Good day everyone,

I hope you are all well and had an excellent weekend, welcome to CryptoGod-1’s blog on all things sports.  This round of games saw Luton steal a point late on in the relegation battle, Chelsea secure a win in their London derby, late drama at St. James Park, while Everton secured a point against Villa and Manchester United and Spurs had to settle for a share of the spoils.

You can find the preview for this round of games here: https://www.publish0x.com/cryptogod-1-sports/premier-league-202324-match-week-21-part-1-preview-xjdddyo 

Week Predictions & Final Results

So in terms of the predicted scores, I got 1/5 correct scores this weekend. In terms of match-winner/loser, I managed to predict 2/5 correctly in this reduced game weekend.

Predicted: Burnley 2-2 Luton

Result: Burnley 1-1 Luton

Amdouni - Morris

It was a bright start from Burnley and they wasted a glorious opportunity in the seventh minute when Gudmundsson missed from inside the area, but soon after Luton got control of the game. Barkley pulled the strings and forced a save from Trafford before Ogbene saw a shot parried. Luton piled on the pressure but Burnley managed to stand strong, and in the 35th minute took the lead when Odobert got into the box and pulled the ball back for Amdouni to score. As the relegation battle intensified after the break there was more pressure for Trafford to deal with as he tipped over from Ogbene's header. At the other end Kaminski denied Odobert as Luton showed little quality with their finishing. It looked like Burnley had the points sealed in what would have been a huge win, but in the second minute of stoppage time Luton got their goal. Adebayo managed to block Burnley keeper Trafford from coming for the ball from Doughty's cross and this allowed Morris to score unopposed, with VAR confirming there was no reason to rule the goal out. Burnley were outraged but were also outplayed by Luton for large parts of this encounter and a draw was likely a fair result in the end.

Predicted: Chelsea 0-2 Fulham

Result: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham

Palmer

Chelsea were slow starters in this game, and following their midweek loss against Middlesbrough, the pressure was on Pochettino to deliver a positive result. Broja headed wide from an Enzo cross early on but in general he struggled upfront. Wilson forced a save from Petrovic as Fulham looked to threaten, and Chelsea managed to avoid a sending off when Gusto caught former Blue Willian on the ankle with his studs. In the fourth minute of first half stoppage time Chelsea made the breakthrough. Palmer's reverse pass released Sterling who managed to win a penalty after contact from Diop. Up stepped Palmer to slot home his fifth penalty since joining the club in the summer. Chelsea came out after the break looking strong as Palmer put an effort just wide and Sterling hit the post. Jimenez forced a save from Petrovic as Fulham maintained a threat, while Gallagher hit the upright with an effort. Madueke forced a save from Leno near the death but Chelsea were far from convincing, as Silva's side were lacking a finishing touch as they piled free-kick after free-kick into the area. Chelsea held on and Pochettino will be hoping it acts as a turning point for their season, while Fulham will need to regroup over their winter break and come back with renewed vigour. Both these sides will have a home Carabao Cup Semi Final second leg match, in which they are both behind by a single goal, to look forward to later in the month.

Predicted: Newcastle 2-3 Manchester City

Result: Newcastle 2-3 Manchester City

Isak, Gordon - Silva, De Bruyne, Bobb

Newcastle started this game in a dominant fashion, controlling the ball in the opening ten minutes as City struggled to get a foothold. Longstaff looked to have scored from an Isak pass but City survived thanks to the offside flag. Ederson then got injured after colliding with Walker and eventually had to be replaced by Ortega. Before he went off Ederson's poor pass fell for Almiron, who played in Gordon but instead of shooting he squared for Guimaraes and the chance went begging. City soon took control and in the 26th minute went ahead when Silva finished with a backheel from Walker's low cross. Silva had an effort saved onto the crossbar by Dubravka before Foden saw a chance saved at the near post. Newcastle drew level in the 35th minute when Guimaraes ball over the top found Isak, who applied the finish. Two minute later Newcastle were ahead when Burn released Gordon down the left and he cut inside Walker before firing past Ortega. City started bright in the second half, pinning Newcastle back but they struggled as Newcastle got men behind the ball. It took the introduction of De Bruyne in the 69th minute to change the game, with the Belgian scoring in the 74th minute after Rodri's incisive pass allowed him to fire in a low shot. The Toon were holding on for dear life but in the first minute of stoppage time City stole the points after De Bruyne's inch-perfect fell for fellow substitute Bobb to poke in past Dubravka. Newcastle will be crest fallen following the loss at home but put in a good performance and Howe will know if they can produce similar levels of play they could still challenge for the European places. Pep meanwhile will be delighted to have De Bruyne back following his impact here and he could lead the charge for their title effort.

