ASTON VILLA VS ARSENAL

First game of matchweek 15 and we get an absolutely full drama match where Aston Villa stuns Arsenal as Buendia gets the winning goal in the final touch of the match and wins it for Aston Villa in Villa Park where they have been a threat and teams have struggled getting wins there. Arsenal with their star centre backs Gabriel and Saliba missing and also the backup defender Mosquera injured struggled to defend against Villa but that is no excuse because if you are challenging for the title you should be able to do it even with injury concerns. Aston Villa opened the scoring after a wonderful half volley by Matty Cash which went straight through Raya’s legs then Arsenal equalised through Trossard who got back on the scoresheet but it still was not enough to secure a draw or the three points as Villa took everything. Aston Villa are a real threat this season and now in the title race as they go second and are just three points behind the league leaders. The question now is can Arsenal come back from this setback or is this another season of bottling and will they get called bottle jobs for the third year running.

BOURNEMOUTH VS CHELSEA
Yet another bad performance by Chelsea and it is always in the month of December where their poor run of form begins, and even though Chelsea had more possession Bournemouth were more threatening in attack and tested Robert Sanchez who was the best player on the pitch for Chelsea and honestly that is true because the rest of the players were not up to the mark. After a defeat at Elland Road last gameweek Chelsea fans were not impressed by the players performance and now they had to rewatch it again against Bournemouth who had not won a game in their last five matches yet they played the better football and managed to take a draw which is a huge boost for them while Chelsea have now started to put pressure on themselves. They are missing their star player not Palmer but Caicedo who has been the best footballer for Chelsea this season and to be honest ever since he joined the club he has been performing well, but now when they had the chance to be in the top four they may slip if Crystal Palace manage to beat Fulham which means Maresca has to plan his tactics smartly and get his team ready to contest for the UCL spot.

MANCHESTER CITY VS SUNDERLAND

Sunderland who have been performing extremely well against the Big Six clubs were demolished by Pep Guardiola’s Man City by three goals to nil, Sunderland in the first ten minutes looked solid and like a side who could cause another shock but then City slowly took control after a stunning strike from Dias outside the box to open the scoring and then Gvardiol headed in the second to make it 2 0 at half time. Haaland was almost invisible in this match maybe it was not his night but he is still the top scorer and if your goals are coming from other sources no manager will complain about that. Phil Foden who has been in scoring form over the last two games headed in from a brilliant Ryan Cherki assist to seal the game for City and keep a clean sheet which they have not been able to do for a long time, a great sign for Pep as his team looks like they are getting back in shape and are just three points behind league leaders Arsenal, putting pressure on them again in this title race which is nothing new for Man City as they have been doing it for the past couple of seasons, now it is only about whether they can continue this form.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS VS BRENTFORD

This fixture was important not only for Tottenham fans who were desperate for a win and the full three points but also for manager Thomas Frank who faced his former club the same team he once guided to Premier League promotion and helped establish in the top flight. The spotlight was on new signing Xavi Simons and he finally delivered the performance Spurs supporters had been waiting for scoring one goal and providing an assist that created the opening Richarlison finish to make it one nil. Later Simons produced a moment of pure intensity winning the ball back pressing with hunger and firing a stunning second goal that sealed the result. These three points carry huge value for Spurs as they look to push toward a top four finish just a couple of results away from that spot and now they simply need to stay consistent keep the defensive structure tight and continue producing the same sharp attacking output if they want to stay in the race and turn this into real momentum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEEDS UNITED VS LIVERPOOL

An absolute thriller of a match which I bet neutral fans and also Leeds fans must have enjoyed, though Liverpool fans will definitely be disappointed as this one finished 3 – 3 after Liverpool striker Ekitike scored two goals in quick succession within two minutes before Liverpool conceded a penalty and the attacking threat of Leeds United that we saw last gameweek against Chelsea continued as they found their equaliser. The game did not stop there because for me Liverpool’s best performer this season, Szoboszlai, managed to regain the lead for Liverpool after some good build up play, but even that was not enough as Liverpool who have had a very poor defensive record this season conceded again in stoppage time from a corner where Tanaka was left unmarked and striked the ball into the net for 3 – 3. A frustrating result for Liverpool and for Arne Slot as the pressure now builds on him for not getting his tactics right, especially after leading the match and winning only one out of the last six games, and it is not like Liverpool fans can complain about spending as the club has already invested four hundred and fifty million pounds which only increases expectations for a serious title fight.

WOLVES VS MANCHESTER UNITED

An easy win for Manchester United at Molineux, though they seemed to struggle in the first half where they opened the scoring through a scrappy Bruno Fernandes goal before Wolves equalised just before half time, worrying United fans who feared another poor result. But Amorim’s half time talk must have done some magic as United came out a different team and scored a bunch of goals through Mount, Mbeumo and Bruno again from the penalty spot to seal the win and secure the three points, taking them to sixth place in the league and level with Chelsea who stay fifth on goal difference. United’s inconsistency has been a long running topic but can this game be the turning point and finally push them into the top four race?