The highlight games for the next set of EPL matches are LIVERPOOL versus CRYSTAL PALACE and ARSENAL versus ASTON VILLA. Our feature columnist, John Newsome previews these and all game week 33 matches with his unique and insightful commentary. You can view all previous analysis from John’s regular column here: English Premier League Predictions For Saturday.
Please note all prices quoted below were correct at the time of publication.
Game Week-33
All of these fixtures are the reverse of Game Week-16 which took place in early December 2023.
Saturday 13th
NEWCASTLE v TOTTENHAM
12.30 in England
TNT Sport
A single Bruno Guimaraes goal in the 81st minute gave Newcastle the victory over Fulham on Saturday by a 1-0 away day scoreline.
That leaves Newcastle in 8th place with 47 points from 31 games completed.
West Ham sit in 7th with 48 points and Manchester United sit 6th with 49, however, West Ham have played a game more, with United completing the same 31 fixtures as Newcastle.
So there is still a chance of a European Adventure next season for the Toon Army and their Magpie Idols.
Tottenham inflicted a defeat on Nottingham Forest on Sunday with goals from Micky Van De Ven and Pedro Porro, helped by an own goal from a Forest Defender, giving Ange’s Spurs all 3 points from a 3-1 scoreline, as predicted in this EveryTip column last week.
Forest did equalise the opening OG from Murillo.
Tottenham jumped above Aston Villa into 4th place, now with the same 60 points as Villa but with a slightly better goal difference.
Tottenham- 60 points, scored 65 and conceded 45 (plus+20)
Aston Villa- 60 points scored 66 and conceded 49 (plus+17)
Villa have played a game more (32) than Spurs (31).
Tottenham gained a comfortable home victory at the Chas and Dave Memorial Stadium when Newcastle ventured South back in December.
Destiny Udogie and Richarlison scored in the 1st-half to give Spurs a lead at the break.
Richarlison added his 2nd and Tottenham’s 3rd on the hour mark before Son Heung-Min converted a penalty just before full-time to give Ange’s Spurs the points from a 4-1 scoreline.
Joelinton scored a consolation goal after Nice-One Son’s spot-kick.
Betfred offer Newcastle at 6/4, the draw at 13/5 and 13/10 for Tottenham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 11/10 that Alexander Isak Scores Anytime and 23/20 that Son Heung-Min Scores Anytime.
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BRENTFORD v SHEFFIELD UNITED
15.00 in England
Brentford played in a brilliant game against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday.
After conceding 2 goals, 1 in the 1st-half and 1 just after the restart, the Bees decided to join in and goals from Zanka, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, in the space of 10 minutes, gave Brentford a narrow lead.
The ex-Bee Ollie Watkins then scored his 2nd of the game and the equaliser in the 80th minute and with no further goals, both teams shared the points from an exciting 3-3 scoreline.
The game was supposedly billed as Ollie Watkins v Ivan Toney and who Gareth Southgate would take to Germany as the backup to Harry Kane, however, Ivan had a slight injury and started on the bench, coming on just as the score went 3-3.
Unfortunately, if it was an interview for the England team, then Ollie’s 2 goals may have swayed Gareth’s decision.
That said, it is still a possibility that Mr Southgate will take both Strikers along with Harry, as the Squad size for the Euro’s is set to be increased to 26 from the original 23.
The point gained left Brentford in 16th with the same 29 points as Everton, however, the Bees have played a game more (32) than the Toffees (31).
Then news came through on Monday that Everton had been deducted a further 2 points, meaning Brentford are back up to 15th with 29 points and Everton slip to 16th with 27 points.
Sheffield United also gained a point from a draw by a 2-2 score, against Chelsea at Bramall Lane on Sunday.
Jayden Bogle equalised an earlier Blues goal to take both teams in level at the break.
Chelsea then scored a 2nd and with 90 minutes up on the clock it was feared that another defeat was on the cards, however, Ollie McBurnie scored in the 93rd minute to give both teams a share of the points.
That is now the 3rd draw from the last 4 games which has to be a positive for the Blades, however, it is still likely that Sheffield United will be back in the Championship next season.
The Blades sit at the bottom of the table, with 16 points from 31 games played, 9 points away from safety, meaning Sheffield United have to win 3 games from the remaining 7, more than the safe team.
It isn’t going to happen.
