Liverpool’s clash with Manchester United was the Premier League match of the weekend and it certainly lived up to its expectations in terms of drama if not in goals.
Few neutrals, or even United fans, expected anything other than a home win but the Red Devils fought hard to earn a goalless draw in the face of 34 shots. But every time a Liverpool player took a shot there was a Manchester United player in the way, though the Reds didn’t help themselves with a series of bad decisions when they were on the attack.
Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahim Konate and Cody Gakpo all missed clear chances with their heads while Mo Salah was strangely quiet. United defended resolutely and made some full blooded tackles and Diego Dalot was sent off in injury time; booked earlier he questioned a referee decision (which was wrong) and took a second yellow card for dissent.
Liverpool are second while Manchester United move up to seventh.
Jesus gives Arsenal some pre-Christmas cheer
Arsenal went to the top of the table after winning their 2pm fixture at home to Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0. And it was striker Gabriel Jesus who broke the Seagulls’ resistance early in the second half when he nodded home from a Bukayo Saka corner. By then the Gunners could already have been three up but wastefulness in front of goal made it harder than it should have been. Pascal Gross almost levelled for Brighton but his shot went agonisingly wide and Kai Havertz settled any nerves at the Emirates when he fired home on 87 minutes.
Aston Villa briefly went second when they won a bad tempered game at Brentford by the odd goal in three as both teams ended the match with ten men. The latest Premier League 2023 betting odds still back Manchester City to retain their title, but they are drifting and the Sky Blues are no longer odds on as Liverpool, Arsenal and Villa all march on.
Have City forgotten how to win?
The most surprising of all the weekend’s Premier League 2023 results was Manchester City’s 2-2 draw at home to struggling Crystal Palace; especially as the Sky Blues were cruising at 2-0 up with 15 minutes to play and had plenty of chances to be out of sight. But things got jittery when Jean- Phillipe Mateta halved the deficit, against the run of play, and there was a case of déjà vu at the Etihad when Michael Olise fired home a 95th minute penalty to grab a share of the spoils.
City have won just one in six and conceded late equalisers in recent draws against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Chelsea. It’s a problem Pep Guardiola needs to solve but Eagles boss Roy Hodgson had plenty to smile about at the final whistle… in fact he was laughing!
Dyche always was a great manager
So Everton made it four wins on the bounce with a clinical 2-0 victory over Burnley in the Sean Dyche Derby. The former Clarets boss has transformed the Toffees from a highly paid, dysfunctional blob of relegation fodder to a potential force, once again, in the English top flight. Were it not for the ten points penalty imposed for Everton’s financial breaches Dyche’s team would have risen to ninth in the table, a single point behind Manchester United.
This SBOTOP writer isn’t in the least bit surprised, having watched the Ginger Mourinho guide Burnley to six consecutive top flight campaigns, a trip to Europe and two top ten finishes… and all on a shoestring budget. Okay, Everton overspent a couple of campaigns ago but Dyche deserves all the credit he gets.
Kulusevski is quality
Spurs opened the weekend’s action with a 2-0 win away to Nottingham Forest on Friday night and Tottenham’s super Swede, Dejan Kulusevski put in a stellar performance. His first half cross onto the head of Richarlison was worth a goal in itself. Then he seized on a mix up in the Forest defence to blast home the second and pick up the man-of-the-match award.
After Tottenham went down to ten men when Yves Bissouma picked up his second red card of the campaign Spurs settled for two and Kulusevski was subbed to receive a standing ovation from the away fans. Former Manchester United star and TV pundit Gary Neville reckons the winger could easily become a £100m player if he continues his progress at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
So that’s the lot for this week folks; and all that remains is for all of us here at SBOTOP to wish Luton Town star Tom Lockyer our very best wishes, after he suffered a cardiac arrest during the Hatters match with Bournemouth. Tom is stable in hospital and we really hope he makes a quick recovery.
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