Gakpo joins Dutch elite and Isak makes Newcastle history plus other stats & stories you might have missed from today’s 3pm action | OneFootball

It was a typical Saturday in the Premier League, with five matches scheduled for the usual 3 p.m. kickoff.

Only one of these games did not involve a team battling relegation: Bournemouth faced high-flying Nottingham Forest. The Cherries themselves are performing admirably, starting the weekend in seventh place, just three points shy of the Champions League spots.

In the matches involving teams looking nervously over their shoulders, Everton travelled south to take on Brighton, while nearby Southampton clashed with Newcastle, and in the Black Country, second-placed Arsenal visited Wolves, who are struggling with the league’s weakest defence.

League leaders Liverpool, boasting the most formidable attack in England’s top division, hosted Ipswich at Anfield.

Even with half of Matchday 23 fixtures taking place during the traditional time slot, key moments can still be easily overlooked. But don’t worry—Squawka is here to highlight what you might have missed.

Forest underdone by brilliant Bournemouth

You could sense that Nottingham Forest’s luck would eventually run out, and today’s match against Bournemouth was always going to be a significant challenge, but few could have anticipated the collapse of the eight-game unbeaten Champions League contenders on the south coast. The Cherries, fresh off an impressive victory against Newcastle last weekend, continued their momentum with a 3-0 win. Justin Kluivert, Dango Ouattara, who scored a hat-trick, and Antoine Semenyo did the damage.

Kluivert has directly contributed to 12 goals in his last 12 Premier League matches, scoring 10 goals and providing 2 assists. This is more than he achieved in his previous 42 appearances in the competition, where he was involved in just 11 goals. Additionally, Ouattara made history as the first player from Burkina Faso to score a hat-trick in the Premier League.

What makes this victory particularly noteworthy is that Andoni Iraola’s team scored all five of their goals from just 16 shots, resulting in a conversion rate of 31%. In contrast, Forest’s shot conversion rate against before today’s game was only 7.5%, the lowest in England’s top division. This defeat also meant that Forest was unable to win five consecutive away matches in the top flight, a feat they last achieved in March 1989.

Toffees rare delight on the road

Brighton aimed to achieve a league double over Everton for the first time in history, with this being the 12th different season in which they’ve faced each other. However, David Moyes had other plans. Following last weekend’s tense victory over Tottenham, the returning head coach sought to address the Toffee’s poor away form. Coming into this match, Everton had won only one of their last 21 Premier League away games (with eight draws and 12 losses), that lone victory being a 2-0 win against Ipswich in October. Since that win at Portman Road, the Toffees have scored just one goal in their six league matches on the road, recording three draws and three losses.

Given how well the Seagulls have been performing lately, few expected Everton to gain anything from the match, especially after Dominic Calvert-Lewin was injured early on. However, just before halftime, Iliman Ndiaye converted a penalty, which set the stage for a remarkable result. This marked Everton’s second away win of the season and their fourth clean sheet, with previous shutouts against Ipswich, West Ham, and Arsenal.

Goal-getter Gakpo

Here’s an experiment: rank Liverpool players by importance. Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are certainly among the top contenders, but what about Cody Gakpo? It’s fair to say that very few players have experienced such a remarkable transformation as he has. Just a year ago, he faced criticism, with questions surrounding his best position and whether he would secure a regular spot in the starting lineup. However, in recent months, he’s undeniably turned things around, leading Arne Slot’s attack in a ‘false nine’ role and delivering another stellar performance.

Gakpo played a crucial role by creating Salah’s effort, which doubled Liverpool’s lead against Ipswich after Dominik Szoboszlai had initially put them in front. The 25-year-old forward would then breach Christian Walton’s goal twice. He’s now scored in each of his last five appearances at Anfield, joining an esteemed group of Dutch players. Only two other Dutchmen have achieved this feat in the Premier League: Ruud van Nistelrooy in August 2003, and Robin van Persie twice, in March 2012 and January 2013.

Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves scored a very late consolation goal, but Liverpool held on to strengthen their grip on this season’s title race.

Isak’s away day streak

When all is said and done, one might wonder where Alexander Isak would rank among Newcastle’s great strikers. For now, we don’t need to focus on that, but we can acknowledge that he has achieved something none of his predecessors have managed in the Premier League era. His equaliser against Southampton allowed him to reach a milestone that no Newcastle player has experienced since the league was established in 1992: scoring in five consecutive away games.

A remarkable statistic, especially considering the presence of legends like Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand, Andy Cole, Papiss Cissé, and Peter Beardsley. It clearly demonstrates the incredible form Isak is enjoying. He soon doubled his efforts and put the Magpies in front after they initially conceded to Jan Bednarek’s bullet header. To add to Isak’s impressive record, he’s scored 15 goals in 13 league appearances against promoted teams.

Another red for Arteta’s men

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta stressed that his team “cannot continue to play with 10 men” following William Saliba’s red card against Bournemouth in October. At that time, Saliba’s dismissal marked the 18th sending-off during Arteta’s tenure, five more than any other team in the Premier League within that period.

“Playing with 10 men, always there is an issue,” the Spaniard remarked.

“The truth is, when you analyse it, three very different actions and the outcome of them, the reasons are very different. Regardless of that we cannot continue to play with 10 men, especially at this level.

“We need to eradicate that, it’s clear. The reasons and how – it doesn’t matter. We have to focus and it has to happen.”

Since then, Arsenal played 14 more league matches. While the results have been mixed, they hadn’t experienced another red card — until today, when young full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly received his first Premier League red card for serious foul play, becoming the 19th sending-off under Arteta’s management.

This situation prompts the question: Is Arteta’s team becoming undisciplined, or is it merely a matter of bad luck? This latest incident marks their fourth sending-off of the 2024/25 season, more than any other side, with one more than Southampton and West Ham.

However, the sides would soon be level when João Gomes received a second yellow card, only for Gunners substitute Riccardo Calafiori to break the deadlock. A much-needed three points for their slim championship hopes.

*Using Bookmaker/Affiliate links on squawka.com may earn us a commission, at no additional cost to you. 18+ only. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. For more information, visit gambleaware.org.