EPL Match Week 14 Review

Written By: Mahdi Farahikia

De Bruyne was enough for Leicester in the Man City squad without Haaland and Foden. Chelsea and Liverpool lost in shocking ways, whereas Tottenham escaped defeat. Newcastle are changing the EPL narrative. Arsenal took back the top spot after a day. Manchester United moved above Chelsea. Here is the EPL Match Week 14 review.

Leicester vs. Manchester City, De Bruyne To the Rescue:

Manchester City started the game without Haaland and Foden. They struggled against the Leicester defense in the first half. Leicester had come to defend well against one of the best attacking teams in the league with a compact formation. But Pep's side broke the lock early in the second half with an astonishing free kick by De Bruyne. City's pressure didn't lead to more goals, but that was enough to threaten Arsenal's first-place position.

Brighton vs. Chelsea, Welcome Home, Potter:

Chelsea's Potter returned to his old club, enjoying a streak of lossless games. He was expected to know how to defeat his former team, but things didn't turn out well for Chelsea, as they ended the first half three goals down. Their attempts to turn things around by changing the keeper and bringing in Havertz in the second half didn't pay off, as the game ended 4-1 for the hosts, giving Potter his first defeat as Chelsea manager.

Bournemouth vs. Tottenham, Tale of Two Halves:

This match was the tale of two halves. Bournemouth began well and went ahead early on. Spurs had their moments in the first half, but it was mostly Bournemouth who showed a winning spirit. Things were different in the second half. Although the home side doubled their win, Tottenham took charge of the game and made a fantastic comeback, scoring three times before the final whistle.

Brentford vs. Wolves, The Bees Still Not Up For It:

The first half of this match was very eventless. Everything happened in the second half if much could be said about it. Brentford scored the opening goal early in the second half. However, their celebrations were cut short as they let in the equalizer within minutes. Although Wolves played with ten men for some time, the Bees don't seem to have their sting anymore.

Crystal Palace vs. Southampton, Viera Takes Three Any How:

This match was expected to be close, and it was indeed very close. Palace made twelve shots, with three on target, whereas out of Southampton's fourteen attempts, four were on target. None

of the two sides had a significant advantage statistically. However, soccer is not won or lost by stats, but with more scored goals. Palace's first-half winner ended up separating the two sides who could have scored more if they had accuracy in their finishing touches.

Newcastle vs. Aston Villa, Emeri's Mountain to Climb:

Almiron and Newcastle are changing the EPL narrative. For years, everyone has been speaking of the top six. But the Magpies are becoming the seventh team to account for in the league. Villa came to this game after a great victory last week, but they couldn't put on a similar show this time. On the other hand, Newcastle seem to find their form and put four goals in the visitors' net to move to fourth place, just above Chelsea.

Fulham vs. Everton, Only Goals Were Missing:

The two sides put on an exciting show in this match. Mitrovic irritated the visitors' defense and forced Pickford to make many saves. Fulham produced 24 shots, a quarter of which was on target. Everton had nine shots, with four on target. But neither the double-digit shots nor the hosts 13 corners made it to Everton's net. Everton's attempts were fruitless as well. This game would be complete if there were goals in it.

Liverpool vs. Leeds, Liverpool's Continuous Misery:

Liverpool came off a shocking defeat last week against Forest, and a statement-making win at Anfield was the least expected of them. This season hasn't been going for the Reds yet. Leeds' manager, Marsch, has been under pressure following a series of bad results. Nobody expected them to earn the three points in this away game. However, the White Roses kept pushing until the last minute and stunned Klopp in the dying moments of the match.

Arsenal vs. Nottingham Forest, Gunners At The Top:

After their astonishing victory over Liverpool, all eyes were on Forest if they could produce the second upset against another top team. Playing away against the top-form Gunners, this seemed more challenging, and the prospects soon lowered as Arsenal scored an early opener. Pressure from Jesus and other Arsenal players kept the ball comfortably away from their danger zone for the most part. However, their efforts didn't see the back of the net.

One goal advantage is not a secure win in soccer, and Arsenal knew that very well. They maintained pressure from the beginning of the second half and increased their gap to four just over ten minutes into the second forty-five minutes. Nottingham Forest made many mistakes on every part of the pitch, and the game finished 5-0 for the home side.

Manchester United vs. West Ham, United Finally Back:

With a perfect opportunity to move above Chelsea and close the gap with Tottenham, United began the match well. Varane being out due to injury and Lindelof struggling with illness gave Maguire the time to play in the center back. That made United fans uneasy. However, the Red Devils continued pressing the Hammers for most of the first half, leading to Rashford's 100th goal for United and the hosts' winning goal before the first forty-five minutes.

The story of the second half was not as pretty as the first one. Both teams made several mistakes, losing the ball very frequently. Chances on goals were far and in between for the two sides. Ronaldo missed a couple of great opportunities and his chance to get to 500 career club goals. West Ham increased the pressure on United's goal in the final moments of the match but failed to score