Premier League Picks Of The Week 36

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 36

The 36th week of the Premier League action saw:

22 goals - most by Crystal Palace = 5

229 shots - most by Liverpool & Man City = 19 each

70 on target - most by Palace = 9

77 corners - most by Liverpool & Man United = 9 each

202 fouls - most by Brighton = 17

23 yellow cards - most by Southampton = 5

1 red card - Albrighton for Leicester

1 penalty - 1 scored (Benteke for Palace)

What a game! Arsenal have not won at Old Trafford in the league for a decade and José Mourinho has never lost a home league game against Arsène Wenger. No surprise then when the Gunners suffered their sixth away defeat in a row for the first time since January 1966 losing 2-1 late on against United on Sunday afternoon. That means the Londoners are the only side left in the top four divisions in England without a single point on the road in 2018 (P6 W0 D0 L6). The French boss lined up the youngest starting eleven (average age 24y 67d) in the league since August 2011 - when they were thrashed 8-2 at the same ground. The match was not much of a contest, unlike the rivalry battles from the past as recounted in the previews and buildup, more like a training game, not much speed nor physicality. Paul Pogba fired the home side ahead after 16 minutes before former Red Devil Henrikh Mkhitaryan levelled the score soon after the interval and it looked like the visitors were able to get something out of the game. But Maroune Fellaini smashed in the winner in injury time seconds after Marcus Rashford had a goal disallowed, serving Wenger a bitter final farewell. “We want you to stay!” was the chant from the home fans. OUCH!

What a team! It was not Leicester’s day on Saturday afternoon at Selhurst Park. Crystal Palace led comfortably in the first half thanks to man of the match Wilfried Zaha and James McArthur. Marc Albrighton’s last-man tackle earned him a straight red and added to his side’s misery shortly after the break. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Patrick van Aanholt sealed the deal 4-0 later on, Christian Benteke topped it 5-0 from the spot, their joint-biggest win in the top-flight since December 1972 (when they thrashed Manchester United 5-0), thank you very much, leaving Roy Hodgson and co all smiles after going up to 11th with this win, 99.9% safe. What relegation worries?! Who would have thought a couple of months ago?! Claude Puel meanwhile, after his side's third defeat in the last four games, is under hotter than hot fire walking on super-thin melting ice...

Newcastle didn’t have much to cheer about either on Saturday afternoon losing 0-1 to West Brom thanks to Matt Phillips, the season trickling away for the Toons with their second defeat on the trot, whilst the bottom side are experiencing a remarkable upturn in form since Darren Moore has taken over as caretaker, four games unbeaten. Shame it has all come a bit too late for the Baggies, needing a miracle to survive, five points from safety with two games left to play and some other teams with a game in hand.

What a man! Dušan Tadić was outstanding for Southampton in their crucial 2-1 win against Bournemouth on Saturday. The Serb’s brace made the difference, the first a low finish after a counter attack, the second a superb run and drilled-in winner after Joshua King had fired in an equaliser for the visitors. Mark Hughes seems to be making a difference for the Saints, this win being vital in their fight for safety, taking them to just one point behind the Swans in 17th.

Huddersfield were pulled closer to the relegation zone after Everton beat them too comfortably at home, Cenk Tosun and Idrissa Gueye sealing the 0-2 win for the Toffees. What was all the negative fuss around Big Sam when he took over at Goodison Park?! The Toffees went up to eighth with this win, totalling 14 points from the last seven games as the boss himself pointed out as he departed from the post-match interview. Point. Made. David Wagner and his Terriers meanwhile are dangling in 16th, just three points from the drop with Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal left to play. TRIPLE OUCH!!!

What a goal! Most of the goals at the London Stadium were just comical, Manchester City all over West Ham. First Leroy Sané’s cross/shot was deflected in by former Red Devil Patrice Evra’s head, then Declan Rice and Pablo Zabaleta ping ponged Kevin De Bruyne’s low cross into the back of their own net. The Hammers did hit one back, Aaron Cresswell curling a free kick in nicely around the ball (which should have actually been a penalty as the foul was committed inside the box), but crumbled to bits after that. Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho were too quick and netted two more from close range after the restart, th-r-ash - and the Citizens could have had a penalty in between as well, Raheem Sterling chopped to ground. It ended 1-4, taking Pep’s men’s total to 102 goals in the PL and leaving no question who’s on top, all sorts of records tumbling (goals, points, away and in total). But the only downer was that it seemed like the ref didn’t know any rules - what’s offside? And what are the lines and box for?! Pf. More to the flopping refereeing standards below.

