EPL - 2018/19 Game Week 23

Liverpool consolidated their position as leaders at the top with a hard fought 1-0 win away at Brighton. Winning on no very good days are common. Not a lot of teams win on average days and even fewer could win on bad days but winning on bad days is the hallmark of champions. The Reds game has changed from swashbuckling to very controlled ones. If they could win every game or match their closest rivals on results then they are the champions. 

City are an incredible team who will snuff you out the moment you slip. They will do their own things and inch upwards just to pounce when Liverpool slips. Tottenham's home defeat to Manchester United were unfortunate despite an awesome attacking display in the second half where De Gea single-handedly made like ten critical saves to keep the Red Devils alive leaving Spurs in third. Chelsea's 2-1 win over Newcastle brought them to a point behind Spurs while Arsenal's away loss to West Ham kept them six points from Chelsea in fifth where United's win saw them level on points with the Gunners. 

The fight and the heat is really on with sixteen matches to go. The bottom three are now Huddersfield (20), Fulham (19) and Newcastle (18). Then you have Cardiff (17) on 19 points just one point above the Magpies and Southampton (16) also on 19 points. This weekend's top match will shift to London between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates. Everyone is fighting a battle. Top teams are fighting to gain more points to win the title or get into the top four. Bottom teams are battling to avoid relegation which will be a huge loss of revenue. Those in the middle are not much better. They are still fighting for results but their fight is like our body fats. They get stuck in the middle and sets in the waist. You may a;ready be thinking what you should do for next year. 

Wolves v Leicester - Wolves dropped to 11th position after that 0-3 loss to City while the Foxes were surprisingly defeated 1-2 at home by Southampton. When the last met, Leicester won 1-0 away. Wolves must be favourites at the Molineux but Leicester have shown that they are unpredictable as two matches ago, they went to Everton and won and they have also beaten City. Unless Leicester gets a good result, Claude Puel may soon join David Wagner to leave. There is a chance as Wolves have been dodgy recently. Both teams are not at their best. I would put the result as a draw. 1-1.

Bournemouth  v West Ham - The Cherries will be looking to end their 5-games winless run when they host West Ham at the Vitality Stadium and are just nine points above relegation zone. The good news is top scorer Callum Wilson shall return from injury and could be worth a goal. The problem is when the team is not functioning well, goal chances are hard to come by but 21 year-old youngster David Brooks has been quite a revelation.The Hammers had beaten Arsenal 1-0 last week and it was a huge result but has Arnautovic said his farewell as he uncharacteristically waved to the fans after his last match. Felipe Anderson will again be a key player here. This could be an entertaining match based on how these two sides play. A draw would be my call. 2-2.

Liverpool v Crystal Palace - The League leaders could temporary stretch their lead to seven points if they win here as City are playing a day later but the Reds has bad news as Trent Alexander-Arnold has an ankle injury that will see him out for a month. This is not ideal as Liverpool has just sold Nathaniel Clyne to Bournemouth. It does look like evergreen and ever reliable veteran James Milner may get to cover that position. This could even be a blessing in disguise as TAA while proficient in attack has often been caught out of position. Fabinho could play there too as originally he was a right back but he is much better in midfield. Liverpool must remember that it was Palace who held them 3-3 during Brendan Rogers' time which cost them the title and Palace have beaten Manchester City this season but Anfield is a fortress these days and the Reds are expected to win but Palace can be awkward to play. Palace lost to Watford at home last week. Liverpool should win this match but they ave to be resolute. Their greatest strength this season has been their defence but with mounting injuries can they hold the fort? Yes, while Palace can be dangerous, they should be able to stop them. This is the type of match you must win if you want to be champions. 2-0. 

Manchester United v Brighton - The Red Devils have won six in a row under Solskjaer and shall go in search for their seventh. While he has done a great job and even passed the Spurs test we should not go too much into reading it. The players were there from the beginning and Solskjaer merely liberated them. Without taking credit away from him, it must be known that United just could not be worse after Mourinho has left. The Seagulls have beaten United 3-2 previously and a difficult side to breakdown. Brighton do not make life easy and will not be blown away. Talking about seagulls, it was United legend Eric Cantona who once said that when the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Much later, he cleared it up by saying that it has no meaning to it but everyone began analyzing it and he loved it. This could sum up United's season and Solskjaer's journey. We all knew that talent of Marcus Rashford and now that he has been given his chances he has seized it with both hands. He could really blossom into a top player. With Harry Kane out, those who plays Fantasy Premier League should consider adding him. With confidence returning, United should get a home win. 2-1.

Newcastle v Cardiff - The Magpies do not score much but Cardiff is worse as they have not found the net in their last three matches. At St. James Park, Newcastle should exploit their visitors and go flat out to win. This is indeed a great opportunity to get maximum points and move out of relegation zone as they next visit Tottenham which will be a tall task. 1-0.

Southampton v Everton - This is a tricky tie. The Saints held Chelsea away (0-0) and beaten Leicester away (2-1), were held 2-2 by Derby away in the FA Cup and had a similar scoreline in their replay against Derby but lost on penalties so technically they have been unbeaten in regulation time. The Toffees were beaten 0-1 at home by Leicester but returned to winning ways when they won 2-0 at home against a fading Bournemouth. With Southampton at home, this game could tight and can go either way. Both teams have scored twice in their last two games so it may be a high scoring draw here. 2-2.

Watford v Burnley - The Hornets are unbeaten with two draws and two wins now. Burnley seemed to have turned a corner with four wins, both teams setting up nicely for this clash. If Watford could beat Palace away they could win at home here but Burnley's fortunes have changed and Sean Dyche is smiling again. They shall be equal in this match. 1-1.

Arsenal v Chelsea - Unbeatable Arsenal seemed to have cracked a little. They have conceded too many goals suggesting all is not well at the back. Their exciting and free flowing attacking play has dwindled and Unai Emery seemed to have lost faith in Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey thus their creative play has been affected. They are six points behind Chelsea so this is a very important match for both sides even more so for the Gunners as Manchester United have caught up with them in the hunt for top four positions. Only a win is good for them. Arsenal's loss at West Ham has created doubts and they could barely afford to lose again here. Luckily, Chelsea have not been firing upfront and how they wish they have Aubeyang with them. It should be a good game. 1-1.

Huddersfield v Manchester City - City travels to Huddersfield Town on Sunday to face the bottom club who is without a manager after David Wagner parted on mutual terms. The Terriers do not bite and are the opposite of their visitors who have by now scored 99 goals in all competition compared to Huddersfield's 13. City fired 7 past Rotherham without reply then hit put 9 past Burton Albion without conceding in the Cup ties and trounced a good Wolves side 3-0. It is very tough for Huddersfield going from the frying pan into the fire. 0-3.

Fulham v Tottenham - Fulham have lost their last three matches while Spurs lost at home against a resurgent Manchester United despite their second half onslaught and now have top scorer Harry Kane injured and out for at least a month diminishing their title hope while Heung-Min Son is away for international duty in the Asian Cup. Even for a London derby with Spurs without their key players, the visitors should still get a win as they will need to keep pace with the rest. 1-3.