New Delhi: Premier League Sunday continued the action from last night as we saw two contrasting sets of games. In the four games that were being played simultaneously tonight, two sets of games played out eerily similarly. Both Wolves and Bournemouth were travelling away from home in search of a win and both sides walked out with a resounding 3-0 win over Leicester City and Manchester United respectively.
On the flip side, in the two games involving West London clubs, both of them were held to a goalless draw in their fixtures that they ideally should’ve won. Fulham were held to a goalless draw at home by bottom club Southampton while Chelsea were denied a chance to go top of the league by Everton as they frustrated the Blues from London. New manager bounce was heavily on display as both Vitor Pereira (Wolves) and Ivan Juric (Southampton) got their Premier League careers off to a good start.
Manchester United 0-3 AFC Bournemouth
More magic in Manchester 🤩 pic.twitter.com/7JAaijrFUj
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) December 22, 2024
Manchester United’s disappointing season hit a new low as they were beaten 3-0 at Old Trafford by Bournemouth. Ruben Amorim’s side looked off the pace from the start, with Marcus Rashford absent from the squad for the third consecutive game this season. Despite some early promise from Amad Diallo, who forced a smart save from Kepa, United failed to capitalize on their chances and succumbed to the same problems that have been plaguing them all season.
Dean Huijsen gave Bournemouth the lead in the 29th minute, outjumping United’s Joshua Zirkzee to head in which sent the visitors in with a lead at half-time. Things unraveled further in the second half when Noussair Mazraoui gave away a penalty, which Justin Kluivert converted. Antoine Semenyo added a third minutes later, sealing a comprehensive win for the Cherries and leaving United in the bottom half of the table at Christmas for the first time in history. This result leaves the club in 13th place in the league while Bournemouth leapfrog Manchester City into 5th.
Everton 0-0 Chelsea
FT. The points are shared at Goodison.
[0-0] #EVECHE pic.twitter.com/kANylXwQh7
— Everton (@Everton) December 22, 2024
Everton and Chelsea played out a frustrating goalless draw at Goodison Park in tough conditions. A win would have taken Chelsea above Liverpool to the top of the table, but Nicolas Jackson’s header hitting the post was as close as they came in the first half. Before hitting the post, Jackson drew out a good save from Jordan Pickford after he hit a side-foot effort at goal which the English keeper saved well with his feet.
Both teams created opportunities, with Robert Sanchez denying Jack Harrison a potential winner for Everton and Chelsea’s defense standing firm. In the end, neither side could break the deadlock, and the points were shared as Chelsea missed a golden opportunity to climb to the summit. Sanchez, who has a often times come under criticism this season was key in getting Chelsea a point from their trip to Merseyside while a makeshift backline held their nerve against the Toffees.
Fulham 0-0 Southampton
A point on the road 🤝 pic.twitter.com/a3jKAfbyZE
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 22, 2024
Southampton started the Ivan Jurić era with a hard-earned 0-0 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage. The Croatian manager watched from the stands as his side delivered a more pragmatic and defensively solid performance than in previous weeks. The 49-year-old delivered the first point for the club in the month of December, with their last coming in a 1-1 draw against Brighton on the last day of November.
Fulham nearly took an early lead when Alex Iwobi’s lob went just wide, but Southampton grew into the game. Adam Armstrong forced a good save from Bernd Leno, while Aaron Ramsdale matched it with a stop from Harry Wilson in the second half. Both sides seemed content with a point, and Jurić will take positives from his team’s resilience. While the Saints couldn’t get maximum points, given their recent form, this was as good as a new manager bounce the side could’ve expected.
Leicester City 0-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Three points on the road!
🐺⏱️ pic.twitter.com/IDCvGNqOLU
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 22, 2024
Wolves thrived under new manager Vítor Pereira with a 3-0 win over Leicester at the King Power Stadium. Pereira, taking charge for the first time, got off to a dream start as Gonçalo Guedes opened the scoring with a clinical half-volley. Rodrigo Gomes doubled the lead after a defensive mix-up by James Justin, and Matheus Cunha made it 3-0 just before halftime with a composed finish. This marked the first time in their Premier League history that Wolves had a three plus goal lead at half-time.
They eased off in the second half but remained in control, ensuring Pereira’s reign began with an emphatic victory, pulling Wolves away from the relegation zone. While they still remain firm in the relegation zone, they now move up to 12 points, level with Ipswich who move to 19th on goal difference and are only two points behind the side they beat tonight, Leicester City. However, the biggest takeaway from this victory would be the clean sheet, which is a welcome boost for a side with the worst defense in the league till now.
In an exciting round of Premier League action, Bournemouth and Wolves, both scored three away from home to record comfortable victories while two sides from West London, Fulham and Chelsea, were left frustrated. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
