I watch every minute of every match
Week 8 Premier League Review
Tottenham vs West Ham
Tottenham came out well, very sharp on the ball and high pressing when losing it. West Ham struggled to get out early with their first attack coming from Bowen down the right. He played a cross through the legs of Vande de Ven straight across the box to Kudus whose first time strike on his weaker right foot was straight at Vicario (11’). Kulusevski who was playing in midfield was the key for Tottenham providing the moments of brilliance and transition into attack. All the pressure for Tottenham came to a head with nearly the entire West Ham team pushed into their box and Son from just inside the left side of the box maneuvering a window open and curling wide of the post (16’). Then against all the momentum West Ham with their second attack scored to take the lead. It started down the left side with Emerson laying off back to Kudus who drove a cross into the box that Bowen on the far side was able to pick up and go to the line before playing across and finding Kudus for the second time who made no mistake this time around and smashed home 0-1 (18’). Despite having the lead West Ham continued to sit deep and invite the pressure, not really pressing the ball until they got within 30 yards of goal. In doing so Tottenham continued to get into the box and a chipped ball into the box by Udogie from the byline found Johnson who somehow missed from 6 yards out with the ball hitting off his shoulder when he really should have scored (28’). After all that pressure Tottenham finally got their breakthrough catching West Ham on the counter with Kulusevski cutting in from the left and firing a shot at the front post 1-1 (36’). It was poor from Areola who got a solid hand to it but seemed to be slightly beaten by the pace as it hit both posts and crawled in to give Tottenham the leveller. Spurs continued to get in behind West Ham and create some half chances. As the first half flew by, both sides entered the half level. Kulusevski was brilliant in the first half taking over the creativity that was normally provided by Maddison who was brought off at half for Pape Sarr in a surprising change but based on the first half not entirely unwarranted. The trend of the first half continued and with Maddison off it gave Kulusevski the ability to roam all over the pitch and find more open space. The next action came from a slow concentrated build up down the left hand side that allowed Udogie to get to the goal line from a Son pass. He then turned and rolled it back to Bissouma at the top of the box who calmly slotted home leaving Areola no chance and giving Tottenham the deserved lead 2-1 (52’). Then in quick succession Tottenham got their second of the half with West Ham getting caught in the middle of the park and the shot by Son being saved by Areolas foot but hitting Todibo and rolling in for the own goal 3-1 (55’). Then as West Ham looked to push forward and get something from the game a quick out ball from Sarr to Son allowed him to run at Todibo 1v1 and Son proceeded to do multiple step overs and finish near post past Areola to put the game away 4-1 (60’). West Ham were reeling and nearly gave up another off the kickoff with a through ball being cut out which fell to Son at the top of the box who smacked the foot of post in what should have been 5. Then West Ham, down the other end, had another clear chance but was blocked off the line by Udogie (62’). West Ham continued to be caught on the break as Brennan Johnson got a good chance but was saved well by Areola with the rebound just falling out of reach for Solanke (66’). Then as the game seemed to just calm down and be seen out by Tottenham Kudus made a stupid foul on Van de Ven who took exception and shoved him and in his attempt to shove back made contact with Van de Ven’s face who as all players do flop on the ground trying to elicit red cards. It was dumb by Kudus because of how everything is treated nowadays with VAR and referees itching to give red cards. It is always funny to hear these commentators talking about how everything has to be a red card when back in their day you could try and break people’s legs and not even get a card for it. It didn’t really matter in the context of the game but was very problematic for West Ham as he has consistently been their best player all season despite the poor start.
