English Premier League action continues this weekend and we take a look at selected matches taking place on Saturday and Sunday including Chelsea v Man United, the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool and the title race showdown between Manchester City and Arsenal.
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Leeds v Wolves (Saturday)
A 2-1 win away to Man United on Monday night was a huge result for Leeds. They are now 6 points clear of third bottom Spurs, 4 better off than West Ham and 3 better off than Forest. Leeds still have to visit both Spurs and West Ham but they also have this home game and another one against Burnley to put some more points on the board. Leeds also have an FA Cup semi final date with Chelsea to look forward to.
Wolves returned from the international break with a 4-0 defeat away to West Ham, all of which means they could be relegated this weekend if they fail to win here and results involving West Ham and Forest go against them. The drop has been coming for some time but before the latest break Wolves had beaten Villa and Liverpool in successive home games and then draw away at Brentford.
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Spurs v Brighton (Saturday)
Roberto de Zerbi’s first game in charge of Spurs saw them go down 1-0 away to Sunderland and they finished the round third from bottom with 30 points, 2 shy of West Ham, 3 behind Forest and 6 adrift of Leeds with 6 games to go. Spurs have now lost 7 of their last 8 and it’s 14 league outings without a win. Romero picked up an injury last week and could miss the remainder of the season, watch the media for confirmation.
Brighton are ninth and well and truly in the scrum of clubs looking to qualify for European football next season. Only 8 points span fifth place Liverpool down to Fulham in twelfth and Brighton have hit form at the right time having won 5 of their last 6 with the only blip being a home defeat to Arsenal. Brighton’s last 3 road trips have delivered wins at Brentford, Sunderland and Burnley, each with a clean sheet.
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Chelsea v Man United (Saturday)
Chelsea’s 3-0 home defeat to Man City last week means they have lost 4 of their last 5 league games and they have just 1 win to show from their last 7. They have failed to score in their last 3, home defeats to Newcastle and City either side of a 3-0 loss at Everton. Despite the slump in form Chelsea remain in sixth place but now 4 points behind fifth placed Liverpool (top 5 qualify for UCL next season) and with a host of teams on their heels.
United’s 2-1 home defeat to Leeds on Monday was just the second loss since Carrick took over. They remain in third with 55 points, above Villa on goal difference with Liverpool 3 points back and Chelsea trailing by 7. United’s 2 most recent road trips saw them drop points in a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth and 2-1 loss at Newcastle.
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Everton v Liverpool (Sunday)
Everton struck late to salvage a 2-2 draw at Brentford last week to stay in the top 8 and they are 5 points behind fifth placed Liverpool. Recent home games saw them beat Burnley 2-0 and then Chelsea 3-0 and their overall home record now comprises of 6 wins, 4 draws and 6 defeats.
Liverpool’s 2-0 home win over Fulham last weekend strengthened their hold on the all important fifth place for UCL qualification and that could be just as well. In midweek a 2-0 home defeat to PSG in the second leg of the quarter finals saw them bow out of this season’s Champions League 4-0 on aggregate. Further bad news came in the shape of Hugo Ekitike’s season ending injury although Isak did start in midweek. Liverpool’s last 2 road trips saw them go down at Wolves and Brighton (both 2-1).
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Man City v Arsenal (Sunday)
City were 2-0 winners against the Gunners in the EFL Cup Final at Wembley as recently as the 22nd March and the teams now meet again with the stakes even higher. After dropping points in drawn league games at home to Forest and West Ham a 3-0 win at Chelsea last week reduced the deficit to Arsenal to just 6 points, City have a game in hand and their goal difference is only marginally inferior (+35 to Arsenal’s +38). City’s last defeat in the league came in the derby at United on 17th January and they haven’t lost a league game at The Etihad since Spurs were here in August.
Arsenal’s 0-0 draw at home to Sporting in the UCL on Wednesday saw them reach the semi finals (1-0 on aggregate). The result rather than the performance mattered most on that occasion but the Gunners had few excuses in last week’s 2-1 EPL home defeat to Bournemouth and across all competitions they have won just 1 of their last 5.
The first league meeting this season in London saw Haaland give City an early lead which they held until Martinelli equalized in the 93rd minute. The two previous league meetings in Manchester both finished all square.
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