r00fie1
Well-known member
FA Premier League Sunday 10th December 2023
Today`s Fixtures:
Premier Table:
[Edited]
[https://www.flashscore.co.uk/football/england/premier-league/#/I3O5jpB2/table/overall]
How the mighty are fallen! Mid-table Chelski find themselves competing with Brentford, Bournemouth and Manchester United since the Russian money disappeared, along with its owner. Everton might escape the scorched pants of the ten point deduction for now, but they are stll well and trully in the sticky end of the "Top League in the world" [?!!]
Everton continued to show their fighting spirit on Thursday night as they dispatched Newcastle United in style with a dominant 3-0 win at Goodison Park. The victory saw the determined Toffees - who were handed a ten-point deduction last month - climb out of the bottom three and now they have the opportunity to potentially win three successive Premier League (PL) games for the first time since March 2021 here against Chelsea.
The Merseyside club have enjoyed their recent home clashes against their west London opponents, highlighted by their impressive record of four wins from the last five home H2H meetings (L1). But Everton will come into the contest with one day’s less rest than the visitors, which could hinder what is already a pretty uninspiring record of just two wins across their last eight PL games played on a Sunday (D1, L5).
Chelsea’s form across their past four competitive games (W1, D1, L2) highlights why it’s hard to predict what will be seen from Mauricio Pochettino’s side in this clash. Their attack does at least continue to deliver goals, but it’s their performances without the ball that is proving the Blues’ biggest undoing right now. They’ve scored in all but one of their last nine matches, but have also kept just one clean sheet in that time, while the 194 shots they’ve faced is their most after 15 games in a season since Opta started recording the stat in 2003/04!
This contest will be the second in a matter of days up in the north west for Chelsea after they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. That proved to be a 17th PL defeat of this calendar year - more than they did across 2021 and 2022 combined (16) - and you’d have to go back to 1993 (20) for the last time they suffered more, highlighting the huge task that still lies ahead for Pochettino.
Players to watch: Dwight McNeil has put Everton 1-0 ahead in the second half in each of his last two appearances while Cole Palmer’s strike on Wednesday was one of the few bright sparks for Chelsea. He’s now scored five goals and assisted two more in eight PL starts for the club.
Hot streak: Pochettino is unbeaten in his last 12 league games against Everton (W7, D5).
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Another of those London "Derby`s" which might be important if you live in the area where you can pick up copies of the Evening Standard.
After thrashing Nottingham Forest 5-0 on Wednesday, a second win from their last three outings, Fulham will start this round of Premier League (PL) fixtures nine points clear of the relegation zone. The Cottagers’ sudden flurry of goals has seen them score 11 times in their last three matches (W2, L1) - more goals than they had managed in their previous 12 PL games combined!
Marco Silva’s men will now aim to become the first Fulham side to score 3+ goals in four consecutive top-flight games since October 1961. That’s a record that’s in serious jeopardy against next opponents West Ham though, as Fulham are winless in the last six H2Hs (D1, L5), while they’ve failed to win a PL London derby since beating Chelsea 2-1 in January (D4, L7).
David Moyes’ men travel across the capital in the midst of a PL resurgence, claiming ten of the last 12 points on offer to establish themselves in the top-half of the table (W3, D1). Only Arsenal can better that points haul across that period, but things haven’t been easy for the Hammers, who came from behind in all three of those victories, most recently on Thursday against London rivals Tottenham.
West Ham have been great entertainers on their PL travels, joining Brighton as the only PL sides to both score and concede in all of their league road trips so far this term. Moyes will be desperate for a clean sheet, not least because it’d give him a great chance to add to his 20 managerial H2H victories - he’s beaten Fulham more than any other opponent from the dugout.
Players to watch: Alex Iwobi has netted three times in his last two PL home games, and one more strike here would already represent his best-ever tally in a league season. West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen has scored in seven consecutive PL away games - only Robin van Persie (nine) has a longer such record.
Hot stat: Fulham are one of two PL teams heading into the weekend who haven’t conceded in the opening 15 minutes.
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Probably the most interesting and entertaining games of the afternoon: City, the money-bags of the Premiership are being challenged from all sides, including teams like Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal. Little ol Luton have started to give clubs a good account of themselves - leaving a few stud marks on dented ego`s and turning off the central heating in the opponents porta-cabin.