James from Swinton, nowhere near Bramall Lane, may get the chance to see his first love, Barnsley FC and get out the half-and-half shirt that’s not been seen for a couple of years.
Barnsley are currently in the play-off positions in League One so Little Jimbo has his fingers crossed that the Super Reds will get promoted.
Talking of fingers crossed, that’s usually how Jim works a spanner when mending Toyotas.
Surprisingly Sheffield United gained a rare victory when Brentford visited Bramall Lane just before Christmas.
One could say an early present when James McAtee scored the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time to give the Blades the points from a 1-0 scoreline.
The travelling Bees then went flying around the Steel City looking for a greasy chip butty to spoil.
Little Jimbo was in a daze over Christmas, repeatedly saying,
‘We won a game of football, we won a game of football, can you believe it, Jade, we won a game of football!’
Betfred offered Brentford at Odds On 4/11, the draw at 18/5 and 11/2 for Sheffield United to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/1 that Yoane Wissa Scores First and 7/2 that Ollie McBurnie Scores Anytime.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds).
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BURNLEY v BRIGHTON
15.00 in England
Burnley suffered another defeat on Saturday, this time against Everton in the Sean Dyche Derby.
After conceding a goal on the stroke of half-time, from a horrendous error by the Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, the Clarets were then reduced to 10 men (again) when Dara O’Shea was sent off in the 67th minute to make the task even tougher.
Arijanet delayed clearing the ball and kicked it straight at Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with the ball deflecting into the back of the net.
Out of the 32 fixtures in the Premier League, Burnley have had a player sent off in 7 of those games, which doesn’t help the prospect of staving off relegation.
Burnley remain in 19th place with 19 points from 32 games played.
Now 6 points away from safety with 6 games remaining.
One of those games is against Nottingham Forest who sit in 17th with 6 points more.
Brighton suffered a home defeat against Arsenal at the Amex in the late Saturday Afternoon fixture.
After conceding a goal in the 1st-half and 2 in the 2nd, the Seagulls suffered the loss by a 3-0 score.
Brighton sit in 10th place with 43 points from 31 games completed.
Both shared the points from a draw by a 1-1 score when Burnley travelled South to the Amex to face Brighton back in December.
Wilson Odobert scored for the Clarets just before the half-time cup of tea, with Simon Adingra equalising for the Seagulls midway through the 2nd-half to give both a point apiece.
Betfred offer Burnley at 5/2, the draw at 13/5 and slight Odds On 5/6 for Brighton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 6/4 that Evan Ferguson Scores Anytime and 11/4 that Brighton Win To Nil.
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MAN CITY v LUTON
15.00 in England
Man City gained a professional victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday, in a very entertaining game that finished in a 4-2 scoreline in favour of City.
Palace scored the opener before goals from Kevin De Bruyne (2), Ricoh Lewis and Erling Haaland gave Pep’s High Flying Blues the points.
Palace did score a late 2nd but ultimately suffered the defeat.
At the time, before Arsenal and Liverpool had taken to the field, Man City temporarily went into 2nd place, however, dropped back to 3rd following Arsenal’s victory and Liverpool’s draw.
Arsenal have 71 points, Liverpool have the same 71 and Man City have 70 points, all having completed 31 games.
Arsenal- 71 points, scored 75 and conceded 24 (plus+51)
Liverpool- 71 points, scored 72 and conceded 30 (plus+42)
Man City- 70 points, scored 71 and conceded 31 (plus+40)
So it’s clear that Arsenal have a far superior goal difference, which could have a big bearing on the Premier League Title destination come mid-May.
Man City then host Real Madrid at the Etihad on Wednesday in the 2nd-leg of the Champions League Quarter-Final.
Luton came from a goal behind against Bournemouth on Saturday, to inflict the defeat on the Cherries by a 2-1 score.
After a goalless 1st-half, Bournemouth took the lead in the 52nd minute.
Then the 2 ex-Barnsley Boys, Jordan Clark and Carlton Morris scored for the Hatters to give Luton the much-needed victory.
That leaves Luton in 18th place with the same 25 points as the safe team Nottingham Forest both having completed 32 fixtures, with 6 remaining.
The main problem though, is one of the 6 games left is this one against Man City.
It’s then Brentford at Home, Wolves Away, Everton at Home, West Ham Away and finally Fulham at Kenilworth Rd on the 19th of May, which will either be a brilliant celebration or a sad occasion to say goodbye to the Premier League.