Fulham vs Aston Villa
It was a very fast start for the home side, after an early back and forth exchange Leno played a long ball straight up the middle that caught the Villa line high. Pau Torres didn’t deal with the ball and let it bounce and was muscled off the ball very easily by Raul Jimenez who took one touch off his chest into the box before smashing home with his left foot off the bottom of the post giving Martinez no chance 1-0 (5’). The back and forth continued with Fulham’s press being broken through very easily and the middle of the pitch being open with Ramsey finding Rogers who took a few touches towards the top of the box before firing a shot that was going to be comfortable for Leno before taking a fortunate deflection off of Bassey to take it into the exact opposite corner it was headed for leaving Leno no chance and leveling up the match 1-1 (9’). The openness of the game continued with a Fulham corner on the left flank curled in by Periera that found the head of Jimenez inside the six yard box who somehow headed wide of the goal when that seemed like the harder thing to do (11’). There was no excuse for that miss and Fulham should have been in front. The very entertaining back and forth game continued with a poor give away by Robinson in the middle of the pitch finding Tielmans who drove at the line of defense playing in Ollie Watkins into the left side of the box. Leno came out quickly and closed him down doing very well to save his shot in a big chance to retake the lead (18’). As the match continued it felt like the midfields were nonexistent, and then Fulham were given a gift after a cross from their rb found the head of Jimenez whose header hit a clearly outstretched arm of Matty Cash for a penalty. Andreas Periera stepped up to the spot and hit a far too casual penalty down to Martinez’s left who guessed right and saved extremely comfortably (26’). Villa started to up the tempo and gained control, really pushing Fulham back forcing them to counter. The warning signs were coming as the Villa movement kept getting them in down the left flank between the rb and cb and getting crosses in that were just missing the final touch. It all culminated when another brilliant move and cross found the oncoming Rogers who had the whole goal to aim at and really should have scored and at least hit the target but hit wide (43’). A very thoroughly entertaining first half with both sides having chances to take the lead but squandering golden opportunities. Leon Bailey continued to have a very poor game with nothing going his way and really hindering Villa down their right hand side. After being peppered in the first half with balls to the front post on 7 corners and Fulham looking nervy Villa took advantage with their second corner of the second half with Tielmans finding Watkins on the front post at the edge of the six yard box. Watkins did well to direct it goal ward and let the pace on the ball do the work as it beat Leno and smacked the underside of the bar and bounced in to give Villa a deserved lead 1-2 (60’). Then to add onto Fulham’s woes a give away in the middle of the park found Rogers on the ball who played a brilliant pass in behind that Watkins just got to and just got his body in front of Joachim Anderson who brought him down and as the last man was sent off (64’). Fulham tried to get back into the game and were willing to press high but were punished for it with Villa getting down the left flank and Digne playing a cross into the box that caused chaos. The new substitute Diop turned it into his own net past Leno who was about to claim easily 1-3 (69’). Then in stoppage time Philogene was sent off with a second yellow for very very slightly pushing Reiss Nelson who was already falling and flopping to the ground. It wasn’t even a foul, nevertheless a second yellow card and very poor from the referee.
The whole match changed for Fulham after the missed penalty with Villa getting control of the game and not looking back since. Back to back disappointing weeks for Fulham when they were in it against two of the best in the league and had their chances to take the points
Manchester United vs Brentford
The first sign of danger came early on for United with Brentford on the attack with Schade whiffing on a brilliant cross into the box that was awkward enough for Jonny Evans to miss and allow him a chance right in the middle of the box (3’). Manchester United defended in a 4-4-2 knowing that Brentford would look to play out during all circumstances. Both sides were looking dangerous early getting into the final third with Brentford having more shots early but neither side troubling the keepers. United looked good in possession and were getting picked off on the high press. The best chance of the first half came while Brentford was on the attack and United caught them lacking on a quick counter with Rashford playing a perfect switch to Garnacho who drove into the box and a had a decent shooting opportunity on his left foot but couldn’t direct it goalward (36’). Garnacho got plenty of opportunities to run at the Brentford RB but couldn’t make the most of it. Then as De Ligt was on the sideline trying to stop the bleeding from his head, Brentford got their third corner of the match. Down to 10 men for the last kick of the half Dalot for some reason didn’t follow his runner in Pinnock who ran free to the front post and headed home from 6 yards out to give Brentford the lead 0-1 (45+5’). It was a fairly even half with both sides having equal possession with Brentford starting well while United grew into the match taking more control. Neither side had any really clear chances until Dalot missed his mark and gave up the goal. United came out quickly in the second half getting