In the 17th round of the Premier League, Manchester City’s footballers fulfilled the role of a big favorite and beat West Ham with a clear 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Norwegian gunner Erling Haaland (25), who scored two goals and assisted on one, became the player of the match. Tomáš Souček (30) entered the field in the 79th minute. Ladislav Krejčí (26) had to experience another defeat, as Wolves lost 0:2 at home to Brentford. Thanks to a penalty by Viktor Gyökeres (27), Arsenal won 1:0 at Everton and defended first place.
Manchester City booked their place in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup after a sixth straight win in all competitions and went into the final game before Christmas with plenty of confidence. This was quickly reflected in the score, the in-form Phil Foden found Haaland, whose first left-footed shot was deflected by Alphonse Areola, but the Norwegian striker had already cleared the rebound into the net.
The home side were completely dominant in the first half and could have led by two goals if Haaland had better timed his header. Shortly after Tijjani Reijnders missed his shot, the Netherlands international did get on the scoresheet when he sent the ball under the crossbar following a clever City combination.
West Ham’s rare surge after the break brought at least a glimmer of hope when Jarrod Bowen finished off a promising break with a shot wide. But this chance was not the beginning of a turnaround, and after a longer passage without major opportunities, the home team finally decided in the 69th minute, when Haaland arrived with a free ball in the penalty area and scored his 19th goal in this Premier League season.
Although Crysencio Summerville forced Gianluigi Donnarumma to make a save at the near post shortly afterwards, the result was already decided at that moment and the four substitutions, during which Souček was also on the pitch, had no effect on the result.
West Ham will remain in the relegation zone at Christmas for only the fifth time in their history. But it is positive for West Ham fans that in the last two cases, the club managed to fight for salvation.
Struggling Wolves wanted to end their long wait for a first league win. Their opponent was Brentford, for whom it was an ideal opportunity to find lost form. In the cautious beginning of the match, neither team had much playing quality. Although the guests had more of the game, they did not create more chances against the tenacious defense of the home team in the first 20 minutes of the game.
The home team’s David Moller Wolfe had the first significant chance, whose cross almost caught Caoimhín Kelleher by surprise. However, the Brentford keeper managed to turn the ball away for a corner at the last moment. Although the visitors mostly held the ball, the hosts were mainly dangerous with their quick counter-attacks. Hwang Hee-Chan created a good chance at the end of one of them. However, the quick-witted Kelleher was out of the gate on time. So we went to the dressing room with no goals.
At the start of the second half, Brentford gradually began to increase their pressure. The wolves were mainly kept in the game by the goalkeeper José Sá, who repeatedly neutralized the attempts of Kevin Schade. The visitors opened the scoring only in the 63rd minute, when Krejčí did not catch Vitaly Janelt’s cross. Lewis-Potter did not give the Portuguese goalkeeper a chance with a precise shot to the left post.
The visitors did not let up in their offensive efforts, for which they were rewarded in the 83rd minute. After a quick action on the right side of the field, Mikkel Damsgaard sent an accurate cross to the small area. There, Lewis-Potter was ready again with an uncompromising finish to the right post and made it 2:0.
A glimmer of hope for Wolves dawned in the 89th minute when referee Matthew Donohue awarded a penalty for a tackle on Kelleher. However, Jörgen Strand Larsen only confirmed the troubles of the home team, who let the Irish goalkeeper correct his mistake with a dull shot into the middle of the goal. While Wolves lost their 12th game in a row, Brentford successfully ended their four-game winless streak and took full points for the first time in December.
Scott Parker, who was under a lot of pressure, made a number of changes in an attempt to turn around his team’s poor results, but the start of the match indicated another poor afternoon. David Brooks warned the Clarets early on when he sent a dangerous shot at goal, moments later he went even closer when his technical effort, which would have left Dúbravka with no chance, narrowly missed the post. Burnley had great problems stopping Bournemouth’s pressure in the first half, so they could consider it a small success that, given the current crisis, they managed the opening 30 minutes without conceding a goal.
However, the Cherries fell short of expectations in the first half and were nowhere near the performance from Monday night at Old Trafford in the attacking phase. Antoine Semenyo tried to break his team’s bad luck with a shot from distance, but his right-footed effort flew just wide of the post. Andoni Iraola’s side could have been punished just before half-time when Jaidon Anthony headed the ball into an empty net at the back post, but Josh Laurent was ruled out for offside in the previous action.
