Brighton vs. AFC Bournemouth (2-0)
Things have seemed to take a turn for the worse in Bournemouth these days, as Eddie Howe’s side is looking extremely out of form. After this defeat to Brighton, Bournemouth only sit two points above the drop zone. Seen as one of the dark horses before the season began, it’s safe to say that the Cherries are mightily underperforming thus far. Brighton had the edge in possession throughout the match, and dominated in chances created as well. Aaron Mooy stood out as the best player on the pitch, while Alireza Jahanbakhsh scored his first Premier League goal with Brighton. This victory now moves Brighton five points clear of the last relegation spot.
Newcastle United vs. Everton (1-2)
The argument can be made that Carlo Ancelotti is a temporary fix for a deeper problem at Everton, but he has secured six out of six points in his fresh start so far. A revitalized Everton side dominated much of the first half, and probably should’ve gone into half up 2-0 with Dominic Calvert-Lewin leading the charge. However, Newcastle continued to put pressure on an overwhelmed Everton midfield in the second half, and found an equalizing goal from center-half Fabian Schar. Ancelotti adjusted by bringing on Fabian Delph and altering formation, which was soon followed by another Calvert-Lewin goal. With Everton in good form heading into the January transfer window, it will be interesting to see who is added and who is moved, as rumors swirl about the potential transfer of Richarlison, among others.
Southampton vs. Crystal Palace (1-1)
After coming off an impressive Boxing Day win against Chelsea, Southampton came back to St. Mary’s oozing with confidence. The Saints dominated much of the possession and shots, but were much less clinical around goal than needed. Palace meanwhile had their chances too. As expected, Wilfried Zaha continues to tear defenses apart time after time, which he did again to set up a goal that was eventually disallowed by VAR. After 50 minutes of stalemate, Palace broke through on a set piece that was headed home by defender James Tomkins. However, 25 minutes later, Tomkins returns the favor to Danny Ings and Southampton with an awful back pass that leads to a goal. Ings continues to be in fine form this season, as he is 3rd in the league with 12 goals. With Palace sitting comfortably in mid-table, the point here is much more valuable for Southampton who is fighting against relegation. However, with the match being at home, they will be disappointed that they didn’t come away with all three points.
Watford vs. Aston Villa (3-0)
A true battle at the bottom of the table. Villa certainly had their chances in this game, especially after an Adrian Mariappa red card in the 57th minute. However, it was Watford who was most clinical in this match, scoring once before the sending-off, and twice after. Troy Deeney was a throwback to his younger self, scoring twice and earning a Man of the Match performance. The three points in this match were more than just valuable, as Watford now sit in 19th with only a three-point deficit behind the coveted 17th spot. Villa, meanwhile, could have moved up to 16th with a win, but instead still sit in the drop zone.
Norwich City vs. Tottenham Hotspur (2-2)
Mourinho’s side started poorly in this match, allowing a goal in the 18th minute. They very easily could’ve been down two going into half, but a tremendous Teemu Pukki goal was controversially disallowed by VAR. However, after the break Spurs seemed to adjust, and ultimately found their breakthrough via a wonderful Christian Eriksen free kick goal. Norwich immediately regained the lead following a Serge Aurier deflected own-goal, but still Spurs battled back to equalize with a Harry Kane penalty. With rumors swirly around about the future of Eriksen at the club, he showed his value by putting in a Man of the Match performance. Defensively, the Londoners desperately need help. It will be interesting to see if Mourinho chooses to make any additions in the January transfer window. With the three points split in this game, Norwich still sit at the bottom of the league, and Spurs find themselves in 6th, just five points back of top four.
West Ham United vs. Leicester City (1-2)
In a victory that may have seemed unconvincing from Leicester City, the Foxes were able to earn all three points with most of their reserves in the lineup. The likes of Vardy, Maddison, and Tielemans were rested for this one, but still a struggling West Ham side were unable to find a result at home. The big winner on the day for Leicester was Kelechi Iheanacho, who hasn’t really been able to find form since his move from Manchester City. The striker was active and dangerous, finding the back of the net in the 40th minute, displaying the talent and promise that prompted so much interest in him originally. For West Ham, this outcome means that they only sit one point above the relegation line. Due to the poor season so far, the East London club has fired manger Manuel Pellegrini, and hired David Moyes. The former Manchester United manager will be counted on to salvage the season for the Hammers.
Burnley vs. Manchester United (0-2)
Ole Gunner Solskjaer has his former club in good form at the end of 2019. The young front line of Martial, Rashford, and James has United looking dangerous on the counter, and that’s exactly what transpired against Burnley at Turf Moor. Martial was the beneficiary of lazy defending on the first goal, and an electric counter paved the way for United’s second, which was neatly slotted home by Rashford. The United #10 continues to look like a world-class talent, but the question will remain whether or not Solskjaer can find the right pieces to compliment him. With this win, United sit in 5th, just four points behind 4th place Chelsea. As for Burnley, they sit middle of the table, which should be seen as a success half way through this Premier League season.
Arsenal vs. Chelsea (1-2)
Mikel Arteta’s side was dominant much of the first half and into the second. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was terrific once again, scoring early in the 13th minute. However, Arsenal would rue missed chances as Chelsea came back to score twice within the last ten minutes. The first resulted from a calamitous goalkeeping error by Bernd Leno, and the second was the product of a lethal counter-attack finished by Tammy Abraham. It is worth noting that Frank Lampard and Chelsea claimed that Christian Pulisic was “unfit” to go in this game because of a slight hamstring injury, but that has since been refuted by the American. With the victory, the Blues continue to cling to the last Champions League spot, while Arsenal sit outside the top ten still. Going into the transfer window, it is rumored that Chelsea will spend big, as they haven’t been able to refresh the squad in a while. Arsenal are in need of defensive help, but finding it is a different story.
Liverpool vs. Wolves (1-0)
It was not the greatest showing from the leaders this season, but Liverpool found a way to secure all three points. A first-half goal from Sadio Mané was the difference maker, but Liverpool had plenty of chances to increase their advantage. Wolves thought they had scored right before the break on a great team goal, but it ended up being overturned by VAR. Both teams looked rather sluggish, which is probably attributable to the increased volume of games during the festive period, especially for Liverpool. The title seems to be in the bag at this point for the Merseyside club, as they now sit 13 points ahead of the next title contender. With a victory, Wolves would’ve moved just two points shy of top four, but now they have dropped to 7th going into the new year.
Manchester City vs. Sheffield United (2-0)
Outside of a disallowed goal and a header off the post, Sheffield United were mulled over dominantly by the reigning champions. City controlled much of the possession and had the better chances too, as the Blades failed to put a shot on target. Kevin De Bruyne continues to look like a top midfielder in the world, and the ageless Sergio Agüero won’t stop scoring when he’s healthy. An interesting storyline from this game was the inclusion of defender Eric García in the starting XI. It has been clear this season that manager Pep Guardiola has lost faith in his central defenders, at least after the injury to Aymeric Laporte. The manager has come out and said that they will not be adding a defender this window, but we will see if that remains the case. City seemed a sure bet to challenge for the title yet again this season, but their focuses have turned to Champions League it seems. As for Sheffield United, they are over-achieving expectations, as they sit in 8th after being promoted from the Championship just this season.