It was another action-packed and memorable round of Premier League matches this past weekend. The title race took in plenty of twists and turns as Chelsea succumbed to a 3-2 defeat against West Ham, meaning Man City’s 3-1 victory at Watford lifted Pep Guardiola’s men to top spot in the Premier League for the first time in the 2021/22 season.
Liverpool moved into second place with a last gasp winner away to Wolves, while Newcastle finally got their first league win of the season at the 15th attempt. Antonio Conte’s Tottenham brushed aside bottom club Norwich, while Ralf Rangnick’s first match in-charge of Man Utd ended in a narrow victory at Old Trafford against Crystal Palace. Here’s a look at the best of the action from round 15:
West Ham 3-2 Chelsea
West Ham’s dream start to the season continued with a dramatic 3-2 win over previous Premier League leaders Chelsea. Thomas Tuchel’s men had led the way for the majority of the season so far but only their second defeat of the season sees the Blues drop to third.
It looked as if Chelsea would extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 13 when Thiago Silva headed the Champions League holders in front on 28 minutes. But Edouard Mendy, who had a rare day to forget in goal, was at fault for the equaliser, taking down Jarrod Bowen which allowed Manuel Lanzini to make no mistake from the penalty spot.
Mason Mount’s exquisite volley put Chelsea back in front but Bowen equalised shortly after the restart. Then with just three minutes of normal time left, Arthur Masuaku’s attempted cross deceived Mendy at his near post to give the Hammers a first Premier League win in four to cement their spot in the top four. It’s certainly not panic stations after a rare defeat under Tuchel, just an eighth in 53 matches since taking over in January, and they will look to bounce back with a home clash to Leeds on Saturday.
Watford 1-3 Man City
Man City boosted their hopes of successfully defending their Premier League crown, moving to the summit for the first time this season with a comfortable victory at Watford. It was business as usual for City at Vicarage Road, an away ground they love playing at, when Raheem Sterling put Pep’s men ahead after just four minutes.
Bernardo Silva bagged two goals as his fine season continues, with his seventh league goal already this campaign, and second on the night, a fine curling effort to once again put Watford to the sword. Cucho Hernandez got a late consolation for the home side but that’s now 14 wins in a row for City over the Hornets, scoring at least three goals in eight of the past nine meetings. City are also hitting top gear at just the right time, with five league wins in a row. Meanwhile, three consecutive defeats leaves Claudio Ranieri’s side just three points above the drop zone in 17th position.
Newcastle 1-0 Burnley
It’s been seven long months but finally Newcastle have a Premier League win. Eddie Howe’s men secured a first three points of the season to lift them off bottom spot and just three points from climbing out of the bottom three. Callum Wilson’s sixth goal of the season late in the first half was the difference in the end, smashing home after Burnley stopper Nick Pope lost the ball in his own box. Both teams had chances to score but it was a deserved victory for the Magpies, who will be hoping to get out of the bottom three before January, to help when it comes to an inevitable transfer splurge with a seemingly endless pot of cash at the club’s disposal. For Burnley, that leaves Sean Dyche’s men with just one win so far this season, and a vast improvement in front of goal needed.
Wolves 0-1 Liverpool
Divock Origi is somewhat of a cult hero at Liverpool. He’s
been very much a peripheral figure throughout most his time at the Anfield
club, but has a happy knack of scoring priceless goals. Whether it was a
last-minute winner against Everton in 2018, to a brace against Barcelona in the
Champions League semi-finals and sealing the win in the final with the second
goal against Tottenham, Origi turns up when needed. And that was no different
on Saturday.
With 94 minutes on the clock, Origi smashed in a crucial winner at Wolves to keep Liverpool within a point of Man City, and very much in the running for a second Premier League title. Jurgen Klopp even went as far as to say that Origi was a club “legend” and that people will “write books about him” in the future. If the Red go on to win the league from here, that might well be the case.
Man Utd 1-0 Crystal Palace
The decision to part company with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is proving to be the correct one for Man Utd. Since the Norwegian left the club, United have qualified for the Champions League Last 16, while earning a credible 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, before beating Arsenal 3-2 in midweek. And now, in Ralf Rangnick’s first game as Man Utd manager, United secured an important win against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, even if it was a narrow 1-0 victory.
It took a brilliant winner by Fred to make it the first time United have recorded back-to-back league wins since September. Even though Cristiano Ronaldo failed to add to his brace against Arsenal, where he scored his 800th and 801st career goals, it was a deserved wim for the Red Devils, to put them back into the top six. With a relatively generous set of fixtures coming up for United over the festive period, Rangnick will have the chance to make a serious push for a top four finish.
Full Premier League matchday 15 results:
West Ham 3-2 Chelsea; Newcastle 1-0 Burnley; Southampton 1-1 Brighton; Wolves 0-1 Liverpool; Watford 1-3 Man City; Leeds 2-2 Brentford; Man Utd 1-0 Crystal Palace; Tottenham 3-0 Norwich; Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester
There’s one more game left in week 15 as struggling Everton host Arsenal tonight, before the final matchday of the UEFA Champions League group stage takes place Tuesday and Wednesday. Check out Bet9ja to make the most of our array of markets on all the big matches this week.