One possible positive for Rob Edwards Boys is that Man City may rest a few of the Big Guns with the back-to-back games against Real Madrid occurring.
Luton did put up a valiant effort against Man City at Kenilworth Rd, however, ultimately it was a defeat for Rob’s Hatters
against Pep’s High Flying Blues.
Elijah Adebayo scored for Luton on the stroke of half-time to make the faithful’s cup of tea taste a lot sweeter.
Unfortunately for the home Hatters, goals from Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish early in the 2nd-half gave City the victory by a 2-1 away day scoreline.
Man City also gained a victory over Luton in the FA Cup, with Erling Haaland scoring 5 (yes 5-five) and Mateo Kovacic adding a 6th to knockout the Hatters in the 5th-round by a 6-2 score.
The Barnsley Boy Jordan Clark scored twice for Luton after Erling had notched 3 times.
John Newsome remembers Jordan Clark and John Stones playing together for the Super Reds in the iconic Barnsley Shirt back in 2012.
Unfortunately for Jordan, the lad didn’t quite make it at Oakwell and was released but has surely gone on to have a brilliant career, which is a testament to himself and an example to those young footballers out there who early on in their careers, are let go by a club.
The player has to then work harder and prove the club wrong, which is certainly what Jordan has done, over 10 years later now, not only playing in the Premier League but scoring after a long time in the wilderness, turning out for teams in the lower leagues and even non-league.
Nice one Jordan.
Betfred offer Man City at Odds On 1/20, the draw at 17/2 and 18/1 for Luton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/1 that Julian Alvarez Scores First and slight Odds On 4/6 that there are Over 3.5 Goals.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
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NOTTINGHAM FOREST v WOLVES
15.00 in England
Nottingham Forest suffered a defeat against Tottenham on Sunday at the Chas and Dave Memorial Stadium.
The unfortunate Forest Defender Murillo was credited with an own goal to give Tottenham a lead before Chris Wood equalised, taking both teams in level at the break.
Unfortunately for the travelling Tricky Trees, their idols conceded 2 more in the 2nd-half to ultimately suffer the loss by a 3-1 away day score.
That leaves Forest in 17th place with the same 25 points as Luton, who occupy the final relegation place, both having completed 32 fixtures.
Nottingham Forest have this game against Wolves, plus Man City and Chelsea at Home and Everton, Sheffield United and Burnley away from the City Ground.
Wolves were denied a late equaliser on Saturday against West Ham at Molineux which meant a home defeat against the Hammers by a 2-1 scoreline.
Pablo Sarabia converted a penalty in the 1st-half to give Wolves a lead at the break.
West Ham then scored twice before the fun started in the 9th minute of added-on time.
Max Kilman looked to have scored a perfectly good goal to earn a point, however, the dreaded VAR at Stockley Park did their utmost to find a way to cancel out the effort.
The on-field referee Tony Harrington was eventually sent to the monitor to look at the goal and ruled that Tawanda Chirewa was in an offside position and obstructing the Goalkeeper’s view.
However, despite no clear evidence that Tawanda was offside, the Hammers GK was never saving Max’s header and wasn’t even looking at Tawanda.
Obviously, all connected with Wolves were incandescent with rage and rightly so.
As stated many times in this EveryTip column, it’s not the VAR system that is making the errors, it’s the people who are in control of the Video that make the wrong decisions, trying to find errors with decisions when none are apparent.
No one would have complained if the Wolves equaliser had stood as no apparent error was made.
That said, the Stockley Park brigade and the dreaded VAR are here to stay as there are now too many people involved and too much money invested in the system that is spoiling the Beautiful Game.
Watching the Premier League is a privilege that affords the football fan a chance to see some of the best players in the world, however, watching the Championship or lower leagues is sometimes a better option because once a goal goes in, that’s that.
It’s whether one is prepared to put up with the VAR Nonsense that counteracts the talent on show in the Promised Land.
In the Game Week-16 affair at Molineux, both teams shared the points from a draw by a 1-1 score.
Harry Toffolo scored first for Forest before Matheus Cunha equalised for Wolves.
The surprise in that is both were scored in the first half-hour, with no further goals in the remaining hour or so.
This fixture at the City Ground last season also finished in a 1-1 scoreline, so maybe the same could occur today.