The Premier League (PL) fixture generator had no mercy on Luton as it reached December, as days after their tussle with Arsenal at Kenilworth Road, the newly-promoted Hatters go toe-to-toe with defending champions Manchester City. Rob Edwards’ “evolving” team pushed the Gunners all the way, before a heartbreaking Declan Rice goal in the 97th-minute condemned his side to a painful defeat.
There was plenty of encouragement on offer for the Luton faithful as they competed fiercely with the league leaders. That’s been a common theme in home matches, as none of their seven PL games at Kenilworth Road have been decided by more than a one-goal margin, although it’s often Luton themselves who are falling on the wrong side of those tight margins (W1, D2, L4). They found the net in six of those games, meaning all but one league match here this season saw both teams score.
If ever there was a good time to come up against this Manchester City, it’s now. Pep Guardiola’s men are enjoying their joint-longest PL winless run since November 2009, failing to emerge victorious from any of their last four league games (D3, L1). City were outplayed in a 1-0 defeat to high-flying Aston Villa on Wednesday, a match in which they managed just two shots - the fewest ever by a Guardiola side in a league game!
Perhaps that’ll be a wake-up call that City need as they look to become the first team to ever win four consecutive PL titles. Their most recent victory away at Luton predates the advent of the PL by 12 years however, and the treble winners can ill-afford extending that wait considering they’ve already lost three times on the road in the league this term.
Players to watch: Luton defenders have scored in both of their most recent two home games, but wing-back Alfie Doughty showed his creative edge in the Arsenal blockbuster, assisting their opening two strikes on Tuesday. After missing the clash with Villa, City will welcome Rodri back with open arms, especially considering that he’s already scored away at Luton’s fellow newly-promoted teams Burnley and Sheffield United.
Hot stat: Luton have conceded 22 of their 30 PL goals in the second half of matches.
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Cant decide whom I dislike most? The darkest hole in London is Spurs trophy cabinet, only beaten by the deepest dark hole in the North East. Both pretentious clubs with aspirations to be "big". Neither have won anything other than the wooden spoon for decades. Spurs have a nice flashy stadia, but are almost always overshadowed on the pitch by Arsenal. The Toon have a closed battle between them and the Mackems, about who can be the most boring unachieving club in the North East.
A dream start to the 2023/24 season has rather quickly soured for Tottenham, who are now without a win in their last five Premier League (PL) matches (D1, L4), despite going 1-0 up in all five! They’re the first side in competition history to suffer such a fate, meaning they’ve now dropped a PL-high 16 points from winning positions this season. And with the three home outings in their current winless streak all ending in defeat, they’ll be desperate to avoid an extension to that unwanted piece of history against top-four rivals Newcastle.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou may be looking to his backline for improvement as they’ve conceded 13 goals across their five-match winless run, and 2+ goals in each. A clean sheet would therefore be precious currency in North London, especially as it would help Spurs avoid a fourth consecutive PL home defeat for the first time since April 2004!
The visit of one of the division’s poorest away sides is perhaps timely then, as Newcastle’s five away points is better than just four other PL sides. The Magpies’ travel sickness continued in midweek as they were beaten 3-0 away to Everton, and with Jamaal Lascelles forced off injured, manager Eddie Howe has an even longer absentee list to contend with.
This is a fixture Newcastle dominated last season however, winning 2-1 at Spurs before famously routing them 6-1 in the reverse fixture in April, scoring five times in the opening 21 minutes. Another victory here would break the deadlock between these sides in the all-time PL H2H stakes which is level at 24 wins apiece (D8), while it would also be a third consecutive victory over Tottenham - something they last managed back in 2008.
Players to watch: Spurs’ Dejan Kulusevski has often struck late this term, with three of his four goals arriving after half-time, two of which came in the 90th minute or later. His Swedish compatriot Alexander Isak has scored each of his last three PL goals against London-based opposition, and netted twice in the 6-1 hammering in April.
Hot stat: Tottenham haven’t conceded a PL home goal inside the opening 30 minutes this season.
