Good day everyone,

I hope you are all well and had an excellent weekend while enjoying the latest matches, welcome to CryptoGod-1’s blog on all things sports. This weekend saw a late comeback from Arsenal, Man City stutter against Forest, Everton record a vital three points in the battle against relegation, Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford all dropped points in the race for Europe, while Liverpool boosted their top four hopes with a strong win over Newcastle.

If you would like to check out the preview on this round of games it can be found here: https://www.publish0x.com/cryptogod-1-sports/premier-league-2223-match-week-24-preview-xzgemlp 

Week Predictions & Final Results

So in terms of the predicted scores, it was an poor week as I got 0/10 correct scores this week. In terms of match-winner/loser, I only managed to predict 3/10 correctly in this round of games.

Predicted: Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal

Result: Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal

Watkins, Coutinho - Saka, Zinchenko, Martinez OG, Martinelli

An late flurry saw Arsenal score twice in second half stoppage time to secure a vital win here, having been a goal down at half time. Villa got off to another strong start as Watkins scored for his fourth game in a row when he took advantage of Saliba standing off him and fired a low shot beyond Ramsdale on five minutes. It didn't take long for Arsenal to respond, as their bright spark Saka go onto a wayward Mings clearance to fire beyond the unsighted Martinez. Villa did not let up though, and played a beautiful controlling game of their own. They built up the play and a Boubacar Kamara ball to Moreno allowed the full back to cross, which was dummied by Buendia and put in the net by Coutinho on 31 minutes. Arsenal were shellshocked by came out with purpose in the second half. Nketiah hit the crossbar with a header and on 61 minutes they were level. when Odegaard's short corner to Zinchenko was curled into the bottom corner to draw the sides level. Odegaard then missed a clear chance and Bailey came so close to winning it for Villa. It looked like Arsenal were stuttering to a fifth league game in a row without a win, when in stoppage time it all changed. Jorginho took a long range shot, almost in desperation more than anything, and the ball crashed off the bar before hitting Villa keeper Martinez in the head and going into the net in the third minute of stoppage time. There was nothing he could do about it, but the fourth was an equally horrendous goal to concede. In the eight minute of stoppage time Martinez went up the other end for a Villa corner. Arsenal broke on the counter and Vieira unselfishly played in Martinelli to seal the win. Arsenal have now conceded the opening goal in four of their last five Premier League game, while Villa suffered their 11th defeat of the season.

Predicted: Brentford 2-0 Crystal Palace

Result: Brentford 1-1 Crystal Palace

Janelt - Eze

This game was intense from the off, with Norgaard shooting just wide for Brentford before Olise forced a save from Raya moments later. Mbeumo had an effort go wide from range, as both sides struggled to make a breakthrough in the first half. As the game wore on into the second half, Schlupp and Mateta both missed with headers before Eze finally scored the opener on 69 minutes. It was his fourth of the season and came from a lovely Olise cross. Ahamada dragged a shot wide just inches past the post as Palace pushed on and looked to close out the game, but they were stung in the end for their lack of converting chances. Janelt headed past Guaita in the sixth minute of stoppage time from Mbeumo's cross. It was a deserved leveller from the home side as they had harried Palace throughout but Vieira will feel his side should have already won the game by that point. Frank has seen his side extend their unbeaten run to 11 games now, while Vieria saw his side play for the seventh game without a win in all competitions. Palace have only managed 23 goals in their 21 league games so far this season, and while they are currently clear of the relegation zone, Vieira will need his side to produce more unless they want to get dragged into the relegation battle. Brentford meanwhile missed the chance to reaffirm their position in the European places, and they will have a long battle ahead to ensure to secure some sort of European competition for next season. 

Predicted: Brighton 2-2 Fulham

Result: Brighton 0-1 Fulham

Soloman

Brighton manager De Zebri was shown a straight red card in the tunnel after the game, and went further in his press conference by claiming the level of refereeing in the Premier League is "very bad." It was Brighton who had started brighter however, as Ferguson fired wide within two minutes and March curled an effort past the post. Veltman had a shot blocked and Brighton began to lose their dominance and Fulham grew into the game, while Ferguson saw a chance of an open goal snatched from him by some good goalkeeping from Leno. The second half began in similar fashion, as Dunk headed wide from a corner and Brighton thought they had a penalty when Veltman caught the legs of Robinson in the area. March did score on 57 minutes but it was ruled out for offside, before two minutes late Mac Allister got on a March ball and stuck first time only to see Leno make a magnificent save. They had another goal ruled out on 77 minutes when Buonanotte scored from a Undav cross, but VAR ruled this one out again for offside. When it looked like Brighton could not score for anything, Vinicius won a battle in the middle of the park before setting Soloman in on goal as his struck the ball low into the far corner on 88 minutes. Brighton were devastated and deserved more for their efforts in this game, but that's football as they say. Brighton have now played Fulham six different times without winning in the Premier League. Fulham meanwhile kept their third consecutive clean sheet in the Premier League and will have plenty of confidence in their ability to battle for a European place after beating one of the sides around them in the table.

