Arsenal vs Aston Villa Thriller!
Barcelona drop points, Liverpool leave it late, City win dominantly, Amorim humiliated, Serie A clash, and January transfer news
Spotlight 💡
Arsenal played host to Aston Villa at the Emirates on Saturday in the late game. The visitors were coming off three straight wins, while Arteta’s side had won just once in the last four games in all competitions. It really did feel like a must-win for Arsenal heading in after Liverpool had won earlier in the day. The home side did what they needed to in the early going and jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute after a Gabriel Martinelli strike. Shortly after halftime, Kai Havertz made it 2-0. Both Arsenal goals came off Leandro Trossard crosses.
Shortly after the second goal, things began to turn. Youri Tielemans headed home a Digne cross to make it 2-1 in the 60th minute, and eight short minutes later, Watkins smashed home a Matty Cash cross to tie things at 2-2. Arsenal thought they had found an 87th-minute winner through Kai Havertz, but the ball was deemed to have gone off his arm, and things ended all square at 2-2. This means that Arsenal sit six points back of league-leaders Liverpool and the Reds still have a game in hand.
Premier League Review
Speaking of Liverpool, they were left frustrated for much of Saturday afternoon. Despite plenty of chances and loads of possession, Slot’s side failed to find the back of the net against Brentford. Eventually, Darwin Nunez smashed home a Trent cross in the 1st minute of stoppage time in what would prove to be the game-winner. Nunez then added a second goal 2 minutes later to leave things at 2-0 which is how the match would end.
Newcastle’s nine-game winning streak is over after they were battered 4-1 by Bournemouth early on Saturday. Justin Kluivert had a hat-trick, while Kerkez had the fourth goal in stoppage time. Bruno Guimarães had the lone goal for the home side. Newcastle conceded more goals on Saturday than in the entirety of their nine-game win streak. After having previously scored in 8 consecutive Premier League matches, Alexander Isak failed to record a shot on goal until the 89th minute. In good news for Eddie Howe, Newcastle is in pole position to right the ship as they play Southampton and Fulham in the coming weeks in the league. They also have a two-goal lead to protect against Arsenal in the League Cup.
Manchester City 📈
Manchester City looked like their old selves for the first time in a long time as they ran riot for six goals against Ipswich Town. Phil Foden scored twice, while Kovačić, Haaland, Doku, and even McAtee all scored as well.
Struggles Continue 😕
Tottenham continue to be surprisingly bad, with their latest disappointment being a 3-2 loss to Everton on Sunday. Calvert Lewin gave the Toffees the lead 13 minutes in, and Ndiaye made it 2-0 at the half-hour mark. An Archie Gray own goal made it a 3-0 Everton lead heading into the half. Kulusevski and Richarlison scored for Spurs in the second hand to make things, but it was too little too late, and Everton were able to hold on for the 3-2 victory. As much talk as there has been about Manchester United this season, Tottenham have been even worse. If they continue on their current trajectory, Postecoglou will be lucky to have a job come the end of the season.
Manchester United were beaten 3-1 by Brighton on Sunday in a terrible display for the Old Trafford crowd. Minteh gave Brighton the lead just 5 minutes in before a Bruno Fernandes penalty tied things 18 minutes later. In the second half, Brighton took complete control, and Mitoma and Rutter scored to give them a 3-1 lead, which is how things would end at Old Trafford. After the game, Ruben Amorim has this to say:
"I know we can succeed but we need to survive this moment. I am not naive. We need to survive now. We are the worst team, maybe, in the history of Manchester United.
There is plenty of commentary to be had about this United team. In the name of concision, I will not post it here but there is plenty of good articles to check out about the unfolding crisis under Ruben Amorim.
Top Four Race 😳
On Monday, Chelsea beat Wolves 3-1 with goals from Adarabioyo, Cucurella, and Madueke. Matt Doherty scored the lone goal for Wolves. Chelsea now sit in 4th, 4 points back of Nottingham Forrest and Arsenal and 2 points ahead of Manchester City and Newcastle.
Nottingham Forrest continued their hot form with a 3-2 win over relegation-battling Southampton. Three first-half goals from Andersen, Hudson Odio, and Chris Wood were enough even after two Southampton goals in the second half.
Meanwhile, Fulham beat Leicester City 2-0, while Crystal Palace beat West Ham 2-0.
La Liga
Big Dropped Points 😬
Atlético Madrid was shocked on Saturday after they were beaten 1-0 by 15th-place Leganes. Diego Simeone’s side looked dominant in the first half and hit the post twice and the crossbar once. However, Leganes came into form in the second half and took the lead from a header off of a corner kick. Atletico were given a penalty in the 90th minute, but Griezman fired it wide. They also then missed a good chance to equalize in the last minute of stoppage time meaning that Leganes were able to hold up for the shock 1-0 victory.
Barcelona were another side who will be disappointed with their result at the weekend. Hansi Flick’s side could only manage a 1-1 draw against 16th-place Getafe. Jules Koundé gave Barcelona a 1-0 lead 9 minutes in but Getafe leveled in the 34th minute via Arambarri. From then on the match consisted of Barcelona looking for a winner. Lewandowski’s header across the face of goal wasn’t met by anyone and Raphina couldn’t finish off a golden chance.