Betfred offer Nottingham Forest at 6/5, the draw at 23/10 and 15/8 for Wolves to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 13/2 that Chris Wood Scores First and Evens 1/1 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Draw 1-1- Get 11/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
***Premier League Team of the Week***
GOALKEEPER- David Raya- Arsenal
RIGHT-BACK- Daiki Hashioka- Luton
CENTRE-BACK- Thiago Silva- Chelsea
CENTRE-BACK- Zanka- Brentford
LEFT-BACK- Diogo Dalot- Manchester United
MIDFIELDER- Bruno Guimaraes- Newcastle
MIDFIELDER- Kevin De Bruyne- Man City
MIDFIELDER- Jorginho- Arsenal
FORWARD- Carlton Morris- Luton
FORWARD- Leandro Trossard- Arsenal
FORWARD- Kai Havertz- Arsenal
STAR MAN- Kevin De Bruyne- Man City
BOURNEMOUTH v MANCHESTER UNITED
17.30
Sky Sports
After getting a victory over Luton at the Vitality a few weeks ago, coming back from 3 goals down to win 4-3, the Hatters reversed that result on Saturday against the Cherries at Kenilworth Rd, inflicting a defeat on the away team by a 2-1 scoreline after Bournemouth were a goal in front.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the opener, early in the 2nd-half, to ease the nerves of the travelling faithful, however, Luton not only scored an equaliser but got a winner in the 90th minute to gain all 3-points.
That leaves Andoni Iraola’s Boys in 12th place with 41 points from 31 games played.
Whilst this EveryTip column got the scoreline wrong in predicting that Manchester United would draw against Liverpool by a 1-1 score, the draw was borne out, with the game between the Big Rivals ending in a 2-2 score.
Liverpool scored the opener to lead at the break, before an error from Jarell Quansah early in the 2nd-half, allowed Bruno Fernandes to score a brilliant goal, hitting the ball from 40 yards into an empty net.
It was a superb effort from the Arm Thrower.
Whilst that’s meant as just a bit of fun, it’s a shame Bruno doesn’t concentrate more on his footballing attributes than the petulant side, as the lad does have a lot to offer a very poor Manchester United team.
His Midfield Mate and the new rising star of the Red Devils, Kobbie Mainoo added a 2nd midway through the 2nd-half, which itself was another brilliant strike.
Unfortunately, for all watching at Old Trafford and those in front of the Gogglebox, Arron Wan-Bissaka made a rash challenge in the area that the on-field referee, Anthony Taylor had no choice but to point to the spot.
Even the dreaded VAR couldn’t come up with an excuse to change that decision.
After Liverpool converted the penalty, it was just a matter of holding on for a much-needed point from a draw by a 2-2 score.
The Archbishop was very happy!
Whilst the result does mask a lot of Manchester United’s frailties, it still was a point gained against the Premier League Title Contenders, which in itself, has put a dent in Liverpool’s chances.
Maybe the Numpty Neighbours wanted to help along their Noisy Neighbours in winning a 4th Title in succession.
Manchester United do have a lot of issues and in truth, the point gained against Liverpool on Sunday was more to do with a poor performance from Klippertys Klopp’s than Erik’s Ten Bobs, however, in football, a team has to put in 100% for 90 plus minutes, then let the result take care of itself.
If a team isn’t as strong as the opposition, then the next attribute to talent is giving one’s all, that’s all that a Manager and for that matter, the faithful who pay hard-earned money to watch their idols, can ask for.
Liverpool are currently better than Manchester United, no argument but the United players wanted the game more and along with a bit of luck (the third attribute!) the Red Devils gained a great point.
United remain in 6th place with 49 points from 31 games completed.
The remaining 7 Premier League games, along with this trip to Bournemouth, are,
Newcastle at home.
Sheffield United at home.
Burnley at home.
Crystal Palace away.
Arsenal at home.
Brighton away.
It’s more than likely that United will stay in 6th for the rest of the campaign which will still mean that the faithful need their Passport next season.
Bournemouth smashed a sorry Manchester United team at Old Trafford back in December.
Goals from Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi gave the Cherries all 3 points from a 3-0 away day scoreline.
Betfred offer Bournemouth at 13/10, the draw at 11/4 and 6/4 for Manchester United to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 23/20 that Dominic Solanke Scores Anytime and 7/4 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
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Sunday 14th
LIVERPOOL v CRYSTAL PALACE
14.00 in England
Sky Sports
Liverpool played in a great game at Old Trafford against Manchester United on Sunday with both sharing the points from a draw by a 2-2 score.
