The trio of supremacy

 

As the season reaches week 30, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City battle for the Premier League title with very little between them.

Week 21 – A mini winter-break to ease the burden on teams losing players to the continental cups in Asia and Africa, meant that the week’s fixtures would be played out over two weeks. On Friday evening Luton scored in stoppage time to draw 1-1 at Burnley and on Saturday Manchester City scored their 3-2 winner also in stoppage time having been 2-1 behind at Newcastle while Fulham fell to a penalty conversion at Chelsea. On Sunday, Aston Villa played a goalless match at Everton while Tottenham drew 2-2 at Manchester United. On the following weekend Gabriel Martinelli came on to net a brace in time added on as Crystal Palace were destroyed 5-0 at Arsenal and Brentford overcame Nottingham Forest 3-2 at home, while with both teams reduced to 10 players Sheffield United scored a penalty deep into stoppage time to draw 2-2 at home to West Ham and Liverpool sailed 4-0 past Bournemouth with Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota scoring 2 each. On Monday evening Wolves drew 0-0 at Brighton.

Week 22 – In midweek matches Elijah Adebayo bagged a hat-trick as Brighton were taken apart 4-0 at Luton while Fabian Schar scored twice in Newcastle’s 3-1 triumph at Aston Villa and Eberechi Eze netted a brace as Crystal Palace twice came from behind to win 3-2 at home to Sheffield United. Arsenal were 2-1 winners at Nottingham Forest while 2 goals from Julian Alvarez helped Manchester City to a 3-1 home win over Burnley and Everton drew 0-0 at Fulham. Liverpool battered Chelsea 4-1 at Anfield while Tottenham got the better of Bretford 3-2 at home and on Thursday West Ham levelled an early setback at home to Bournemouth while in a pulsating match at Molineux, Wolves fought back from 2 down but Manchester United struck the 4-3 winner deep into stoppage time.

Week 23 – Everton scored an equaliser in stoppage time to cancel out Richarlison’s double for Tottenham at Goodison Park while David Fofana also scored a double as Burnley came from 2 down to draw 2-2 at home to Fulham and Crystal Palace were taken apart 4-1 at Brighton. Two goals from Sean Longsatff was not enough for Newcastle who had to come from 4-2 down to draw 4-4 with their visitors from Luton while Aston Villa shredded Sheffield United 5-0 at Bramall Lane and on Sunday Liverpool, who ended the match with 10 players, lost 3-1 at Arsenal while a brace from Alejandro Garnacho helped Manchester United to a 3-0 victory over West Ham United at Old Trafford. Matheus Cunha scored a hat-trick as Wolves tore Chelsea apart 4-2 at Stamford Bridge while Bournemouth, who were reduced to 10 players late on in the match, drew 1-1 at home to Nottingham Forest and on Monday evening Phil Foden scored all 3 goals as Machester City’s came from behind to win 3-1 at Brentford.

Week 24 – Erling Haaland scored both goals of the match as Everton lost at Manchester City while Liverpool were 3-1 winners at home to Burnley and Fulham enjoyed the same result against Bournemouth with Rodrigo Muniz netting twice for the Cottagers. Luton Town suffered a 3-1 loss at home to Sheffield United while Brentford were 2-0 winners at Wolves and Tottenham came from behind against Brighton to win 2-1 in front of their own crowd. Bruno Guimaraes scored a brace as Newcastle won 3-2 at Nottingham Forest while on Sunday Bukayo Saka scored twice as Arsenal hammered West Ham 6-0 at the London Olympic Stadium and Manchester United picked up a 2-1 win at Aston Villa. On Monday evening, Conor Gallagher grabbed a double as Chelsea came from a goal down at Crystal Palace to win 3-1 with 2 goals in stoppage time.

