The Weekly Premier League Review: Matchday 18

Premier League match day 18 could not have been any more exciting as we saw the top three earning just 1 point to stay at the same places where they finished off after the Premier League match day 17. Looks like Arsenal will be able to top the league again just like last season before the new year with one more game remaining.

Aston Villa vs Sheffield United  

Final score line: 1-1

Scorers: Cameron Archer (87’) assisted by G. Hamer  

               Nicolo Zaniolo (90+7) Douglas Luiz  

Match facts: Aston Villa was left frustrated at home when they drew 1-1 to the relegation battle and also the last in the Premier League standings Sheffield United. The match went late when Sheffield surprisingly took the lead through Cameron Archer in the 87th minute. It looked like the match was going to be finished but Aston Villa wasn’t as Nicolo Zaniolo after picking up a yellow card two minutes ago was at the right place at the right time to head away the vital equaliser that gave Villa a point out of nowhere.

Manchester City vs Brentford  

Final score line: Suspended  

Scorers: None

Match facts: The Manchester City and Brentford match was postponed as Manchester City was playing in the Club World Cup final during the day against Brazilian side Fluminese with the match now shifted to a new date which will be announced shortly.  

West Ham vs Manchester United  

Final score line: 2-0

Scorers: Jarrod Bowen (72’)  

               Mohamed Kudus (78’) assisted by Lucas Paqueta  

Match facts: West Ham were surprised winners of the encounter between the Hammers and the Red Devils as they took it deep till the 70th minute to score two goals respectively from Jarod Bowen and Mohamed Kudus to crown the game off for them. They now rank above Manchester United in the Premier League table on 6th as Manchester United drops down to 8th which is a talk of concern for Erik Ten Hag considering he is now under threat of the new management because of the takeover if he does not start to perform now.  

Fulham vs Burnley  

Final score line: 0-2

Scorers: W. Odobert (47’) assisted by L. Foster  

               Sander Berge (66’) assisted by W. Odobert  

Match facts: Marco Silvia’s Fulham again was on the losing end at home versus a relegation-fighting side Burnley who won 2-0 against them. A match then was solely on the Fulham side considering the amount of possession they had during the game with Burnley capitalizing on the moments where they had to counterattack. They still are within the drop zone with almost half of the matches in the Premier League left to play, enough time for Vincent Kompany to turn things around.  

Luton Town vs Newcastle  

Final score line: 1-0

Scorers: Andros Townsend (25’) assisted by Ross Barkley  

Match facts: Luton Town have been playing well against big opposition this time out with them being the winners against a strong Newcastle United squad. Andros Townsend was the difference maker for them as they won 1-0 with him dedicating the goal to the club captain Tom Lockyer while celebrating. Newcastle will be hoping to turn their abysmal form around or they might lose their place in Champions League qualification.

Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth  

Final score line: 2-3

Scorers: Anthony Elanga (43’) assisted by Mark Wood

               Dominik Solanke (51’) assisted by Marcos Senesi  

                Dominik Solanke (58’)  

                Chris Wood (74’) assisted by Morgan Gibbs White  

                 Dominik Solanke (90+4) assisted by Adam Smith  

Match facts: Nottingham Forest was down to 10 men pretty early in the match which made them play in deficit for almost 3/4 of the game. Bournemouth continued their good run of form with Dominik Solanke again proving to be the difference for his side with an exceptional hat trick for the Cherries. Nottingham Forest fought till the very end with goals from Mark Wood and Anthony Elanga not proving to be enough for them.

Tottenham vs Everton  

Final score line: 2-1

Scorers: Richarlison (9’) assisted by Brenon Johnson

                Son Heung Min (18’)

Match facts: Tottenham are back in the buzz as they continue their good run of form with some of the important players returning for them in their outing versus Everton. Richarlison returned on the scoresheet with a well-built goal with captain Son also scoring to round off the match. Everton had a consolation goal during the later stages of the match which only helped them reduce some of the goal difference but was not enough to crown them as the winners.

Liverpool vs Arsenal  

Final score line: 1-1

Scorers: Gabriel Magalhaes (3’) assisted by Martin Odegaard  

                Mohamed Salah (29’) assisted by Trent Alexander Arnold

Match facts: A match that everyone would have wanted to witness at the stadium but the result remained a stalemate with both the teams staying at the same spot where they started in the Premier League table. Gabriel Magalhaes scored the fastest goal at Anfield to give the Gunners a surprising lead away from home with Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah equalizing from a sublime pass from Trent Alexander Arnold. The score remained tied throughout the match with both the teams having opportunities to go ahead but weren’t.

Cover Credits: TEAMtalk