It was a matchday of streaks in this 27th matchday. Southampton watched their undefeated streak continue to six matches, Newcastle’s undefeated streak hit five matches, Burnley has points in their three, Aston Villa snapped their losing streak while Brighton’s continues. Finally, West Ham remains undefeated for five matches.
Southampton (2) vs. Norwich City (0)
The Saints continue their unbeaten streak against Norwich City. It was a lopsided match where Southampton out-possessed, out-shot and put more shots on target. But, it was only until the 36th minute that Southampton found the back of the goal. Che Adams capitalized on his second shot after the cross by Tino Livramento. After the missed attempt by Norwich to equalize, Oriol Romeu scored on a stunning strike from the edge of the area. This victory catapults the Saints into ninth spot ahead of Brighton.
Leeds United (0) vs. Tottenham (4)
In their roller coaster of results in the year, the Spurs make a statement win after an embarrassing defeat. They took on Leeds who have been on a three-match losing streak and extended it in this victory. The Spurs score their first three goals in the first half-hour of the match. In the third and fourth goals, Kane and Son became the top duo in the Premier League by assisting each other on 37 goals, surpassing Chelsea’s legendary duo of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard. With the victory, the Spurs stay in the chase for the fourth spot.
Brentford (0) vs. Newcastle (2)
Newcastle continues the string of positive results with a victory over slumping Brentford. The main story of this match was the debut of Christian Eriksen in a competitive match since his terrifying incident in the Euro Cup tournament in the summer. But, an early red card by Brentford put them on the back foot. It was all Newcastle needed to claim the victory on the night. They have been undefeated since the end of the January transfer window and goals by Joelinton and Joseph Willock ensured that the streak would continue.
Crystal Palace (1) vs. Burnley (1)
Burnley came from behind to get a much-needed point to move out of relegation. Jeffery Schlupp put Palace ahead early in the match off a brilliant cross by Michael Olise. After the first goal, Nick Pope shut the door on Palace and gave his team a chance to come back and they did just that. A minute into the second half, an own goal by Palace gave Burnley their equalizer. Both teams maintained a scoreless rest of the half to finish in a draw.
Manchester United (0) vs. Watford (0)
A disappointing result for United puts their hold on the fourth spot in jeopardy. But, Man United was without their chances to change the outcome of the match. They put 22 chances and three on target but could not get past Ben Foster. Both Ronaldo, Fernandes, Elanga and Pogba had glorious chances on goal but either hit the woodwork, saved by Foster or blocked by the Watford players. United maintains their position in fourth but a win by Spurs and another game in hand for Arsenal are really putting the pressure on.
Brighton (0) vs. Aston Villa (2)
Two teams carrying a losing streak needed a victory to turn the tide on their current form. It took until the 17th minute for Aston Villa to turn the tables. Matthew Cash took advantage of a sloppy Brighton defence off the cross by Lucas Digne to put Villa ahead. Chances were traded until Ollie Watkins capitalized on the magnificent pass by Tyrone Mings.
Everton (0) vs. Manchester City (1)
A controversial non-call almost had City watch their double-digit lead coming into the new year come down to three points. After the defeat to Tottenham a week earlier, Man City was up against another team that was defensively prepared. They held the line for 82 minutes holding the juggernauts to a scoreless draw. But, in that 82nd minute, Phil Foden took advantage of the only defensive mistake by Everton to put City ahead by one. A late handball in the box by Rodrigo should have given Everton an opportunity to equalize on a spot-kick but the VAR referee Chris Kavanaugh, who seemed to be the only person watching the match, deemed the play, not a handball. Everton remained a point away from the relegation zone and City maintain their six-point lead.
West Ham (1) vs. Wolves (0)
A battle of two teams vying for a spot in the top four resulted in a victory by West Ham that keeps them in the fight. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for Tomas Soucek. He scored the game-winning goal on his 27th birthday keeping his team’s hopes alive for the top four. On the other hand, the Wolves have conceded three defeats in five matches, which drops them to eighth place.
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