Gameweek 13 of the 2024/25 Premier League season began on Friday night with the Seagulls sharing the spoils with bottom-of-the-table Southampton, which was followed by some high-scoring encounters involving Wolves against Bournemouth and West Ham taking on Arsenal. Headlined by the Super Sunday clash that saw Liverpool beat Manchester CIty, the beginning of the festive month had a lot of interesting encounters.
Let’s take a look at all the happenings of Gameweek 13.
The Seagulls missed a massive opportunity at the Amex Stadium to grab all three points against relegation strugglers Southampton.
Brighton took the early initiative in the first half, with Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck, and Georginio Rutter all missing close chances. They finally broke the deadlock in the 29th minute when Mitoma connected his head with an inviting cross by fullback Tariq Lamptey. Saints had a chance to equalise before the break through Cameron Archer as he received a low cross from Yukinari Sugawara, but he turned it over the crossbar. The Seagulls went into the break with a slender lead.
The away side started the second half positively and reaped the rewards at the hour mark when Ryan Manning set up Archer into the box, who saw his shot blocked, but the rebound fell kindly to Flynn Downes who rammed home to equalise. Buoyed by the equaliser, eight minutes later, the Saints thought they had scored the winner through Archer, but Adam Armstrong was found offside even though he didn’t make contact with the ball. Brighton had a late, late chance as well, but Jack Stephens’ effort went agonisingly wide of the post.
The game ended in an entertaining draw at the English south coast.
After two consecutive wins, Wolves lost to the Cherries at home in a frenetic, high-scoring encounter.
The visitors opened the scoring inside three minutes when Evanilson was fouled in the box by defender Toti Gomes, resulting in a Bournemouth. Justin Kluivert stepped up and duly converted the spot kick, though the lead lasted barely two minutes as Jørgen Strand Larsen diverted his header into the far post at the other end. However, a frantic passage of play saw Bournemouth recapture the lead through Milos Kerkez, who rifled his shot into the net from a Marcus Tavernier cross for the third goal of the game inside eight minutes. The Cherries were awarded another penalty in the 18th minute as the industrious Evanilson robbed the ball off Wolves keeper José Sá and received a kick in return. Kluivert converted the second penalty as well to hand his side a two-goal advantage. Boos for the home side rang around Molineux Stadium at the break.
The hostile home environment slowed down a bit with Larsen scoring his second of the game when Gonçalo Guedes played him through after dispossessing Marcos Senesi outside the Bournemouth box. The two-goal lead was restored five minutes later, however, as Sá rounded off a horrendous game with another foul on Evanilson in the box, which again saw Kluivert step up to convert and complete hattrick of penalties, securing for his side a well-deserved three points.
With this loss, Wolves drop into the bottom three, undoing all the good work off the past two Gameweeks.
***
Crystal Palace climbed out of the bottom three with a late gasp equaliser against the Magpies.
The home side missed a host of chances in the first half to take the lead. Newcastle lost Alexander Isak midway through the first-half with a hip injury. Daniel Muñoz missed a sitter in the 36th minute when he shot wide of a gaping goal from an Ismaila Sarr cross on the back of a blistering counter attack. Muñoz had another shot blocked by Dan Burn when it was heading into the open goal. The two teams went goalless into the break.
The away side rejoiced when Anthony Gordon’s shot was turned into the goal by Palace defender Marc Guéhi in the 52nd minute giving the Magpies the shock lead. The Eagles again had two missed chances in the 62nd minute when first Ismaila Sarr’s shot was saved and then Muñoz s shot from the follow-up was blocked leaving the Eagles wondering how they could score. However, their equaliser came deep into stoppage time when Muñoz rose highest to head the ball beating Nick Pope at the near post.
A raucous Selhurst Park celebrated the goal as if it was a win while Newcastle should consider themselves lucky to have gotten away with a draw.
Nottingham Forest returned to winning ways after disappointment of the last two games being beaten comprehensively.
Forest had an early chance to take the lead with an early corner inside three minutes but Morgan Gibbs-White’s header went into the side netting. Liam Delap was set up by Leif Davis but his deflected shot was saved and Dara O’Shea came close before the hosts cleared the ball. Ryan Yates had a chance to open the scoring when he found a loose ball from a Callum-Hudson Odoi’s shot and rifled it but Sammie Szmodics cleared off the line. Ipswich had a glorious chance in the 24th minute, Davis’ ball into the box found the head of Burgess, who tried to flick it into the bottom corner but Ola Aina cleared off the line. The scoreline was goalless at the break.