Predicted: Chelsea 1-0 Southampton

Result: Chelsea 0-1 Southampton

Ward-Prowse

Is time running out for Potter? Can he realistically stay in the job after seeing his side lose once again, and this time against bottom of the table Southampton. They have scored just twice in five games and their lack of an out and out striker was once again obvious here. They lacked that cutting edge and it was a deserved lead for Southampton. Sulemana's shot was saved by Kepa early on and Koulibaly was forced to clear off the line from Armstrong. Chelsea had their own chances, but they were nothing more than half chances for Azpilicueta while Madueke forced a saved from Banuzu. The Saints got their lead in first half stoppage time, as Kepa fouled Armstrong 25 yards out. Up stepped Ward-Prowse for a trademark free kick goal. The home side were booed off at the break, with Sterling and Fofana brought on for the second half. Sterling saw a cross just evade Mount with Mudryk and Havertz brought on later in the second half. They combined well with Sterling but could not force a goal from their efforts as Maitland-Niles blocked. Sterling also so an effort cleared off the line by Perraud before Lavia stopped him on the rebound. Kepa got a nasty blow to the head which forced him off on a stretcher, but 10 minutes of stoppage time was not enough for Chelsea. Southampton had threatened via Walcott and Armstrong while Chelsea had Gallagher and Mudryk pass up chances. It was the 17th direct free kick goal for Ward-Prowse, leaving him just one behind Beckham in the all time list. Southampton have also completed a league double over Chelsea for the first time since the 1987-88 season. Chelsea have now lost three of their last six Premier League home games as their season unravels and their chances for top four are vanishing.

Predicted: Everton 1-2 Leeds

Result: Everton 1-0 Leeds

Coleman

Dyche has another big impact on Everton here, who got over their Merseyside Derby defeat by securing a huge three points in this relegation battle. It was a nervy encounter for sure but Everton were the ones who took control of the game. Onana blasted one over from a low  Gueye cross, and Coady thought he had scored with a header from a corner just after the half hour mark when Wober cleared it from underneath the crossbar. Maupay then saw his rebound cleared off the line by McKennie. Tarkowski saw a header saved and Onana headed over as Everton dominated. Leeds had their best chance Summerville headed onto the roof of the net in stoppage time. The second half saw Leeds make some changes but it was Everton who continued to threaten more, as McNeil volleyed wide in the early stages. Bamford wasted a chance as he failed to connect with Harrison's cross as he looked a shadow of his former self. Everton's leader in the pack Coleman poped up with the winner as the team and fans had began to get nervous, as he got onto an Iwobi pass on 63 minutes and his looping cross found the net from the tightest of angles. Meslier will be disappointed to have been caught out at his near post in such a manner. Dyche's side held on for a deserved victory, and Dyche has now seen his side win two home games out of two, with a clean sheet in both. The turnaround has seen the Toffees climb out of the relegation zone and they will look to put more distance between themselves and the bottom three. Managerless Leeds however have dropped into the relegation zone and they failed to land a single shot on target in the entire 90 minutes.

Predicted: Nottingham Forest 1-5 Manchester City

Result: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Manchester City

Wood - Silva

Another positive home result for Forest as they added Manchester City to the list of teams who could not claim all three points at the City Ground this season. Pep and his side looked to have taken the momentum in the title race, and knowing Arsenal had won over Villa earlier in the day should have spurred them on even further. City were dominant throughout, with Navas facing 23 shots on his goal from a controlling City side, which saw Rodri head wide from a De Bruyne cross. For all their dominance finally on 41 minutes they made it count. Bernardo Silva had a moment of brilliance after a Foden corner found its way out to Grealish, who played it to Silva on the edge of the area for the Portuguese to fire the ball in. The second half continued in the same fashion and Laporte thought he had scored when De Bruyne found him unmarked from a corner, but Navas saved the defenders header. Haaland then found himself in behind and decided to go down in the box when he looked odds on to shot, and likely score, but the referee correctly gave nothing. A Foden shot was then spilled by Navas, allowing Haaland to shoot the ball into the ground and it ended up hitting the bar. The ball fell nicely for the striker but he somehow blazed it over the bar when it looked easier to score. Gundogan's fizzing free-kick was tipped over the bar by Navas as City pushed and pushed for a second, but they were caught out by Forest's first shot on target. A break down the right saw Gibbs-White manage to cross the ball in for Wood to tap home in the 84th minute. Pep had been booked prior to that for complaining to the fourth official, and in the end his side dropped more points in the title race when they should have won comfortably. They have four wins in their previous six league games and while that is good form, this draw and a defeat at Spurs have made their hard work against Arsenal in the week look less important now. There is still a long way to go, but this is not the same Pep side which pushed and pushed against Liverpool over recent seasons to record multiple 90+ point season. As for Forest, they are now unbeaten in eight home league encounters while winning half of those to continue their excellent home form which could be the key to keeping them in the division.

