Arsenal proved their Premier League title credentials with a 6-0 hammering of West Ham United. But Liverpool remain at the summit of the Premier League after surviving a late scare against Burnley while Erling Haaland is back among the goals for Manchester City.
A total of 37 goals were scored across 10 games during this matchweek. Without further delay, let’s take a look at the 10 talking points from the Premier League matchweek 24.
#Arsenal make a statement at the London Stadium
Arsenal seem to have got back their momentum in the title race after smashing London rivals West Ham United 6-0 at the London Stadium on Sunday.
The Gunners stormed to their biggest away win in the Premier League with the blistering display that convinced manager Mikel Arteta they are capable of staying the course this term. Their collapse last season, which denied them a first league title since 2004, included dropping points in a draw at West Ham.
Mikel Arteta’s side had already lost to the Hammers this season, but got their revenge thanks to goals from William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, who netted twice, Gabriel Magalhaes, Leandro Trossard and former skipper Declan Rice.
#Manchester City gunning for double-treble
This is the time of the season when Manchester City start to pick up steam and go on long winning runs in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola’s sky-blue machine are showing ominous signs again and are second in the table, two points behind Liverpool with a game in hand, have an FA Cup fifth-round tie with Luton Town and are set to face FC Copenhagen in the Champions League last 16.
The unprecedented double-treble is firmly on, despite Guardiola rating this a “fairytale” and “99.99%” impossibility.
“Yeah, seven-tuple [City will do it seven times],” he said. “It’s a fairytale. It’s more complicated than that. Try to beat Everton [on Saturday] and we will see what happens. We have 99.99% possibility that we are not going to win the treble because it has never been done,” the City boss said.
#Erling Haaland back among the goals for Man City
Erling Haaland netted a double in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday. The Norwegian striker scored his first goals since returning from almost two months out of action with a foot injury as he killed off a resilient Everton at the Etihad Stadium.
It was Man City’s 10th successive victory in all competitions as they step up their bid for an unparalleled fourth Premier League title in a row. With Haaland back scoring goals and Kevin de Bruyne, who has returned from his own injury layoff, unlocking defences at will again, Guardiola’s side are certainly peaking at the right time.
#Harvey Elliot makes a mark for Liverpool off the bench
Harvey Elliot proved to be a difference-maker for Liverpool once again, coming off the bench to register two assists in the 3-1 win over Burnley at Anfield. The young midfielder has had to bide his time this season, and when the opportunities have come, he has grabbed them with both hands.
Elliot replaced the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold after a passive first-half from the Reds and lifted their afternoon with two eye-catching assists, propelling his team back to the top of the table in the process. The Englishman may crave more starting opportunities, but he is exceptionally young at 20 and is only two appearances shy from reaching 100 games for the club.
Talk about stepping up when title-chasing Liverpool really needed him.
How long has Roy Hodgson left at Crystal Palace?
Roy Hodgson’s concerns deepened on Monday as struggling Crystal Palace slumped to a 3-1 home defeat to Chelsea. The Eagles have now lost 14 games to Chelsea on the bounce in all competitions and 13 in the Premier League.
Hodgson, 76, was close to losing his job following Palace’s 4-1 defeat to M23 rivals Brighton and Hove Albion but he stayed on. The 3-1 defeat to Chelsea should now ring alarm bells for the experienced English boss and his side.
The Eagles now face a trip to play Everton at Goodison Park, where they last won in 2015, next Monday in what could be a make-or-break game for Hodgson.
#Conor Gallagher haunts Crystal Palace
Conor Gallagher came back to haunt Crystal Palace fans with a brace that secured a vital 3-1 win for Chelsea at Selhurst Park.
After conceding the opening goal to a thunderbolt from Jefferson Lerma in the first half, Mauricio Pochettino’s side had to rely on Gallagher, who enjoyed great success on loan at Selhurst Park two seasons ago. Boos rang around the stadium almost every time he touched the ball but it didn’t matter much to him as the midfielder netted a fine brace to make it four goals in six appearances against Palace and give the travelling Chelsea fans a lot to cheer about.
#Manchester United slowly turning a corner
Manchester United might have just turned a corner after making it five wins from six with a 2-1 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday.
By turning a draw into a win against Aston Villa thanks to super-sub Scott McTominay’s late header, Erik ten Hag’s side have renewed hope of a surge into the top four before the end of the season and securing Champions League qualification. The Red Devils are five points adrift of Villa after claiming all three points—without a win on Sunday, that gap certainly would have been too big to bridge.
Incredibly, though, after nine defeats already in the Premier League, Ten Hag’s Man United still have a chance of finishing in the top four.
#Bruno Guimaraes steals the show at City Ground
This season hasn’t gone according to the plan for Newcastle United and Eddie Howe, who has had to deal with numerous injury problems within the squad. But one player who has consistently delivered the goods throughout the difficult campaign is Bruno Guimaraes.
Bruno netted a brace as Newcastle held off a spirited comeback from Nottingham Forest to win 3-2 at the City Ground on Saturday. The Brazilian, the heart and soul of Eddie Howe’s side, scored a magnificent volley to open the scoring—straight from the training ground. Then the winner, a lovely finish into the far bottom corner past Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels, demonstrating his world-class quality once again.
The 26-year-old is undoubtedly the club’s most valuable asset and come summer, Newcastle simply have to keep Bruno and build the team around him.
#Aston Villa losing their potency
Aston Villa appear to be running out of steam after a fantastic start to the season. They are fifth in the table with 46 points from 24, and there is no doubt manager Unai Emery is exceeding expectations. However, recent results suggest they may not be able to sustain.
The Villans have won just three of their last 10 games across all competitions, with their latest setback coming in the form of a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Villa Park. The lack of intensity and potency—the two crucial elements that took Emery’s Villa so far in 2023—seems to be fading. The Spaniard must bring the collective standards in his squad back quickly, or else all the good work done in the first half of the season will mean nothing.
#Ivan Toney makes Brentford tick again
It is no great surprise that, in the absence of talisman Ivan Toney, Brentford’s levels dropped a bit this campaign, starting the weekend just three points above the dreaded drop zone. But now Toney is back, no wonder Brentford are showing signs of revival.
The Bees failed to get a result against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City despite playing well. On Saturday at Molineux, they got their first away win and clean sheet since October, and Toney was instrumental in the Bees’ 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A calm finish against Wolves gave the English striker his third goal in four games since his return from ban. But it is his all-round contribution and work rate off the ball that makes Thomas Frank’s side tick, and if Toney can continue his goalscoring run, Brentford could be a dangerous outfit to face during the business end of the season.
