass for Bradford (April 2000) and Thierry Henry for Arsenal (two in April 2004). The Spaniard did not just score three (18’, 61’, 63’), but also set up Troy Deeney (73’), who finished off with a brace of his own (91’), taking Cardiff apart. Sol Bamba was on the score-sheet (82’), a mere consolation, as 1-5 was the full-time score in Wales. It was the Hornets’ first top-flight hat-trick since Mark Falco v Aston Villa in October 1986, and the first time the side scored five in a top-division encounter since winning 5-1 against Leicester in November 1986. History.

What a goal! Was is really a corner in the buildup to the first Burnley goal or should it have been a goal kick? Chris Wood headed in the set-piece to open the scoring for the Clarets against Tottenham (57’). It doesn’t really matter, as the home side scored another one and you can’t say they didn’t deserve it. Ashley Barnes' tap-in (83’) won it for Sean Dyche’s men after Harry Kane, back from injury, had equalised and given the visitors hope of a comeback (65’). That equaliser was off a dodgy throw as well, but I’m sure Mauricio Pochettino didn’t mention that to referee Mike Dean when he stormed, shouted and pointed at the official after the full-time whistle. The boss was in the man's face! As it turned out, the temperamental Argentine accepted all charges and apologised. Meanwhile, Burnley are on their best = longest unbeaten top-flight run since 1966, unbeaten in eight (W5, D3), picking up 18 points in the last 8 games after just gaining 14 from their previous 24! This glorious run takes them up to 14th on 30 points, six clear from the drop zone. More controversial goals and decisions below...

What the hell?! The last time Fulham won an away game in the Premier League, David Moyes was still the manager of Manchester United. And the London side have still no clean sheet - even lovely Claudio Ranieri was outraged and having a go at the fourth official after West Ham’s Javier Hernández had bundled the ball over the line with his hand but the goal was still given to make it 1-1 (29’). The visitors had opened the scoring at the London Stadium just a couple of minutes into the match (3’), Ryan Babel’s first Premier League goal since 6 December 2010, exactly 3000 days ago. After the handled equaliser, Issa Diop put the Hammers ahead before the break (40’), and Michail Antonio made it 3-1, sealing the win and points in injury time (90’+1’). Any kind of confidence the Cottagers had was shattered after clear incompetence, ignorance, sheer blindness by the referees! VAR would have undoubtedly cleared that decision within seconds! 
More dubious calls were made at Bournemouth by referee Roger East, handing out penalties here, there and everywhere, leaving Wolves boss Nuno Espírito Santo scratching his head. But the Spaniard refused to blame the ref, pointing out the lying, diving, whining, cheating players (no exact quote, he was too nice about it in my opinion!). It ended 1-1, Joshua King hitting and missing one (pen 14’ and pen 85’ respectively), and Raúl Jiménez levelling from the spot (pen 83’), consistency not being in the officials' dictionary whatsoever! The first one was soft, the last one not even in the box! The other one was soft as well, whilst a clear handball was overlooked. Ridiculous! I could go on and on... As always! Every week it's the same shambles! Argh!

My Predictions - Actual Results

Cardiff 1:2 Watford - 1:5

West Ham 3:0 Fulham - 3:1

Burnley 1:2 Tottenham - 2:1

Bournemouth 2:2 Wolves - 1:1

Newcastle 3:0 Huddersfield - 2:0

Leicester 1:2 Crystal Palace - 1:4

Arsenal 2:0 Southampton - 2:0

Man United 2:3 Liverpool - 0:0

*(Everton 0:2 Man City was rearranged to the 6th February due to the League Cup final on Sunday; Chelsea 3:0 Brighton to the 3rd April, see PL week 33; both match stats have been to this week they were scheduled for)*

Clicker here for the previous Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, Twitter and RMC Sports coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 26

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

(Everton 0:2 Man City played midweek, rescheduled due to the League Cup final, the stats and facts will have been added to week 27)

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, Twitter and RMC Sport coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 25

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 25

The 25th week of Premier League action saw:

23 goals - most by Chelsea = 5

249 shots - most by Chelsea = 23

84 on target - most by Man City = 12

86 corners - most by Chelsea and Palace = 11 each

209 fouls - most by Cardiff = 17

30 bookings - most by Leicester and Man United = 4 each

0 red cards

5 penalties - 5 scored (Barnes for Burnley, Hazard for Chelsea, Milivojević for Palace, Neves for Wolves, Reid for Cardiff)

What a game! The early(er) Sunday kick-off saw the fifth consecutive away win for Manchester United, nine wins out of ten for Ole Gunnar Solskær, despite Leicester’s dominance in the second half. The referee didn’t cover himself in glory, but in the end, the blunders evened themselves out, more to that below. The Foxes just didn’t get there, despite all their efforts, Marcus Rashford's 10th goal of the season was enough to bank the three points for his side (9'). The Red Devils went up to fifth, before Arsenal’s Super Sunday clash at Manchester City. But the Gunners didn’t help themselves. Sergio Agüero’s hat-trick (1’, 44’, 61’), his 14th for the club, was enough to down the visitors at the Etihad after a promising first but useless second half - although one goal was offside and the other a handball! Laurent Koscielny's header (11') was the only lonely reply for the Londoners. The Citizens must have been glad watching West Ham frustrating the hell out of Liverpool, the officials’ dismal performance not helping neither side in the Monday night match either. It ended 1-1 at the London Stadium after plenty of blunders, misses, muck-ups and giveaways, sloppy stuff on both sides. Sadio Mané's goal was given despite James Milner being obviously offside in the build-up (22'), before Michail Antonio levelled the score with a low finish off the post (28'). The Reds are still top, three points clear, but Pep Guardiola’s side are five goals better off. More below...

What a team! The Huddersfield fans were brilliant at Stamford Bridge! 3-0 down against Chelsea, with just over an hour gone, they could still be heard chanting, cheering and singing over the blue lot! “We’re gonna win 4-3!” made me laugh! There was a fourth and fifth goal - but it all went to the home side, five goals and three points to take Maurizio Sarri's men above Arsenal and back into the top four, whilst the Terriers remain rock-bottom, 13 points from safety.

Crystal Palace won convincingly against Fulham thanks to captain Luka Milivojević's spot kick (pen 25') and Jeff Schlupp's late tap in (87'). The Cottagers were surprisingly flawed and condemned after their convincing comeback win against Brighton last week, but only 2 points from 13 matches on the road this season speak for themselves! 
Cardiff boss Neil Warnock was a very proud and emotional man after watching his side win their first home game since Emiliano Sala’s disappearance. It ended a crucial 2-0 win against Bournemouth thanks to Bobby Reid’s double (5’ pen, 46’). Cherries manager Eddie Howe was left down and wondering what happened after his side had thrashed Chelsea just a few days before. With the win the Bluebirds remain 18th, but five points clear of Fulham in 19th and only two points behind Burnley in 17th. 

What a man! New signing Peter Crouch came on late to make his debut for Burnley and made the difference, involved in the incident that lead to the penalty, their first in 68 games, Ashley Barnes snatching the Clarets a last-gasp goal from the spot and point against Southampton (90’+4’). Barnes was brought down in the first half by Saints keeper Alex McCarthy, it should have been a penalty then, but he was booked for simulation instead! It was an absolute howler by the ref! And what was the assistant doing?! More to the unbelievable refereeing in general above and below. Nathan Redmond gave the visitors the lead against the run of play after the break, but Sean Dyche did get some justice back. A point each it was in the end.

Watford’s keeper Ben Foster did very well with a string of top-notch saves to keep it goalless at the Falmer Stadium and deny Brighton their first win of the year. Hornets boss Javi Gracia was full of compliments for the opposition's stopper in the post-match interview, which says it all really. 

What a goal! Newcastle worked so hard to keep a clean sheet at Tottenham in the early kick-off on Saturday, and threatened a few times on the counter, just to be broken by non-other than Son Heung-min (83’), off super-sub Fernando Llorente, who has been involved in seven goals in his last eight appearances for the side (5 goals, 2 assists). It was a calamity goal by the keeper Martin Dúbravka, who should have blocked and stopped the goal, but it somehow went through the Czech stopper. One cannot say Spurs didn’t deserve it, they dominated, and are now 29 matches without a draw, a new Premier League record. But the Magpies will still be gutted, more points dropped in the fight for survival, seeing them fall down to 15th, level on points with Southampton and Burnley in 16th and 17th, only two points away from the drop zone.

What the hell?! Everton boss Marco Silva once again watched his side fail and fall 1-3 at home against high-flying Wolves. The only highlight for the home side at Goodison Park was a cat. Yes, A CAT!!! The Toffees have lost three of their last four Premier League home games, as many defeats as in their previous 23, and just won one of their last nine league matches this season against teams starting the day higher in the table (W1 D2 L6), losing the last five in a row. No discrediting the Wanderers, who are doing brilliantly sitting comfortable four points clear in seventh.

The refs were once again absolute shambles! As already ranted above, in nearly every match and category, plenty of decisions were more than dubious, just blatantly wrong, what the hell are they doing?! Offside goals, handballs and plenty of other obvious stuff are being overlooked again and again, not just on Monday night! It's costing sides precious points, that lead to titles or relegations - can the officials be relegated or just disqualified, sent off or substituted like the teams and players when they are doing that bad?! ARGH!!!

My Predictions - Actual Results 

Tottenham 1:2 Newcastle - 1:0

Brighton 2:2 Watford - 0:0

Burnley 2:1 Southampton - 1:1

Chelsea 2:1 Huddersfield - 5:0 

Crystal Palace 3:3 Fulham - 2:0

Everton 2:2 Wolves - 1:3

Cardiff 2:1 Bournemouth - 2:0

Leicester 1:1 Man United - 0:1

Man City 4:3 Arsenal - 3:1

West Ham 1:2 Liverpool - 1:1

Click here for the previous Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter and RMC Sports coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 24

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 24

The 24th week of the Premier League action saw:

31 goals - most by Fulham and Bournemouth = 4 each

262 shots - most by Man United = 28

85 on target - most by Wolves and Man United = 9 each

101 corners - most by Man United = 11

184 fouls - most by Arsenal = 14

43 bookings - most by Everton, Wolves and Watford = 4 each

2 red cards - Digne for Everton, Zaha for Palace

3 penalties - 3 scored (Aubameyang for Arsenal, Pogba for Man United, Ritchie for Newcastle)

What a game! It was all about crazy comebacks on Tuesday night! Fulham, Manchester United and Newcastle!!! I have to start with the last, more to the first two below. When Sergio Agüero gave Manchester City the lead after just 24 seconds, everyone expected the worst, a total thrashing at St James’ Park. However, Pep Guardiola was shocked watching his side give the game away, Salomón Rondón netting Isaac Hayden’s header to equalise from close range (66’), before Matt Ritchie converted the penalty (80’) after Fernandinho had fouled Sean Longstaff in the box. It’s an unexpected and crucial result at both ends of the table, relief for Magpies boss Rafael Benítez, disbelief for his blue counterpart. 

And more upsets (less comebacks) followed on Wednesday night! Bournemouth smashed Chelsea! Joshua King’s brace (47’, 74’), either side of David Brooks’ composed finish (63’), and sub Charlie Daniels' injury-time goal, made it 4-0 to the Cherries and two consecutive defeats for the Blues. Maurizio Sarri took the blame, after staying in complete lock-down for nearly an hour after the match - a bit more than just a team talk... Unforgettable win for Eddie Howe, either way, no matter whose fault it is! It was only their second-ever competitive home win against the Londoners, first since September 1988. And it’s just the second time in PL history Chelsea have lost a game by a four-goal margin, after losing 5-1 to Liverpool in September 1996.

Have to mention Tottenham's comeback, with two goals in seven minutes by Son Heung-min (80’) and Fernando Llorente (87’), after Craig Cathcart had given Watford the lead (38') at a very empty Wembley stadium. The win puts Spurs seven points ahead of rivals Arsenal and Chelsea in fourth and fifth, and only two points behind the Citizens.

What a team! Sorry West Ham, it was terrible to watch them, they were just watching themselves as Wolves took them apart 3-0, especially the last goal. Boss Manuel Pellegrini conceded it is impossible to play worse (9-0 attempts on target). The Hammers were swept aside by the Wanderers, Roman Saïss (66’) and Raúl Jiménez (80’, 86’) capitalising on the sleeping and non-existing defence. No discrediting Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, top quality, great team spirit, organisation and play, absolutely smashing the visitors, to complete the double over West Ham for the first time in their history (30th campaign).

Huddersfield’s first match under Jan Siewert ended in defeat, 0-1 against ten-man Everton. Richarlison’s rebound goal early on (3’) was enough for the visitors, despite Lucas Digne’s sending off (66’). David Wagner’s replacement praised Toffee keeper Jordan Pickford, who made some brilliant stops to keep his side ahead. Crucial three points, Marco Silva a very relieved man, finally a win, just their second in the last five league games.

