The bank holiday in England certainly delivered. We had three games throughout Monday and 21 goals were scored. It certainly made up for the 13 goals scored across Saturday and Sunday. There’s still everything to play for in the Premier League with the title still undecided, the top four places are unsettled and the scramble for survival sees the bottom three change on a weekly basis. With this in mind, a look at the biggest talking points.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
The streak is over
Chelsea finally won a game of football under Frank Lampard. It was their first win in just shy of two months and the Blues are now passed the magic 40-point mark in the Premier League.
Was it deserved? Perhaps not. It was a much tighter match than the scoreline suggested. Chelsea claimed a 3-1 victory though the Expected Goals total had the away side slightly ahead of the Cherries on 1.35 to 1.29. In fact, Bournemouth actually won the xG battle in the second half, but two late goals secured three vital points for the visitors.
Another record for Mohamed Salah
Liverpool have now won six successive matches in the Premier League and they are unbeaten in seven. This run has seen them move to within one point of a Champions League place after Manchester United lost to West Ham.
Mohamed Salah was the match-winner for the Reds, once again, on Saturday. He scored the winner in mid-week against Fulham and managed it again against Brentford. The Liverpool No. 11 is the first player in the club’s history to score in nine successive matches at Anfield. He’s now on 19 for the season and looks on course to score 20+ Premier League goals for the fifth time in six years.
The Ødegaard show
Arsenal’s trip to St James’ Park had the potential to be problematic. A loss for Mikel Arteta’s side would’ve seen them four points behind Manchester City having played a game more. The reigning champions would’ve had the potential to move seven points clear with just three games to play if they won their game in hand. The pressure was on the away side but they dealt with it admirably.
Martin Ødegaard opened the scoring for the Gunners with his 15th of the season. He’s the joint-top scorer for Arsenal this term and only five players have more goals in the English top flight. The captain is going a little under the radar having scored five in his last five outings. His performances as of late have played a part in extending the title run.
Fulham thrash the Foxes, sort of
On paper, this game would’ve looked pretty one-sided. At one stage, it was 5-1 to the hosts and it was a walk in the park for Marco Silva’s men.
However, the Foxes actually had more shots, three more big chances and a higher xG – though they did have two penalties to help boost that figure. The hosts managed to create chances worth just 0.5 in the second half but were clinical on the day.
For the second successive match, Leicester missed a penalty. Jamie Vardy missed when the score was 4-1 and minutes later Fulham added a fifth. James Maddison converted just days after seeing his spot kick saved by Jordan Pickford in the draw with Everton.
Dyche-ball
Everton went to the Amex without a win since March 11th. Brighton had beaten Manchester United in mid-week and had momentum on his side but found themselves 1-0 down inside of a minute. The Toffees were 3-0 up at half-time despite having an xG of just 1.19.
Brighton rallied in the second half and finished with an xG of 3.26. The Seagulls had five big chances and 78% of the ball but were sucker punched time and time again by the Toffees on the break. Dwight McNeil was the star of the show for Sean Dyche’s men – grabbing an assist and scoring twice on his way to a 9.4 showing.
A six-pointer
A win for Southampton would’ve prolonged the inevitable. Despite a spirited showing in the second half, the Saints lost 4-3 to Nottingham Forest.
Morgan Gibbs-White was the star, with one assist and one goal, he also created three chances for Forest. He now has three goals in his last four games and Forest have taken six points from those matches. As a result, they are now three points clear of the relegation zone.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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