Almanac Soccer: English Premier League Matchweek 13 Highlights

 

Premier League Matchweek 13 Highlights 24/25

Matchweek 13 of the Premier League produced a whopping number of 34 goals. It also saw first-placed Liverpool take on second-placed Manchester City. Here are my highlights of the weekend

 

Wolves vs Bournemouth

The 5th game of Matchweek 13 saw Gary O’Neil’s Wolves host Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at the Molineux Stadium. The Cherries made the perfect start to the fixture when they won a penalty after less than 60 seconds played. Marcos Senesi played a brilliant ball almost the whole length of the pitch to no.9 Evanilson who was through on goal. Just as the Brazilian shaped to shoot, he was hacked down by Wolves centre half Toti Gomes. Justin Kluivert stepped up to take the spot kick and dispatched it perfectly, slotting the ball into the bottom right corner. Wolves soon struck back though, taking just 4 minutes to equalise. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde whipped the ball into the penalty area where Jorgan Strand Larsen threw himself at the cross to head the ball into the far corner, firing up the so far silent Moulinex in the process. The Cherries then restored their lead just 3 minutes later, with this game already shaping up to be a Premier League classic. It was a great bit of play from Bournemouth which resulted in Ryan Christie finding Marcus Tavernier on the left  side of the penalty area. Tavernier laid it off to right back Milos Kerkez who had made an overlapping run. The Hungarian full back then smashed the ball into the top left corner from an impossible angle, giving the Cherries the lead in spectacular fashion. In the 16th minute, Bournemouth gained a 2 goal cushion thanks to yet another penalty won by Evanilson. The Brazilian striker snuck up behind Wolves keeper Jose Sa, winning the ball and forcing Sa to foul him, with VAR eventually allowing referee Peter Banks to award the spot kick. Kluivert scored yet again from 12 yards, smashing the ball into the opposite bottom left corner. At half time, the score stood at 1-3 with Wolves in serious trouble due to 2 poor defensive errors.

The hosts managed to half the deficit in the 69th minute thanks to another Strand Larsen goal. Goncalo Guedes outmuscled Senesi before playing the big Norwegian in on goal. Strand Larsen then smashed the ball into the roof of the net, bagging his 6th of the season. The Cherries then all but sealed the 3 points when, for the 3rd time in the afternoon, Evanilson won the travelling side a penalty. Craig Dawson played a weak back pass to keeper Sa which was pounced on by the Brazilian. In the end, Sa lunged in and brought him down, giving away his 2nd penalty of the match. Kluivert completed his hat-trick from the spot, slotting the ball into the bottom right corner, becoming the first ever player to score a hat-trick of all penalties. The full time score finished 2-4 with O’Neil’s defence greatly exposed once again. Wolves have now conceded 32 goals this season as they sit 18th in the relegation zone with just 9 points. The Cherries get back to their winning ways, sitting 13th in the league on 18 points.

 

