Premier League 2024/25 Gameweek 22 Recap

Premier League weekend arrived with a lot of fanfare in Gameweek 22. This gameweek had it all – High-pressing attacking football, feisty draws and dramatic late win. While the Magpies had to eat humble pie against the Cherries, Liverpool left it heart-stoppingly late against the Bees. The Gunners drew with the Villans at home while the Hammers were beaten by the Eagles. The Seagulls flew to a win against the Red Devils while Everton defeated a woeful Spurs. 

Let’s take a look at all the happenings from Gameweek 22 – 

Newcastle United 1-4 Bournemouth

An in-form Magpies were put to the sword by a ruthless Cherries at St James’s Park. 

Hattrick hero Justin Kluivert was the star of the show as the Cherries came away with a massive three points at a tough away stadium. The visitors started brightly and were rewarded with an opener in the 6th minute with Justin Kluivert sweeping in from an Antoine Semenyo assist. But after the early setback, the Magpies started to dominate proceedings and equalised in the 25th minute from a Bruno Guimarães glancing header past Kepa Arizzabalaga from a Lewis Hall corner-kick. However, the visitors showed more hunger and intent. Their high press induced errors from the Magpies as Guimarães lost the ball in a dangerous area to Dango Outtara who set up Kluivert just before the break to reclaim the lead. 

The visitors came out attack minded after the break creating chances. Outtara thought he had put Bournemouth ahead 3-1 just after the hour-mark but his goal was chalked off as the ball had gone out of play before he scored. Newcastle couldn’t muster a response and Kluivert completed his hattrick in stoppage-time from a long-range screamer to put the game to bed. Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez then put the cherry on top with a fourth of the game to complete the rout as a hapless Geordies fans looked on. 

Newcastle’s winning streak of nine consecutive games came to an end with this defeat while an impressive Cherries climbed up to sixth spot. 

Brentford 0-2 Liverpool

Late drama unfolded at the Gtech Stadium as Liverpool broke the Bees’ heart to grab all three points via a Darwin Núñez double in stoppage-time. 

The Reds started with intent but it was the hosts who had the clear chance early on when Mikkel Damsgaard failed to get a touch on a teasing Keane-Lewis Potter cross into the box. However, after that early scare, the Reds started to impose themselves on the game and created many clear-cut chances. Luis Diaz should have scored from Ibrahima Konaté’s accurate long ball in the 15th minute but failed to connect his head properly. Ryan Gravenberch then tested Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken with an effort from outside the box which the goalkeeper tipped behind before Virgil van Dijk headed wide from the corner. Dominik Szoboszlai rattled the crossbar from the edge of the box as Liverpool started to pile on the pressure. However, their best chance yet was spurned by Cody Gakpo in a 1v1 situation on a quick counter. A resolute Brentford defence ensured the game remained goalless going into the break. 

Liverpool came out in the second half and kept attacking the Brentford goal but to no avail. Arne Slot made his substitutions in the 65th minute bringing on Núñez and Andy Robertson and they almost made an instant impact as Robertson’s curling cross was headed over by Núñez. Mohamed Salah also fired wide from his favoured left foot and it looked like Liverpool were on course to drop another two points but the introduction of Harvey Elliot and Federico Chiesa brought on fresh legs for the Reds. Elliot in particular was involved in both goals. For the first one, he passed to Trent-Alexander Arnold in the box who teed up Núñez for an easy tap-in in front of a delirious away end. Three minutes later, Liverpool started a counter and it was Elliot again that assisted Núñez who fired in his second to complete the win. 

With this win, Liverpool increased their gap to six points at the top with a game in hand while Brentford suffered a late, late heart-break. 

Leicester City 0-2 Fulham

The Foxes continue their poor form at home against Fulham losing a seventh straight game looking even less likely to avoid the drop. 

