Good day everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed the weekend and the matches, welcome to CryptoGod-1's blog on all things sports. Today we will be looking at the recent round of matches in the English Premier League, which included another big win for Liverpool, many draws, and another win for Gerrard. Snow also hampered some matches with Spurs and Burnley postponed. If you would like to check out my post on the preview to this weekend's matches, you can find a link to it here: English Premier League Match Day 13 Preview

Weekend Predictions & Final Results

So in terms of the predicted scores, I got 1/9 correct this week. In terms of match-winner/loser, I managed to predict a very nice 6/9 correctly.

Predicted: Arsenal 2-1 Newcastle

Result: Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle

Saka, Martinelli

Eddie Howe won’t look back too fondly on his first game in the Newcastle dugout. They struggled to get into the game and were fortunate that Arsenal were not at the races. Step up Saka, who showed why Arsenal have so much hope for him. He took this game up a notch and gave Arsenal the lead they deserved. Newcastle could have had a penalty but overall they didn’t deserve anything from this game. Howe has a lot of work ahead of him in a busy December and will be desperate to get a win under the belt for Newcastle sooner rather than later. Arsenal meanwhile have gotten over their defeat to Liverpool, but they will face tough tasks than a Newcastle team who concede far too easily.

Predicted: Crystal Palace 1-2 Aston Villa

Result: Crystal Palace 1-2 Aston Villa

Geuhi - Targett, McGinn

Gerrard is showing that he is more than capable of making the step from the Scottish League to managing in the top flight of English football. The tactics were spot on, making sure Zaha was nothing more than a passenger for Palace. Vieira will be unhappy at seeing his side concede again from a set piece and will know it’s an area they need to focus on if they want to push up the table. For 80 minutes the Villa keeper was untested which is saying a lot, while summer signing Buendia was insatiable in setting up McGinn for what turned out to be the winner. 

Predicted: Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

Result: Liverpool 4-0 Southampton

Jota x2, Thiago, Van Djik

Is there any stopping Liverpool when they are in this sort of form? They are scoring for fun and more importantly not conceding. After 13 matches they have far outscored every other team in the league. If they can maintain a solid defence then they will be right there come May. Jota got them off to a flyer with the quickest goal so far this season, and the only really surprise that followed was Salah not scoring. Allison made 3 big saves to ensure Liverpool retained their lead but that’s why he was the most expensive keeper when they signed him. Southampton should have probably gotten a goal and played well at times, but Anfield is not a place any team wants to visit anymore. They will keep going strong and know there will be easier games ahead than facing Liverpool in this sort of form.

Predicted: Norwich 1-1 Wolves

Result: Norwich 0-0 Wolves

Another positive result for Norwich, who many believed were buried after the first month of the season. They are only 2 points away from safety now and that is quite the turn around. Dean Smith will need to maintain these performances to keep them up but they have hope and optimism now unlike under Farke. Wolves played well, and controlled possession, but could not get their game going. Norwich could and should have won, but they will be happy with the point. Wolves will be delighted with how new keeper Sa is performing, making key saves. Their front line is struggling to muster shots, only managing 5 all game. Wolves still sit in sixth so the fans will be happy but I would imagine they will be hoping for more goals and more stylish football as the team evolves.

Predicted: Brighton 3-2 Leeds

Result: Brighton 0-0 Leeds

I’m unusual fashion the home fans were booing after the match; and Potter didn’t hold back in his post match interview. He disagreed and pointed to the fact Brighton are sitting in 8th. Obviously he wants the fans backing the team but many can understand the frustration of constantly witnessing draws having drawn 6 of their previous 8 matches. Brighton had the better chances, but squandered them against a below par Leeds side. Twice Brighton hit the woodwork, but telling they had 14/20 shots off target. That’s not good enough in the top flight if they really want to push on and become a top half side. Leeds took 55 minutes to get a shot on target, and while they managed more attempts late on, they never really turned up. They are dangerously close to the relegation spots and will be in real danger if they don’t find some sort of form soon. Playing Kalvin Phillips at centre half may have worked in the previous match, but he got hooked at half time. It seems like he is badly missed in the middle of the park, and that potentially could be key to Leeds remaining in the division.