higher up the pitch looking to be more threatening and caught Brentford on the back foot. Rashford was given far too much time and space slightly deep on the right flank and played a perfect cross to the back post where Garnacho all alone volleyed home to tie the match 1-1 (47’). It was the most difficult of all the chances he had with 5 attempts in the first half that were all poor. He then nearly doubled his tally 3 minutes later cutting in from the left flank firing a shot from 25 yards out that was low and bouncing which forced Flekken into a very good fingertip save with the sun in his eyes. The momentum was clearly with United as they continued to threaten and Brentford struggled to get a foothold and tried to slow the game down to give themselves a break. The waves of attack and uplift in energy bore fruit as the high pressing forced Brentford into a poor clearance that allowed Martinez to play to Eriksen who in acres of space found Fernandes who perfectly flicked around Collins in behind to the perfectly timed run of Hojlund who deftly chipped over Flekken to give United the 2-1 lead (62’). In the second half Dalot played higher at times drifting to the middle in possession. With the ball at Onana’s feet he played one long ball over the top that caught the Brentford defense high and Dalot was through 1v1 but was put off by the stumbling Schade who bought enough time for Flekken to close the space and save away (68’). United really looked like they stepped up a level and were in a different class as they saw out the rest of the match with ease leaving everyone to wonder why they don’t perform like this more often. It was their most impressive half of the season with how they looked, scoring two goals with the opportunities for more and defensive solidity that had evaded them thus far this season. The first half they sat back at times while in the second they looked inspired and forced Brentford to be perfect to break them down. In the second half the midfield of United really shut them down, not allowing Brentford to get on the ball in the same spaces.
Newcastle vs Brighton
A very entertaining start to the match with Newcastle threatening Brighton’s box as Brighton were a little sloppy and weren’t quite settled. Newcastle were having waves of attack getting into the Brighton box, and keeping a Brighton side that normally plays a high line within 25 yards of their own goal. It was absolute dominance for Newcastle early but they were unable to find the final pass or force Verbruggen into a save. Newcastle’s first clear chance came from Guimares finding Isak with a through ball between the two center backs that left him 1v1 with Verbruggen just inside the 18 yard box who did well coming out quickly and closing the angle down. Isak then shot nearly straight at him and was saved by an outstretched arm but he really should have scored (33’). Gordon caused havoc down the left flank and Brighton were unable to get into the attacking third and do anything until a free kick they won in their own half was played long and Newcastle were caught out leaving a 2v2 of Welbeck and Rutter against Schar and Hall. Welbeck chested it down and played a one two with Rutter who played him in behind into the box to finish past Pope 0-1 (35’). It was completely against the run of play with Brighton having done nothing in the match and scoring with their first attack. It was poor from Newcastle and clinical by Brighton who showed their cutting edge. That goal seemingly woke Brighton up and they finally got into the match after scoring with their first touch in Newcastle’s box. At the half it would have baffled Eddie Howe that they were behind with it basically being one way traffic the entire half and with Newcastle now behind had even more pressure to get back into the match. The first chance of the second half came from a Brighton corner that found Dunk on the penalty spot who on the volley could only sky it over the bar (48’). The atmosphere continued to rise with every attack and Newcastle’s first chance came from a quick attack down the right with Isak lofting a ball into the box that found the head of Gordon who from 7 yards out headed over the bar but should have scored (53’). Brighton were much more comfortable and had more possession in the second half not allowing Newcastle all the space they had in the first. Newcastle were inching closer as the half wore on with Verbruggen making some good saves and that killer ball being falling short in the biggest moments. The game really started to open up 60 minutes in as the intensity started to show and mistakes occurred. First Newcastle failed to shield the ball out on their own goal line allowing a cross into the box that found Kadioglu who looked to have a clear strike on goal before being denied by a brilliant block from Burn. Then a few minutes later the Brighton back line got caught high and not marking, allowing a ball over the top to Gordon who couldn’t bring the ball down well enough and with the defenders incoming could only fire a tame shot straight at Verbruggen despite getting into the box 1v1. Yet again for Newcastle they created a brilliant chance but lacked the clinical edge which would ultimately be their demise. Then a mistake by Livramento trying to control a ball instead of clearing away allowed Mitoma to pick it off and get in behind but was denied by the head of the sprawled out Pope (83’). Brighton then had two more opportunities to seal it with Wieffer getting in behind and only able to hit the bouncing ball straight at the onrushing Pope before the follow up was smashed wide by Mitoma. Newcastle were right there but couldn’t create anything more for the rest of the match as Brighton held on to take a brilliant 3 points.