Predicted: Wolves 3-1 Bournemouth

Result: Wolves 0-1 Bournemouth

Tavernier

A big relegation six pointer here saw Bournemouth get an unlikely win against a rejuvenated Wolves under Lopetegui. Wolves controlled the game from the off at Molineux, but they could not pierce a very stubborn Bournemouth defence. The Cherries harried and stood firm, throwing bodies on the line to limit the chances for the home side. Their chances saw Sarabia put an effort just wide at the near post while Nunes was about to poke the ball into an empty net before Ouattara nicked the ball away from him. Traore saw one of mazy runs end in him being fouled as he once again displayed his dribbling ability, but there was little else noteworthy. Neto made routine saves from Sarabia and Traore in a tight and tense first half, and Wolves continued to dominate in the second half. Four minutes after the break and Wolves were caught cold, as Ouattara and Hamad Traore combined to release Solanke, and the forwards cross was diverted past Sa by Tavernier's knee. The Cheeries sat deep from there, inviting Wolves onto them while also limiting the hosts efforts. Cunha missed a header at the near post and had another effort blocked by Stephens.  Costa, Jimenez and Podence all came on to add more to the Wolves attacking threat, but it was Bournemouth who had the better chance to score when Hamad Traore saw his effort well-blocked by Dawson. The defender had a header saved by Sa and Ruben Neves saw a long range effort saved as Wolves could not find a way back into it. The win moved Bournemouth out of the bottom three at the time, with West Ham still to play. Wolves meanwhile remain dangerously close to the relegation zone after their spate of recent good results with saw them win three of their last five in the league.

Predicted: Newcastle 1-2 Liverpool

Result: Newcastle 0-2 Liverpool

Nunez, Gakpo

Newcastle started the brightest here, coming flying out of the traps and Almiron forcing a smart save from Alisson early on. For all their bright and dominant play, on ten minutes Alexander-Arnold played a long ball over the top for Nunez, who controlled it beautifully before lashing the ball past Pope. VAR checked for offside and a potential handball but the goal correctly stood. The game opened up from there but on 17 minutes Liverpool got their second. Salah played a beautiful flicked pass over the top for Gakpo, who slid it to score past Pope. A Newcastle free kick on 21 minutes resulted in a moment of madness for their keeper, as Alisson caught and kicked the ball long. Salah chased and Pope got to it first, but for some strange reason dived on the ball to head it and grabbed it with his hands even though he was far outside his area. Saint-Maximin forced a great save from Alisson as Newcastle still threatened, as Liverpool slowed things down and took the sting out of the game. Salah hit a free kick into the wall and Newcastle managed to win a corner which Burn headed off the bar before the break, while Salah also couldn't control a great long ball in behind for him as both sides saw out the rest of the half. Newcastle started well in the second period, with Isak sending a curling shot just over in the 52nd minute. A few misplaced Liverpool passes early in the second half gave the home fans something the cheer about, as they sensed their side could get back into this one. A break saw Nunez draw a good low save by Dubravka in the 57th minutes, but the attacker was forced off with a shoulder injury moments later to leave him as a doubt for the Real Madrid game on Tuesday night. Joelinton was forced off for Newcastle with an apparent hamstring injury with twenty minutes to go, A beautiful bit of passing play from Liverpool on 75 minutes saw Robertson get in on goal but he squared for Salah instead of shooting, and the ball went just behind the Egyptian. Newcastle managed to break up the other end and some nice feet from Gordon made Liverpool nervous but nothing came of it. Wilson couldn't beat Alisson in a one on one late on as Liverpool weathered the Newcastle late surge, while Jota missed with a free header at the other end. The Portuguese attacker saw another header go just wide and another chance not taken when he rounded the keeper but got pushed wide, and it showed how much Liverpool have missed him. The straight red means Pope will miss the Carabao Cup final against Manchester United, while Dubravka is cup tied have played for United in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season, meaning Karius will likely start in goal for Newcastle. Liverpool remain the only team to have beaten Newcastle in the league this season, having done so twice and now sit only six points off fourth place with a game in hand.

