Matchweek 32 in the Premier League certainly lived up to everyone’s expectations with dramatic matches that had massive implications on the top four battle, title race, and relegation scrap.
The weekend kicked off with a bang at Goodison Park, where Everton scraped past Manchester United, 1-0, to give them a vital boost in the relegation scrap.
Anthony Gordon scored for the hosts in the 27th minute, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, and the rest of United’s eleven had no response. Finishing in the top four has now become an unrealistic task for Ralf Rangnick and his side.
Saturday also hosted Brighton’s triumph over Arsenal at the Emirates, Chelsea’s 6-0 thrashing of Southampton, Leeds’ 3-0 victory over Watford, and Tottenham’s emphatic 4-0 win over Aston Villa. Despite these quality matches, the game of the season between Manchester and Liverpool is what every Premier League fan was desperately waiting to see.
Today, the match between City and Liverpool lived up to the hype and ultimately ended in a stalemate. This game had a breathtaking abundance of quality, particularly from Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, and Trent Alexander Arnold. Perhaps a 2-2 draw reflects how good these teams are.
Manchester City took the lead on two separate occasions with De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus strikes, but Liverpool responded well both times, thanks to Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane.
Both of these sides need to be perfect now, as only one point separates them. Whoever isn’t perfect will ultimately lose this title race to the other.
We’ve got seven more games, seven more cup finals, and seven more thrilling weeks of Premier League football.
Title Race
1st) Manchester City (31 PL, 74 PTS)
Pep Guardiola‘s side was breathtaking at points during their clash with Liverpool and will likely feel disappointed to only come out with a point in this contest. They had an opportunity to pull away from Liverpool in this title race at the Etihad; however, a 2-2 stalemate prolongs this neck-and-neck battle.
I expect City to remain in first and win this Premier League title; however, they need to be perfect.
span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Matchweek 32 in the Premier League certainly lived up to everyone’s expectations with dramatic matches that had massive implications on the top four battle, title race, and relegation scrap.
The weekend kicked off with a bang at Goodison Park, where Everton scraped past Manchester United, 1-0, to give them a vital boost in the relegation scrap.
Anthony Gordon scored for the hosts in the 27th minute, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, and the rest of United’s eleven had no response. Finishing in the top four has now become an unrealistic task for Ralf Rangnick and his side.
Saturday also hosted Brighton’s triumph over Arsenal at the Emirates, Chelsea’s 6-0 thrashing of Southampton, Leeds’ 3-0 victory over Watford, and Tottenham’s emphatic 4-0 win over Aston Villa. Despite these quality matches, the game of the season between Manchester and Liverpool is what every Premier League fan was desperately waiting to see.
Today, the match between City and Liverpool lived up to the hype and ultimately ended in a stalemate. This game had a breathtaking abundance of quality, particularly from Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, and Trent Alexander Arnold. Perhaps a 2-2 draw reflects how good these teams are.
Manchester City took the lead on two separate occasions with De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus strikes, but Liverpool responded well both times, thanks to Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane.
Both of these sides need to be perfect now, as only one point separates them. Whoever isn’t perfect will ultimately lose this title race to the other.
We’ve got seven more games, seven more cup finals, and seven more thrilling weeks of Premier League football.
Title Race
1st) Manchester City (31 PL, 74 PTS)
Pep Guardiola‘s side was breathtaking at points during their clash with Liverpool and will likely feel disappointed to only come out with a point in this contest. They had an opportunity to pull away from Liverpool in this title race at the Etihad; however, a 2-2 stalemate prolongs this neck-and-neck battle.
I expect City to remain in first and win this Premier League title; however, they need to be perfect.
Pep Guardiola on the sidelines against Liverpool today.2nd) Liverpool (31 PL, 73 PTS)
If I were Jurgen Klopp, I would be pleased with a 2-2 draw against City today, given how well Guardiola’s side played. Liverpool was able to equalize twice and withstood a late Riyad Mahrez chance that he should have done better with.
They are still a point behind City, so the title race is not lost. Klopp’s side has so many important games ahead of them, but luckily they have phenomenal attacking, midfield, and defensive depth. They can’t afford any more slip-ups from here on out, and I am sure they are currently laser-focused.
Top Four Race
4th) Tottenham (31 PL, 57 PTS)
Twenty-five goals in seven Premier League games. Antonio Conte has transformed this side with his fourth win in four Premier League games and has established a frightening front three in Son, Kane, and Kulusevski.
Heung Min-Son is now up to seventeen goals on the season, only three behind Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane has assisted five goals in his last three games, and Dejan Kulusevski has nine goal contributions in the Premier League since joining Spurs.
With Arsenal and Manchester United dropping points left and right, fourth place is Tottenham’s to lose.
Heung Min Son scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa this weekend.5th) Arsenal (30 PL, 54 PTS)
Mikel Arteta‘s side was in a favorable position in the top four race until a firing Liverpool side halted their momentum. Since that loss, they have lost two more Premier League games to Crystal Palace and Brighton, which has hurt them massively.
They have become riddled with injuries, having lost Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Thomas Partey, and they will need to show resilience throughout the remainder of this season. Tottenham is continuing to win, and it seems like this top-four battle will come down to the North London Derby between Spurs and Arsenal on May 12th.
6th) West Ham (32 PL, 51 PTS)
David Moyes’ side likely spoiled any top-four hopes within the club after a 2-0 loss to Brentford today, although they can still finish in a European spot. They also have an opportunity to qualify for next year’s Champions League if they win the Europa League this season.
7th) Manchester United (31 PL, 51 PTS)
It has been a season to forget for United, and their loss against Everton will likely prove to have been detrimental to their top-four hopes. Ralf Rangnick has not been able to sort out the culture in Manchester, and Erik Ten-Hag will have an opportunity to do the same next season.
United’s attack looks useless, and the bottom line is that they are currently a team of individuals playing football rather than working together.
Relegation Scrap
16th) Leeds (32 PL, 33 PTS)
Jesse Marsch has done a fantastic job at Leeds so far and has perhaps done enough to help them survive relegation this season. After winning their third Premier League game in four, I would be shocked if Leeds went down.
17th) Everton (30 PL, 28 PTS)
Everton responded well to a 3-2 defeat against Burnley with a vital win against Manchester United. There is still work for Frank Lampard‘s side to do; however, they are definitely in a better position than Burnley.
Anthony Gordon celebrating his crucial winner against United.18th) Burnley (30 PL, 24 PTS)
Sean Dyche’s squad was in such a desirable position before their game this weekend against Norwich; however, they could not capitalize on the momentum gained from their victory against Everton. Maxwell Cornet had an opportunity to equalize from point-blank range during the game, but it was not meant to be.
19th) Watford (31 PL, 22 PTS)
Now, Watford is in big trouble after losing 3-0 to Leeds in a six-point swing. They have not been good enough and will likely go back down to the Championship next season unless a miracle occurs.
20th Norwich (31 PL, 21 PTS)
Despite being in last for the majority of the season, Dean Smith and Norwich are not giving up. They defeated Burnley this past weekend, thanks to goals from Pierre Lees-Melou and Teemu Pukki. They’ll need a few more of those goals if they want to play Premier League football next season.
