New Delhi: A crazy week of Premier League action finally came to a halt last night bringing an end to a football frenzy eight days of action. This matchday gave us a lot to talk about with upsets, big wins and abandoned matches, all on display in Matchday 15. The Merseyside derby had to be posted as the weather gods didn’t want the Reds to say goodbye to the iconic Goodison Park stadium, delaying the start of this gameweek.
Crystal Palace look to be making a strive towards survival as they built up from their win in midweek and produced a spirited display against Manchester City, securing a draw at home. The Cityzens couldn’t string back-to-back wins and their shaky form was on display once again as they ended the game with 10 men. Along with them, both Arsenal and Brighton dropped points that gave Chelsea a chance to steal a march on their rivals and close the gap on Liverpool. Let’s delve into the key takeaways from Matchday 15!
5) Julen Lopetegui lives to fight another day
Pressure on Julen Lopetegui has eased after West Ham’s 2-1 win over Wolves last night but results will be closely monitored over the upcoming games 🚨 pic.twitter.com/J5QSbTkf2G
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) December 10, 2024
The Spaniard came out victorious in the grimly dubbed ‘El Sackico’ at home last night after his West Ham side overcame Wolves 2-1. They remain in 14th place in the table but have now built a nine point gap between themselves and the relegation places. Lopetegui, whose future has been under scrutiny following West Ham’s poor start to the season, will be relieved after winning last night’s game as it allows him a few more days in the Hammers hotseat, at the very least.
On the flip side, his counterpart Gary O’Neil, who himself has a sword hanging over his head, faces an uncertain future ahead after another loss. Wolves suffered their 10th loss of the season and having shipped in 38 goals already, avoiding the drop seems to be getting tougher by the day. While no statement has been released by the club, Gary O’Neil days at the Molineux seem numbered following this loss.
4) Jamie Vardy’s having a party
37 – Jamie Vardy is the second-oldest player to score and assist in a Premier League match (37y 332d v Brighton), only behind Ryan Giggs in December 2011 (38y 22d v Fulham). Timeless. pic.twitter.com/7jCN3QPDYu
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 8, 2024
A phrase made popular during the Foxes’ unforgettable 2015/16 title winning season, Jamie Vardy is seemingly making it popular once again. The 37-year-young striker continues to have a party, only at others’ expense, with Brighton the latest victims of the veteran striker. The Seagulls were 2-0 up heading into the final five minutes of the game and it seemed like Ruud Van Nistelrooy would face his first defeat in the Premier League, but up stepped Jamie Vardy.
Vardy etched his name into the history books once again following his display against Brighton, helping his team earn a vital point. He scored in the 86th minute to pull one back for his side and give them something to fight for towards the end and then set up Bobby De Cordova-Reid in added time to snatch a point for the Foxes right at the death. In doing so, he became the second-oldest player in the Premier League to score and assist a goal in the same game.
3) Nottingham Forest leading the charge for a European spot
A historic win. pic.twitter.com/vdYNgzhiwe
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) December 9, 2024
With Manchester City’s drop in form relegating them to the fight for top four, rather than a title challenge and the rise of the so-called ‘smaller teams’, the race for European spots is heating up. From Man City in fourth to Fulham in 10th, only four points separate all the teams. Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, Brighton and Bournemouth, and Brentford and Fulham, are all separated from each other on goal difference, indicating how tight the race is.
With the season being long and the quality that the top four teams posses being vast and superior, they are likely to run ahead with the UFEA Champions League places, but the remaining European spots would still remain, and it’s Nuno Santo’s side that are leading the charge. For a team that finished 17th last season, they’ve come leaps and bounds this time and are sitting fifth, being the only team to have beaten Liverpool till now. With Chris Wood firing and Nuno masterminding from the touchline, Forest look like the real deal.
2) Manchester United’s problems aren’t just on the field
🚨🚨| Former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth was NOT in favour of appointing Ruben Amorim as the club’s new manager and instead recommended a move for Gareth Southgate. 😲✍🏻
[@ManUtdMEN] pic.twitter.com/aKPax90fBI
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) December 9, 2024
When Erik Ten Hag was relieved of his duties and Ruben Amorim was brought in to take charge, it looked like Manchester United were finally getting out of troubled waters. However, the lack of a new manager bounce, that is prevalent in every team that appoints a new manager is worry some for the Red Devils. After losing away to Arsenal midweek, they were outclassed by Nottingham Forest at home on Saturday, succumbing Amorim to his second straight loss. And it doesn’t seem like only on field factors are a concern for the club.
The club let go of sporting director Dan Ashworth a day after their defeat to Nottingham, a decision mutually agreed between the two parties which shows that things behind the scenes aren’t working out as they were intended. Manchester United made a big fuss over getting Ashworth, who is regarded as one the best sporting directors in the world, with the saga lasting months and he’s out the door in just five months. Reports state that the club wasn’t going the direction he wanted with multiple reports stating that Amorim wasn’t Ashworth’s choice, which indicate there are too many cooks spoiling the broth in the Manchester United kitchen.
1) Cole Palmer sets multiple new records in win over Spurs
12/12 🎯
Cole Palmer sets the record for most Premier League penalties scored without a miss.
And he sealed it with a Panenka 🧊 pic.twitter.com/TOlhRKKw0N
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 8, 2024
Everytime Cole Palmer takes the field for the Chelsea, there must be some person in the Manchester City camp kicking their foot over letting him leave. The £40 million that were spent on the 22-year-old seem like peanuts now for the gem of a player he has proven himself to be. He bossed the play during Chelsea’s win over Spurs and did so while adding a couple more records to his ever growing list.
He scored twice from the spot for the Blues, taking his record to 12 of 12 penalties scored by the Englishman, surpassing Yaya Toure’s record of 11/11 penalties scored, making him the most successful penalty taker in Premier League history. With two goals and an assist against Spurs, he took his 2024 Premier League goal involvements tally to 38, which is the most by any Chelsea player in a calendar year. It also took his tally for Chelsea to 50 goal involvements in just 48 Premier League games, which is the fastest a Chelsea player has ever reached this landmark.
The latest round of Premier League action wrapped up with last night’s ‘El Sackico’. Let’s delve into the key takeaways from Matchday 15 of the Premier League season. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