[Edited]
[https://www.flashscore.co.uk/football/england/premier-league/#/I3O5jpB2/table/overall]
Today`s Fixtures:
Premier Table:
[Edited]
[https://www.flashscore.co.uk/football/england/premier-league/#/I3O5jpB2/table/overall]
How the mighty are fallen! Mid-table Chelski find themselves competing with Brentford, Bournemouth and Manchester United since the Russian money disappeared, along with its owner. Everton might escape the scorched pants of the ten point deduction for now, but they are stll well and trully in the sticky end of the "Top League in the world" [?!!]
Everton continued to show their fighting spirit on Thursday night as they dispatched Newcastle United in style with a dominant 3-0 win at Goodison Park. The victory saw the determined Toffees - who were handed a ten-point deduction last month - climb out of the bottom three and now they have the opportunity to potentially win three successive Premier League (PL) games for the first time since March 2021 here against Chelsea.
The Merseyside club have enjoyed their recent home clashes against their west London opponents, highlighted by their impressive record of four wins from the last five home H2H meetings (L1). But Everton will come into the contest with one day’s less rest than the visitors, which could hinder what is already a pretty uninspiring record of just two wins across their last eight PL games played on a Sunday (D1, L5).
Chelsea’s form across their past four competitive games (W1, D1, L2) highlights why it’s hard to predict what will be seen from Mauricio Pochettino’s side in this clash. Their attack does at least continue to deliver goals, but it’s their performances without the ball that is proving the Blues’ biggest undoing right now. They’ve scored in all but one of their last nine matches, but have also kept just one clean sheet in that time, while the 194 shots they’ve faced is their most after 15 games in a season since Opta started recording the stat in 2003/04!
This contest will be the second in a matter of days up in the north west for Chelsea after they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. That proved to be a 17th PL defeat of this calendar year - more than they did across 2021 and 2022 combined (16) - and you’d have to go back to 1993 (20) for the last time they suffered more, highlighting the huge task that still lies ahead for Pochettino.
Players to watch: Dwight McNeil has put Everton 1-0 ahead in the second half in each of his last two appearances while Cole Palmer’s strike on Wednesday was one of the few bright sparks for Chelsea. He’s now scored five goals and assisted two more in eight PL starts for the club.
Hot streak: Pochettino is unbeaten in his last 12 league games against Everton (W7, D5).
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Another of those London "Derby`s" which might be important if you live in the area where you can pick up copies of the Evening Standard.
After thrashing Nottingham Forest 5-0 on Wednesday, a second win from their last three outings, Fulham will start this round of Premier League (PL) fixtures nine points clear of the relegation zone. The Cottagers’ sudden flurry of goals has seen them score 11 times in their last three matches (W2, L1) - more goals than they had managed in their previous 12 PL games combined!
Marco Silva’s men will now aim to become the first Fulham side to score 3+ goals in four consecutive top-flight games since October 1961. That’s a record that’s in serious jeopardy against next opponents West Ham though, as Fulham are winless in the last six H2Hs (D1, L5), while they’ve failed to win a PL London derby since beating Chelsea 2-1 in January (D4, L7).
David Moyes’ men travel across the capital in the midst of a PL resurgence, claiming ten of the last 12 points on offer to establish themselves in the top-half of the table (W3, D1). Only Arsenal can better that points haul across that period, but things haven’t been easy for the Hammers, who came from behind in all three of those victories, most recently on Thursday against London rivals Tottenham.
West Ham have been great entertainers on their PL travels, joining Brighton as the only PL sides to both score and concede in all of their league road trips so far this term. Moyes will be desperate for a clean sheet, not least because it’d give him a great chance to add to his 20 managerial H2H victories - he’s beaten Fulham more than any other opponent from the dugout.
Players to watch: Alex Iwobi has netted three times in his last two PL home games, and one more strike here would already represent his best-ever tally in a league season. West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen has scored in seven consecutive PL away games - only Robin van Persie (nine) has a longer such record.
Hot stat: Fulham are one of two PL teams heading into the weekend who haven’t conceded in the opening 15 minutes.
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Probably the most interesting and entertaining games of the afternoon: City, the money-bags of the Premiership are being challenged from all sides, including teams like Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal. Little ol Luton have started to give clubs a good account of themselves - leaving a few stud marks on dented ego`s and turning off the central heating in the opponents porta-cabin.