It was a scrappy one at Wembley on Monday night, Watford keeper Orestis Karnezis handing Dele Alli the opener before Harry Kane doubled Tottenham’s lead and secured the three points to the home side, moving them one step closer to Champions League qualification, 4th placed, five points ahead of Chelsea in 5th and just one point behind Liverpool in 3rd with a game in hand on the Reds. The Hornets meanwhile are still not completely safe, in 13th, six points clear from the drop zone, but other teams with games in hand. Next week will be crunch time for a lot of teams, top and bottom four/five/six/seven/eight/you get my drift...

What the hell?! The refereeing was below par once again as mentioned above, at Anfield as well, not excusing Liverpool’s tired display against Stoke City, but just pointing out how crucial the officials’ decisions can be and are. Click here for my full LFC match report of the frustrating goalless lunchtime kickoff on Saturday. ARGH!!!

Burnley had a couple of penalty appeals waved away as well, both clear handballs, Brighton grabbing a point from them at Turf Moor, the prior needing just one more point to secure their place in the Europa League, whilst the latter slip to 14th, five points clear of the relegation places.

Chelsea’s Gary Cahill was a very lucky man not to concede a spot kick for his tackle on Swansea’s Nathan Dyer in Wales in the Saturday evening kickoff. The Blues ended up 0-1 winners thanks to Cesc Fàbregas’ early goal and bad refereeing, leaving the Swans dangling just one point above the drop zone, all the questionable decisions keeping the battle to safety wide open, as detailed above.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Liverpool 3:1 Stoke City - 0:0 or my match report

Burnley 1:1 Brighton - 0:0

Crystal Palace 2:1 Leicester - 5:0

Huddersfield 1:1 Everton - 0:2

Newcastle 1:0 West Brom - 0:1

Southampton 2:1 Bournemouth - 2:1

Swansea 1:3 Chelsea - 0:1

West Ham 2:3 Man City - 1:4

Man United 2:1 Arsenal - 2:1

Tottenham 2:0 Watford - 2:0

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

All pictures, stats and facts were taken from the BBC match reports, PL and Sky Sports apps, Twitter and SFR coverage.

Dire Goalless Draw Not Helped By Ref

Sports - Football - Premier League- LIV 0:0 STK

It ended goalless between Liverpool and Stoke City in the lunchtime kickoff on Saturday, the Potters squeezing out a point and keeping their manager Paul Lambert’s unbeaten record at Anfield intact, a Premier League record of five games without defeat (5 = 2W 3D).

The home side did dominate as expected, star man Mohamed Salah missed a sitter early on and put a free kick wide.

With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out injured for the rest of the season, young defender Trent Alexander-Arnold played in a more attacking position, stumbling and wasting a great chance in the box.

Danny Ings, in place of a not-yet-fit Sadio Mané up front, saw his goal disallowed, flagged offside, so close.

Stubborn and very physical, the visitors had a couple of chances as well, nothing to worry Loris Karius too much though.

The second half continued dragging and frustrating for Jürgen Klopp and his men.

There was a handball appeal against man of the match defender Erik Pieters late on, who certainly gave his all, Georginio Wijnaldum was furious with the officials.

Virgil van Dijk was booked seconds later, Ryan Shawcross threatened with a chance but missed, it was end to end stuff in the final minutes.

James Milner was not happy with the referee either, nothing given after he was felled down, unlike when he had challenged to win the ball earlier on.

Six minutes were added on for all the injuries, Wijnaldum headed high, everyone in white surrounding Salah.

The great Egyptian looked tired, producing seven shots, none on target, the most he has had without scoring in a single game for Liverpool in all competitions. 

Roberto Firmino saw his penalty appeal in the final seconds ignored, Pieters getting away with it again, hugs all round as replays showed.