The first half was pretty even though both teams had chances and Fulham looked dangerous on the counter attack. Bernd Leno was forced into a save from Jordan Ayew from close-range in the opening minute as Fulham survived a scare. Raúl Jiménez threatened at the other end as he tried to poke a Harry Wilson header goalwards, but the Mexico international was flagged offside before he could get his shot away. Alex Iwobi also had a chance but his volley hit the post. Jamie Vardy’s effort was also palmed wide by Leno. Both teams kept searching for a goal but none could muster one as the two teams went goalless into the break. 

However, three minutes into the restart, Harry Wilson’s clipped cross found Saša Luki? in the box who teed it up for an onrushing Emile-Smith Rowe for Fulham’s opener. Adama Traore then doubled the Cottagers lead twenty minutes later, when he met a Wilson cross into the box and scored from a first-time finish. Rodrigo Muniz had a good chance to add to the scoreline but flashed his shot wide when Saša Luki? put him through, while Vardy was thwarted by Leno when Leicester searched for a consolation.

Fulham returned to winning ways with this one and Leicester continue to stay in the bottom two. 

West Ham United 0-2 Crystal Palace

After their win in midweek, the Hammers were looking to build some momentum but they were woeful in their defeat to the Eagles at home. 

West Ham had quite a few opportunities in the first half, most notable one was Aaron Wan Bissaka’s shot wide of the far post. A good save from West Ham goalkeeper ?ukasz Fabia?ski after Jean-Philippe Mateta was played through by Daniel Munoz in the 12th minute was another opportunity of note before the break.

The deadlock was broken three minutes after the restart when Palace turned defence into attack rapidly through Ismaïla Sarr’s pass to Eberechi Eze who slipped in Mateta who raced through and slotted past Fabia?ski in goal. Fabia?ski remained busier of the two keepers in the second half, producing saves from Maxence Lacroix and Eddie Nketiah before the visitors found themselves in more trouble when Konstantinos Mavropanos was sent off for a high boot on Mateta ten minutes from regulation-time, dousing any hopes of a Hammers’ comeback. Mateta put the result past doubt when Nketiah was brought down by Fabia?ski in the box in the 89th minute and Palace were awarded a penalty. Mateta stepped forward and squeezed it past a diving Fabia?ski who almost saved it. 

The win moves Crystal Palace ahead of West Ham in the league table, highlighting the challenges Graham Potter faces in his role at West Ham.

Arsenal 2-2 Aston Villa

Arsenal let slip a two-goal advantage against Aston Villa at home to share spoils at the Emirates. 

After cutting down the lead to four points with a win in midweek, Arsenal started the game in a spirited manner and attacked vigorously at the Villa goal. Their efforts were rewarded when Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring in the 35th minute – a goal Emiliano Martínez could have saved as he threw out the ball but it had crossed the goal line. The Villans were busy defending their goal in the first period and Arsenal went into the break with a one-goal advantage. 

Kai Havertz then gave Arsenal some breathing space in the 55th minute as he converted an inviting Leandro Trossard cross with a smart near-post finish. It looked like the Gunners were on course for the three points but their defensive vulnerabilities crept up and at the hour-mark Youri Tielemans cutting a goal back with a thumping header past David Raya. Eight minutes later, Ollie Watkins restored parity for the Villans. 

Arsenal’s Mikel Merino thought he had grabbed all three points in the 86th minute but his shot on goal had a handball involvement from Kai Havertz and a VAR review chalked off the goal to the dismay of the home fans. Arsenal continued to attack in the latter stages of stoppage-time and Leandro Trossard had a glorious opportunity but scuffed his shot agonizingly wide of the far post, ending the game in a draw.

Arsenal’s title ambitions were dealt a blow by a feisty Villans that came away with a point even after being second best for most of the game. 

Nottingham Forest 3-2 Southampton

Nottingham Forest battled off a late surge by a fighting Saints but held on to the three points to get level on points with second placed Arsenal. 