Predicted: Manchester United 3-2 Leicester

Result: Manchester United 3-0 Leicester

Rashford x2, Sancho

This match saw 44 goal attempts from both sides, the most in any Premier League game so far this season. It was United who took their chances though, as Rashford continued his excellent run of form to score a brace. It was the Foxes who started brighter in this one, with Tete causing United problems down the right De Gea being called upon to save from both Barnes and Iheanacho early on. Their inability to find the back of the net cost them, as Rashford pounced on 25 minutes. He found space to run on to Bruno Fernandes' pass and blasted the ball past Ward. United still looked shaky at the back, although Dalot had a great chance to double the lead before the break when he put his effort wide at the back post. Sabitzer was also very lucky not to get a red card for a dangerous stamping foul on Faes leg. Sancho came on in the second half and played behind the striker, and on 56 minutes it played off as Fred played in Rashford to get his second. It was a very close and tight VAR call which just about kept Rashford onside. It was the Englishman's 16th goal in 17 games since the Qatar World Cup. Four minutes later and Sancho got his goal, finishing off a beautiful move by meeting Fernandes' low cross with his left foot. With no way back for the Foxes, the result means Manchester United have lost just three of their last 22 matches in the Premier League, while Leicester have lost for the first time across their last four Premier League matches. United move to within three points of second placed Manchester City while Leicester remain in the bottom half and very much still in the relegation battle.

Predicted: Tottenham 2-2 West Ham

Result: Tottenham 2-0 West Ham

Royal, Son

With Stellini taking charge instead of Conte in the dugout, with the manager still in Italy for post surgery recovery, Spurs managed to find their rhythm once again, securing a much needed win to move themselves back into the top four. West Ham had been on a four game unbeaten run prior to this but it did not show, as they only managed a single shot on target in the entire game, although their best chance came in the opening minute when Bowen put a volley just wide. A clear handball by Kehrer in the box on 14 minutes should have seen Spurs awarded a penalty, but the officials waved play on. Richarlison then saw an effort saved with a shot on the turn, before Romero headed over as the half drew to a close. Hojbjerg’s excellent pass found Davies in the 56th minute and he squared into the box for Royal to open the scoring as Spurs looked a different beast in the second half. Spurs pushed on and substitute Son was set up by Kane on 72 minutes to kill off any chance of a West Ham comeback. It was a much needed win for Spurs who had seen back to back defeats prior to this game, and now means Stellini has won all of his games where he has taken charge. As for Moyes side, they have dropped down into the relegation zone once more after the teams around them recorded good results this weekend, leaving the relegation battle wide open.

Table After Match Day 24

A look at the top half of the table and Arsenal regained top spot with a two point lead and a game in hand over second place Manchester City, while United sit three points behind them in third. Spurs have moved into the final Champions League spot as Newcastle drop down to fifth, with Fulham four points behind in sixth. Brighton, Liverpool, and Brentford all sit on 35 points in the race for Europe, although Liverpool and Brighton have games in hand on all the teams above them. Chelsea languish four points behind that trio in tenth and are in real danger of dropping into the bottom half of the table.

As for the bottom half, Southampton remain bottom even though they managed to win, Leeds have dropped down to 19th, with West Ham a mere point above them. Bournemouth and Everton moved out of the relegation places but only remain a point from the drop, with Wolves, Leicester, Forest, and Palace all dangerously close to the relegation battle. Villa make up the bottom half, and sit only three points off Chelsea in tenth.

Top Goal scorers After Match Day 24

1 - E. Haaland - Manchester City - 26 Goals
2 - H Kane - Tottenham - 17 Goals
3 - I. Toney - Brentford - 14 Goals
4 - M. Rashford - Manchester United - 14 Goals
5 - A. Mitrović -Fulham - 11 Goals
6 - Rodrigo - Leeds - 10 Goals 
7 - M. Almirón - Newcastle - 10 Goals 

+ 2 players on 9 goals

Check out my 2022/23 Season Preview and Predictions here: Premier League 2022/23 Prediction

You can also find my updated predictions after the Round of 16 Champions League draw here: Champions League 22/23 Round of 16 Draw & Prediction

Have a great day, I hope you enjoyed the review of the weekends matches.

Also just to add after the devastating news from the earthquake disaster in Turkey. May Christian Atsu rest in peace.

Have a great day.

Peace. CryptoGod-1.

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