Gameweek 20 of the Premier League 2023/24 season has concluded, with West Ham holding De Zerbi’s Brighton & Hove Albion to a goalless draw at the London Stadium in the final game of the week.
Meanwhile, surprise upsets and underdog triumphs have once again showcased the unpredictable nature of the Premier League to football fans worldwide. The battle between title contenders, mid-table teams, and the relegation zone intensifies with each passing game week.
This week featured Arsenal’s visit to Craven Cottage to face Fulham, while Liverpool took on Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United at Anfield. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa and Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United were also involved in thrilling and interesting results over the weekend.
Arsenal’s title challenge takes a significant blow while issues continue for the Red Devils.
After a shocking loss to West Ham at the Emirates in the previous week, Arsenal once again found themselves on the losing end, this time to Marco Silva’s Fulham, with a scoreline of 2-1 at Craven Cottage. The Gunners are now winless in their last three games and have slipped to the fourth position in the league table.
Defending champions Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Liverpool are all ahead of Mikel Arteta’s men in the table, with City also having a game in hand. Arsenal’s next Premier League game is against Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace at the Emirates, and the Gunners will be eager to turn the tide in their favor.
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Meanwhile, Manchester United suffered a disappointing loss, falling 2-1 to Nottingham Forest away at the City Ground after a brilliant comeback win against Aston Villa in the previous weekend. United currently sit eighth in the table with 31 points in 20 games.
The Red Devils have won just one of their last five Premier League games and had a challenging campaign in Europe, crashing out of the Champions League group stages. A possible sack is looming over Erik ten Hag’s head, and the former Ajax manager is in dire need of finding a solution to the team’s inconsistency issues.
Six-goal thriller at Anfield
Table toppers Liverpool secured three points against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United over the weekend with a 4-2 victory at Anfield, where all goals came in the second half of the game.
Mohamed Salah once again proved to be Liverpool’s star performer, scoring twice and assisting a goal for the Reds. The Egyptian is now the joint top-scorer of the Premier League alongside Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, with 14 goals apiece.
The Anfield crowd will undoubtedly miss their star forward as he leaves to join the Egyptian National team in preparation for the African Cup of Nations, which kicks off on January 11.
Richarlison’s brilliant run of form continues as Spurs defeat in-form Bournemouth at home.
Tottenham Hotspur, under Ange Postecoglou, have looked like a different team, playing impressive and attacking football this season. Their recent victory came against an in-form Bournemouth side at home, with both Heung-Min Son and Richarlison scoring goals in the second half of the game.
Richarlison has now scored five goals in his last five games for Spurs, displaying excellent form after initially struggling. The Brazilian will be eager to maintain this form as the season progresses, with Tottenham just a point behind their rivals Arsenal in the table.
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Douglas Luiz saves the day for Villa.
After a disappointing 3-2 loss to Manchester United in the previous weekend, Aston Villa bounced back with a 3-2 win against relegation-threatened Burnley at Villa Park. The Clarets managed to equalize every time Villa took the lead, but a late penalty from Douglas Luiz sealed the game for the Birmingham side.
Aston Villa is now second in the table with 42 points in 20 games, three points behind table-toppers Liverpool and a point ahead of third-placed Manchester City, who won their game 2-0 against Sheffield United over the weekend with a game in hand.