In the end Newcastle should have got back into the match and Brighton could have sealed it away but the clinical edge is what separated the sides in an entertaining match.
Referees continue to give freekicks for clear flops giving teams the ability to get out of danger when they have barely been touched and fall to the ground. Infuriating to watch.
Southampton vs Leicester
As expected Leicester were happy to concede possession to Southampton who everyone knew would be playing out from everywhere. Southampton got the first chance of the match with an inswinging corner from the right that found the head of Aribo who smashed the crossbar and showed early warning signs for Leicester. A free kick taken quickly in their own half caught Leicester who switched off for a moment allowing Walker Peters to drive down the left before playing to Manning whose cross took a nick off Faes and fell straight into the path of Archer who tapped home giving Southampton the early lead 1-0 (8’). Leicester got their first chance from a freekick dileep on the right flank that found Faes who on the full stretch could only direct it over the bar. Then just a few minutes later a free kick on the left flank for Leicester found Justin, who wide open mistimed his header as the ball hit his shoulder and went wide (13’). Leicester seemed to work their way back into the game and settled in but lacked a little energy and intensity. Then right as it seemed liked they had gained their composure Southampton got a spell of possession and again from the left side, Walker Peters got around Justin to the byline before cutting back towards the top of the six yard box where a wide open Aribo was there to pass into the net to give Southampton a rare 2-0 lead (28’). They then nearly tripled their advantage after a through ball from Dibling to Sugawara who played across to Archer who inexplicably tried to take a touch and missed when he should have shot first time, followed by a throw in from the right flank that found Downes whose volley was saved and grabbed just before rolling in to the net. Leicester continued to take more charge as Southampton started to sit back a little and the pressure nearly bore fruit. It was a very patient move that ended with El Khannous getting the ball inside the left hand side of the box turning and getting the strike away that beat Ramsdale but hit off the inside of the post and came out (42’). Despite the two goal lead the match was still very open with both sides looking and having opportunities to score. In a rarity Ramsdale had nearly nothing to do in the first half. Leicester came out with one change in the second half with Winks replacing Skipp. A very cautious start for Leicester as Southampton were more dangerous and Faes nearly scored a diving header into his own goal if not for a brilliant save by Hermansen. (50’). It wasn’t till the 55th minute that Leicester started to show signs of life in the second half with Buonanotte slipping in Vardy into the box who uncharacteristically took too long and faked a shot eventually having his effort blocked. Everyone expected Vardy to shoot after the first touch being through and having a clear strike on gaol with only Ramsdale to beat (57’). Leicester then brought on an attacker for their fullback in an attempt to go more attacking while Southampton due to an injury to Sugawara brought on Fraser who was a winger to play in the lwb position. This immediately got taken advantage of with Fatawu the substitute going 1v1 at Fraser who was clearly not used to being in that position and was beaten far too easily to the line. Fatawu then played the ball across to Buonanotte who was able to tap in and half the deficit 2-1 (64’). The pressure and tension in the atmosphere was palpable as the home fans tried to rally behind Southampton who should have sealed the game minutes later. An inswinging corner from the right found Harwood Bellis wide open on the back post who somehow couldn’t direct his header goalward from inside the six yard box. Then a few minutes after that Fatawu picked up the ball on the right touchline and drove at the Southampton defense before cutting in and hitting an absolute stunner of a shot that curled beautifully before smashing the underside of the crossbar and somehow stayed out. Then from the same possession as Leicester picked the ball up on the left flank a perfect cross was played back across where Fatawu was denied brilliantly by Ramsadale and as the ball just stopped on the line Frasier grabbed enough of the back of Vardy’s shirt to prevent him from tapping in to level the match. VAR looked at it and a penalty was given which I felt was the right decision.. Vardy then stepped up and smashed home to tie the match 2-2 (74’). Leicester then had the upper hand a man up and pushed hard looking for a winner. Southampton were clinging on facing wave after wave of attack. Leicester nearly gave it up themselves after a long ball by Ramsdale won by the 6’8 Onuachu led Sulemana in on goal but he took a touch too long allowing Faes to get in for the block (90+2’). Southampton seemed to have done enough surviving the crosses and shots until the last kick of the game. Leicester got a corner which was played low on the ground towards the top of the box where a wide open Ayew struck into the bottom corner to snatch the 3 points away from Southampton 3-2 (90+8’). The entire Southampton team was bunched up inside the 6 yard box and Ayew made the most of his opportunity. Questions can be asked as it was only supposed to be 7 minutes of added time but when Leicester took the corner it was already 7:30 seconds into stoppage time.
