REIGNING champions lost ground in the title race as they unexpectedly dropped points against a disciplined Chelsea at home allowing Liverpool to open up a five point gap, albeit with the Merseysiders having played a game more. That result also saw Arsenal leapfrog City into second after another five-star performance at Burnley.
FocusM looks at the talking points from the weekend games played thus far.
Brentford 1 v Liverpool 4
Liverpool have not won at the GTech Community Stadium, having lost one and drawn the other in their last two visits. Thus, Jurgen Klopp will have taken nothing for granted especially with Ivan Toney leading the Brentford attack after a lengthy ban for betting offences. The scoreline may seem flattering to the visitors but the Bees more than matched the table toppers in the first half, creating more than one clear-cut chance.
The victory though was secured amid a heavy price for Liverpool as Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones both suffered injuries, with the former looking especially serious after being stretchered off the field of play. These absentees could have a telling impact on the remainder of Liverpool’s title tilt, as Darwin Nunez was also withdrawn as a precaution after the Uruguayan felt a muscle strain.
Burley 0 v Arsenal 5
Certain critics have claimed that Arsenal lacks a proven striker to help them challenge for honours, but recent results have certainly made a mockery of that theory. The Gunners are on a roll having blasted six past hapless West Ham last week and they put another five past Burnley yesterday (Feb 17).
The trouncing at Turf Moor was also accomplished without the injured Gabriel Jesus underscoring Arsenal’s ability to conjure goals from all over the park. With captain Martin Odergaard in superb form and pulling the strings from midfield, the visitors simply outclassed Vincent Kompany’s team. The handsome recent scorelines could have a telling impact, as the league standing could well be decided by goal difference.
Manchester City 1 v Chelsea 1
The reigning champions seem to be hitting their usual tail-end-of-season stride with 10 consecutive wins but they came up against an obstinate Chelsea side. On a rain-swept afternoon, it was the visitors who posed the more serious threat as they spurned a host of gilt-edge chances, having sprung past City’s high defensive line.
It was old boy Raheem Sterling who opened the scoring, but Mauricio Pochettino will be disappointed that his side could not capitalise on the many chances his side created. Eerling Haaland had spurned a number of opportunities to level things for the host before Rodri’s long distance effort brought a share of the spoils.
Tottenham Hotspurs 1 v Wolverhampton Wanderers 2
Spurs were riding the crest of momentum after a last-minute goal gave them all three points last weekend against Brighton and saw them move back into the top four. But a resilient and attack-minded Wolves brought their recent run to a halt with a fine display that merited maximum points.
The fixture has been dubbed the ‘South Korean derby’ with Son Heung-Min and Hwang Hee-chan both in action, but it was Brazilian Joao Gomes who stole the headlines with two clinical finishes. Gary O’Neil is doing a fine job at Molineux and this result will cement his reputation as one of the Premiership’s brightest young coaches.
Fulham 1 v Aston Villa 2
Unai Emery desperately needed a good result after recent setbacks saw Villa lose ground in the title race as well as being dumped out of the FA Cup. This victory secured courtesy of two Ollie Watkin goals helped the Midlands outfit climb back into the fourth spot in the table.
The brace makes it 12 for the season for the Villa striker, who is pushing for a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad. His commitment and work rate earned plenty of praise from Emery who will be hoping Watkins can maintain this fine form as Villa seeks to improve on last season’s league standing.
Nottingham Forest 2 v West Ham United 0
With every poor result, the noise surrounding David Moyes’s tenure as West Ham boss grows louder. Regardless of the fact that the Scotsman led the Hammers to European glory last season and has helped establish the team in the top half of the table, many supporters feel his brand of football is outmoded and a relic of the past.
Defeat to a struggling Forest side will only have amplified those complaints as the home side displayed greater hunger to secure maximum points. The victory lifts Forest five points clear of the drop zone and Nuno Espirito Sanchez will be hoping his Forest team has turned the corner.
Newcastle United 2 v Bournemouth 2
Dominic Solanke’s rich vein of form this season has seen the Cherries striker become a hot commodity, not least catching the attention of Newcastle. This should not be at all surprising given that he was signed to Bournemouth by Eddie Howe who is now in charge at St James Park.
Given the lack of proper no 9s in the transfer market and that potential transfer targets such as Brentford’s Ivan Toney are said to have a £100 million price tag attached, Bournemouth will be hoping Solanke continues to bang in the goals to raise his evaluation. The forward will, however, be rueing a host of gilt-edged chances that could have given the Cherries their first win of 2024. – Feb 18, 2024
All photos credited to The Guardian
