6 Things We Learnt From Premier League GW32

With just six games left of the Premier League season, the pressure is rising at both ends of the table as we prepare for the final run-in. Here are our thoughts from a selection of the weekend’s fixtures:

Gunners Fight Back Against Saints Onslaught

Arsenal hosted Southampton on Friday night in a battle of first against last in the Premier League. The game however was not as straight forward as the league table would make out, as Arsenal twice found themselves two goals down against the relegation-threatened Saints. Carlos Alcaraz opened the scoring inside thirty seconds, capitalising on an error from Aaron Ramsdale in the Arsenal net before Theo Walcott came back to haunt his former side in the 14th minute.

Southampton will be disappointed to have not come away with all three points but this result will give them confidence to take into a crucial south coast clash against Bournemouth on Thursday. The odds are stacked against the Saints but with the relegation battle being so tight this season, there is still a chance they can escape unharmed.

Arsenal should however be credited for their fighting spirit in this game, showing strong character to stage a late comeback and secure a point. However, three consecutive draws is not the required form for a title charge and they have shown defensive frailties after the loss of William Saliba to injury. Mikel Arteta’s men will need to block out their recent run of fixtures and view Wednesday’s huge game against Manchester City as a one-off. The Manchester side are finding their groove at the perfect time, and the Gunners will have to be perfect at the Etihad if they wish to maintain their spot at the top.

Joe Simpson

Magpies Massacre Sorry Spurs At St. James’ Park

Tottenham Hotspur etched their name into premier league history after being on the receiving end of a humiliating 6-1 thrashing at St James’ Park. A 20 minute goal blitz saw the struggling North Londoners down by 5 goals in what was meant to be a crunch match between the two Champions League hopefuls. Jacob Murphy opened the scoring in the first minute and got his second not long after, with Joelinton, Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson getting in on the act too. 

Newcastle’s performance was ruthless, with what felt like every attack ending with the ball rippling the net. In particular Eddie Howe got to flex his squad depth, managing to rest key players ahead of the run in. The Toon have picked up momentum at the right time and look set to return to a seat on Europe’s high table.

Spurs are no strangers to embarrassment, especially not this season, however it seems this particular group of players lack a sense of professional pride. One player who all season has remained the exception to that rule is Harry Kane. Even while getting spanked Kane still managed to notch his 24th goal in the league this season, offering a brief moment of consolation by which time most Spurs fans had either left the ground or turned off their televisions. The questions beckon, how much longer can Spurs keep onto him and how much more mediocrity will he take before becoming loyal to a fault?

Jesse Williams

Foxes Fightback To Victory Against Wolves

Another huge game in the bottom half of the table with both teams trying to fight clear of relegation, Leicester hosted Wolves at the King Power on Saturday afternoon.

Not much could be drawn between the two sides throughout; Wolves remained slightly more dominant in possession and in turn found themselves in very good goal scoring positions throughout, reflected by their 16 shots to Leicester’s 15 in the whole 90 minutes. However, it’s about converting those chances when it matters the most. Wolves took the lead in the 13th minute through a Matheus Cunha strike outside of the box, stunning the King Power into fear for their clubs safety. However, the atmosphere was lifted in the stadium and Leicester weren’t going down without a fight; the game was nowhere near done. In the 35th minute, Jose Sa brought down Vardy in the penalty box and conceded a penalty, which was subsequently converted by Kelechi Iheaneacho, lifting the team and the fans alike. Half time, 1-1.

The game remained tight-knit throughout the second half, but you felt whilst watching there would be a goal in it to claim the three points – and there was. In the 75th minute, Timothy Castagne struck a left footed finish into the bottom right corner to send the Foxes’ 2-1 up, and ultimately to the three points. Wolves tried to respond, but it was just too little too late.

This was a monumental three points for Leicester, as the win saw them escape the relegation zone (just) on goal difference. The team and fans both needed the lift in order for them to have a strong end to the season, and with Wolves now sat in 14th, 6 points clear of Leicester, it’s safe to say the three points went to the team more in need. The closing stage of the season is so tight and so hard to call with so much to play for.