It was an absolute Soul crushing defeat for Southampton who will in all likelihood be getting relegated as long as they stay under the management of Russell Martin and may even finish with the lowest points tally ever as we are nearly a quarter way through the season and they have 1 point. The squad itself was weak coming into the season with very little high level talent or experience. That made it no clean sheets in 12 league games and the longest run without a win in the top flight since the 69/70 season where they went 22 straight. It was very interesting to have a 5 man defense but only have one defender on the bench who is a left back by trade and would have been a much better fit than Fraser.
Ipswich vs Everton
It was a very open match to start with Ipswich creating the first brilliant chance playing out from the keeper and breaking through the Everton lines with Burns getting to the byline and cutting the ball back towards the top of the box where a wide open Jack Clarke absolutely skied the ball over the bar from 12 yards out (4’). For Ipswich to stay up chances like that needed to end up in the back of the net. Less than 3 minutes later just casually playing the ball around at the back and Kalvin Phillips played a terrible pass leaving it short to his cb allowing Calvert Lewin to scoop in and run through on goal. With Muric coming out and all the time in the world Calvert Lewan fired straight at Muric and had his shot saved by an outstretched foot for a corner. Everton then got another golden opportunity with Ndiaye getting a little lucky to get around O’ Shea before playing to the top of the box where the normally clinical McNeil would have shot first time but instead he inexplicably took a touch allowing Jack Clarke to get a touch and draw a foul. 3 very good chances in the first 10 minutes and somehow neither side scored which was probably why they were in the bottom five. As they showed early on Ipswich were sloppy and it came back to bite them as a real nothing ball into the box wasn’t headed clear by O’Shea, and as it fell Burns he was slightly indecisive and opted to try and take a touch while inside the box facing his own goal rather than clear. As he felt pressure on his back he nearly missed the ball completely on his attempted clearance and it fell to Ndiaye who took a quick touch and rifled home 0-1 (17’). Everton allowed Ipswich to have the ball in spells in their own half but as soon as they crossed the halfway line they clamped down really closing down the space not allowing Ipswich anything in the final third. It took them until the 25th minute to really get a spell in Everton’s final third which led to a penalty that was awarded and then rightly called back. Despite all the possesiont they were unable to create any chances and Everton from a corner were able to double their lead. The ball was weakly cleared to the top of the box where Ipswich allowed Mcneil to control turn and play a ball through that found the cb Keane who somehow rifled home from a tight angle on the left hand side into the roof of the net past a rooted Muric 0-2 (40’). It was a remarkable finish that every striker would be jealous of. Everton saw out the rest of the half with ease as Ipswich were just unable to create anything in attack. For a team that normally kicks it long Everton were able to play out from the back in the second half at will and Ipswich were not connected in their press allowing them to do it with ease. This was very interesting considering how good they had been in defending as a team and making it difficult for the opposition. Everton were quite comfortable as Ipswich were very poor in possession and unable to create anything while they were almost casually able to counter and just stall the game out. Ipswich’s best chance of the half came from a corner which seem to be the norm in the premier league nowadays with a low driven ball into the box finding Chaplin who from 8 yards out should have scored but instead tamely stuck his shot straight at Pickford (80’). Ipswich then finally had a sense of urgency but could only whip crosses into the box that were dealt with easily and with nothing falling their way Ipswich finished the match with only 2 shots on target and never really looked like scoring. Calvert Lewin did get another 1v1 with the last kick of the match but yet again could only strike straight at Muric and will be rueing his chances as he should have added more. For Everton it continued an unbeaten run of 4 matches and their second win of the season taking them out of the relegation zone. Ipswich really lacked creativity in the final third and should be playing better against teams that they have an actual chance of getting points against.