It was a quite opening period at the City Ground as both sides were trying to find their feet but it changed in the 11th minute from a throw-in midway inside the Saints half, with Morgan Gibbs-White receiving it and flicking it inside, sending the ball into the path of Elliot Anderson, who drove towards the edge of the area and sent a low shot just near post beating Aaron Ramsdale. Saints almost responded moments later, as Yuki Sugawara got into space on the right and pushed a low ball into the box, with Cameron Archer looking set to pounce at close range, only for Forest defender Murillo to get there ahead of him and divert it wide of the post. The Saints were lively in attack and had shots from Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Mateus Fernandes and Flynn Downes blocked. They were punished for their habit of sloppy play from the back when Callum Hudson-Odoi swept the ball off Jan Bednarek and fired near post from the edge of the box to double Forest’s advantage. It was then 3-0 on 41 minutes, as Ola Aina sent in a cross from the right and Wood found a precise header into the far corner.

Ivan Juri? made one change at the break, bringing on Ugochukwu for Downes who had been booked in the first half. The substitution felt inspired as an angled free-kick towards the edge of the box was knocked down by Paul Onuachu, with Ugochukwu’s subsequent shot getting a touch from Bednarek and looped past Matz Sels in the Forest goal. The hosts thought they had restored their three-goal lead almost immediately, when Ramsdale spilled a Nikola Milenkovi? header into the net from an Anthony Elanga free-kick, but Saints got a reprieve with Wood in an offside position and judged to have interfered with the play as well. In the first minute of injury-time Onuachu headed a Fernandes corner at the near post into the top corner to cut the deficit to a goal leading to some nervy moments for the home side. Saints almost snatched a point in the 95th minute when Bednarek’s header was cleared off the line by Ola Aina with Matz Sels beaten. However, Forest held on for the three points. 

With this win, Forest continued their incredible form forward while Saints are at the bottom of the table even though they showed courage and fought back. 

Everton 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Everton piled on more misery on Spurs with a win at Goodison Park with three first half goals that almost made the result one-sided even though Spurs fought back late on. 

Jake O’Brien was caught on the ball and Heung-Min Son forced an early corner but it was well defended. Jesper Lindstrom had the first real chance when he blasted a ball which forced a good save from Antonín Kinský. Needing to get back to winning ways, Everton then took the game to their defensively vulnerable and injury-ravaged opponents. Idrissa Gueye put in a beautiful ball into the box for Dominic Calvert-Lewin who weaved between three Spurs players and slotted the ball into the back of the net. Spurs tried to get back on level terms but the Toffees defended resolutely. A great pass from Pedro Porro into Dejan Kulusevski was then laid off to Son but he could not beat Pickford. It was then a great ball from Gueye that set Iliman Ndiaye on his way and he rapidly drove forward, cut inside and blasted his shot into the top corner. It got even worse for Spurs in the first-half when young Archie Gray put the ball into his own net in the injury-time of first-half. 

After the break, Ange Postecoglou sent in Richarlison in place of Radu Dr?gu?in to give Spurs a cutting edge. Lindstrom delivered the free kick and the whipped cross was headed wide by Calvert Lewin. He had another chance on the counter but his shot curled round the post. Spurs were pushing and James Maddison saw his shot go over the bar. It was their first attempt in more than 15 minutes. Kulusevski then whipped a ball into the box but Richarlison could not get his head on it. Spurs finally cut down the deficit with Kulusevski’s lobbed effort going into the net in the 77th minute. In the stoppage-time, Richarlison pounced on Pickford’s hesitation to make the scoreline 3-2. Anxious moments followed at the Goodison but the Toffees held on for a deserved win. 

With this loss, the pressure is mounting on Ange Postecoglou and his side who have moved down to 15th place in the league table. 

Manchester United 1-3 Brighton and Hove Albion

Manchester United’s struggles against the Seagulls continued as Brighton got the better of the hosts at Old Trafford. 

