Premier League Update – GW18 | OneFootball

Thursday, Dec. 26 – Boxing Day!

Manchester City 1 – 1 Everton

Stale, mate. Despite an early Bernardo Silva goal and a second half penalty, Man Sh•itty continue to underperform. Erling Haaland’s lukewarm effort from the spot was easily blocked by Jordan Pickford (whose pre-kick mugging must’ve got into the Norwegian’s head). This is the second week Everton have held a superior team to a draw, meaning it might not just be a fluke.

Newcastle 3 – 0 Aston Villa

From apex predator to simpering prey in two short minutes: thus was the tale of Aston Villa’s Boxing Day. Anthony Gordon’s strike certainly was quality, but it was Jhon Duran’s idiotic red-mist challenge in the 38th that drew a straight dismissal and sunk Villa. After that event, the Magpies just needed to stay patient and wait for the goals to come.

Bournemouth 0 – 0 Crystal Palace

When you sit in a relegation scrap, draws are a buoy that keep you afloat. Crystal Palace were not at their best, but did just enough to frustrate a dangerous Bournemouth at home.

Chelsea 1 – 2 Fulham

Cole Palmer FC may be chilly, but today Fulham had more ice in their veins. Despite going down early, the Cottagers dug their heels into the Stamford Bridge turf and kept on fighting. Marco Silva’s second half substitutions yielded dividends. Harry Wilson’s goal turned up the heat, but Rodrigo Muniz’s 95th minute winner was the knock-out blow. This was not Chelsea’s finest effort, and they paid for their complacency.

Nottingham Forest 1 – 0 Tottenham Hotspur

It’s been 30 years since Nottingham has been this high in the table after Christmas. They are third; sit 6 points above Man City and 11 points higher than Tottenham. Their win total (10) is double the wins from the PREVIOUS TWO SEASONS. I will not waste bytes on Spurs here, it’s all Forest (and rightly so).

Southampton 0 – 1 West Ham

The Saints’ new manager, Ivan Juric, had the pained look of a patient preparing for a colonoscopy as he watched his squad waste first half chances. Eventually Hammers midfielder Jarrod Bowen was able to punch a hole in the Southampton defense to take home the full points. Sending all the positive thoughts to West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski, who had to be stretchered off after a collision in the first half.

Wolverhampton 2 – 0 Manchester United

Damp, misty Wolverhampton was the venue for the latest embarrassment visited upon a flailing Manchester team, in this case United. Vitor Pereira, playing his first home match, watched joyfully as his Wolves hustled, harassed and ultimately humiliated the visitors. Much will be said of captain Bruno Fernandes, whose 48th minute second yellow put his team behind the eight ball, but let’s give full credit to Matheus Cuhna, who scored a stunning olímpico and set up the final goal.

Liverpool 3 – 1 Leicester

Jordan Ayew struck first against the run of play in the 5th minute, but it was all Liverpool for the remaining 90+ minutes. Despite Leicester’s stubborn defense that denied Liverpool for nearly the entire first half, Cody Gakpo punched in the equalizer in stoppage time. The second half saw Liverpool attack from every conceivable angle, players moving freely all over the final third. In the end, Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah put the home field on top.