Bournemouth vs Arsenal
Arsenal were missing a few key players and with a couple of new starters the game started slightly scrappy with neither side in control. Bournemouth did well pressing high and kept the pressure on Arsenal even after they broke multiple lines of defense. It on occasion allowed them to pick up the ball after Arsenal were forced long. It was a very evenly matched first 25 minutes with no real chances. Then the defining moment of the match happened with Bournemouth playing out with a ball in the air down their right flank which was won and fell to Trossard who inexplicably played a ball back towards his own goal into space with no around while his team was playing a high line. With Evanlison behind him in what would have been an offside position Saliba in split second chose to grab Evanilson and was sent off. He didn’t have any complaints and everyone knew it, it was a denial of a clear goal scoring opportunity as Evanlison would have been in 1v1 and Arsenal’s disciplinary record grews. The fault I would say is 60 percent Trossards for playing an absolutely terrible ball that was basically a through ball for Bournemouth and 40 percent Saliba’s. It is very tough for a defender because that is what they always do when they know the striker is in front of them and it was a split second decision that was the wrong one. Even down a man Arsenal continued to play out and actually got the best chance of the match to that point with Merino having a shot from inside the box that was actually deflected off goal but not seen by the referee ( 35’). Arsenal did well getting to half with the match scoreless while Bournemouth got to the byline but missed the final pass and didn’t take many shots. Bournemouth nearly straight out into the second half got their best chance after they caught Arsenal out of position with a cross in from the left flank that was bouncing in the box and found Semenyo all alone running in towards the penalty spot but he couldn’t get over the ball and skied it over the bar (47’). That really should have been a goal if not tested Raya. Arsenal still played out and did decently when doing so but were missing that target man up top or explosiveness to counter. Instead of going forward directly they tried to play and Bournemouth allowed them to. It was weird to see a 10 man team be given so much respect to sit off when they are in possession and not just high press. Bournemouth finally made a triple substitution in the 63rd minute because Arsenal were far too comfortable to that point in the second half. Arsenal then for the first time in the half high pressed and forced a mistake from Kepa who passed straight to Merino who played across to Martinelli who was in 1v1 but it hit straight at Kepa when he should have scored and massively let Bournemouth off the hook and really was he dagger into Arsenal’s ambition this season. Because following that Bournemouth went down the other end and from a corner kick punished Arsenal. It was a corner that was passed on the ground to the front post where Kluivert gave it a deft flick to redirect towards the top of the box where Ryan Christie smashed home to make it 1-0 (70’). It is really ironic for Arsenal to give the goal away that way considering how good they are on both sides on set pieces and the fact that Bournemouth hadn’t actually created any chances other than the one to start the half. The goal really buoyed them going forward as the following corner the ball went to the back post and fell harmlessly to the ground where Semenyo was the first to it but somehow fired over from 8 yards out when he really should have sealed the game away (75’). Then as if it couldn’t get any worse Arsenal sealed their own fate with Kiwior running towards his own goal and playing an awful backwards pass that allowed Evanilson in who ran around Raya was adjudged to be brought down. Honestly I thought Evanilson ran into Raya and fell to the ground rather than Raya causing the contact but anytime a striker goes down it is always given. Kluivert then stepped up and calmly slotted to the bottom right giving Bournemouth a 2-0 lead (79’). For Bournemouth it was a historic second ever win over Arsenal despite actually not playing particularly well even against 10 men and only creating a handful of chances. They may feel it is a bit of good fortune coming their way after the ludicrous handball call that robbed them of 2 points against Newcastle. For Arsenal this start to the season may have already made a title charge nye on impossible but they only have themselves to blame for not taking their chances and giving up goals on their own mistakes. Not surprisingly they have only dropped points in the three games they have gotten red cards and they need to ensure they give referees no chance to send them off because it seems as though everyone who is not an Arsenal fan wants them to whether it is deserving or not.
Liverpool vs Chelsea
Both Cucurella and Fofana were missing for Chelsea due to yellow card accumulation only seven matches into the season. Last year they led the league in bookings as well which for a very young side is pretty normal. Reece James made his first start since last December to try and see if he can move on from his thus far chronically injured career.