Business Per Usual ✅
Unlike Atlético and Barcelona, Real Madrid took care of business as they picked up a 4-1 win over Las Palmas. It was a shocking start after Las Palmas jumped out to a 1-0 lead 1 minute in but Mbappé scored a brace in the first half and a Brahim Diaz goal gave Ancelotti’s side a 3-1 lead going into the half. Rodrygo added a fourth shortly into the second period to put the game out of reach and a Las Palmas red card in the 64th minute allowed Madrid to hang on to a comfortable three-goal lead and clinch the 4-1 win.
Real Madrid now sits top of Spain’s first division ahead of Atlético by two points and Barcelona and Athletic Club by seven.
Bundesliga Wrap Up
Borussia Dortmund’s struggles continued as they lost 2-0 to Frankfurt, who continue to impress this campaign and sit third in the Bundesliga. Dortmund’s loss means they have won just once in their last nine games in all competitions.
Bayern Munich beat Wolfsburg 3-2 to remain atop the Bundesliga. Goretzka netted a double while Michael Olise also scored once. Despite the close scoreline, Bayern had a strong command of this game and never really looked too threatened.
Right on Bayern’s heels in the league are Leverkusen, who picked up a 3-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach at the weekend. Florian Wirtz struck twice, and Patrick Schik added the third goal. Mönchengladbach grabbed a consolation in stoppage time through Kleindienst but proved no match for Xabi Alonso’s side.
Elsewhere in the German top flight, RB Leipzig and Bochum played to a thrilling 3-3 draw, and Union Berlin beat Mainz 2-1.
Quick News 🗞️
There were plenty of Champions League games on Tuesday. Among them was Atlético beating Leverkusen 2-1 and Liverpool beating Lille 2-1. However, the standout game was Barcelona’s epic 5-4 win against Benfica. The home side had a 3-1 lead going into the half after a hat-trick in 30 minutes by Pavlidis. Lewandowski had the lone Barca goal through a spot kick. Barcelona pulled one back through Raphina in the 64th minute, but a Ronald Araújo own goal restored Benfica’s two-goal cushion just four minutes later. However, Barcelona fought back, and a second Lewandowski penalty and Eric Garcia header tied things at 4-4 in the 86th minute. Benfica pushed for a winner in stoppage time, but Barcelona went the other way, and Raphina netted a winner with one of the last kicks of the game. What a game.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has finally left Napoli and joined PSG for an estimated 72 million Euros. The winger was beloved by Napoli fans during his time there and played an integral role in Napoli’s 2022/23 title win, where he was named Serie A player of the season.
Erling Haaland has officially signed a 9½-year contract extension at Manchester City. While the exact figures of the deal are unknown, it is estimated to be one of the most expensive contracts in all of sports history at around 260 million. The deal is also the longest by a player in Premier League history. This extension cools rumors that the Norwegian may have been off to Spain to join either Real Madrid or Barcelona. It also jeopardizes Alan Shearer’s goal-scoring record. The former Newcastle player was quick to comment on it on social media.
Manchester have signed Omar Marmoush from Frankfurt for 70 million. The Egyptian has been electric this season for the German side, recording 24 goal contributions in 17 matches. He mostly plays as a center forward but can also play as a 10. I think he will fit into this similarly to Julián Alvarez.
Anthony has officially joined Real Betis on a loan move. The former Ajax star has struggled since making the move to Manchester United and the change of scenery should certainly be good for him. There is no buy clause in the contract and the Brazilian will be headed back to Manchester United in June at the end of the campaign.
Rumors have been circulating that Alejandro Garnacho may be on his way to Chelsea. Several of his agents were seen in attendance for Chelsea’s game Monday against Wolves. Nothing is confirmed yet, but this should be a saga to pay attention to as the January window draws to a close. Napoli is also reportedly in the conversation with Conte reported to have a strong interest in the Argentinean.
Across the Web 🛜
Fan showing their wallets to the referee at a Premier League game…
Messi reminds Mexico fans of how many World Cups they have won and how many Argentina have won…
A pretty cool goal…
Player of the Week 🤩
Phil Foden: Manchester City
Foden scored twice and assisted once in City’s big win at the weekend. The Englishman now has five goals in his last three appearances in the Premier League. As a fan of football, it is good to see this man back in form, as his drop-off this season has been concerning after winning PFA Player of the Year last season.
Elsewhere 🌎
The Serie A title race remains among the best in Europe and continues to deliver week in and week out. On Saturday, Napoli beat Atalanta 3-2, with Romelu Lukaku netting the winner in the 78th minute. Juventus also beat AC Milan 2-0 with goals from Mbangula and Timothy Weah. Inter also remained in contention for the top spot with a 3-1 win over Empoli. Inzaghi’s side also have a game in hand over league leaders Napoli. Newly promoted Como also picked up a big 4-1 win over Udinese. The game also featured a pair of red cards.
TidBit 😲
Dortmund has sacked Nuri Şahin after just seven months in charge. This season has been a train wreck for Dortmund and it seemed that some type of change was needed. The U19 coach, Mike Tullberg, will take charge of the team on an interim basis.
Weekly Poll 🤔
Next Week… 🗓️
PSG vs Manchester City (Wednesday)
Chelsea vs Manchester City (Saturday)
Bayer Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig (Saturday)
Napoli vs Juventus (Saturday)
Atalanta vs Como (Saturday)