This weekend’s Premier League fixtures did not disappoint. We saw teams drop crucial points early on and score dramatic goals. Is this a twist of fate for many teams this season already?
Shock Scores
The Arne Slot Era has already taken an unexpected turn. Liverpool was left stunned at Anfield, losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest thanks to a strike from Callum Hudson-Odoi with just under 20 minutes left to play. Despite a dominant display, a rare home defeat now leaves Liverpool fourth and three crucial points behind current league leaders Manchester City.
Brighton also couldn’t find the back of the net on Saturday, resulting in a surprising 0-0 draw at home to Ipswich Town. Despite facing a whopping 21 shots, the Tractor Boys put on a fantastic defensive display, leaving Brighton bewildered and the points shared. The Seagulls hope to return to their winning ways when they host Nottingham Forest in their next league fixture.
Although winning the game, Newcastle United left it late against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. This fixture appeared to be favourable for the Magpies, who faced a winless Wolves side. However, after going 1-0 down in the 36th minute, a win was looking unlikely until two brilliant strikes from Fabian Schär and Harvey Barnes sealed the win in the last 15 minutes.
Late Levellers
Alongside some shock scores, we also witnessed late equalisers, causing heartbreak for opposition teams. Leicester City fell victim to the first late goal conceded, as they were held to a 2-2 draw away to Crystal Palace. Foxes’ fans were disappointed after taking a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Still, after a quick goal back from Palace through Jean-Philippe Mateta, the pressure became too much for Leicester, and Conor Coady gave away a penalty in the first minutes of added time. The penalty was cooly converted by Mateta, and both sides now sit on 2 points.
Despite their best efforts, Fulham fell short as they drew 1-1 at home to West Ham United. After taking the lead midway through the first half, Fulham held on well, and with nearly double the number of shots as West Ham, their job was nearly done. With 5 minutes of added time, all Fulham had to do was see the game out, but in the 95th minute, despair struck, and West Ham equalised through Danny Ings in the first London Derby of the weekend.
Derby Delight
In this weekend’s headlining North London Derby, Arsenal were victorious and claimed bragging rights again after a 1-0 victory against Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to 5 matches in the North London Derby, winning 4. Many football fans were uncertain about how Arsenal would perform in the Derby. With Martin Ødegaard out injured and Declan Rice out suspended, the Gunners proved many wrong and went on to win without their two crucial cogs in midfield.
Tottenham was the more dominant side over the 90 minutes, with 64% possession and 15 shots to Arsenal’s 7. Still, they were nowhere near as clinical as their biggest rivals, who took advantage of one of Tottenham’s biggest weaknesses – defending set-pieces. Centre-back Gabriel rose highest from Bukayo Saka’s inswinging corner, heading in from close range and past Guglielmo Vicario in-between the sticks, who was left rooted to his goal line.
In Other Exciting Fixtures…
Title holders Manchester City suffered a minor scare in their 2-1 win against Brentford on Saturday. They went a goal down after only a minute, thanks to Yoane Wissa’s header from a defensive mix-up between John Stones and Ederson. There was no need to fear for City, though, as Erling Haaland continued his fine form, scoring twice, extending his tally to 9 goals and continuing the unbeaten run, making it 4 wins from 4 games.
Everton, once again, crumbled after leading 2-0 for the second consecutive time, losing 3-2 to Aston Villa. What looked like a brilliant start from the Toffees, going 2-0 up within 30 minutes, they could not keep this lead going into the break as Ollie Watkins pulled one back. Then, just before the hour mark, Watkins scored again after capitalising on Jack Harrison’s misplaced pass and making it 2-2. With 14 minutes left to play, Colombian striker Jhon Duran received the ball from some distance and hit a thunderous effort into the top left corner, leaving Jordan Pickford with absolutely no chance and completing the comeback in a stunning affair.
After a busy midweek of the return of the UEFA Champions League and the start of the next round of the Carabao Cup, we look forward to more entertainment next weekend in another exciting set of Premier League fixtures.