John Newsome did predict a draw in last week’s EveryTip column, where some other betting tipster outlets, including Sky Sports, offered up the prediction of Liverpool winning by a 6-1 scoreline.
Luis Diaz scored the opener to give Liverpool a lead at the break.
Then an error by the Young Reds Defender Jarell Quansah, who passed the ball sideways into no man’s land, led to Bruno Fernandes hitting a 40-yard shot into an empty net.
Jarell just needs to learn from the mistake, put that to bed and move on.
United then scored a 2nd and with time running out, Harvey Elliott earned a penalty when brought down in the area.
There was no need for the dreaded VAR to get involved.
Mo Salah converted the spot-kick and with no further goals, both teams shared the points.
That leaves Liverpool with the same 71 points as Arsenal but sit in 2nd place with a slightly inferior goal difference.
Arsenal- 71 points, scored 75 and conceded 24 (plus+51)
Liverpool- 71 points, scored 72 and conceded 30 (plus+42)
Man City- 70 points, scored 71 and conceded 31 (plus+40)
Liverpool then go to Italy after this game, to play the 2nd-leg of the Europa League Quarter-Final against Atalanta.
A Mo Salah inspired performance gained Liverpool the victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
After trailing by a Jean-Philippe Mateta converted penalty, the Egyptian King scored an equaliser before setting up Harvey Elliott to get the winner in the 91st minute to give Liverpool the points from a 2-1 scoreline.
Jordan Ayew was shown 2 Yellow Cards and the subsequent Red in the 75th minute just before Mo’s equaliser.
Betfred offer Liverpool at Odds On 1/5, the draw at 5/1 and 9/1 for Crystal Palace to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/2 that Mo Salah Scores First and 21/20 that Liverpool Win To Nil.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 3-0- Get 7/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
WEST HAM v FULHAM
14.00 in England
West Ham gained a victory over Wolves on Saturday, with goals from Lucas Paqueta and James Ward-Prowse giving the Hammers all 3 points from a 2-1 scoreline.
Wolves had scored the opener to lead at the break when Emerson gave away a penalty which was then converted.
James’ goal was a thing of beauty, scoring directly from a corner kick, with some arguing the lad has now equalled David Beckham’s Premier League record of 18 goals from Direct Free Kicks.
Technically it was a goal directly going in from a kick which was free.
That’s for those who want to argue and have that discussion down the pub over a pint or several.
The victory leaves West Ham in 7th place with 48 points from 32 games played.
Manchester United sit 6th with 49 points and Newcastle sit in 8th with 47, however, both have only completed 31 fixtures.
West Ham then host Bayer Leverkusen at the London Stadium in the 2nd-leg of the Europa League Quarter-Final.
Fulham suffered a home defeat against Newcastle on Saturday, by a narrow 1-0 scoreline.
Both teams sort of cancelled each other out until Newcastle scored what turned out to be the winner in the 81st minute.
Fulham stay in 13th place with 39 points from 32 games completed.
If one remembers, the West Ham players were too excited about the impending Christmas holiday back in the Game Week-16 encounter at Craven Cottage and simply rolled over allowing Fulham to score 5.
Marco Silva’s boys gained a brilliant home victory with goals from Raul Jimenez, Willian, Tosin Adarabioyo, Harry Wilson and Carlos Vinicius giving the Cottagers the points from a 5-0 scoreline.
Betfred offer West Ham at 6/5, the draw at 12/5 and 9/5 for Fulham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/5 that Jarrod Bowen Scores Anytime and 15/8 that West Ham Score in Both Halves.
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ARSENAL v ASTON VILLA
16.30 in England
Sky Sports
Arsenal gained a victory over Brighton at the Amex on Saturday that after all of the weekend’s fixtures, leaves Mikel’s Young Guns at the Top of the Premier League Table with 71 points.
Liverpool also have 71 but Arsenal have a superior goal difference.
Man City sit 3rd with 70 points, all having completed 31 games.
Bukayo Saka scored in the 1st-half at the Amex before Kai Havertz and the ex-Seagull Leandro Trossard added 2 and 3 after the break to give Arsenal the points from a 3-0 away day score.
The goal situation at the moment is as follows,
Arsenal- 71 points, scored 75 and conceded 24 (plus+51)
Liverpool- 71 points, scored 72 and conceded 30 (plus+42)
Man City- 70 points, scored 71 and conceded 31 (plus+40)
Following this fixture, Arsenal head to Germany to face Bayern Munich next Wednesday in the 2nd-leg of the Champions League Quarter-Final.