Predicted: Everton 1-3 Aston Villa

Result: Everton 0-0 Aston Villa

The Toffees made a fast start in front of the Goodison Park fans as Villa began in a sloppy fashion, with Douglas Luiz ceding possession outside his own area but Martinez on hand to deny Onana. Pickford saved from Watkins at the near post and soon after Moreno had the ball in the net from a Bailey cross but VAR ruled Bailey was offside. Watkins put an effort wide and Bailey tested Pickford as Villa dominated with chances, but just before the break Calvert-Lewin was set through on goal from a Danjuma pass but fired straight at Martinez. Garner had his follow up effort saved and after the break things were at a slower pace. After the hour mark Diaby was set free into the area but didn't get a penalty after a Tarkowski challenge, while McGinn fired wide in the follow up. Danjuma sliced an effort wide in Everton's only real effort of the second half while Cash and McGinn were denied late winners thanks to blocks from Mykolenko and Coleman. Doucoure burst through on goal towards the death and scored but it was ruled out for offside, and the sides had to settle for a point apiece. Emery was disappointed with only a point but adamant his style of play will not change as they missed the opportunity to go level on points with league leaders Liverpool. Everton meanwhile remain dangerously close to the relegation zone and despite their initial good form following their points deduction, the club is looking ever increasingly like a prime candidate for the drop unless Dyche can find a solution to return to winnings ways.

Predicted: Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham

Result: Manchester United 2-2 Tottenham

Höjlund, Rashford - Richarlison, Bentancur

The game started at a lightning pace as Hojlund opened the scoring with a fierce finish into the roof of the net in the 3rd minute. Spurs did not wilt under the pressure, instead debutant Werner seeing his header flicked wide by Evans while Bentancur's header was cleared off the line by Dalot. In the 19th minute they were level when Richarlison headed in from Porro's left wing corner. Spurs dominated possession while United played on the counter, with Udogie heading Rashford's cross against his own post. United took the lead once again when in the 40th minute Rashford combined with Hojlund before low into the corner of the goal. Romero headed against the bar just before the break, but it took less than a minute into the second half for Spurs to get level once again. Bentancur smashed home from Werner's centre and Spurs looked more likely to score next from there. Martinez made his return from injury and McTominay game on to make the home side more defensively stable, but the chances did not arrive in the second period. McTominay headed over at the death from Garnacho's cross in the clearest chance of the second half and in the end the points were shared. Ten Hag, and the United faithful, will hope for improved times once Ratcliffe's investment is confirmed, expected in the next month. Spurs meanwhile have been smart in the winter transfer window so far and Werner made a telling impact on his return to English football.

Table After Match Day 21 Part 1

A look at the top half of the table and Liverpool remain top of the table with Liverpool remaining top of the pile with 45 points while Manchester City moved into second on 43. Villa dropped down to third and are also on 43 points, while Arsenal occupy fourth with 40 points. Spurs sit in fifth, also on 40 points, while West Ham are sixth with 34 points. United move up to seventh on 32 points, with Brighton and Chelsea a points behind. Newcastle make up the top half with 29 points.

As for the bottom half, Sheffield United remain bottom with 9 points, with Burnley ahead of them on 12. Luton moved up to 16 points and sit a point off Everton while having a game in hand. Brentford have 19 points in sixteenth place and have two games in hand, albeit one is against Manchester City. Ahead of them are Nottingham Forest on 20 points, while Palace have 21 points. Fulham sit in thirteenth with 24 points while Bournemouth, who also have two games in hand, are twelfth with 25 points. Wolves make up the bottom half on 28 points and sit a point off tenth placed Newcastle. 

Top Goal scorers After Match Day 21 Part 1

1 — E. Haaland — Manchester City — 14 Goals
2 — M. Salah — Liverpool — 14 Goals
3— D. Solanke — Bournemouth — 12 Goals
4 — Son — Tottenham Hotspur — 12 Goals
5 — J. Bowen — West Ham United — 11 Goals
6 — Hwang — Wolves  — 10 Goals
7 — Isak — Newcastle  — 10 Goals

+ 2 players on 9 goals

Check out my 2023/24 Season Predictions here: Predictions 23/24 Season

Have a great day, I hope you enjoyed the review of the matches and had a wonderful weekend. 

Peace. CryptoGod-1.

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