Matchday Review - April 4th, 2024
Premier League MW 31
Liverpool 3 vs. 1 Sheffield United
Nunez scored in the 17th minute to give Liverpool the lead and it was a comical goal. Bradley scored an own goal in the 58th minute to get Sheffield United back into the game. Mac Allister finally put Liverpool ahead in the 76th minute and Gakpo added a third in the 90th minute. Liverpool go back to the top and two points clear while Sheffield United are now 10 points from safety.
Chelsea 4 vs. 3 Man United
Gallagher scored in the fourth minute to give Chelsea the lead to the surprise of many Chelsea fans. Palmer then doubled the lead in the 19th minute via a penalty and it looked like Chelsea might go on to score a few more. In typical Chelsea fashion though we gifted United a goal in the 34th minute as Garnacho scored. Five minutes later Fernandes scored and United had equalised just like that. Garnacho put United ahead in the 67th minute and for lots of Chelsea fans that was that, another self-destruction.
I woke up around the 80th minute because I knew Chelsea would disappoint BUT for once the football gods decided we needed some happiness. With two minutes to go Madueke broke into the box and Dalot brought him down. Palmer stepped up to equalise for Chelsea and then he scored the winner thanks to a deflected shot. In the 111th minute Chelsea had beaten United.
In the grand scheme of things we don’t know what this will mean. Pochettino could use this win to bounce on and end the season on a high but equally Chelsea could fail to build on this as well. In isolation it’s good to finally beat United after 2017 because I spent years having to see their team fluke wins against us with managers like Ole in charge when we dominated games. To win in the way we did last night was long overdue. United remain sixth in the table while Chelsea move up to 10th in the table.
Weekend Football Preview
Premier League MW 32
Crystal Palace vs. Man City
14th placed Palace are winless in their last four as they welcome third placed Manchester City. It should be a straightforward win for City, but the reverse fixture was a 2-2 draw.
Wolverhampton vs. West Ham
11th placed Wolves take on seventh placed West Ham. Wolves are looking to finish in the top 10 while West Ham want to finish in an Europa League place. West Ham won the reverse fixture 3-0.
Everton vs. Burnley
16th placed Everton take on 19th placed Burnley in a relegation battle. Burnley are unbeaten in their last four games but only have one win in their last five. Everton have lost three of their last five and are desperate to pull away from the relegation zone. Everton won the reverse fixture 0-2.
Aston Villa vs. Brentford
Fourth placed Villa sit two points clear of fifth while Brentford are 15th in the table. Brentford are looking to avoid dropping into a top four race but dropped points in this game could see them fall out of the top four. Brentford have nothing to fight for at the moment. Villa won the reverse fixture 1-2.
Fulham vs. Newcastle
13th placed Fulham take on eighth placed Newcastle. Neither team is in great form but Newcastle are still in a race to finish in the top 10 while Fulham have an outside chance. Newcastle won the reverse fixture 3-0.
Luton Town vs. Bournemouth
18th placed Luton sit three points from safety and welcome 12th placed Bournemouth who are in a great run of form and unbeaten in their last five. Every game is a must win for Luton at the moment while Bournemouth are pushing for a top 10 finish. Bournemouth won the reverse fixture 4-3.
Brighton vs. Arsenal
Ninth placed Brighton have one win in their last five games and they take on second placed Arsenal. Brighton are in involved in that big race for a top 10 finish while Arsenal are in a title race. Arsenal should win because they have no margin for error at the moment and so the pressure is on Arteta and co. Arsenal won the reverse fixture 2-0.
Man United vs. Liverpool
Another historical fixture for United as they sit sixth and welcome league leaders Liverpool. United are coming off of losing in dramatic fashion to Chelsea and Liverpool are managing to get points despite not playing well. This used to be a title deciding game at one point but now Liverpool are far better than United. Despite all that several neutral fans will be behind United. The reverse fixture was a 0-0 draw and United would take the point in this game as well. Huge game.
Sheffield United vs. Chelsea
Bottom of the table Sheffield United take on 10th placed Chelsea. After seeing Chelsea win last night I would say that Chelsea need to go on a winning run but Chelsea could equally go on to drop points in this game. Sheffield United frustrated Liverpool and if Chelsea are not clinical in this game then we will be punished. Pochettino also has to fix the defensive mistakes because they are costing us. Chelsea won the reverse fixture 2-0.
Tottenham vs. Nottingham Forest
Fifth placed Tottenham are chasing top four as they take on 17th placed Forest who are looking to avoid relegation. Lots at stake for both teams and both teams need to win. Tottenham won the reverse fixture 0-2.
Serie A MW 31
AC Milan vs. Lecce
AS Roma vs. Lazio
Monza vs. Napoli
Cagliari vs. Atalanta
Juventus vs. Fiorentina
Milan sit second with Juventus and Bologna making up the top four. Roma, Atalanta, Lazio and Napoli make up the chasing pack. Winnable fixtures for most of the teams but the Rome derby between Roma and Lazio will be interesting. Juventus are also in a poor run of form and Allegri is under pressure.
Bundesliga MW 28
SC Freiburg vs. RB Leipzig
Heidenheim vs. Bayern Munich
Union Berlin vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Borussia Dortmund vs. Stuttgart
Leverkusen sit 13 points clear with Bayern, Stuttgart and Dortmund making up the top four. Leipzig are fifth in the table. The big game comes to us from Dortmund as Stuttgart visit and the result will impact the top four race.
Ligue 1 MW 28
Lille vs. Marseille
Paris Saint Germain vs. Clermont
Reims vs. Nice
AS Monaco vs. Rennes
Nantes vs. Lyon
PSG are 12 points clear with Brest, Monaco and Lille making up the top four. Nice, Rennes and Marseille make up the chasing pack. Lyon sits 10th in the table. No title race but the top four race is an interesting one. Monaco against Rennes will be a tricky tie and so will Lille against Marseille.
Copa Del Rey - Final
Athletic Bilbao vs. Mallorca
Bilbao sit fifth in La Liga and Mallorca sit 15th in the table. Despite their league positions anything can happen in a final and Mallorca will be more than up for it. Bilbao are the favourites though and should pick up the trophy.