The dominant home side did get a penalty awarded four minutes into the second half when Jota Silva was fouled by Sammie Szmodics in the box. Chris Wood stepped up to score from the spot-kick giving Forest the much-deserved lead. It was Arijanet Muric who prevented Ipswich from going further behind just five minutes later. An overhit corner was pushed back into the box by Jota, with Murillo forcing the goalkeeper to push his powerful header off the bar and away from danger. The hosts continued to pile on the pressure but couldn’t extend the lead and the visitors were not able to test the opposition goal leading to a loss for the Tractor Boys away from home.
The Bees came from behind to hammer Leicester City at the GTech Community Stadium this weekend.
Brentford dominated the opening passage of play but it was Leicester who opened the scoring against the run of play after brilliant play by Jamie Vardy in the box and passing to an open Facundo Buonanotte who tapped in for the lead in the 21st minute. However, the home side came back four minutes later with Yoane Wissa tapping in for the equaliser in the 25th minute with great work from Mikkel Damsgaard. The lead was taken just four minutes later as Bryan Mbeumo’s deflected cross was swept into the net by Kevin Schade for his first Premier League goal since April. The Bees put daylight between them and the Foxes in the first half stoppage time when Schade scored his second and Brentford’s third, coolly lifting the ball over an onrushing Mads Hermansen.
The Bees came back after the restart and continued to control the game and possession. Schade, who was going through a goal-scoring drought, completed his first career hat-trick on the hour-mark as he latched onto Nathan Collins’ pass to slide his finish into the net and Brentford killed off the game with a fourth goal.
While Brentford got into 7th place with this win, Foxes are languishing in the bottom half, just a point above relegation places.
Also read: Premier League 2024/25 Sponsors
In a high scoring encounter where all seven goals were scored in the first half, the Gunners blew away the hosts at the London stadium.
The first Arsenal goal arrived from a Bukayo Saka corner with Gabriel Magalhães opening the scoring inside ten minutes. West Ham thought they had equalised six minutes later through Crysencio Summerville but the goal was chalked off for offside. The Gunners attacked again with Martin Ødegaard finding Saka in the box and his cross was met by Leandro Trossard for a simple tap-in for a 2-0 lead in the 28th minute. Arsenal added a third in the 32nd minute when Ødegaard scored from a spot-kick which was awarded for a foul on Saka in the box. Arsenal was out of sight in the game after Havertz capitalised on Killman’s mistake from a Trossard long ball to score their fourth sending Arsenal fans into dreamland. West Ham pulled two goals back within two minutes, first through Aaron Wan-Bissaka beating David Raya on the near post and then from an unstoppable Emerson Palmieri free-kick in the roof of the net. West Ham’s hope of a comeback was short lived as another Bukayo Saka penalty in the first half stoppage time gave Arsenal a three-goal deficit.
The second half was fairly uneventful as compared to the first one. The Gunners fired another warning shot, with Riccardo Calafiori heading wide having escaped his marker, before Bowen and Michail Antonio pulled two efforts off target. Ødegaard was next to try his luck, but his shot was comfortably saved by Fabia?ski.
Both teams threatened but nothing materialised further giving Arsenal a well-deserved win and Julen Lopetegui much to ponder on after a dismal display at home.
Chelsea looked in total control beating a hapless and out of form Aston Villa emphatically at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
The hosts started with intent and the in-form Nicolas Jackson fired Chelsea into the lead from a Marc Cucurella cross into the net off the post in the 7th minute. Ollie Watkins had a glorious chance to level the scoring in the 15th minute but Chelsea goalie Robert Sánchez shut him down in a 1v1 opportunity. Chelsea took advantage of sloppy defending when Enzo Fernández was fed by Cole Palmer before steadying himself and firing home with Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa not able to defend their goal. Aston Villa hardly had a decent sight of goal but almost at the end of the first half, Watkins had another chance with the goal at his mercy but he couldn’t make contact with the ball. Villa also had an injury issue with their talisman, goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez going off at the end of the first half and was replaced with Robin Olsen in goal.
The second half again saw the home side enjoy more chances and possession with the Villans looking tired. The Blues killed off the game in the 83rd minute with Cole Palmer topping off the performance with a curled finish into the top left corner. Substitutes Noni Madueke and João Félix could have added to the score late on but for the double save from Robin Olsen.
Chelsea went joint-second with Arsenal in the table with this win while Unai Emery’s brilliant start to the season has started to fizzle out.
***
Tottenham missed to capitalise on the big win against Manchester City away by sharing the spoils with a 10-men Fulham.