The Reds will be rightly disappointed to not have gotten more out of the match they bossed throughout, but the final edge was missing.

It was the first time in nine games the Reds failed to score at home in the league, since drawing 0-0 against West Brom in December, netting 27 in the eight games between the two goalless draws.

Klopp and co will be glad not to have more names added to the injury list after a very physical game with a lot of clashes and ouches, Jordan Henderson going down at the end of the first half but continued after treatment.

Next is the second and decisive leg of the Champions League semi-final in Rome on Wednesday before a trip to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League at the weekend with Chelsea looking to break into the top four.

Stoke meanwhile are three points from safety with two games left to play in the league (against Crystal Palace next weekend and at Swansea on the final day).

HT Stats: LIV 0-0 STK

Possession: 66%-34%

Shots: 7-1

On target: 1-0

Corners: 0-2

Fouls: 2-10

Yellow cards: 0-2

FT Stats: LIV 0-0 STK

Possession: 72%-28%

Shots: 19-5

On target: 2-1

Corners: 9-2

Fouls: 7-14

Yellow cards: 1-2

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius; 17 Klavan, 4 van Dijk (booked 88’), 12 Gomez; 18 Moreno, 5 Wijnaldum, 14 Henderson (c), 66 Alexander-Arnold (2 Clyne 65’); 28 Ings (7 Milner 65’), 9 Firmino, 11 Salah. 3-4-3 on Sky & PL apps, good old 4-3-3 on BBC & SFR with 18 & 66 completing the back line whilst 12 is in the middle... Bit of both in the end, sometimes back 5!!!

Subs not used: 6 Lovren, 22 Mignolet, 26 Robertson, 29 Solanke, 58 Woodburn.

Stoke City Team: 1 Butland; 3 Pieters, 15 Martins Indi (32 Sobhi Ahmed 52’), 17 Shawcross (c), 6 Zouma; 2 Bauer, 27 Ndiaye, 4 Allen, 22 Shaqiri; 25 Crouch (booked 36’) (24 Fletcher 65’), 18 Diouf (booked 42’). 4-4-2

Subs not used: 7 Ireland, 16 Adam, 20 Cameron, 29 Haugaard, 40 Campbell.

Referee: Andre Marriner

Man of the match: Erik Pieters

Ground: Anfield

Attendance: 53,255

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the Sky Sports and BBC match reports, Twitter, Sky Sports and Premier League apps and SFR coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 35

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 35

21 goals - most by Man City = 5

205 shots - most by Arsenal = 20

74 on target - most by Man City = 12

93 corners - most by Leicester = 11

169 fouls - most by Watford = 17

26 yellow cards - most by Crystal Palace = 5

0 red cards

1 penalty - 1 scored (Groß for Brighton)

What a game! It was a desperate show at the King Power on Thursday night, both Leicester and Southampton missing chances, failing to record anything, ending up sharing a point each after a goalless show, keeping them 8th on 44 points and 18th four points from safety respectively. Not much to shout about for either side, the Saints fans the more worried.

Doomed rock-bottom West Brom on the other hand performed a perfect comeback from two goals down on Saturday to grab a point from Liverpool, late drama and bad refereeing, click here for my full match report.

It was too little too late by Stoke as well on Sunday, taking the lead against Burnley thanks to Badou Ndiaye but ending up conceding an equaliser, Ashley Barnes grabbing a point for the visitors at the bet365 stadium, condemning the home side to more misery and closer to certainty of relegation.

What a team! Brighton moved closer to Premier League safety with a hard-fought point against Tottenham last Tuesday, Pascal Groß levelling the score from the spot 143 seconds after Harry Kane had put the visitors ahead shortly after the break at the Falmer Stadium. With the London side much changed ahead of their FA Cup semi-final clash against Manchester United on Saturday, Chris Hughton felt the point was well deserved. The Red Devils meanwhile made seven changes for their match at Bournemouth on Wednesday, ending up comfortable 0-2 winners thanks to Chris Smalling and sub Romelu Lukaku, despite the Cherries’ hard work and penalty appeal(s). Refereeing had once again not been good all round this week, more below.

