Premier League Roundup, Matchday 9
The ninth round of matches in the 2023/24 Premier League season saw some thrilling encounters, red cards, surprising results and standout performances. Here is a review of the games that took place during the weekend:
Liverpool 2-0 Everton
Liverpool defeated their local rivals Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside derby on Saturday, thanks to a brace from Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian star scored from the penalty spot in the 75th minute after Michael Keane handled the ball in the box, and added a second goal in stoppage time after a pass from Darwin Nunez. Everton played with 10 men for more than half of the game, as Ashley Young was sent off for two fouls on Luis Diaz. Liverpool dominated possession and chances, but Everton defended well until they conceded the penalty. The win moved Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table temporarily, while Everton remained in the bottom half.
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
The match between Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers ended with a 2-1 victory for the visitors, who scored a late goal in the 88th minute. Bournemouth took the lead in the first half through Dominic Solanke, who converted a cross from Lewis Cook. However, Wolverhampton equalised in the 47th minute with a stunning strike from Matheus Cunha, who found the top corner from outside the box.
The game turned in favour of Wolverhampton when Bournemouth midfielder Cook was shown a red card for a headbutt on Hwang hee-Chang in the 54th minute. With a man advantage, Wolverhampton pressed for the winner and found it when Hwang capitalised on a Bournemouth error and played in Sasa Kalajdzic who made no mistake with a cool finish. The result left Bournemouth in the relegation zone with only three points from nine games, while Wolverhampton climbed to 12th place with eleven points.
Brentford 3-0 Burnley
Brentford secured their first home win of the season in style, thrashing Burnley 3-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium. Brentford scored their first through Yoane Wissa, ending a slick move with a close-range finish. The Bees then scored two spectacular goals in the second half, with Bryan Mbeumo curling in a 25-yard strike and Saman Ghoddos volleying home following a corner . Burnley’s hopes of a comeback were dashed when Connor Roberts was sent off for a second yellow card just before the 80th minute mark. The result lifted Brentford to 14th place in the Premier League table, while Burnley remained in the relegation zone with just four points from nine games.
Manchester City 2-1 Brighton
Manchester City bounced back from two consecutive defeats in the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland scored in the first half to give the hosts a comfortable lead, , as they continued their impressive scoring form. Ansu Fati pulled one back for the visitors in the second half, and mounted pressure on City’s backline. Manuel Akanji was sent off for City in stoppage time, but they managed to hold on to reclaim the top spot in the table.
Newcastle United 4-0 Crystal Palace
Newcastle United thrashed Crystal Palace 4-0 at St James’ Park in a one-sided Premier League match on Saturday. The hosts took an early lead when Jacob Murphy lobbed the goalkeeper in the fourth minute, after a VAR check overturned an offside call. Anthony Gordon doubled the advantage with a volley from Murphy’s cross in the 44th minute, and Sean Longstaff made it 3-0 just before half-time with a cool finish from Marc Guehi’s error. Callum Wilson completed the rout in the 66th minute with a clinical strike from Murphy’s pass, as Newcastle moved up to fifth in the table. Crystal Palace had no answer to Newcastle’s dominance and failed to score for the third consecutive game.
Nottingham Forest 2-2 Luton Town
Nottingham Forest and Luton Town played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the Premier League at the City Ground yesterday. Forest took a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Chris Wood, but Luton staged a remarkable comeback in the final minutes with goals from Adebayo and Ogbene. The result leaves Forest in 15th place with ten points, while Luton remain in the relegation zone with four points. Both teams had chances to win the game, but neither could find the decisive finish.
Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal
It was a thrilling London derby at Stamford Bridge, as Arsenal came back from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw with Chelsea. The hosts looked in control after Cole Palmer converted a penalty in the 15th minute and Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross looped over David Raya in the 48th minute. However, the Gunners showed their resilience and took advantage of two mistakes by Robert Sanchez. Declan Rice scored from 30 yards after the Chelsea keeper’s poor pass in the 77th minute, and Leandro Trossard tapped in Bukayo Saka’s cross in the 84th minute to level the score. The result keeps Arsenal unbeaten in the league and level on points with leaders Manchester City, while Chelsea sit in tenth place.
Sheffield United 1-2 Manchester United
Manchester United secured a narrow 2-1 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane yesterday, thanks to a stunning strike from Diogo Dalot in the 77th minute. The visitors had taken the lead in the first half through Scott McTominay, who volleyed home from Bruno Fernandes’s pass, but the hosts equalised soon after from a penalty by Oli McBurnie. The game was evenly contested, with both sides hitting the woodwork and forcing saves from the goalkeepers. Manchester United showed resilience and determination to grind out the result, which moved them up to eighth place in the Premier League table. Sheffield United remained bottom, but showed some signs of improvement under Paul Heckingbottom.
The match was marked by emotional scenes before kick-off, as both teams and fans observed a minute’s silence and applauded in honour of Sir Bobby Charlton, who died on Friday aged 86. The legendary midfielder was widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
Aston Villa 4-1 West Ham
Aston Villa continued their impressive form with a convincing 4-1 victory over West Ham at Villa Park. The hosts dominated the game from the start and took the lead through Douglas Luiz, who scored a low shot from outside the box that Areola could not keep out. Luiz doubled his tally from the penalty spot early in the second half after Edson Alvarez fouled Konsa in the area.
West Ham pulled one back when Bowen’s shot deflected off Torres and beat Martinez, but Villa restored their two-goal cushion when Watkins powered in their third. Bailey added some gloss to the scoreline with a stunning solo goal in the final minute, dribbling past Aguerd and firing the ball past Areola. Aston Villa moved up to fifth in the table, just two points behind leaders Manchester City, while West Ham dropped to ninth after their second consecutive defeat.
Remaining Matchweek Fixture:
Monday, 23rd October,2023
Tottenham vs Fulham, 7pm (GMT)
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