It was a very cagey start as Chelsea had more of the ball but couldn’t create anything in the final third while Liverpool struggled to break Chelsea’s high press. Liverpool’s midfield was getting played through far too easily. The referee gave Chelsea a free kick after Reece James flopped after not even being touched at all and Jota getting the ball and being into the box about to score. A massive let off for Chelsea which was immediately followed by down the other end Madueke getting the better of Robertson for the third time in the match with the ball falling to Palmer in the center of the box that was well saved by the onrushing Kelleher and the defenders moving to block (24’). As the tension rose Salah got in down the right flank and was fouled by Colwill but got up and continued into the box and then was looking for a penalty as Colwill lunged in yet again but the penalty wasn’t given. I agree with the referee with Salah looking for the penalty and diving whereas if he had stayed down outside the box it would have been a yellow and a free kick. The bench, crowd and players were infuriated and it started to show with an uptick in play which rewarded them with a penalty with the culprit yet again being Colwill clumsily fouling Curtis Jones. Salah then stepped up and sent Sanchez the wrong way before smashing home to the right to take the lead 1-0 after being second best till that point (29’). Liverpool then nearly doubled their lead after a very poor Sanchez clearance left Chelsea open with Salah playing across to Gakpo to tap in but being pulled back for offside. Liverpool seemed to just up their quality as Chelsea struggled to create anything with a quick break finding Gakpo who played in Szobslai who couldn’t get his feet right running away from goal and could only chip his shot straight at Sanchez from a very promising position (36’). Finally a good decision by the VAR and referee on the field to rescind the penalty that was given after Sanchez did get the ball first when coming out to close down a shot (45+2’). Chelsea finally created their next chance of the game with Madueke playing back to Palmer just inside the box whose shot was closed down well by Van Dijk forcing his shot over the bar. While Madueke was taking advantage of Robertson down the right Trent did incredibly well seemingly like the better defensive wing back and absolutely shut down Jadon Sancho in the first half. Nunez did well defensively after coming on for the injured Jota 30 minutes in.
As a response Enzo Maresca replaced Sancho with Pedro Neto at the start of the second half and Liverpool got caught out with Jackson making a run between Konate and Van Dijk with the ball in behind and did very well taking a few touches and calmly slotting home to tie the match after the poor first half 1-1 (48’). Then less than 3 minutes later after scoring the first Salah played a brilliant ball into the box from the right flank that found the perfect run of Curtis Jones from midfield that was perfectly timed. Jones then took a touch and calmly finished home past Sanchez to hit back immediately giving Chelsea no break and taking the momentum back 2-1 (51’). Reece James was the only one that saw him but tried to step up to play the high line and catch him offside but failed to do so. The game turned back and forth with lots of space for both sides and getting very chippy and intense.There were no real clear chances for either side until stoppage time where from a free kick on the right flank a curled ball in by Palmer found the head or Renato Veiga who headed over but should have done much better. It was very odd from Liverpool as compared to all their previous matches where they just kept the ball and took the sting out of the match in the lead after going in front, against Chelsea they continued to go forward and gave Chelsea opportunities to counter and get back into the match. It was a very finely balanced match where the little moments made the difference amongst the physical intense play.
Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace
The first chance for Palace came after winning the ball at the half and finding Eze who from the top of the box just curled past the post (5’). It was a very even match with neither side being overly creative and most of the play happening in the middle third though Palace did have a few weak shots in the first 15 minutes. Forest’s first chance came on their first corner of the match in the 16th minute. From the left the ball was flicked on at the front post and found an open Chris Wood on the back post who headed down but was blocked well by Lerma off the line. Then after the ball was sent back around and reshuffled, Elliot Anderson from deep in the Palace half on the right hand side put a perfect cross into the box that found Wood again. It was reminiscent of a vintage Van Persie diving header however he headed wide when everyone expected him to hit the target. Nketiah then continued the trend of Palace this season only shooting from outside the box by nearly scoring a screamer that hit the outside of the post (20’). Then yet again after another Forest corner the ball got cleared to the top of the box and headed back in to Adam Yates whose header curled beyond the reach of Wood for a tap in and past the diving Henderson and hit the post and going out leaving Forest inches short yet again (22’). The rest of the half dragged on with both sides evenly matched and not much happening with both sides lacking creativity. That was until the last kick before half with Forest getting forward and Anderson playing yet another brilliantly driven cross into the box that Chris Wood got a foot to at full stretch but couldn’t generate any power allowing it to fall harmlessly to Henderson (45+2’). Forest only really looked dangerous on set pieces while Palace continued to get the ball wide but were unable to create any clear chances. It was nice to see the referee not give a yellow card for every tackle. It was a much more free flowing start to the second half in stark contrast to the stop start of the first with lots of small fouls. Palace’s best chance of the half came from a free kick 40 yards out that was taken short with Eze forcing a very good save from Sels off the bar (60’). Then from almost nothing a long ball by Forest was headed down towards the top of the box where the onrushing Chris Wood struck it goalward. It was a tame strike that Dean Henderson made an absolute mess of and looked awful on as he dived and got a touch on the ball before it trickled into the net (65’). Despite conceding Palace were not able to get forward as Forest seemed to be gaining more control and looking the more likely to score. Then in the 80th minute Forest made changes going to a back five trying to solidify what they had and allowed Palace to have the ball and come at them. Even after going defensive Forest still were able to dominate nearly the entire rest of the game and see it out without really conceding any clear chances to Palace continuing their very good defensive record. A very disappointing game for Palace who just looked dejected with poor body language and lacking energy.