The Premier League (PL) fixture generator had no mercy on Luton as it reached December, as days after their tussle with Arsenal at Kenilworth Road, the newly-promoted Hatters go toe-to-toe with defending champions Manchester City. Rob Edwards’ “evolving” team pushed the Gunners all the way, before a heartbreaking Declan Rice goal in the 97th-minute condemned his side to a painful defeat.
There was plenty of encouragement on offer for the Luton faithful as they competed fiercely with the league leaders. That’s been a common theme in home matches, as none of their seven PL games at Kenilworth Road have been decided by more than a one-goal margin, although it’s often Luton themselves who are falling on the wrong side of those tight margins (W1, D2, L4). They found the net in six of those games, meaning all but one league match here this season saw both teams score.
If ever there was a good time to come up against this Manchester City, it’s now. Pep Guardiola’s men are enjoying their joint-longest PL winless run since November 2009, failing to emerge victorious from any of their last four league games (D3, L1). City were outplayed in a 1-0 defeat to high-flying Aston Villa on Wednesday, a match in which they managed just two shots - the fewest ever by a Guardiola side in a league game!
Perhaps that’ll be a wake-up call that City need as they look to become the first team to ever win four consecutive PL titles. Their most recent victory away at Luton predates the advent of the PL by 12 years however, and the treble winners can ill-afford extending that wait considering they’ve already lost three times on the road in the league this term.
Players to watch: Luton defenders have scored in both of their most recent two home games, but wing-back Alfie Doughty showed his creative edge in the Arsenal blockbuster, assisting their opening two strikes on Tuesday. After missing the clash with Villa, City will welcome Rodri back with open arms, especially considering that he’s already scored away at Luton’s fellow newly-promoted teams Burnley and Sheffield United.
Hot stat: Luton have conceded 22 of their 30 PL goals in the second half of matches.
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Cant decide whom I dislike most? The darkest hole in London is Spurs trophy cabinet, only beaten by the deepest dark hole in the North East. Both pretentious clubs with aspirations to be "big". Neither have won anything other than the wooden spoon for decades. Spurs have a nice flashy stadia, but are almost always overshadowed on the pitch by Arsenal. The Toon have a closed battle between them and the Mackems, about who can be the most boring unachieving club in the North East.
A dream start to the 2023/24 season has rather quickly soured for Tottenham, who are now without a win in their last five Premier League (PL) matches (D1, L4), despite going 1-0 up in all five! They’re the first side in competition history to suffer such a fate, meaning they’ve now dropped a PL-high 16 points from winning positions this season. And with the three home outings in their current winless streak all ending in defeat, they’ll be desperate to avoid an extension to that unwanted piece of history against top-four rivals Newcastle.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou may be looking to his backline for improvement as they’ve conceded 13 goals across their five-match winless run, and 2+ goals in each. A clean sheet would therefore be precious currency in North London, especially as it would help Spurs avoid a fourth consecutive PL home defeat for the first time since April 2004!
The visit of one of the division’s poorest away sides is perhaps timely then, as Newcastle’s five away points is better than just four other PL sides. The Magpies’ travel sickness continued in midweek as they were beaten 3-0 away to Everton, and with Jamaal Lascelles forced off injured, manager Eddie Howe has an even longer absentee list to contend with.
This is a fixture Newcastle dominated last season however, winning 2-1 at Spurs before famously routing them 6-1 in the reverse fixture in April, scoring five times in the opening 21 minutes. Another victory here would break the deadlock between these sides in the all-time PL H2H stakes which is level at 24 wins apiece (D8), while it would also be a third consecutive victory over Tottenham - something they last managed back in 2008.
Players to watch: Spurs’ Dejan Kulusevski has often struck late this term, with three of his four goals arriving after half-time, two of which came in the 90th minute or later. His Swedish compatriot Alexander Isak has scored each of his last three PL goals against London-based opposition, and netted twice in the 6-1 hammering in April.
Hot stat: Tottenham haven’t conceded a PL home goal inside the opening 30 minutes this season.
[Edited]
[https://www.flashscore.co.uk/football/england/premier-league/#/I3O5jpB2/table/overall]
Last edited:
