Premier League Picks Of The Week 21

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 21

The 21st week of the Premier League action saw:

16 goals - most by Chelsea = 5
200 shots - most by Chelsea = 21
65 on target - most by Chelsea = 12
91 corners - most by Man United = 10
195 fouls - most by Huddersfield, Burnley, Watford, Crystal Palace & West Brom = 14 each
41 yellow cards - most by Crystal Palace = 5
0 red cards
3 penalties - 2 scored (Willian for Chelsea, Rodriguez for West Brom)

What a game! Swansea turned the game around at Watford with two goals in the last four minutes! André Carrillo had headed the home side ahead early on, before Jordan Ayew netted the equaliser from close range late on and Luciano Narsingh found the winner even later after Heurelho Gomes had saved Nathan Dyer's attempt. It was an explosive end and turnaround, the Welsh side's fourth win from 21 Premier League games, whilst Marco Silva's men slipped to their fifth defeat from six league games.
Bournemouth climbed out of the relegation zone in big style, all the way up to 14th, after beating Everton 2-1 and ending Sam Allardyce's unbeaten run thanks to Ryan Fraser's double. Jordan Pickford saved against Callum Wilson and Jordon Ibe, so, the scoreline could have been much worse. With the win, Eddie Howe's men avoided going nine league games without a win and denied Big Sam being the first Toffees manager to go unbeaten in his first seven Premier League games.

What a team! Crystal Palace should have won against Manchester City, but keeper Ederson denied Luka Milivojević from the spot, giving his side an "air of invincibility about them" as Gary Lineker put it on Twitter. Bang on. The league leaders' winning streak was finally halted after 18 games. Crises? The Sky Blues are still unbeaten and 14 points clear at the top, I don't think Pep Guardiola will have lost much sweat, tears nor sleep. But the ex Barca man was less optimistic, not believing his side are or will stay untouchable nor unbeatable. Let's wait and see, I can't see anything or anyone stopping them at the moment!
Manchester United didn't look like they were at home against Southampton, grinding out a goalless draw at Old Trafford. Boss José Mourinho just complained about the referee Craig Pawson not giving a penalty against Maya Yoshida, ignoring the fact that this draw has stretched his side's winless run to three games, the Red Devils just unable to make or break a real game or an opposition. Saints manager Mauricio Pellegrino will be much happier with this point despite his team now being eight games without a win. Better than nought.

What a man! Mohamed Salah's double turned the game around for Liverpool after Jamie Vardy had given Leicester the lead early on at Anfield. The Egyptian star man completed the perfect comeback with his 16th and 17th Premier League goal, Reds manager Jürgen Klopp calling his side's reaction to going a goal down the best he has ever seen. The Foxes aren't the German's favourite opponent, having lost three times against them already, more than any other club since he took over in October 2015. Liverpool have scored 77 goals in 30 games so far this season, their highest total at this stage of the campaign as a top-flight club. Nicht schlecht! Vielen Dank!

What a goal! Danny Drinkwater's take and shot into the top right corner of the goal to make it 2-0 for Chelsea against Stoke City was like scripted out of a football movie. Beautiful. The game was just too easy for the Blues. Davide Zappacosta made it five slashing the ball in from the edge of the box, wham bang thank you ma'am. Potters manager Mark Hughes was under heavy fire and pressure already, this thrashing will not have helped. Injuries have not helped the old boss either, but resting quite a few because of the tight schedule, fans and board will say enough is enough at some point if their dire run continues this way. 20 points after 21 games is their worst-ever total at this stage of the Premier League.

What the hell?! West Brom should never have come back into the game against Arsenal, the last-minute penalty should not have been. Yes, the ball came off Calum Chambers' arm, but the arm was on the chest, so, the ball would have come off the chest anyways, the arm did not make a difference. He can not beam his arm away! It ended a goal and point each at The Hawthorns, Jay Rodriguez easily beating Petr Čech from the spot, making up for James McClean's own goal off Alexis Sánchez's free-kick. Even Baggies boss Alan Pardew conceded it was a generous decision. It certainly soured Arsène Wenger's record 811th league match as Gunners boss.
And Huddersfield keeper Jonas Lössl said there was contact between him and Burnley's Jeff Hendrick and he said so much to the referee, a clear penalty not given, the game ending goalless at the John Smith's stadium. Terriers boss David Wagner admitted his side's luck staying in 11th, leaving the Clarets winless in their past four games and Sean Dyche more than disappointed, but still in seventh.

My Predictions - Actual Results
Bournemouth 2:2 Everton - 2:1
Chelsea 2:1 Stoke City - 5:0
Huddersfield 1:1 Burnley - 0:0
Liverpool 1:1 Leicester - 2:1
Newcastle 0:1 Brighton - 0:0
Watford 1:0 Swansea - 1:2
Man United 1:1 Southampton - 0:0
Crystal Palace 1:2 Man City - 0:0
West Brom 0:1 Arsenal - 1:1

Tottenham v West Ham was postponed to Thursday 4th January.

Click here for my previous Picks Of The Week.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter and SFR/BT/Sky Sports coverage.

Reds stun Gunners in 7-goal thriller

Sports - Football - PL - AFC 3-4 LFC

What an introduction to the new season that was! The first Super Sunday clash of the season at the Emirates saw seven goals, a penalty save, plenty of close calls and blunders, with a certain crazy German going mental and losing his glasses on the side-line, whilst the older Frenchman in the opposite dugout seemed less involved and left facing the boos and blushes.

One distraught Frenchman

And it all started so well for the home side in Arsène Wenger's 50th clash against the red Merseyside club. The Gunners were in control for most of the first half against a shaky Liverpool who just did not seem to get into gear.

Left-back Alberto Moreno was the villain of the half, leaving plenty of gaps, looking flustered and all over the place. It seemed only a matter of time until the Spaniard would cost the Reds dearly.

29 minutes gone, he brought down Theo Walcott in the box conceding a clumsily cheep penalty, to luckily and amazingly see it saved by much-doubted and under-fire keeper Simon Mignolet.

The Belgian stopper levelled Chelsea's Dmitri Kharine's record as the Premier League's best penalty saving goalkeeper, having saved 5 of 11 spot kicks = 45%.

The let off did not last long though, when 68 seconds later, Walcott was given plenty of space to send an easy tidy finish into the bottom corner, Moreno again at fault for not being in position, giving the home side a deserved lead.

However, all frustration was wiped away for the visitors just before the break, when Philippe Coutinho sent a deliciously sweet free kick curling into the top left corner, giving keeper Petr Cech no chance, levelling the score and leaving Arsenal with frustrated faces during the interval.

Whatever Jürgen Klopp said during the break, it worked. The Reds, like a puzzle, seemed to have finally found and got the parts together, Coutinho to new signing Georginio Wijnaldum to Adam Lallana who netted a lovely goal to make it 1-2 in the 49th minute.

And seven minutes later Coutinho made it three, with a smacker guided into the far corner off a great drive in by Nathaniel Clyne, to give the visitors a two-goal cushion.

With just over an hour gone, Arsenal were ripped and shredded to bits and pieces by individual brilliance, new star £34m-signing Sadio Mané making it 1-4 with great pace and skill, a top quality goal.

It was the first time a team scored four league goals at the Emirates against Arsenal since Chelsea in May 2009.

But that was far from game over. Only 73 seconds later, sub Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hit a goal back to make it 2-4 with a great individual skip and run, unsighted goalkeeper and deflection. Game on after a goal rush of 5 in 20 minutes.

And tension and action were raised again, when with 15 minutes to go, Calum Chambers headed in Oxlade-Chamberlain's free kick to reduce the deficit to one goal, 3-4, increasing Mignolet's nightmare of a headache.

The tense finish to the game saw pressure rising on both sides, for Arsenal to hit back, for Liverpool to hold on, the latter succeeding. The full time whistle blew, 3-4, the boos rang around the Emirates, the fans not happy with the old man, whilst Klopp and the men from the Kop could not have been more relieved, together and thriving on the outcome.

Man of the match: Philippe Coutinho

Arsenal Goals: Walcott 31', Oxlade-Chamberlain 64' & Chambers 75'.

Liverpool Goals: Coutinho 45'+1' & 56', Lallana 49' & Mane 63'.

Arsenal Team: 33 Cech (c); 18 Monreal, 21 Chambers, 16 Holding, 24 Bellerin; 34 Coquelin (booked 37'), 35 Elneny (29 Xhaka 67' booked 86'); 7 Sanchez, 17 Iwobi (booked 57') (15 Oxlade-Chamberlain 59'), 8 Ramsey (19 Cazorla 61'); 14 Walcott. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 3 Gibbs, 10 Wilshere, 13 Ospina & 32 Akpom.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 18 Moreno (booked 29'), 6 Lovren (booked 41'), 17 Klavan, 2 Clyne; 5 Wijnaldum (35 Stewart 88'), 14 Henderson (c), 20 Lallana (booked 26') (27 Origi 76'); 10 Coutinho (23 Can 70'), 11 Firmino, 19 Mané. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 13 Manninger, 16 Grujic, 32 Matip & 66 Alex-Arnold.

Match Stats: Arsenal-Liverpool
Possession: 50.7%-49.3%
Shots: 9-16
On target: 5-7
Blocked: 1-6
Corners: 5-4
Offsides: 4-3
Free kicks: 17-13
Bookings: 3-3

Referee: Michael Oliver
Ground: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,033