Wolves vs Manchester City
As expected it was all hands on deck for Wolves with everyone behind the ball and the entire team in and around the edge of the box. With their first spell of possession they were able to play out and get to the right wing where Nelson Semedo played a ball behind the back line to the far post where Strand Larsen was there to tap in as Rico Lewis struggled to get back to make it a shock early 1-0 (7’). City nearly answered back immediately after a ball into the box was deftly flicked by Gundogan to Bernanrdo Silva whose weak footed strike was saved by the fingertips of Sa. Despite City having the majority of the ball, Wolves broke with quality and created the next real chance with Cuhna finding Semedo who got in behind Gvardiol and was through on goal 1v1 vs Ederson. For Wolves unfortunately it was not the person you want to be there as it was the rb who has only scored 3 goals in 5 seasons at the club. Semedo was unable to be calm under the pressure and took too many touches allowing Ederson to close him down and save fairly comfortably (19’). Wolves should have been up by two and similar to the Fulham game against City the week prior they were made to pay for it. They did do well however and were defending sturdily with lots of energy forcing CIty to work hard to break them down.The bulk of the work fell to Doku and Savinho on the wings. Inevitably CIty did break through with Gvardiol on his weak foot from the top of the box on the left hand side curling it towards the top corner and getting City level 1-1. Sa did get a decent hand to it and with how much of it he did get should probably have saved it. City continued to pile on the pressure but couldn’t create much until stoppage time where a Savinho shot from just inside the box forced a good save from Sa down to his right in a congested box.
Despite having a majority of the ball, City didn’t have any real good shots and couldn’t connect when they did put dangerous balls into the box. Wolves created 2 chances with their 2 drives forward which is all they could really hope for after a solid defensive first half. Wolves came out just the same in the second half and struggled to get out but did well to stop City inside their own box. City forced Sa into some good saves from shots outside the box. Wolves interestingly did a bunch of man marking which allowed City midfielders to pull cb’s out of position but were unable to take advantage of it. In the end though the pressure was too much for Wolves as they were undone on the last kick of the game from a corner kick which they looked solid on all match. City were poor from their previous 17 corners and the eighteenth and final one at the end of the game they punished Wolves who defended valiantly. John Stones headed home with a powerful header from six yards out that left Sa no chance 1-2 (90 +5’). There was a check by VAR as to whether Bernardo Silva was interfering with the goalkeeper but in this instant he clearly wasn’t. Interestingly all match he had been marking the goalkeeper trying to interfere on corners and Wolves didn’t put a marker on him deciding to allow Sa to deal with him on his own. He had been called for a foul earlier in the match for doing it but only on 1 out of the 18 occasions. Without a marker on him it appeared to me that Sa had his focus taken off the ball as he tried to push Silva away rather than just trust that a foul or offside would occur. I thought it was clearly visible in the corner moments before where Silva stood there but didn’t really do much as the ball landed at the far post inside the six yard box that Sa should have come out to claim but didn’t which led to the corner where they gave up the goal. For City Stones bailed them out in a game where they weren’t particularly creative or clinical while for Wolves they were heartbroken after another industrious performance against a top six side from which they came away with nothing.