The new year kicked off with another round of action as as top-flight clubs battle for maximum points in Premier League GameWeek 17.
Despite the challenge of playing through this difficult time, the action and drama were on a high. This feature brings a recap of all the action.
Review of Saturday’s games
Everton 0-1 West Ham
Everton’s title chase suffered a setback as Tomas Soucek scored a late winner for the Hammers in the opening game of the year.
The most notable action of the first half was Bernad forcing a flying save from Darren Randolph, who started in place of Lukasz Fabianski.
James Rodrigues was brought on after the break but didn’t have enough impact to break the deadlock. Tomas Soucek made no mistake in the 86th minute as he capitalized on a deflection to score the only goal of the game.
Everton crash to 7th place after the defeat while West Ham move to 10th place with 26 points.
Manchester United 2-1 Aston Villa
Bruno Fernades’ penalty earned Manchester United a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford. The win put them level on points with league leaders Liverpool.
Manchester United took the lead in the 40th minute when Aaron Wan-Bissaka set up Anthony Martial for his second goal of the season.
Villa then levelled just before the hour mark through Bertrand Traore. The forward fired in from close range after being set up by Jack Grealish.
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The hosts later regained the lead just 3 minutes after they lost it when Bruno Fernades converted from the penalty spot, after Paul Pogba was tripped in the area by Douglas Luiz.
The goalscorers for the home side attempted to double the lead but were denied with stunning saves by Emiliano Martinez.
Eric Baily made a crucial block to deny the Villains from drawing level just before the final whistle.
West Bromwich Albion 0-4 Arsenal
Sam Allardyce’s men suffered another big defeat as they lost 4 -0 to Arsenal at the Hawthorns. The Gunners started the match strongly and took the lead through Kieran Tierney’s individual brilliance. The Scottish defender cut inside and found the top corner with his right foot.
The Gunners doubled their lead on 28 minutes through Bukayo Saka who was set up by Emil Smith-Rowe.
Alexandre Lacazette bagged a brace to make it 4 for the day as the Gunners sealed a 3rd victory on the bounce.
Arsenal now edges closer to the top half as they sit 11th place with 23 points while the Baggies relegation struggle begins to get more difficult.
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
The Seagulls and the Wolves fought out a 6 goal thriller which ended with both sides settling for a point each.
The hosts took an early lead through Aaron Connolly who got to the end of Leonardo Trossard’s cross before anyone else at the 13th minute.
Wolves soon hit back with Romain Saiss heading in Nelson Semedo’s cross. The visitors then took a 2 goal lead by half time through Dan Burn’s own goal and Pedro Neto who converted from the penalty spot.
Brighton got back into the game with a penalty of their own which was converted by Neal Maupay. Lewis Dunk drew the home side level when his header was deflected in the back of the net.
The Seagulls stay 17th after the draw while Wolves drop to 13th place with 22 points.
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Crystal Palace 2-0 Sheffield United
Crystal Palace claimed victory over bottom side Sheffield United as they got their first win in 6 games.
Palace’s fastest Premier League goal in 3 years gave them the perfect start as Jeffery Schlupp guided Christian Benteke’s pass in the 4th minute.
The hosts doubled their lead through Eberechi Eze’s individual effort. The winger ran from his own half gliding through several opponents before slotting the ball in the back of the net with a beautiful finish.
Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Leeds United
Jose Mourino’s men got back to winning ways in style as they hit 3 goals past Leeds whilst keeping a clean sheet.
Harry Kane and Son Heung Min each contributed a goal and an assist to their side’s victory to go 4th.
Spurs broke the deadlock through Kane, who converted from the penalty spot after Ezgjan Allioski who came close to scoring earlier fouled Steven Bergwijn in the area.
In the 43rd minute, Kane set up Son who scored his 100th goal for Spurs to double their lead.
Toby Alderweirld found Son’s corner 5 minutes after the break to confirm the victory for the hosts.
The Peacocks started better and threatened throughout but failed to find the back of the net for the second time this season.
Chelsea 1-3 Manchester City
Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne each contributed a goal and an assist as City claimed victory over Chelsea at the Bridge.
Manchester City broke the deadlock quite early through Ilkay Gundogan who converted from Phil Foden’s pass with a great turn and finish. The visitors doubled their tally soon after through Phil Foden who converted from Kevin de Bruyne’s low cross.
Kevin De Bruyne then put Pep Guardiola’s men in full control of the game with a third goal just 34 minutes into the game, reacting quickest after Raheem Sterling’s effort had bounced off the far post.
The hosts were able to pull one back only late on as Kai Havertz set up Callum Hudson-Odoi for a consolation goal. Manchester City moves 4 points off the top with a game in hand.
Newcastle United 1-2 Leicester City
James Maddison and Youri Tielemens got on the scoresheet as Leicester City got back to winning ways at Saint James’s Park.
Jamie Vardy had a first-half goal ruled out for offside but got his contribution much later after setting up James Maddison for the opener in the 55th minute.
The Visitors doubled their lead in the 72nd minute through Youri Tielemens who hit a first time finish into the back of the net.
Andy Carroll came off the bench to pull one back for the hosts through a volley. This was his first goal for the Magpies since August 2019.
The hosts were however unable to equalize and dropped to 15th on 19 points.
Monday night action
Southampton 1-0 Liverpool
Danny Ings’s early goal was enough for the Saints to secure a home victory over league leaders Liverpool on Monday.
James Ward-Prowse swung a cross from a free-kick which was lobbed into the back of the net by Danny Ings in the 2nd minute, scoring the only goal of the encounter.
The Saints sat back from then on to defend the lead and was successful in doing so. The Reds were only able to get a shot on target all game despite their constant attempt to find a leveller.
Liverpool remains top despite the defeat while Southampton moved 6th place with 29 points.
27 goals were scored in Premier League GameWeek 17. Let’s hope for even more goals in the next round.
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