Predicted: Brentford 2-0 Everton

Result: Brentford 1-0 Everton

Toney 

This makes it 5 defeats in six for Everton, with Rafa faces lots of pressure ahead of the Merseyside Derby this week. A penalty was enough for Brentford after a high boot from Townsend. Toney somewhat got his revenge on Benitez, who he felt overlooked him during their shared time at Newcastle in 2018. Everton worked hard and fought for chances, with Rondon missing some glorious opportunities. They have not won since late September, and are now only 6 points above the relegation places. Brentford managed to get their first win in 5 and the clean sheet will boost their confidence going into the busy winter period.

Predicted: Burnley 0-2 Tottenham

Result: Burnley P-P Tottenham

Not much to say on this one bar there was a lot of snow, and I mean a lot! The conditions meant the game couldn’t go ahead, and it will be interesting to see when this get rearranged.

Predicted: Leicester 1-1 Watford

Result: Leicester 4-2 Watford

Maddison, Vardy x2, Lookman - King, Bonaventure 

This is the kind of performance and result we would be expecting from Leicester, with no opportunity for Ranieri to leave a mark on his return to the King Power Stadium. The victory sees Leicester pull themselves back into the top half of the table and they will hope Vardy can remain amongst the goals and they climb the table more. Europe is still a realistic aim for them, and with Lookman showing his ability they will have belief in the front line. Watford remain 4 points off the relegation spots but will be pleased with their showing. They went behind and tried to come back into it but overall couldn’t match the strength of their opponents squad. Heavy snow hampered conditions and the players managed to adjust to it, while the home fans showed their appreciation for the man who brought them the title in 2016 with a standing ovation.

Predicted: Man City 3-1 West Ham

Result: Man City 2-1 West Ham

Gundogan, Fernandinho - Lanzini 

It a snow storm City showed they are still a top team, with really awful conditions making this a difficult encounter before factoring in the strength of their opponents. An extended half time was required to clear the snow from the pitch, which had made conditions almost impossible by the end of the first half. West Ham were second best throughout and the score line flattered them. It’s two defeats in a row for the Hammers but they will still have belief that they can challenge for European football again come the end of the season. City managed the game well, hardly allowing Weat Ham into the game bar their bright start, and made sure they got the result they needed and closed in on Chelsea at the top of the table. Pep was rightly pleased and praised his players for their efforts and chances created in the adverse conditions, with Mahrez having had an effort ruled out for offside in the first half. Lanzini scored a beauty at the end of the match but it was only a consolation for West Ham in the end.

Predicted: Chelsea 3-1 Man Utd

Result: Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd 

Jorginho  - Sancho

Its been quite the week for Jadon Sancho. He opened his United account during the week in the champions league, and added another today. It was a wonderful break created by an awful touch by Jorginho, and Sancho backed himself instead of squaring to Rashford. It was an excellent finish, and given United started without Ronaldo it was a great result. How things have changed since Ole has gone. With Jorginho scoring from the spot he made amends, and Rudiger could have won it at the end only for an awful finish. It was an exciting match and showed Chelsea are not unstoppable, while United are not buried yet. A point of note was Tuchel getting booked for a decision against his team which made him very animated. Ronaldo was clearly offside and got played through, but instead of shooting won a corner. The rules state this is acceptable and possibly it may lead to more moves like this. Perhaps it needs to be looked at, but nothing came of the corner otherwise Chelsea would have been really hard done by.

Table After Match Day 13

A look at the top half of the table, with now only 2 points between Chelsea, City and Liverpool. I wonder how it will look at the end of December.

The bottom meanwhile sees Newcastle, the richest club in the world, still at the bottom without a win so far.

Top Goalscorers After Match Day 13

1 - M. Salah - Liverpool - 11 Goals   
2 - J. Vardy - Leicester - 9 Goals   
3 - S. Mané - Liverpool - 7 Goals    
4 - D. Jota - Liverpool - 7 Goals
5 - M. Antonio- West Ham - 6 Goals 

I hope you found some enjoyment in my post and managed to see the matches over the weekend. We have more league matches ahead this midweek so lookout for my next post on that.

Have a great day.

Peace. CryptoGod-1.

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