Premier League wrap – Gameweek 14

Gameweek 14 opened up the Premier League title race.  Trent Alexander-Arnold bailed out the Reds for the second week in a row, Chelsea got a surprising win over Brighton... Read more
Premier League wrap - Gameweek 14

Gameweek 14 opened up the Premier League title race.  Trent Alexander-Arnold bailed out the Reds for the second week in a row, Chelsea got a surprising win over Brighton and Spurs fought back for a huge point at the Etihad.  Our predictions this week were definitely better than the previous round but there is still room for improvement.

Arsenal kicked off the weekend when they hosted Wolves at the Emirates.  The Gunners were not messing around and started the game off superbly.  Bukayo Saka got the first in the 6th minute.  Wolves were not given time to breathe.  Martin Odegaard scored Arsenal’s second in the 13th minute.  Mikel Arteta’s side were firmly in control.  Wolves had a few chances throughout the game and managed to get a goal back in the 86th minute thanks to Mattheus Cunha.  Arsenal won 2-1.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all got this prediction correct.

Luton travelled to London to face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.  The hosts dominated this fixture.  It was goalless in the first half but momentum was with the Bees.  The second half started well for Brentford.  Neal Maupay and Bryan Mbeumo each scored a goal to make it 2-0 in the first ten minutes of the second half.  Luton clawed a goal back through Jacob Brown in the 76th minute.  Ultimately though Brentford were just too good and put the game to bed in the 81st minute when Shandon Baptiste made it 3-1.  Brentford won 3-1.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all correctly predicted a Brentford win.

On paper this next fixture would lack action but in reality this was far from the case.  Burnley and Sheffield played out one of the highest scoring games of the weekend.  Burnley dominated Sheffield completely.  Jay Rodriguez put Vincent Kompany’s side ahead just seconds into the game.  Jacob Bruun Larsen made it 2-0 in the 30th minute, Sheffield were nowhere.  The Blades managed to settle slightly in the beginning of the second half but could not hold out.  In the 75th minute Zeki Amdouni made it 3-0.  In the next few minutes, Luca Koleosho and Josh Brownhill both scored to make it a five goal lead.  Burnley won 5-0.

Dylan managed to get this call correct while the MoneyMan and Oliver incorrectly predicted a draw.

Nottingham Forest hosted Everton who were now in the relegation zone following their 10 point deduction.  Forest dominated possession but in every other category this was an evenly contested game.  Both sides created 12 chances each while Everton had a single shot on goal more.  The breakthrough was made by Sean Dyche’s definitive player Dwight McNeil, who finished superbly in the 67th minute.  The Toffee’s held on and claimed an incredibly important three-points.  Everton won 1-0.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan did not back Everton and missed out on this result.

Manchester United looked to make up for midweek disappointment when they travelled St James’ Park to faceoff against Newcastle.  Eddie Howe’s side were clearly the better team.  The Red Devils were struggling to get a grip of the game and were caught playing out from the back on multiple occasions.  Newcastle had 22 attempts at goal to Manchester United’s eight.  Anthony Gordon scored in the 55th minute to make it 1-0.  Manchester United did not really threaten from that point forward, an overall lethargic performance from the visitors.  Newcastle won 1-0.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all correctly predicted a Newcastle win.

AFC Bournemouth would face a serious threat when they played Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium.  Villa were clear favourites going into this game and would want to keep climbing up the table.  The visitors dominated possession but could not get clear of Bournemouth.  Just 10 minutes in Antoine Semenyo put the Cherries ahead.  Villa responded just 10 minutes later through Leon Bailey.  It was clear this would be no walkover.  Dominic Solanke continued his impressive run of form, scoring in the 52nd minute to put the hosts back in the lead.  It looked set to be an upset but Unai Emery’s side did not give up and found an equalizer from Ollie Watkins in the 90th minute.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all incorrectly backed an Aston Villa win.

Chelsea would look to bounce back from their disappointing result against Newcastle last week but would face a serious challenge at Stamford Bridge against Brighton.  The Blues started strong and scored the opener through Enzo Fernandez in the 17th minute.  Former Brighton loanee Levi Colwill scored their second just a few minutes later.  Facundo Buonanotte scored a screamer in the 43rd minute to make it 2-1.  Chelsea had to end the first half with 10 men after Connor Gallagher was given a second yellow after a poor challenge.  Brighton started the second half well and began to dominate the game.  The Seagulls had nearly 70 percent possession and had 18 attempts at goal but this was not enough.  Enzo Fernandez made it 3-1 in the 65th minute after converting a penalty.  Brighton continued to push but could not do enough.  Joao Pedro scored in the 92nd minute to make it 3-2.  Chelsea won 3-2.

The MoneyMan correctly predicted a Chelsea win while Oliver and Dylan did not back the home side.

Liverpool and Fulham played out the highest scoring game of the weekend at Anfield.  The Reds started strong and went one goal ahead after a Trent Alexander-Arnold freekick rocketed off the crossbar into the back of Bernd Leno. Fulham equalized through former Liverpool winger Harry Wilson a few minutes later.  Alexis Mac Allister put his team back in the lead with a wondergoal in the 38th minute.  The defensive frailties of Liverpool were exploited by the visitors once again, this time through fullback Kenny Tete in first half added time.  The second half  started off with less intensity.  Liverpool looked more passive and despite their 26 chances at goal, created little threat.  In the 80th minute, the Cottagers silenced Anfield, taking the lead through substitute Bobby De Cordova-Reid.  It looked dead and buried but Wataru Endo scored a long-range belter to equalize in the 86th minute.  The Reds had the crowd back on their side.  Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped up and scored the winner less than a minute later.  Liverpool won 4-3.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all correctly predicted a Liverpool win.

One of the less exciting London derbies played out at The London Stadium between West Ham United and Crystal Palace.  Mohammed Kudus continued his exceptional run of form when he put the Hammers in the lead in the 13th minute.  This was a very evenly matched game.  Both teams had nine attempts at goal and there was little difference in dominance throughout the game.  Odsonne Edouard scored the equalizer in the 53rd minute.  The final score was 1-1.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all incorrectly predicted a West Ham win.

The final game of the weekend was filled with action.  Spurs had lost three in a row and would be under huge pressure at the Etihad.  Ange Postecoglu’s side had a dream start.  Son Heung-Min made it 1-0 in the 6th minute.  Just three minutes later this dream turned into a nightmare with Son scoring an own-goal.  City were now back in control.  Phil Foden finished off an amazing team goal in the 31st minute to make it 2-1.  Pep Guardiola’s side should have put the game to bed with Erling Haaland missing multiple huge chances in-front of goal.  Giovanni Lo Celso equalized in the 69th minute and it was now game on.  Jack Grealish made it 3-2 to the hosts with less than 10 minutes on the clock and the game looked to be over.  Spurs continued to fight and dramatically snatched a draw in the 90th minute through Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski.  The final score was 3-3.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all incorrectly backed a Manchester City win.

This was another difficult week for our predictions.  Gameweek 14 saw Dylan and The MoneyMan get five correct predictions while Oliver managed to get four correct calls this week.  Oliver maintains his lead, now sitting on  73.  The MoneyMan and Dylan have closed the gap and sit tied on 72.

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