The game started with a defensive error by Fulham inside the first minute but Son Hueng-Min inexplicably failed to capitalise with Bernd Leno making the save. Fulham had their first real chance in the 17th minute with Alex Iwobi sending in a flighted cross but Raúl Jiménez’s touch let him down. A minute later, Antonee Robinson’s sloppy pass went to Son in the box but again he failed to get his shot going and Fulham survived. The away side threatened with another Iwobi cross to Jimenez but Fraser Foster made a great reaction save. Later stages of the first half saw both sides missing chances with Radu Dragusin’s fine header saved by Leno and the impressive Iwobi hitting the crossbar. The first half ended goalless with a late scare for the Cottagers as James Maddison’s low free kick almost sneaked in at the near post at the end of stoppage time.
However, nine minutes into the second half, Spurs got their opener through Brennan Johnson with a looping ball at the far post from Timo Werner providing the assist. For all their attacking efforts, the Cottagers were trailing behind. But they didn’t let off and equalised in the 68th minute from a powerful shot into the far post from captain Tom Cairney. Cairney was however, on the wrong side of law in the 80th minute for a poor challenge from the back on Timo Werner and after a lengthy VAR check was rightly sent-off for serious foul play. Fulham showed a disciplined defensive display in the last ten minutes to share a point with Spurs left to rue missing out on all three points.
A new-look Manchester United under new boss Ruben Amorim thrashed a hapless Everton at Old Trafford.
Manchester United were off the traps instantly and registered a first shot on target inside three minutes with Kobbie Mainoo forcing a save from Jordan Pickford. The Red Devils kept attacking with Amad Diallo being a real threat on the right wing. Beto had a chance to score in the 20th minute but the angle was too tight. Man United did get their reward in the 34th minute when Marcus Rashford met Bruno Fernandes’s corner kick from the edge of the box and his shot deflected off Jarrad Branthwaite into the net for the opener. Six minutes later, United doubled the lead when Amad intercepted a Pickford goal kick, then passed to Fernandes which led to Joshua Zirkzee firing home from close range. The hosts went into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Rashford grabbed his brace and United’s third goal, 20 seconds into the second half with Amad Diallo setting him up with a brilliant through ball. United piled more misery on Everton with their fourth of the evening with Amad dispossessing James Tarkowski in the 64th minute to set up Zirkzee for his second of the game.
Everton had no response to the United onslaught and the hosts won an emphatic encounter at home with the Toffees now two points off the drop zone.
It was the headline clash at Anfield between two fairly contrasting teams – Liverpool who are in the form of their life against Manchester City struggling in ways no one has seen them in recent seasons.
The raucous crowd at Anfield drove the home side forward from the first whistle and the Reds looked like a team possessed for the first twenty minutes. Attack after attack followed with Manchester City players failing to hold onto the ball. Liverpool could have scored with Virgil van Dijk’s towering header from a corner kick, hitting the post with a slight touch from Stefan Ortega in the 11th minute. A minute later though, Liverpool scored the opener when Mohammed Salah received a cross field long ball from Trent Alexander Arnold and pushed it dangerously in the box for a Cody Gakpo tap in at the far post. Manchester City were living dangerously and seven minutes later, an unmarked Virgil Van Dijk headed wide from a corner. City did get their bearings right after the half an hour mark and started to grow in the game with Rico Lewis finally registering their first shot at goal after the 38th minute. Liverpool went into the break with a slender one goal advantage.
Realising the importance of a second goal, Liverpool started aggressively after the break. Five minutes later, Gakpo had a great chance with Andy Robertson providing a delightful through ball. Salah too had a superb chance to double the lead but fluffed his shot. City had a ten-minute spell of possession on the other end but didn’t result in anything fruitful. Liverpool was awarded a penalty for an Ortega foul on Luis Diaz in the box in the 78th minute and Salah stepped up to convert the spot-kick with a precise finish into the bottom right corner. The Cityzens tried to create chances but were shut out by Liverpool in the last fifteen minutes.
With this win, Liverpool increased their lead in the table to 11 points against Manchester City who suffered a fourth straight loss in the Premier League.
In this article, we take a look at the SWOT Analysis of 5-time IPL champions…
South-West London’s Premier League club Fulham FC have announced a new partnership with Argentine wine…
After parting ways with Seiko in January 2021, Novak Djokovic stayed without a watch sponsor…
Gone are the days of players making their name in their early 20s. There were…
Qatar Airways have signed up tennis icon Novak Djokovic as their Wellness Advisor and Global…
Railway ticket booking application, ixigo Trains has signed up Men in Blues captain, Rohit Sharma…