Week 25 – Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick as Arsenal battered Burnley 5-0 at Turf Moor while Liverpool thumped hosts Brentford 4-1 and Wolves won 2-1 at Tottenham with a brace from Joao Gomes. Manchester City dropped point in a 1-1 home draw against Chelsea and Newcastle twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at home to Bournemouth while an Ollie Watkins double gave Aston Villa a 2-1 win at Fulham and 10-man West Ham lost 2-0 at Nottingham Forest. On Sunday Simon Adingra scored twice for Brighton and Hove Albion as 10-man Sheffield United were humiliated 5-0 in front of their home crowd and Rasmus Hojlund scored 2 early goals in Manchester United’s 2-1 win at Luton. On Monday, Crystal Palace drew 1-1 at Everton and on Tuesday, in a rearranged match, a single goal at the Etihad gave Manchester City a win over Brentford while on Wednesday Luton scored first but lost 4-1 at Liverpool.

Week 26 – Fulham scored late in added-on time to win 2-1 at Manchester United while Arsenal triumphed 4-1 at home to Newcastle and a single goal gave Manchester City a win at Bournemouth. A Douglas Luiz double helped Aston Villa to a 4-2 home win over Nottingham Forest while 10-man Brighton scored their 1-1 leveller in stoppage time at home to Everton and 10 men from Burnley were punished 3-0 at Crystal Palace in Oliver Glasner’s first match in charge of the Eagles. On Sunday, while Liverpool were lifting the League Cup at Wembley with an extra-time goal against Chelsea, Sheffield United lost 1-0 at Wolves and on Monday Jarrod Bowen bagged a hat-trick as West Ham United sent Brentford home 4-2 losers.

Week 27 – West Ham United came from behind at Everton to win 3-1 with 2 goals in stoppage time while Chelsea drew 2-2 at Brentford and there were 3-0 home wins for Fulham against Brighton and for Newcastle against Wolves. Liverpool broke the deadlock with virtually the last touch of a controversial match at Nottingham Forest while Crystal Place took the lead but lost 3-1 at Tottenham and Ollie Watkins scored twice for Aston Villa at Luton who fought back only to lose 3-2 to a last-minute goal. On Sunday Manchester United took an early lead at Manchester City but the hosts hit back after the break to win 3-1 with double from Phil Foden while Bournemouth won 2-0 at Burnley and on Monday evening Arsenal hit hosts Sheffield United for six.

Week 28 – Arsenal went top with a hard-fought 2-1 win at home to Brentford while Everton lost to 2 penalties at Manchester United and Bournemouth scored late to come from 2 down and draw 2-2 at home to Sheffield United. Luton scored deep into stoppage time to earn a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace and Fulham were defeated 2-1 at Wolves while on Sunday Arsenal remained at the top as Liverpool and Manchester City drew 1-1 at Anfield. Ten-man Aston Villa were taken apart 4-0 by their visitors from Tottenham while West Ham United clawed their way back from a 2-goal deficit with a goal in time added on in front of their home crowd to draw 2-2 against Burnley and Nottingham Forest lost 1-0 at Brighton. On Monday evening Chelsea enjoyed a 3-2 win at home to Newcastle and on Wednesday, in a rearranged match, Bournemouth bounced back from 3 down at the break to celebrate a 4-3 win over Luton Town with a double from Antione Semenyo.

Week 29 – With several teams involved in the FA Cup quarter finals, only 4 Premier League were played. Ten-man Brentford lost 2-1 at Burnley and Rodrigo Muniz scored twice as Fulham sent Tottenham home 3-0 losers while a last-minutr goal gave Luton a 1-1 draw at home to Nottingham Forest and on Sunday Aston Villa drew 1-1 at West Ham.

Week 30 – Alexader Isak converted 2 penalties and Harvey Barnes registered a brace as Newcastle United, who had taken an early lead, came from 3-1 down at home to West Ham United to win 4-3 and end the match with 10 players while 10-man Burnley twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Chelsea for whom Cole Palmer scored both goals and Everton lost 2-1 at Bournemouth. Sheffield United took a 3-1 lead in front of their home supporters but Fulham hit back with 2 late goals to earn a 3-3 draw while Aston Villa defeated Wolves 2-0 and Manchester United drew 1-1 at Brentford with both goals coming in added-on time. Crystal Palace drew 1-1 at Nottingham Forest while Tottenham recovered from an early setback to win 2-1 at home to Luton and Liverpool did the same against Brighton on Sunday while Arsenal drew 0-0 at Manchester City.