Written by Contributor: Sean Gallagher
Premier League Roundup Matchday 16/17/18: Arsenal Vault into Top-4; Covid-hit Chelsea Held to Disappointing Draws; Spurs, Liverpool Play Controversial Thriller
The Premier League has been unfortunately hit with Covid-related stoppages similar to the NBA and NFL, but we’ve been lucky to still see some captivating matches recently!
Arsenal v West Ham (2-0)
The story coming into this one for Arsenal was the decision to strip Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng’s captaincy role for the club by manager Mikel Arteta. Questions surrounded whether Arsenal’s youngsters could put on a good performance against a dinged-up West Ham, and that’s exactly what they did.
Arsenal were putting on the pressure early, with a few possible penalties getting no reception from referee Anthony Taylor. Despite a great effort from Pablo Fornals deep into the first half, it felt like West Ham got outplayed from the kick-off and were constantly on the back foot. The Gunners didn’t take long after halftime to get their first goal, when the in-form Gabriel Martinelli was on the receiving end of a perfect through-ball by Lacazette, and slotted it into the bottom corner. While the Hammers were outplayed, they still were in the match for the most part until a questionable sending off of Vladimir Coufal in the 67th minute effectively ended the game. Emille Smith-Rowe sealed the deal when his left-footed strike from the top of the box flew past a motionless Fabianski.
Arsenal’s up and down season is on another ascension, firing off 3 straight wins after the disastrous last-second loss they suffered against Everton. They’ve now entered 4th spot in the table meaning they would qualify for the Champions League next season as it stands. West Ham can’t be faulted for their current 2-game skid as the injuries for their back line are piling up, but it won’t get any easier with (hopefully) the games coming thick and fast in the festive window.
Chelsea v Everton (1-1)
This was one where Chelsea couldn’t drop points. Aside from a late win against Arsenal, Everton have been reeling for quite a while with Rafa Benitez under heavy pressure from fans and the board. What’s worse is that the Toffees arrived at Stamford Bridge missing twelve first-team players, forcing the Spanish manager to start bench players and teenagers with little to no experience. Chelsea have been facing Covid troubles of their own; Lukaku, Werner, Hudson-Odoi, and Chilwell all contracted the virus and were forced to duck the game. With Everton’s options at much further scarcity, Chelsea still had no excuse to not win the game and keep themselves in the title race.
Everton virtually never had the ball for the entire first half, sustaining attack and pressure by Chelsea. But the Blues were wasteful; they just weren’t cut-throat in the final third and couldn’t get it past Jordan Pickford. The longer the game went on, it felt like Chelsea would somehow never score. In the 70th minute, Mason Mount seemingly put Everton out of their misery and gave Pickford no chance to stop a point-blank rifle, finally giving Chelsea the lead. Just 3 minutes later, Everton’s rag-tag group of academy and bench players were amazingly able to equalize off of a set piece finished by teenager Jarrad Branthwaite; it was his first goal for the club. A few Pickford saves later, Everton were celebrating a spirited draw that would garner respect even from some of Benitez’s most vehement opposition within supporters.
This felt like the stretch that dropped Chelsea from the title conversation. They lost to West Ham, scraped past Leeds thanks to some dubious penalties, and dropped points against a decimated Everton and inferior Wolves. Yes, they’ve had troubles with Covid, but their squad was built to withstand players missing games. There’s possibly no one angrier than Thomas Tuchel that, for now, games are slated to still be played over the Christmas period.
Tottenham v Liverpool (2-2)
Game of the season. That was everything you want from a headline matchup in the Premier League. Questionable decisions, multiple goals, and both teams going for it made for a must-watch encounter between a well-rested Tottenham and the visiting, flaming-hot Liverpool.
Given Liverpool’s recent ruthless domination, Spurs went in feeling like underdogs but were quietly on a good run of their own. They weren’t afraid to take it to Liverpool from what felt like the first minute of the game. A breakthrough came quickly when Harry Kane finally scored a beautiful goal with the help of Ndombele’s flawless assist. It was Spurs at their best when Kane was off a few minutes later on a breakaway with Heung-min Son, but the South Korean couldn’t manage to finish off a great cross. Controversy came soon thereafter when Kane went studs-first into a tackle where he made no contact with the ball and got all of Andy Robertson’s shin. It was surely a red card, but VAR checked and deemed it worthy of just a yellow. Spurs were later punished when Dele Alli missed a surefire opportunity on a counter-attack, only to then concede to Liverpool on a Diogo Jota header.
Halftime didn’t stop the chances from coming; Spurs came out buzzing and should’ve scored multiple times within 10 minutes. They would feel hard done by to then get scored on after a chaotic sequence led to a point-blank header for Andy Robertson, giving the Reds a 2-1 lead. It didn’t last long, when Alisson came out a bit too ambitiously and handed Son an open-net tap-in. It would get worse for Liverpool; the goal-scoring Robertson got sent off minutes later for a wild swing at Emerson’s leg. The way Spurs were playing, it felt more than likely they would find a late winner and shock Jurgen Klopp and company. Son had a great chance to do so in injury time, but 10-men Liverpool were able to hold onto a captivating 2-2 draw.
Tottenham would have salivated at the idea of a draw against Liverpool before the game, but looking back they’ll feel as though they should’ve won the game. For Liverpool, it’s a speed bump they can’t hit when in a title race with a team like Manchester City.
Quick Hits:
- Man City were the weekend’s big winners. They handled business against Newcastle and saw Liverpool and Chelsea drop points
- Steven Gerrard returned to Anfield with some momentum but couldn’t coach his way to a win against his old club
- Covid is wreaking havoc on the league. The weekend only saw 4 games be completed and the schedule will be a nightmare to finish out for a few teams. Fingers crossed that one of the best times to watch the league can be completed as scheduled