Manchester City showed the glaring gap and difference between the top and the bottom of the table thrashing 17th placed Swansea 5-0 at the Etihad on Sunday, followed by awesome scenes afterwards of selfies, chants and celebrations of the fans and players all over the pitch. Can only say congratulations again! 

What a man! The biggest news was Arsène Wenger’s announcement on Friday, of leaving Arsenal at the end of the season after 22 years. End of an era. And as a Liverpool fan I can say to the Gunners and their fans, be careful what you wish for. That unbeaten team (of 2004) is the best I’ve ever watched and that is a lot to say and see during the Fergie era!!! Yes, that’s a long time ago and a lot has happened since, but you cannot ignore the Frenchman’s massive influence in the team and game in general, how much it has changed and evolved with him! It will be hard to follow up. Names like Brendan Rodgers are already flying around. I’m just shaking my head... Pf... Taking charge of his 1,228th game on Sunday, facing West Ham, the atmosphere was certainly different, it was all about “Merci Arsène”. There were plenty of injuries and changes ahead of their Europa League semi-final. And the Gunners huffed and puffed and missed plenty, Joe Hart made a couple of splendid saves, it looked like same old frustrations. But it all exploded in the second half, the Hammers fighting back but three goals in seven minutes including Alexandre Lacazette’s brace made it 4-1 and was enough to keep the Emirates loud and singing “There’s only one Arsène Wenger!”.

What a goal! ((What a miss it was by Alvaro Morata for Chelsea, with just keeper Nick Pope to beat and make it 0-2 at Turf Moor in their game in hand on Thursday night, the Spaniard put the golden chance wide. The visitors were lucky enough to be ahead through Kevin Long’s own goal. Burnley equalised eight minutes later thanks to Barnes. But Victor Moses restored the lead for the Blues soon after.))

Rafael Benítez’s 100th game in charge of Newcastle was not much to write about on Monday night, Theo Walcott spoiling the show with a fine walloping finish to hand Everton their fifth consecutive top-flight win against Newcastle for the first time since January 1920 and end their run of three league games without a win. It was the only shot on target for the Toffees. The Magpies have won just one of their last 14 league trips to Goodison Park (D3 L10). And it says a lot that these stats were a more interesting read than the match itself. ZzZzZ

What the hell?! The goalless draw between Watford and Crystal Palace on Saturday ended feisty with bookings galore - how the referee at the Hawthorns didn’t distribute cards I just do not understand! As mentioned above, the refereeing has been so bad and inconsistent all round, something needs to be done! VAR has not been popular with the teams, but some kind of review system has to be introduced to improve the game! And not make the officials look like ignorant, bias, insecure and/or dodgy dummies! I keep ranting on about it nearly every week, the teams have rejected the VAR system, BUT SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE!!!

My Predictions - Actual Results

Brighton 1:2 Tottenham - 1:1*

Bournemouth 2:1 Man United - 0:2*

((Burnley 2:2 Chelsea - 1:2))

Leicester 2:1 Southampton - 0:0*

West Brom 1:3 Liverpool - 2:2 or my match report

Chelsea P:P Huddersfield*

Watford 1:1 Crystal Palace - 0:0

Arsenal 2:2 West Ham - 4:1

Stoke 1:2 Burnley - 1:1

Man City 5:1 Swansea - 5:0

Everton 2:2 Newcastle - 1:0

*rescheduled/postponed due to the FA Cup semi-finals

((Game in hand, see week 31; 3 goals, 5-16 shots, 2-5 on target, 3-2 corners, 9-11 fouls, 1-0 yellow cards; not counted towards this week’s totals))

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 34

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 34

The 34th week of the Premier League action saw:

29 goals - most by Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Liverpool & Man City = 3 each

236 shots - most by Liverpool = 20

80 on target - most by Crystal Palace = 8

108 corners - most by West Ham = 10

230 fouls - most by Stoke = 21

39 yellow cards - most by Southampton = 5

0 red cards 

1 penalty - Gündogan for Man City

What a game! Unlike last week, this weekend kicked of with a cracker at St Mary’s. Southampton could not have asked for a better start after going two goals up thanks to Dušan Tadić (21’) and Jan Bednarek (60’), Chelsea just chasing shadows, the home side in total control. However, a crazy eight minutes in the last quarter saw three goals, substitute Olivier Giroud with a brace (70’ & 78’) and Eden Hazard (75’) completing a perfect comeback for the Blues, stunning and silencing the Saints. What a turnaround. And more goal-fests were on their way, see below.