Harvey Marwood

Liverpool Hold Off Forest In 5 Goal Thriller

Liverpool saw off the mighty threat of relegation battlers Nottingham Forest in a back and forth 5 goal exchange at Anfield. Liverpool registered back to back wins for the first time since early March and it looks like Diogo Jota has also rediscovered his scoring touch, bagging two goals alongside the ever present Mohammed Salah. 

Jurgen Klopp’s side have had a really weird season, failing time and time again to find consistency, and that was on display in this game conceding two equalisers against a poor Nottingham Forest. Despite the tongue-in-cheek remark earlier, Forest did prove a mighty threat to Liverpool who oddly really struggled to handle the midlands club’s throw ins. Goals from Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs White gave the visitors brief hope of leaving with something but those proved to be fleeting. 

For the red side of Merseyside, they find themselves just on the outskirts of the top 4. Spurs’ loss and spiralling form will give them hope but it still seems like an improbable turnaround. What missing out on the top 4 means for Liverpool is a harsh reality waiting to be explored but at the very least trying to build something to take into next season must be the objective for Klopp and Liverpool. 

As for Steve Cooper and his team, it’s hard to feel optimistic about a bottom table side who look so susceptible to set piece goals. Sound defensive structure is the foundation of all relegation great escapes and Forest don’t seem to have a semblance of it.

Jesse Williams

Irons Heating Up After Four Goal Win

A struggling West Ham side visited fellow relegation rivals Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon at the Vitality Stadium, in a game that in the end proved to be a one sided affair despite some good fight from both teams.

With both sides being just above the relegation zone, there was all the makings for this game to be a real test for both squads. Having slightly more possession, Bournemouth had a whopping 65% of the ball throughout the game, and managed 17 shots as opposed to West Ham’s 18. The first half however set the tone for the fixture. Michail Antonio opened the scoring in the 5th minute with a header from a corner, before Paqueta doubled the lead with yet another header 7 minutes later.  Declan Rice made it 3-0 in the 43rd minute with an excellent finish from another set piece, making it two in two for him, and that saw the Hammer’s go in with a healthy lead at half time. In the second half, Bournemouth tried desperately to get back into the game, with no result however, and Pablo Fornals scored an acrobatic improvised finish in the 72nd minute to see the London side win the match 4-0.

Bournemouth, in fact, didn’t play a bad game at all, and maintained a heavy share of the ball throughout the match. However, what will be of a main concern is the poor defending from set pieces, which certainly had an influence on this game.  Both teams remain outside of the relegation zone, however with it being so tight in the bottom half of the table, neither side are safe as of yet. West Ham will be happy with the result and will take that confidence into the next game, whereas Bournemouth will be regretting their mistakes and working on a way to fix them.

Harvey Marwood

Fulham Fire Past Faltering Leeds

Leeds find themselves in serious danger after their loss to Fulham on Saturday. Harry Wilson opened the scoring in the second half for Marco Silva’s side before Andreas Pereira doubled their lead in the 72nd minute following some questionable goalkeeping from Illan Meslier.

Leeds finally came to life after finding themselves two goals down, eventually clawing themselves back into the game through a Joao Palhinha own goal. The Yorkshire side toiled trying to find a crucial equaliser but it wasn’t to be for Javi Gracia’s men, despite being granted over ten minutes of injury time. Leeds’ form over the past few weeks has been far from ideal, as they are leaking goals and struggling to convert at the other end. If they want to give themselves any chance of staying up, Patrick Bamford needs to step up and start firing, while changes need to made to the back five in order to address their dismal defending.

Fulham on the other hand should be credited for their strong performance. The Cottagers are one of the few teams in the Premier League with very little to play for, and with the suspension of Aleksandar Mitrovic many expected their season to fizzle out. Marco Silva however has managed to maintain a winning mentality and fans of the west London side will be delighted with the returns on their first season back in the Premier League.

Joe Simpson