Premier League Review: Midweek Round 31
Premier League Review: Midweek Round 31
FotMob - April 5, 2024, 8:27 AM
The top three all won this week. If any of Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester City are feeling the pressure in this title race, they are doing a good job of hiding it. The mid-week round of fixtures also changed the landscape in the relegation battle. Here’s your review of the biggest talking points from across the Premier League.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
Everton get out of a sticky situation
Everton, without a win in 2024, were on the ropes against Newcastle United at St James’ Park. The Toffees trailed to an early Alexander Isak goal, with the 24-year-old adding his 15th Premier League goal of the season after just 15 minutes.
The Sweden international has now notched five in his last five appearances for the Magpies.
Eddie Howe’s side controlled the game and peppered the Everton goal, racking up four big chances and finishing the game with an Expected Goals haul of 2.44. However, they weren’t able to add to Isak’s effort, despite their best efforts. The visitors remained in the game and a moment of madness from Paul Dummett presented Sean Dyche’s men with an opportunity to equalise in the 88th minute.
Dummett, brought on in the 79th minute, had a wrestling match with Ashley Young during a set piece and gifted Everton a penalty which Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted
This could be a pivotal point at the end of the season for a Toffees team without a win since mid-December. Newcastle will be disappointed not to have been able to build on their late win over West Ham on Saturday. They missed an opportunity to move into seventh position.
Forest fire at the City Ground
Nottingham Forest extended their unbeaten run to three matches in the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Fulham. The hosts raced into a 3-0 lead at half-time with goals from Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White.
Fulham manager Marco Silva tried to turn the tide at 2-0 when he made three changes but the Gibbs-White effort in first-half stoppage time all but ended this as a tie. An early goal in the second half did give the away side a glimmer of hope but it wasn’t something they were able to build on.
The win kept Forest three points clear of the drop zone and just three points off of 15th-placed Brentford. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side are in good form at an important part of the season.
Fulham, meanwhile, continue to be a confusing side.
Their 3-0 win over Spurs was followed up with a 3-3 draw against bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United and then a 3-1 loss to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest. With very little to play for now, results might continue to be erratic for Silva and his men.
The champions respond
Manchester City haven’t been entirely convincing over recent weeks. The pressure was on the champions to deliver a performance against Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa at the Etihad on Wednesday evening.
Pep Guardiola made the bold decision to rest Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne ahead of a packed April schedule. With 20 minutes on the clock, it didn’t appear to be the smartest idea. Despite taking an early lead through Rodri, Manchester City had been pegged back by a weakened Villa team. Unai Emery was without the likes of Ollie Watkins, Emi Martínez and John McGinn but Jhon Duran found the back of the net to level things up.
Phil Foden’s stoppage-time strike, however, gave the champions a deserved lead. The England international added a second just after the hour mark and completed his hat-trick just before the 70th minute to give City a win their performance deserved.
It heaped pressure on Liverpool ahead of their match against Sheffield United on Thursday evening, with the Reds hosting Sheffield United at Anfield.
The loss for Villa means they are two points clear of fifth-place Tottenham Hotspur but Emery’s side have played a game more.
The Reds reclaim top spot
Liverpool kicked off their game against the Blades on Thursday in third position having started the week as the Premier League leaders.
On paper, this should’ve been a routine win against the team that sat bottom of the table. Yet Sheffield United should’ve been a goal up inside of a minute and they would’ve been had it not been for Caoimhin Kelleher. The stand-in shot-stopper thwarted James McAtee from close range.
The hosts eventually, rather unconventionally found a way to break the deadlock with Darwin Núñez chasing down goalkeeper Ivo Grbić and blocking his clearance, with the ball bouncing into an unguarded goal.
Just before the hour mark, however, the away side stunned Anfield with a rare break forward. Gustavo Harmer’s header bounced in off of Conor Bradley.
Alexis Mac Allister restored Liverpool’s advantage with a stunning strike from distance and the Reds used this momentum to push for a third. It arrived in the 90th minute when substitutes Andrew Robertson and Cody Gakpo combined, with the Dutchman steering a header into the corner to secure the points.