Crystal Palace and Brighton enjoyed a love-hate relationship with set pieces in their clash at Selhurst Park - seeing four goals netted in the opening quarter!!! And that was not all, see below.

What a team! Burnley are moving closer to Europa League qualification recording their fifth consecutive win with two goals in three minutes in the opening nine minutes by former Fox Chris Wood (6’) and Kevin Long (9’), Jamie Vardy (72’) pulling one back eventually but Leicester were nowhere, wasteful, too little too late, just like last week, a record eighth time the Yorkshire man has scored and lost this season. Man of the match Nick Pope did a brilliant job keeping and frustrating the hell out of the 2016 champions.

Manchester City ended Spurs’ 14-match unbeaten run beating the Londoners confidently 1-3 at Wembley in the late late kick-off on Saturday, bouncing back from their Champions League exit against Liverpool and leaving them on the brink of winning the Premier League. See below who served them the title on Sunday.

What a man! Mohamed Salah (69’) headed in his 30th league goal, 40th of the season in all competitions, after Sadio Mané (7’) netted his 10th and 17th respectively and Roberto Firmino (90’) finished the game off with his 15th and 25th respectively, to make it Liverpool 3-0 against Bournemouth at Anfield. That takes the front trio’s total to 55 goals in the league, 82 all round, the Reds moving up to third overtaking Tottenham after their defeat against Man City. And that’s the eighth clean sheet in the last 12 games, five conceded, 29 scored by Jürgen Klopp's men, the only unbeaten team at home left in all four divisions. Mind-blowing! 

West Brom caretaker boss Darren Moore absolutely dwarfed Manchester United manager José Mourinho, not just in statue but with the teams’ contrasting performances as well. Watching the match, you would have never have guessed it was at Old Trafford, the bottom side dominated play and didn’t let the Red Devils into the game, Jay Rodriguez (73’) heading in the winner that handed Manchester City the title for the third time in seven years. I’m sure Sir Alex Ferguson was wondering who/what/why he was watching and seeing, whilst Pep Guardiola’s golfing afternoon most certainly turned so much sweeter, becoming the first Spaniard to win the English title. And with five games to spare they equalled the English top-flight record of United (1907-08 & 2000-01) and Everton (1984-85) of being crowned the earliest champions! Congratulations to the Citizens, definitely simply the best this season! 

What a goal! Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha’s second was a lovely finish, raising and heading the ball in acrobatically, to make it 3-1 after just 24 minutes against Brighton. José Izquierdo made it five goals in under 35 minutes with a sublime curl into the bottom corner to make it 3-2. Game on!!! The scoreline stayed that way though after the all-guns-blazing firing start taking Roy Hodgson’s men to only their second win in the last 11 games and six points clear of the drop zone.

Swansea’s Kyle Naughton’s own goal gave Everton the lead against the run of play in Wales (43’), off his face, it was a bit bizarre, the home side thinking they’ve cleared it, the ref’s watch proving differently. Jordan Ayew grabbed a goal and point back for the Swans (71’) but it will still have felt like two points dropped, Toffees boss Big Sam praising Wayne Rooney for his performance, much in contrast to last week’s Merseyside derby tantrum.

Substitute Tom Ince left it later than late to find a last-minute winner against Watford (90’+1’), slotting in Mathias Jørgensen’s fine cut back to record the Tigers’ first win in six. Crucial goals and points all round in the relegation battle, this result taking Huddersfield seven points clear of the bottom three.

And it was all about the subs at West Ham too, Peter Crouch netting for Stoke after Joe Hart spilled Xherdan Shaqiri’s shot (79’) before Andy Carroll grabbed a point back with a fine volley (90’) coming off the bench in his first game since January. It was a late rescue after the home side already saw three goals disallowed, the result leaving the Potters in 19th, the end of their 10-year PL stint edging closer and closer, the Hammers happier in 14th, seven points safe from the drop zone.

