Week 14 of the Premier League season is now in the books, and it left fans with many intriguing storylines. This matchweek offered much late drama and a lot of fluctuation in the table. As we approach the festive period of fixtures, teams will be looking to catch form at the right time in order to string some results together. Squad depth will be vital during this busy period.
The majority of teams finished matchweek 14 in a different position in the table than when the weekend began. Manchester City was not one of the those teams. City began the week in first place, and they did not falter in their matchup against Bournemouth. Although the Cherries fought hard and scored right before halftime to make it 1-1, the Cityzens pulled away in the second half to extend their streak to 20 straight matches without a loss dating back to February. Raheem Sterling notched his place in PL history when he scored the game-winning goal, making him the first-ever player to score in his first six PL matches against the same opponent.
Liverpool kept pace with Man City by securing a 1-0 victory in the Merseyside derby. Despite having many chances but firing blanks for most of the match, Liverpool escaped with victory courtesy of an unlikely hero. Despite Liverpool's massive offensive star power, it was Belgian striker Divock Origi who netted in the 90+6' to break Everton hearts. Origi, who has been battling injury and has barely been in the side over the past year, found himself in the right place at the right time when Virgil Van Dijk's wild attempt at goal looped into the air, and somehow eluded goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, bouncing on the top of the crossbar not once but twice, before eventually falling to Origi two yards out. It was truly a fluke goal, but Liverpool won't care. Their animated manager Jurgen Klopp has since been charge by the FA for misconduct for his reaction to the goal, which saw him run onto the pitch to celebrate with his players.
Chelsea responded well following their first loss of the season last time out. They moved into 3rd after handling bottom-of-the-table Fulham in their addition of the London derby. Chelsea really never looked like losing, as Pedro netted Chelsea's 1000th home goal in PL history in the 4th minute, and promising youngster Ruben Loftus-Cheek marked his 50th PL appearance for the club with a late goal to seal all three points.
Arsenal hopped North London rivals Tottenham in the table after what turned out to be a testy affair. Unai Emery's men put together a convincing performance at home to dispatch their rivals, led by two goals from Gabonese international Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang. The former Borussia Dortmund striker now leads the race for the golden boot with 10 goals, two more than the next closest challenger. Arsenal found themselves behind 2-1 at halftime after two goals within three minutes from Spurs. After Eric Dier's equalizer, some Arsenal substitutes took issue with his celebration, and a shoving match ensued between a number of players on each team. One might say that this motivated the Arsenal players and spurred them onto a massive second-half comeback at home (no pun intended). Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira also netted his first goal for the club. Arsenal have not lost a match in all competitions since August.
Leicester City put in a good performance against Watford, securing a comfortable 2-0 win. Leicester are one of four PL teams that haven't lost in their last five matches (2W 3D), and they seem to be headed in the right direction as as the season pushes into the festive period. Attacking midfielder James Maddison made amends for his red card last time out with a brilliant volleyed goal. Watford seem to be falling into a rut of poor form. Javi Garcia's men are winless in their last four (1D 3L), and will have a tough task next time out against high-flying Manchester City.
Brighton and Hove Albion moved up to 11th with an impressive come-from-behind away victory against Huddersfield Town. Less than a minute into the match, club veteran Bruno smashed a clearance directly into the air in the middle of his own penalty area and Huddersfield defender Zanka rose well to direct the ball into the top corner, giving the hosts an early lead. However, it was another red card for a Huddersfield player that saw them undone. Striker Steve Mounie was sent off for a poor challenge a cleat to the knee of a Brighton player. Brighton turned the man advantage to three points, as center back Shane Duffy netted his third goal of the season just before halftime and Romanian striker Florin Andone netted the winner on his first PL start for the club. Huddersfield Town now sit in 17th, one point out of the relegation zone.
The Friday fixture in this round of matches gave us an entertaining encounter in which the Bluebirds from Cardiff lifted themselves out of the drop zone. Cardiff City found themselves behind 1-0 at halftime to Wolves, but the Welsh side completed an impressive second-half turn-around. Club captain and Iceland international Aron Gunnarsson scored his first goal since August of 2013, when he netted the Bluebirds' first ever goal in the competition. Junior Hoilett then provided a goal of the season nominee and a goal worthy of winning any match, when he curled a shot from outside the box past Rui Patricio, bar-down. Struggling Wolves face Chelsea next, while Cardiff travel to West Ham.
West Ham United put together an impressive performance to halt Newcastle United's three game winning streak, as the Hammers won on Wearside 3-0. Mexican international Javier Hernandez scored his 47th and 48th career PL goals inside the penalty area, as he approaches the all-time record (Tim Cahill—56). In-form Brazilian midfielder Felipe Anderson scored his fourth goal in as many games as West Ham moved up to 13th.
Crystal Palace moved clear of the drop zone with an emphatic 2-0 over Burnley at Selhurt Park. Palace outshot struggling Burnley 29-4 in what was a complete performance. Perhaps most promising for the Eagles is the fact that they kept their fifth clean sheet of the season, which is the most of any team that does not currently sit in the top three. Nothing seems to be working for Burnley right now. The Claret have only taken one point from their last five matches and did not register a single shot on target against Palace. They have the joint-worse points haul in the league over the past five matches (Wolves), and find themselves in 19th, one point off bottom. They are struggling to score and things could be much worse if it was not for Joe Hart, who is leading the PL in saves (61). Burnley are experiencing the always-dreaded post European-campaign low after finishing a club-record 7th last year and qualifying for the Europa League. Despite already being out of that competition, the curse has still descended on the squad, and they will look to ensure they do not get relegated as a result.
Southampton played Manchester United to a 2-2 draw at the weekend. Southampton pulled out to a 2-0 lead through a smart finish from in-form Stuart Armstrong and a brilliant free-kick from outside back Cedric. However, the Saints blew the lead as United battled back to secure their second straight draw. Despite acquiring what may have been seen as a good point before kickoff, after leading 2-0 Southampton may feel they lead two points get away. In the days following the result, management announced that they have parted company with manager Mark Hughes, making him the second PL manager to be fired this season. The Saints sit in 18th, one point from safety.
Manchester United sit in 7th, but they still find themselves closer to the 20th (14 points) than 1st (16 points). United have already conceded more goals this season than they did the entirety of last season.
The next round of fixtures marks the first mid-week round of fixtures this season.
Interesting Stat:
—Mark Hughes has become the first-ever manager to be sacked by two Premier League teams in the same calendar year (Stoke City in March)
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