A rollercoaster of a game at Stamford Bridge
With 20 minutes on the clock at Stamford Bridge, it was panic stations for Manchester United and dreamland for Chelsea.
Conor Gallagher had given the hosts the lead inside of four minutes and Cole Palmer had converted his seventh consecutive penalty to give Mauricio Pochettino’s side a commanding 2-0 lead without really breaking a sweat.
Alejandro Garnacho halved the deficit in the 34rd minute and then just five minutes late, Bruno Fernandes had levelled things up. Out of nowhere, the Red Devils had managed to half Chelsea’s momentum and pry control away from their hosts.
It was end-to-end in the second half with Erin Ten Hag’s side threatening Chelsea whenever they had an opportunity to break. This eventually paid dividends when Antony played an outrageous trivela pass into the path of Garnacho and the Argentine nodded the ball into the back of the net to give the visitors the lead.
He looked set to be the match-winner until the 100th minute. Noni Madueke, off of the bench for the Blues, won a penalty and that man Palmer, as usual, kept his cool from the spot to convert.
The former Manchester City youngster then found time to win the game for the Blues, picking up a short corner and unleashing an effort goalwards. He was fortunate, with the ball clipping Scott McTominay, but he won’t care. He completed his hat-trick and the Blues claimed all three points.
(Cover Image from IMAGO)
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Liverpool
Liverpool's best and worst players from late win at home to Sheffield United
Liverpool go top of Premier League after hard-fought victory against Sheffield United
Reds had led early but were pegged back late in the second half
Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo goals secured win late on
By David Lynch
Apr 5, 2024
Mac Allister stepped up when Liverpool needed him
Mac Allister stepped up when Liverpool needed him / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
FROM ANFIELD - Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Sheffield United.
The Reds looked to be in for a straightforward evening when Darwin Nunez forced the ball home in chasing down goalkeeper Ivo Grbic's clearance in the first half.
But, after Conor Bradley put through his own net just before the hour mark, a stunning finish from Alexis Mac Allister late in the game was required to get the hosts back in front late on.
And the points were wrapped up at the death when Cody Gakpo headed home a sumptuous Andy Robertson cross.
Here were the best and worst players for Liverpool on the night.
Liverpool's best player vs Sheffield United
Alexis Mac Allister
Jurgen Klopp, Alexis Mac Allister
Mac Allister was the star / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Not quite as influential as usual, but adapted to the holding role brilliantly again and scored a stunning winner.
At 1-1, Chris Wilder's side continued to create danger, with only the final pass eluding them during a number of promising breaks following the equaliser.
But Liverpool have made a habit of pulling rabbits out of hats during this title charge, and repeated the trick again to get their noses in front with the clock ticking down.
If there was an element of luck in the way the ball fell to Mac Allister, there was nothing fortunate about the finish he hammered into the top corner. It was a goal that seemed to break Sheffield United's spirit.
Honourable mention
Darwin Nunez
Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez
What is he like, that Nunez? / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Not everything came off for him but he grabbed a goal through a grit and determination that summed up his efforts.
Grbic had made a fine start to the match with a save to deny Mohamed Salah. Unfortunately for the Sheffield United goalkeeper, his next contribution was a disastrous one: a kick straight into an onrushing Nunez that bounced back towards his net and in.
Liverpool's worst player vs Sheffield United
Ryan Gravenberch
FBL-ENG-PR-LIVERPOOL-SHEFFIELD
Gravenberch missed a chance to impress / PAUL ELLIS/GettyImages
There were the occasional flashes of brilliance involving typically quick feet but did not do enough to stamp his mark on the game.
Made his first start since returning from an ankle injury and was replaced by Robertson on the hour mark after Sheffield United had equalised.
Dishonourable mention
Conor Bradley
Conor Bradley
Bradley was unfortunate to concede the own goal / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages
Wasn't quite as influential in an attacking sense as he usually is but kept making the runs.
Sheffield United finding it easy to marshal Liverpool's threat while providing enough of their own at the start of the second half.
And that told when the Blades grabbed a deserved equaliser when Gustavo Hamer's back-post header forced Bradley to put through his own goal.
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Related Topics
Sheffield United
Liverpool FC
Premier League
Darwin Nunez
Mohamed Salah