What the hell?! Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso was lucky not to see red for his challenge on Saint Shane Long, Mark Hughes was not happy, Antonio Conte saw nothing of course. Yeah, rrrrright.

Newcastle recorded their first home win against Arsenal since 10 December 2005 ending a losing streak of ten games with their 2-1 comeback win at St James’ Park on Sunday thanks to Ayoze Pérez (29’) and Matt Ritchie (68’) after Alexandre Lacazette (14’) had opened the scoring for the visitors. The Gunners continued their miserable away run remaining winless on the road in 2018 - losing five successive away league games for the first time since 1984. Salud to Rafael Benítez, his club should be safe in 10th, 13 points clear of the drop; same old misery for Arsène Wenger, stuck in sixth, Burnley sneaking up on them in seventh. Merde.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Southampton 1:2 Chelsea - 2:3

Burnley 1:1 Leicester - 2:1

Crystal Palace 1:1 Brighton - 3:2

Huddersfield 0:0 Watford - 1:0

Swansea 2:1 Everton - 1:1

Liverpool 4:1 Bournemouth - 3:0

Tottenham 1:1 Man City - 1:3

Newcastle 1:2 Arsenal - 2:1

Man United 2:0 West Brom - 0:1

West Ham 1:1 Stoke City - 1:1

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 33

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 33

The 33rd week of the Premier League action saw:

29 goals - most by Man United & Arsenal = 3 each
220 shots - most by Chelsea = 23
74 on target - most by Southampton = 8
96 corners - most by Bournemouth = 11
188 fouls - most by Stoke City = 19
34 yellow cards - most by Man City = 6
3 red cards - Pröpper for Brighton, Stephens for Southampton, El Neny for Arsenal
0 penalties

What a game! The weekend started with Merseyside derby disappointment, a goalless training game at Goodison Park, click here for my full match report! To Manchester madness in the evening, it was a game of two halves all right!!! City were bossing it in the first half, Vincent Kompany and İlkay Gündoğan putting the Citizens on top and it could have been so much more, no reply whatsoever from the Red Devils. Until the second half, two goals in two minutes by man of the match Paul Pogba (53' & 55') and Chris Smalling with just over 20 minutes to go completed the comeback for the visitors. Pep Guardiola's men had more chances, including substitute Sergio Agüero and Raheem Sterling, but the woodwork and David de Gea saved the day for José Mourinho's team. That's the blue side of Manchester's title celebrations postponed for now, whilst the red part widened the gap to their Scouser rivals in third place.

What a team! Newcastle recorded their third Premier League win on the trot beating Leicester thanks to goals from Jonjo Shelvey and Ayoze Pérez, Jamie Vardy pulling one back late on. More below. Boss Rafa Benítez feels his side are "nearly" safe, in tenth place, ten points from the drop zone, with a game in hand, I think Rafa is right with his assumption. Muy bien. The Foxes meanwhile, have lost momentum, remaining stuck in eighth, six points behind Burnley in seventh after their 1-2 comeback at Watford. The two sides meet next weekend, a win is a must for Claude Puel's side if they want to stay in the race for Europa League qualification. A far cry from the title-winning side two years ago... Très triste!

What a man! Christian Eriksen's brace helped Tottenham to their sixth consecutive league win consolidating their place in the top four by beating Stoke 1-2 increasing the home side's relegation fears stuck in 19th, four points from safety. Swansea meanwhile came from behind to grab a point at West Brom, the Baggies ending their eight-game run of straight defeats in Darren Moore's first match as caretaker manager in place of Alan Pardew after just 21 matches in charge (W3 D5 L14).
Joe Hart made a couple of top-class saves for West Ham at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, taking two points off Chelsea and bagging their own thanks to sub Chicharito's goal seconds after coming on. The point took the Hammers four points clear of the drop zone in 14th.