West Ham United vs Arsenal

The final game played on Saturday evening in Matchweek 13 saw Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the London Stadium. After West Ham’s huge result away at Newcastle earlier in the week, they got off to a poor start and found themselves 0-1 down inside 10 minutes. The Premier League’s best side at set pieces were at it again, with Gabriel scoring his 3rd goal off of a corner this season after Bukayo Saka’s cross. Seventeen minutes later, the Gunners doubled their advantage. Saka registered his 2nd assist of the game and 10th of the season, rolling the ball across the 6-yard area for Leandro Trossard to tap the ball into an empty net. It was all too easy for Arteta’s team after Saka gave his side yet another prime opportunity to take a 3-0 lead, winning a foul in the penalty area after Lucas Paqeuta chopped him down. Martin Odegaard had been sublime so far and got his name on the score sheet after he slotted the penalty past ex-Gunner and current West Ham keeper, Lukasz Fabianski, and into the bottom right corner. Just seconds after making it 0-3, Arsenal made it 0-4 through yet another Hammers error. Trossard’s lofted pass over the West Ham backline looked like Maximilian Kilman would easily clear the ball from the path of Kai Havertz. Unfortunately for the hosts,he tried to slide in and intercept the ball, embarrassing himself as Havertz punished his error and slotted the ball past Fabianski. This game just continued to produce goals as West Ham finally found the back of the net in the 38th minute. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, fresh off scoring against Newcastle on Monday, put the ball past Gunner’s keeper David Raya brilliantly. Carlos Soler had played a perfect through ball into the path of the full back who had made a late run into the penalty area. West Ham gave the travelling side even more to think about after their other full back, Emerson, scored a peach of a free kick from the right side of the penalty area to bring the deficit back to just 2 goals. Arteta’s side put the hopes of a ridiculous West Ham comeback to sleep after they won their 2nd penalty of the half, coming through yet another corner. Gabriel tried to head the ball past Fabianski for the 2nd time in the evening but the Pole was seen by VAR, punching the Brazilian in the head while attempting to clear it. This time Saka was given the right to take the spot kick and only just scored it, slotting it away into the bottom left corner with Fabianski unable to get a stronger palm to the ball. At half time the score finished 2-5, only the 4th ever half in the Premier League to brandish 7+ goals and the first in 12 years. West Ham’s leaky defense was once again exposed but the London Stadium was witnessing an Arsenal side at their very best.

The 2nd half was much quieter than the 1st, with the full time score finishing 2-5 as Arsenal successfully shut out the Hammers to win their 7th game of the season. The Gunners move into 2nd in the table while West Ham remain 14th, still failing to win back to back games this season.

 

Liverpool vs Manchester City

The closing game of Matchweek 13 was easily the most anticipated of the week, with Arne Slot’s Liverpool, 1st placed unbeaten in 15 games, hosting Pep Guardiola’s 2nd placed Manchester City, winless in 6 games, at Anfield. The Liverpool fans were up for their big title game on Sunday night, with a win enough to put them 11 points clear of the current holders. They made the ideal start to the game, finding the opener after just 12 minutes. Dominik Szoboszlai pinged an immaculate ball over the Manchester City team and into the trajectory of Mohamed Salah. Salah was too hot to handle for Maunel Akanji as he tricked the Swiss defender before playing a brilliant ball across the 6-yard box for Cody Gakpo to bundle over the line. Virgil van Dijk also missed a number of headed opportunities from crosses in the first half for the Reds as they came so close to doubling their advantage before the interval. City were offering up nothing in the Liverpool half, making it the first time in 14 years where they had failed to register a shot on target in the first half of a Premier League fixture. The first half score stood at 1-0 with Slot’s side clearly dominating the Citizens.

It was fair to say City had a little more possession than the hosts in the 2nd period but Liverpool missed more opportunities. Gakpo had a 1v1 saved by City keeper Stefan Ortega, Van Dijk missed another header, and Salah shockingly missed a 1v1 against Ortega despite having the penalty area all to himself. Darwin Nunez, who had been a real thorn in the City defence since coming on in the 73rd minute, was the pioneer of Liverpool’s greatly deserved 2nd goal, dispossessing Ruben Dias before Luis Diaz took the ball from Nunez, leaving him 1-on-1 with Ortega. The Colombian took the ball around Ortega before he was inevitably brought down by the German shot stopper. Salah, who had missed a penalty midweek against Real Madrid, was not going to make the same mistake again, drilling the ball into the bottom right corner from the spot to score his 11th of the Premier League season and wrap up the game for the Reds. The full time score finished 2-0 with Liverpool going 9 points clear at the top of the table and 11 points clear of Manchester City. Pep’s side continued their crisis, losing 6 out of their last 7 games and drawing to Feyenoord in the Champions League (having led 3-0 with 15 minutes to play). Pep’s side dropped out of the top 4 into 5th and will have to try and turn things around against Nuno’s tricky Forest in the coming week.

 

Read the rest of Matchweek 13 at Premier League Matchweek 13 24/25 – Kickoff chronicles

 

 

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