The World Cup break is almost upon the soccer world, as the Premier League finishes their final fixtures leading up to the month-long break that will split the season in two. In American football terms, it’s almost like the two minute warning for some of these clubs. However, some of the matches this week were the most exciting we have seen so far this season. Four goals were scored past the 90th minute mark this weekend, and there was even more to look at, from a new manager beginning his era to another manager being dismissed from his position. Some fantastic goals were also scored in the midst of it all. Without further ado, here is the recap of every Premier League fixture in Matchweek 14.
Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool
Liverpool have finally done it. After five tries, the Reds have won a match on the road for the first time this season, and they did it in a vitally important match against Spurs. Liverpool went ahead through Mohammed Salah in the first ten minutes of play. Minutes before halftime, a mistake by Spurs defender Eric Dier put Salah one on one with the goalkeeper, and Salah calmly finished to double Liverpool’s lead. Spurs, for the second straight week, faced an 0-2 deficit, but they did not quit, as Harry Kane scored with a fantastic finish to pull Spurs within one. However, Liverpool defended incredibly well down the stretch, and fended off dozens of Spurs attacks to keep their lead, and Spurs were never able to find that equalizer they were chasing. As a result, Tottenham’s rocky stretch of form continues, as Antonio Conte’s side have only won one of their last four PL games, and they drop below the top three in the standings for the first time since August. Liverpool, on the other hand, will look to build on this win after what has been a disappointing first half of their season. They are now in eighth place, and will hope to climb up the table, as teams above the Reds are having problems with inconsistency.
Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal had another big test in their quest to continue to stay atop the PL table with a trip to Stamford Bridge, but the Gunners passed it. The grinding London Derby featured 33 fouls in total, and only three shots on goal from both sides. The match remained scoreless until minute 63, when a Bukayo Saka corner rolled past the entire Chelsea defense, and was hit into the roof of the net by defender Gabriel to give the Gunners the only goal they would need. Arsenal jumped back to the top of the table, accumulating 34 points in 13 games. They have also scored in every game this season, which will be pleasing to manager Mikel Arteta. On Chelsea’s end, it’s the first time they have lost back to back PL games in nearly two years. What will be more concerning for the Blues, however, is they are now winless in their last four PL games, and are now 13 points behind the league leaders that defeated them.
Manchester City 2-1 Fulham
City continued to keep pace with Arsenal at the top of the table, as they won their third straight PL game as they defeated Fulham at home, but it wasn’t as easy as they would have liked. Julian Alvarez rifled one into the net to give City the lead early on, but City defender Joao Cancelo conceded a penalty midway through the first half, and he was given a red card as well. Fulham’s Andreas Periera then converted from the spot for the equalizer, and the game remained scoreless until the 95th minute. City’s star striker, Erling Haaland, who came on as a substitute, scored a penalty of his own to give City all three points. Fulham’s four game unbeaten run was lost, but Marco Silva’s side still remain in the top half of the table.
Aston Villa 3-1 Manchester United
Villa now have a new manager: former Arsenal and Villareal boss Unai Emery, and he got off to a great start with his new team as they beat Erik Ten Haag’s United on Sunday. An eighth minute goal from Leon Bailey, followed by a beautiful Lucas Digne free kick gave Villa a quick 2-0 lead, but a Luke Shaw shot took a wicked deflection into the net to give United hope just before halftime. However, Jacob Ramsey struck four minutes into the second half to give Villa their third goal and seal the win. Villa is now up to 13th as the Unai Emery era begins, and United remain stuck in fifth place.
Leeds United 4-3 Bournemouth
Leeds and Bournemouth definitely had the most exciting match that the weekend had to offer, as the two sides combined for seven goals in what turned out to be a wild encounter. Leeds took the lead through Rodrygo after they were awarded a penalty in the first minute, but Bournemouth turned it on after that. Goals from Marcus Tavernier, Phillip Biling, and Dominic Solanke gave the Cherries a comfortable lead. Jesse Marsch’s Leeds side didn’t lose hope, though, and created a memorable second-half comeback. Sam Greenwood and Liam Cooper scored to level the match at 3-3, and it was Crysencio Summerville, who scored for the third straight game (each of those goals was in the last 10 minutes of the game) to give Leeds a special win. They now leap to 12th in the table, while Bournemouth, who blew a two-goal lead for the second straight week, now find themselves in the bottom five.
Southampton 1-4 Newcastle United
The Newcastle United rampage continues in the PL, as they went down to Southampton and won their fourth game in a row. Chris Wood, Joe Willock, and Bruno Guimarães all scored in the second half for the Magpies, but it was Miguel Almirón who scored a goal in his fourth straight game to open the scoring. The Magpies still have only lost once in the league so far, and today’s win means they leap Tottenham into third place, the highest Newcastle has been in the table so far this season. The same can’t be said for Southampton, however, and the loss meant they slipped into the relegation zone. That meant a change in leadership was in order, and after four years as manager of Saints, Ralph Hasenhuttl was sacked following the loss, leaving Saints without a manager going into the World Cup break.
Brighton 3-2 Wolves
Brighton and Wolves put together another exciting fixture this weekend at the Molineux. Brighton were the first to take the lead through an Adam Lallana strike, but Wolves quickly took the lead for themselves with Goncalo Guedes goal, followed by a Ruben Neves penalty. Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma equalized before halftime, and Pascal Groß scored in a second straight game to complete the comeback for the Seagulls, and give Roberto De Zerbi his first winning streak as Brighton boss. Wolves are limping towards the World Cup break, as they only have two wins on the season and find themselves one place off the bottom of the table.
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace stunned the London Stadium on Sunday, as they went on the road and stole a victory away from West Ham. The Hammers were the ones who took the lead through Saïd Benrahma, but Palace drew level courtesy of a Wilfried Zaha goal. Later on, West Ham was awarded a penalty by referee Paul Tierney, but VAR reversed the decision and no penalty was given. That gave Palace the opportunity to snatch the win, as Micheal Olise produced a magnificent curling effort in second half stoppage time to give the Eagles their first road victory of the season. The Hammers, who had a good run of form in October, have now lost two straight.
Nottingham Forest 2-2 Brentford
Forest were able to find a very important point against the Bees on Saturday. Morgan Gibbs-White actually gave Forest the lead early on, but just like many matches this week, that lead was lost. Brentford grabbed two goals, one from Bryan Mbeumo from a penalty, and the other from Yoane Wissa, to take a 2-1 lead. The Bees thought they had won the game, but in the dying seconds of the match, Forest were able to force the ball across the goal line to draw level. The goal was ruled as a Brentford own goal, but Forest won’t care, as they’ll take all the points they can get as they still sit in last place in the PL table. Brenford are now winless in their last four games.
Everton 0-2 Leicester City
The Foxes continued their strong run of form on Saturday with a win at Goodison Park against Everton. Midfielder Youri Tielemans scored a volley from outside of the penalty area shortly before the break to put Leicester in front. Harvey Barnes ensured Leicester would be going home with three points, as he scored in the 86th minute. The win means Leicester have won three of their last four, and they leapfrog Everton in the standings, although both sides still find themselves in the bottom half of the table.