What a goal! Joshua King's last-minute goal for Bournemouth nicked a point against Palace after the London side had come back twice at Dean Court! The draw keeps the Eagles in 17th, widening the gap to the drop zone ever so slightly but crucially to three points. A crazy couple of minutes at the Amex Stadium saw Jonas Lössl give Brighton the lead seeing the ball rebound off his head and into his own net before Steve Mounié pounced on Shane Duffy's back pass to equalise for Huddersfield. Davy Pröpper's late sending off gave the visitors some hope of grabbing a late winner, but it stayed 1-1, a crucial point in the relegation battle for the sides in 13th and 16th respectively.
Danny Welbeck scored two and made one, sealing the win for Arsenal, just, 3-2 against Southampton on Sunday, which saw both teams reduced to ten men in injury time. Both sides scraped and scratched, punched and hit, the Gunners dealing the Saints the final blow, it was not an easy watch for either side.

What the hell?! The referees did not make many friends again this weekend!!! Foxes defender Harry Maguire was lucky not to be sent off for his hand on Toon Dwight Gayle's face. The following bust-up didn't help either side. And Leicester's penalty appeal for Paul Dummett's collision with Riyad Mahrez was overlooked/ignored as well. You could argue things evened themselves out... There was a handball before West Brom's goal, which could/should have been a red card in the end. Was it just a bit of luck for the caretaker boss?! And City should have had a penalty after Ashley Young's two-footed tackle on substitute Agüero. Various booking decisions by the officials were very questionable at the Etihad. The derby is a difficult and challenging clash to officiate and keep control over, but come on! The Merseyside derby saw no bookings for the first times since 1992, but there were numerous questionable decisions there as well, clashes, fouls, etc. It was like the referees were just reluctant to make any decisions!!! Did they have any bets on?!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Everton 1:1 Liverpool - 0:0 or my match report
Bournemouth 2:1 Crystal Palace - 2:2
Brighton 2:1 Huddersfield - 1:1
Leicester 1:1 Newcastle - 1:2
Stoke City 1:3 Tottenham - 1:2
Watford 1:1 Burnley - 1:2
West Brom 1:1 Swansea - 1:1
Man City 3:1 Man United - 2:3
Arsenal 3:0 Southampton - 3:2
Chelsea 3:1 West Ham - 1:1

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 26

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 26

The 26th week of the Premier League action saw:

35 goals - most by Arsenal = 5
247 shots - most by Brighton, Crystal Palace & Watford = 21 each
92 on target - most by Bournemouth, Newcastle & Watford = 8 each
94 corners - most by Man City = 13
206 fouls - most by Stoke City & Huddersfield = 19 each
36 yellow cards - most by Burnley & Huddersfield = 4 each
1 red card - Bakayoko for Chelsea
5 penalties - 3 scored (Milivojevic for Palace, Kane for Tottenham, Deeney for Watford)

What a game! Two goals in three minutes turned the game around for Southampton just before the break at The Hawthorns after West Brom had taken the lead early on. Ahmed Hegazi had headed the home side ahead 4', Mario Lemina levelling the score with a 20-yard stunner 40' before Jack Stephens' header put the Saints ahead 43'. On loan from Liverpool Daniel Sturridge started for the Baggies for the first time but didn't show much input with just one shot in the game. James Ward-Prowse made it three after the restart before Salomón Rondón pulled one back for the hosts with just under 20 minutes to go. But the points went to the visitors, saving Mauricio Pellegrino's job? This result ended their 12-game winless run, whilst Alan Pardew's men have been plunged down to the bottom of the table.
Bournemouth made a comeback against Stoke City, sub Lys Mousset with the winner 79', his first Premier League goal, after Josh King's low equaliser 70', Xherdan Shaqiri with the early headed opener. This win extended the Cherries' unbeaten run to seven games, the longest current run shared with Tottenham, and moved them up to ninth. It's Paul Lambert's first defeat in charge of the Potters, seeing his side drop back into the relegation zone.

What a team! It took only six minutes for Aaron Ramsey to give Arsenal the lead against Everton, finding all the gaps. Laurent Koscielny doubled the score with a low header, under 15 minutes gone, Big Sam frowning at his defense, Arsène Wenger all smiles. Game over?! A Ramsey smacker from over 20 yards out made it three 19', the January club-record £56m signing from Dortmund netted the fourth 38' (even though replays showed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was offside), and with just over 15 minutes to go Ramsey completed his first career hat-trick (the 20th Gunner to do so in the PL) to make it 5-1 to the home side after substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin had pulled one back for the visitors. It was just what the Gunners' doctor ordered after all the transfer fiasco and bad results. The only bad news for them was that keeper Peter Čech had to go off injured after colliding with Oumar Niasse who hit the post. Apart from that and the one goal, the Toffees were shambles, no contest whatsoever.

What a man! Paul Pogba dropped to the bench for Manchester United's match against Huddersfield, José Mourinho ringing in the changes after last week's disappointing result and display. It worked, Romelu Lukaku breaking the Terriers' bus after the interval. New arrival from Arsenal Alexis Sànchez doubled the lead netting the rebound off his weak spot kick, his first goal for the Red Devils. David Wagner's men couldn't even produce a shot on target and are the 20th consecutive team to lose on their first PL visit to Old Trafford, since Derby County won there 3-2 in 1996-97. The home side cruised to the three points at Old Trafford in the end, reducing the gap to the top to 13 points.
The referee took centre stage at Anfield after Mohamed Salah's double nearly won it for Liverpool if it weren't for Victor Wanyama's thunderbolt equaliser and Harry Kane's late late controversial leveller from the spot after the top striker had missed another dubious penalty minutes beforehand for Tottenham. It all happened in a mad final ten minutes, the game ending 2-2 with plenty of talking points, especially about the officials!!! Click here for my full match report to find out who stole the top scorers' limelights!

What a goal! What a smacker Manchester City's opener at Burnley in the early kick-off on Saturday was! Off a Kevin De Bruyne corner, taken short to Bernardo Silva on the left side, passed across to Danilo 10ish yards outside the box, who nailed it with his right foot curled into the top right corner of the net, giving keeper Nick Pope no chance, one, two, three, bang, unstoppable. Pep Guardiola's men dominated throughout, how Raheem Sterling missed a sitter from just a couple of yards out, only the former Liverpool man knows. His manager reacted furious and took the midfielder off. And the Citizens were made to pay, 82', Johann Berg Gudmundsson whacked in the equaliser at the back post from close range, off sub Matthew Lowton, between two defenders and past keeper Ederson Moraes, who got a glove to it but not more. It's the first time the league leaders dropped points in the final ten minutes in the league this season, but still extended their lead to 16 points before the afternoon matches. Sean Dyche and his men must have been chuffed with the point and style of their comeback despite having now gone nine league games without a win.

What the hell?! After scoring a mesmerising equaliser for West Ham against Brighton, Javier Hernández kicked the ball into his own face. From wow to ouch, top to flop, boom to blooper, lmao! And to add salt to that sour wound, José Izquierdo cut inside and went for it, putting Brighton ahead with a sensational finish, pace, power, pow, wow. Pascal Groß made it 3-1 and three points for the Seagulls at the Amex, manager Chris Hughton's first win in seven. It was the 10,000th match played in Premier League history.
Swansea equalised with their first and only shot on target at Leicester thanks to Federico Fernández, after Jamie Vardy had put the dominant home side ahead, their missed chances proving costly at the King Power Stadium.
And Watford took 10-man Chelsea to pieces on Monday night, thrashing them 4-1 at Vicarage Road, putting Blues manager Antonio Conte on thinner than thin and rapidly melting ice. At least the Italian took the blame after the match questioning his lineup but oddly still maintained his position not feeling any pressure. Pf, has he forgotten who his employer is?!
My predictions went down the drain, drastically and dramatically once again. Who can spell that d-word at the back of the field for me please? Defennse? Defents? Lol! :-P

My Predictions - Actual Results
Burnley 1:2 Man City - 1:1
Bournemouth 3:1 Stoke City - 2:1
Brighton 1:2 West Ham - 3:1
Leicester 2:1 Swansea - 1:1
Man United 3:0 Huddersfield - 2:0
West Brom 1:0 Southampton - 2:3
Arsenal 2:1 Everton - 5:1
Crystal Palace 2:2 Newcastle - 1:1
Liverpool 2:2 Tottenham - 2:2 or my match report
Watford 1:1 Chelsea - 4:1

Click here for my previous Premier League Picks Of The Week.

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