The visitors showed early signs of danger with João Pedro’s near post pass for Danny Welbeck was pushed by Andre Onana into Welbeck and it luckily sailed over the bar inside the first two minutes. The Seagulls opened the scoring in the 5th minute through winger Yankuba Minteh after Kaoru Mitoma drove forward, having received an accurate cross field ball from the back, teed up Minteh unselfishly and Brighton got the lead. Even though it was a decent finish, André Onana should have stopped that one as he got a hand to it. In the 17th minute, the hosts created a chance of their own with Amad Diallo’s cut back to Noussair Mazraoui who then passed to an unmarked Bruno Fernandes outside the box but he pulled his shot far wide. The Red Devils started piling the pressure and got their leveller in the 23rd minute when Joshua Zirkzee was pulled down by Carlos Baleba in the box and United got a penalty awarded to them. Fernandes stepped up and converted to restore parity. Brighton had another chance with Welbeck in the box but the ball was cleared by Diogo Dalot. The two teams went tied 1-1 into the break. 

Looking for a goal, United began the second period brightly, Amad saw a powerful strike well blocked by Brighton defender Lewis Dunk after driving into the box. Nine minutes after the restart, Brighton thought they had taken the lead through João Pedro but the goal was disallowed by VAR after a lengthy check for a foul by Jan Paul van Hecke in the build-up. Undeterred the Seagulls kept attacking and five minutes later, they took the lead through Mitoma’s near post sliding touch from a teasing Minteh cross from the right. United came close with a Bart Verbruggen save from a Fernandes curling corner-kick. In the 75th minute, Brighton had van Hecke to thank for preserving their lead when he blocked a goal bound effort from Zirkzee. That proved even more significant as moments later, Brighton extended their lead due to Onana’s error. The United shot-stopper was unable to keep hold of Yasin Ayari’s low cross, with the ball falling at the feet of Georginio Rutter. The substitute side stepped Onana and tucked the ball into the net to ensure all three points for the Seagulls. United could hardly conjure up a response to the two-goal lead and suffered another defeat at home. 

With this win, Brighton have now two wins in the last two games while United are uncomfortably languishing outside the top half of the table. 

Ipswich Town 0-6 Manchester City

Ipswich Town were thumped by Manchester City in a particularly one-sided encounter at Portman Road.

As the game began, Ipswich were quick out of the traps and decisive interventions from defender Rúben Dias and goalie Ederson were required to deny Ipswich an early goal. A long period of City possession created their first real opportunity in the 15th minute with Mateo Kova?i? setting Erling Haaland through the middle but the Norwegian striker couldn’t beat goalkeeper Christian Walton. The relegation-threatened side came close to breaking the deadlock themselves in the 24th minute but Haaland got an important deflection on Omari Hutchinson’s powerful hit from 20 yards. But City soon found the opener, firing home from close range after great linkup play down the left from Jérémy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne. Three minutes later, Foden turned provider for Kova?i? and the Croatian didn’t miss from 20 yards out as he fired a low shot into the bottom corner. Just before the break, Foden added another with De Bruyne pouncing on a loose ball in the midfield, drove forward with it before finding Foden in the box. City went into the break with a comfortable 3-0 lead. 

Ipswich came out for the second half with renewed belief and forced Ederson into a diving save just three minutes after the restart. But City got back soon enough and piled more misery on the Tractor Boys. In the 49th minute, the brilliant Doku cut inside from the left wing and curled a shot at the far post into the far corner to make it four. Eight minutes later, Doku turned provider for Haaland in the box and he tucked it home. It didn’t stop there though, with Kova?i? launching the ball over the Ipswich backline for substitute James McAtee to nod home for his maiden Premier League goal in the 69th minute to knock Ipswich out for a six. 

Manchester City got back into the Top 4 with this win while a struggling Ipswich finding it more and more difficult to avoid relegation.