What a man! Sean Dyche has never lost a PL game on a Tuesday as Burnley boss! And they were so close to beat Manchester United as well! The Clarets were two goals ahead thanks to Ashley Barnes (51’) and Chris Wood (81’), but Old Trafford witnessed one of the typical late comebacks by the Red Devils. Paul Pogba from the spot (pen 87’) and Victor Lindelöf with a scramble in injury time (90’+2') pulled a point back for Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side, nicking two from the visitors and denying them their first win at the ground since 1962. First points dropped for the caretaker manager though, but it could have been so much worse!

It was all about Emiliano Sala in Cardiff’s first match since the striker’s disappearance. It ended in a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal, neither side producing anything on target in the first half, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty (66’) and Alexandre Lacazette’s fine low finish (83’) changed and ended the match after the break. Neil Warnock was still proud of his side and praised their conduct and performance. The Bluebirds did pull one back late on, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing with a sweet curler (90’+3’). But it was too little too late. Very emotional. Goosebumps. #PrayForSala

What a goal! Fulham’s first and last goal, wow! Individual and team class and finish! I don't know why it was only the sixth game on MOTD!!!!! The Cottagers were trailing Brighton by 0-2 after just 17 minutes, Glenn Murray giving the visitors a comfortable lead with his brace (3’, 17’). Calum Chambers’ superb strike started the dream comeback shortly after the break (47’). Aleksandar Mitrović’s double (58’, 74’) turned the match and Craven Cottage on its head. And Luciano Vietto put the icing on the cake, heading home Fulham’s fourth (79’) after Tom Cairney’s effort from distance had come off the crossbar. Claudio Ranieri was all smiles, praising his side’s fighting spirit. Chris Hughton on the other hand, was gobsmacked and lambasted his team’s second-half collapse. It was an extraordinary game!

Southampton's equaliser against Crystal Palace was a lovely team move and goal! More to that clash below.

What the hell?! Wilfried Zaha was just being an idiot, applauding the referee whilst receiving a booking = asking for a second yellow = sending off (87’)! Fully deserved! The Crystal Palace forward had given his side the lead at Southampton, his first goal since September, four minutes before the interval. But the Saints were level thanks to James Ward-Prowse (77’), an outstanding team goal as mentioned above, despite the visitors’ dominance and number of chances. No other PL side have drawn more games than Ralph Hasenhüttl’s team = eight. Roy Hodgson’s men meanwhile, have dropped 13 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season - only Fulham and Southampton have lost more (15 each).

Jürgen Klopp blamed the snow for Liverpool’s draw at Anfield against Leicester. It’s a point gained in the title race after City’s defeat, but was a frustrating display and two points dropped on the night. And the result could have been so much worse! Keeper Alisson had some iffy moments again, but also made some crucial stops, including a sublime ping-pong block against his own team mate Roberto Firmino! The Brazlian stopper and star defender Virgil van Dijk looked uncharacteristically clumsy throughout. The Reds were ahead early on thanks to Sadio Mané (3’ - after 121 seconds to be exact), but the rest of the match stayed slow, slippy and clumsy, the home side unable to take control. Harry Maguire equalised in front of the Kop just before the break (45’+2’). The German boss had a point about the weather and the officials didn't help his side either. Referee Martin Atkinson made a couple of questionable calls and decisions, on both sides. Clear penalties not given after Mané and Mohamed Salah were clearly fouled in the box, a couple of cards not shown, that could have added up to more against certain players... But, United got a penalty whilst these players just always pretend, right?! As I wonder every week: Who needs VAR?! Claude Puel was a happy man with the result. Of course. Leicester are the first team outside the top six that Liverpool have failed to beat in the Premier League this season. The Reds have conceded in their past three home league games, after only conceding in two of their opening nine league matches at Anfield this season. Still, going into February five points clear at the top is not too bad, ey?

My Predictions - Actual Results

Arsenal 3:1 Cardiff - 2:1

Fulham 1:2 Brighton - 4:2

Huddersfield 1:2 Everton - 0:1

Wolves 2:1 West Ham - 3:0

Man United 3:1 Burnley - 2:2

Newcastle 1:2 Man City - 2:1

Bournemouth 1:2 Chelsea - 4:0

Southampton 2:1 Crystal Palace - 1:1

Liverpool 1:0 Leicester - 1:1

Tottenham 2:0 Watford - 2:1

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.