The second half started similarly to the first, the hosts were more active, but failed to create chances. Despite Semenyo’s efforts as he sent a fierce cross into the small box, there was no one to get the ball into the net. Maybe that’s why Semenyo was the fastest at Josh Laurent’s lackluster kick-off and curled the ball into the far corner of the goal with a beautiful technical shot.
Parker took a risk in the end and went from a three-stopper system to four defenders, but it looked like it was too late. However, the visitors increased the pressure in the final minutes and were rewarded in the very end when Marcus Edwards found Broja at the back post and he headed in his first goal for the club. Bournemouth extended their winless streak to eight games and there is no light at the end of the tunnel for Iraola’s team.
The two teams met in the highest English competition after 22 years, but this duel did not offer a goal shootout, although both teams sent a total of 30 shooting attempts. Yasin Ayari had the best chance at the end of the game, but he missed the goal from a good position. The Black Cats moved up to fifth place in the table after the draw at the Amex Stadium.
The opening shot of the match was scored by Martín Zubimendi for the visitors, but his attempt was blocked by Michael Keane. The first major commotion came shortly after 20 minutes when Jake O’Brien was handballed in the Everton box. Referee Samuel Barrott checked the whole situation on video and confirmed the penalty kick for Arsenal. Gyökeres did not hesitate from him, behind whose sharp shot to the left part of the goal, Jordan Pickford only stretched in vain.
The Gunners were obviously relieved after the quickly scored goal and their game got the necessary lightness again. Gyökeres could once again take advantage of the pressure of Mikel Arteta’s men, but he shot high after William Saliba’s pass. Neither Declan Rice’s long-range attempt nor Bukaya Saka’s header brought further success.
Saka was at the first big chance at the beginning of the second half. However, this time Pickford was replaced on the goal line by James Tarkowski. On the other side, Thierno Barry wanted a penalty kick, but the referee remained calm this time. Leandro Trossard could also be among the scorers of the match, but after Rice’s pass from the box, he only hit the right post of Everton’s goal. Before long, Zubimendi also stamped the right goal structure of Pickford’s goal.
Arsenal did not manage to score the second goal, not even the joker Mikel Merino succeeded with his technical shot after a few seconds on the pitch. However, the Gunners maintained a favorable situation and after the loss with Aston Villa, they returned to the winning streak with their third win across competitions.
The start to the game at Elland Road was relatively tepid with no significant chances until a nasty clash of heads between Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi and Leeds’ Calvert-Lewin left the latter needing extended treatment. Both teams looked to attack at every opportunity, but the industriousness of Adam Wharton and Will Hughes in midfield often nipped the home action in the bud. On the other side, Jean-Philippe Matet and Yéremy Pin lacked precision, so their chances remained untapped.
The first shot on target didn’t come until the 19th minute from the boot of Palace striker Eddie Nketiah, but Leeds began to dictate the tempo as time went on, with Pascal Struijk twice going close. The home side claimed a penalty after a tackle on Brenden Aaronson by Tyrick Mitchell, but the referee missed the penalty kick. But joy was soon to come when Calvert-Lewin headed home a shot of his own after a save by Dean Henderson to open the scoring in the 38th minute. He then added a second strike in stoppage time, when Ampadu extended the ball beyond the Palace defense to Jaka Bijol after a free-kick. The Englishman then headed past Henderson to score his sixth goal in his last five league games.
After the change of sides, Leeds dominated the one-on-ones and hardly let the visitors out of their half. Chris Richards was often the only Palace defender to match the home side’s effort, but it was his lack of emphasis when turning away the ball after a corner kick that allowed Ampadu to escape the offside trap and make it 3-0 with an accurate shot. Henderson then made a great save against Struijk’s header, but the home team continued to press.
Palace did get a chance in the end when he converted Devenna’s penalty after a foul on Christantus Uche to score his second goal in two games, but the result was no longer in doubt. Before the end of the setup, Stach then beautifully curled a free kick to the near post and sealed a clear victory. For the first time since January 2002, Leeds have scored at least three times in three consecutive home games in the top flight. Palace, on the other hand, continues an unfavorable series and has not won in the domestic league even this time after European matches.
