Premier League wrap – Gameweek 12

Gameweek 12 of the Premier League was full of surprises and was another tough week for our predictions.  Brighton dropped points to Sheffield, Everton beat Palace and Chelsea had... Read more
Premier League wrap - Gameweek 12

Gameweek 12 of the Premier League was full of surprises and was another tough week for our predictions.  Brighton dropped points to Sheffield, Everton beat Palace and Chelsea had their best performance of the season in their draw against Manchester City.

Wolves hosted Spurs at the Molineux to begin round 12.  Spurs went ahead early thanks to new-signing Brennan Johnson.  Spurs looked in control but began to ease off as the game continued.  Wolves were still dangerous but were poor offensively for most of the game.  Super sub Pablo Sarabia changed the game when he entered the pitch in the 87th minute.  The Spaniard scored the equalizer in the 9oth minute and went on to create the winner for Mario Lemina in the 97th.  Wolves won 2-1.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan did not think Wolves had a winner in them and incorrectly predicted this result.

Manchester United were needing to bounce back from midweek disappointment when they hosted Luton Town at Old Ttrafford.  United were in control for most of the game but Luton threatened on the counter for the first hour of the game.  The Red Devils took the lead thanks to Swedish defender Victor Lindelof and this was enough to secure the win.  Manchester United won 1-0.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all correctly predicted a Manchester United win.

Arsenal looked to make a statement after their defeat to Newcastle last week when they faced Burnley at the Emirates.  The Gunners were in control from the first whistle.  Burnley threatened at times but this has been the narrative surrounding them this season.  Play positively, lose badly.  Leandro Trossard scored the opener in added time of the first half.  Josh Brownhill put Vincent Kompany’s side back in the game in the 54th minute but it would not last.  William Saliba put Arsenal ahead just three minutes later.  Ukranian fullback Oleksandr Zinchenko made it 3-1 in the 74th minute.  Fabio Viera gave Burnley some hope when he received a straight red card with 10 minutes still to play but ultimately it was always Arsenal’s game to win.  Arsenal won 3-1.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all correctly predicted an Arsenal win.

Crystal Palace would host a much improved Everton at Selhurst Park with both teams looking to climb up the table.  Vitaliy Mykolenko put the Toffees ahead in the first minute for the second week in row.  The game was elevated when Palace equalized a few minutes later thanks to Eberechi Eze.  The rest of the second half was goalless but there was plenty of action.  Everton came out firing in the second half and went ahead with Abdoulaye Doucoure scoring less than five minutes from kickoff.  Palace began to control possession and chances.  They fought for an equalizer which Odsonne Eduoard provided in the 74th minute.  Everton were not done yet and found the winner with a few minutes left of the game.  Senegalese midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye finished off a beautiul passage of play.  Everton won 3-2.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan did not back Everton at all, incorrectly predicting a Palace win.

Newcastle were in fine form in the league, having managed to recover from their poor start of the season to sit just a few points off of fourth spot.  A win over Bournemouth would put them within touching distance.  Bournemouth however pitched up and were not going to let the Magpies leave with anything.  The Cherries had 19 shots at goal, more than double Eddie Howe’s side.  Dominic Solanke had his best performance of the season, bagging a brace to secure an important win for the home team.  Bournemouth won 2-0.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all incorrectly predicted a Newcaslte win.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa have been one of the best offensive teams in the Premier League this season and would secure their fifth place spot for another week with a win over Fulham.  The Cottagers had a nightmare start with fullback Antonee Robinson scoring an own-goal.  John McGinn made sure Villa would end the first half strong and and scored their second with just two minutes left on the clock.  The second half was more evenly matched.   Fulham had more more possession than in the first and began create more opportunities.  For all their efforts it was not enough and Ollie Watkins put the game to bed in the 64th minute.  Raul Jiminez scored a consolation goal for Fulham.  Aston Villa won 3-1.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all correctly predicted an Aston Villa win.

Brighton have not won a Premier League game in over a month and would look to get some momentum when they hosted Sheffield  United at the AMEX.  The Seagulls started well and went ahead thanks so a sensational goal from Simon Adingra.  Brighton dominated possession and controlled the tempo of the game, but could not create any meaningful opportunities.  Sheffield were given a lifeline when Mahmoud Dahoud was sent-off for a straight red after 69 minutes.  The Blades were gifted their way back into the game with an own-goal from Brighton central defender Adam Webster.  Another poor weekend from Brighton’s perspective.  The final score was 1-1.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all incorrectly predicted a Brighton win.

Nottingham Forest’s poor away form would be tested when they travelled South to the Hammers in London.  West Ham got off to a super start with Lucas Paqueta scoring the opener in the third minute.  Forest got themselves back into the game and earned an equalizer just before haltime which was scored by former Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi.  The second half was full of action.  Anthony Elanga put Forest ahead in the 63rd minute.  The celebrations would not last.  Jarrod Bowen equalized less than two minutes later and the game was still on.  Tomas Soucek showed up when it mattered and scored the winner for  the Hammers just before fulltime.  West Ham won 3-2.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all correctly predicted a West Ham win.

 

Liverpool could go one-point off the top of the table with a win over Brentford.  The Reds started strong.  They dominated possession and created good chances.  Brentford were still dangerous on the counter and Alisson had to make a world class save in a one-on-one with Bryan Mbeumo to keep the Bees from scoring.  Mo Salah stepped up once again and scored a brace.  The first goal coming in the 39th minute and the second just after the hour mark.  Diogo Jota scored a screamer to make it 3-0 with 15 minutes left to play.  Liverpool won 3-0.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan all correctly predicted a Liverpool win.

The final game of the weekend was 90 minutes of insanity.  Chelsea hosted defending champions Manchester City and were flying after their 4-1 win over Spurs last week.  City took the lead thanks to an Erling Haaland penalty 25 minutes in.  This kickstarted arguably the best game of the 2023/24 season.  Thiago Silva equalized four minutes later, Chelsea were now on top.  Raheem Sterling put the Blues ahead and celebrated with passion against his old team.  Swiss international Manuel Akanji equalized for City on the stroke of halftime.  This game was full of energy.  Erling Haaland started the second half perfectly for the visitors, making it 3-2 in the 47th minute.  Chelsea continued to fight and found an equalizer thanks to Nicolas Jackson.  With just five minutes left of normal time, Rodri added another clutch goal to his catalogue making it 4-3 to Manchester City. Pochettino’s side looked set for disappointment, but they did not give up.  In the 96th minute Ruben Dias committed a foul in the box and Chelsea were awarded a penalty.  Former Manchester City midfielder Cole Palmer stepped up to the spot and converted with the composure of a veteran.  The final score was 4-4.

The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan did not see this coming and wrote off Chelsea. All three incorrectly predicted a Manchester City win.

This was not the greatest week for our predictions with lots of surprise results throwing out the chance of a successful weekend.  Gameweek 12 was a three-way tie, with The MoneyMan, Oliver and Dylan getting five correct predictions each.  Oliver maintains his lead, now sitting on  65.  The MoneyMan is still in second on 54 and Dylan trails in third on 62.

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