Aston Villa are also in European action next week, heading to France on Thursday to face Lille in their Quarter-Final 2nd-leg of the Europa Conference League.
Villa gained a point from a draw by a 3-3 score against Brentford on Saturday.
Ollie Watkins scored first to give the home team a lead at the interval.
Morgan Rogers added a 2nd just after the restart which should have settled the nerves of the watching Villains, however, Brentford then scored 3 goals in 10 minutes to take advantage.
Ollie scored the equaliser in the 80th minute and with no further goals, both teams shared the points.
Aston Villa dropped a place to 5th, with the same 60 points as Tottenham but with a slightly inferior goal difference.
Villa have played a game more (32) than Tottenham (31).
Unai Emery may go all out to prevent Arsenal from winning to put a dent in the title hopes, however, with the Gunners being at home, Mikel’s Men should be too strong.
The midweek European games may have a bearing on today’s fixture.
John McGinn scored the solitary winning goal at Villa Park back in December with Aston Villa gaining the home victory over Arsenal by a 1-0 scoreline.
Betfred offer Arsenal at Odds On 2/9, the draw at 9/2 and 9/1 for Aston Villa to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 7/5 that Kai Havertz Anytime and slight Odds On 8/11 that Arsenal Score in Both Halves.
Home Win 3-1- Get 9/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Monday 15th
CHELSEA v EVERTON
20.00 in England
Sky Sports
Chelsea gained a point from a draw by a 2-2 score against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday.
The old boy Thiago Silva headed in the opening goal on 11 minutes which was equalised to take both teams in level at the break.
Noni Madueke scored a 2nd Blues goal after 66 minutes and with time virtually up, Chelsea conceded another equaliser to give both teams a share of the points.
That is now 7 games unbeaten in the Premier League for Mauricio Pochettino’s boys but it will have irked everyone connected with Chelsea that their team couldn’t beat the worst side in the division.
Four of the 7 have been drawn, with the other 3 resulting in victories.
Chelsea jumped above Brighton into 9th place with 44 points but have only completed 30 games so will hope to improve that position with 8 games remaining.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time, in the Sean Dyche Derby, Everton v Burnley, to give Sean’s New Team the victory over his Old Team by a 1-0 scoreline.
The Burnley Goalkeeper delayed clearing the ball and kicked it straight at Dominic, with the ball going into the net off DCL’s body.
That was Everton’s first Premier League win in 14 games.
It was a bit of a turgid affair at Goodison Park, that saw 2 teams play in a relegation scrap, which did see Burnley have a player sent off.
Everton are just about keeping their heads above the relegation water and did sit in 15th place with the same 29 points as Brentford who had dropped below the Toffees after the weekend’s results.
Brentford have played a game more.
Then the bombshell came through on Monday that Everton were to be deducted a further 2 points for Financial Irregularities.
That’s now 8 points in total that the Toffees have had taken off them.
It means Everton sit in 16th place with 27 points from 31 games played, 2 points above the drop zone.
It was Everton that gained a victory over Chelsea when these two met at Goodison Park last year.
After a goalless 1st-half, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Lewis Dobbin scored to give the Toffees the win over the Blues by a 2-0 score.
This will be a lot tougher ask for Everton tonight.
Betfred offer Chelsea at Odds On 3/5, the draw at 3/1 and 7/2 for Everton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/1 that Cole Palmer Scores First and 21/10 that Chelsea Win To Nil.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 2-0- Get 17/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
The Old Firm Derby up in Scotland didn’t disappoint, finishing in a bonkers draw by a 3-3 score.
Celtic stunned the Teddy Bears in attendance at Ibrox by scoring in the opening minute.
Then after the dreaded Scottish VAR, sat in McStockley Park, awarded a penalty to the away team, that was converted, Celtic were leading at the break by 2 goals to nil.
Rangers were always likely to come back into the contest and scored a penalty themselves before adding an equaliser late on.
2-2
Celtic immediately scored a 3rd and with time running out, Rangers got an equaliser in the 93rd minute to give both teams a share of the points.
The loveable OzScot over in Melbourne stayed up to watch the excitement that leaves Celtic at the summit of the Pub League with 75 points, a point more than Rangers, however, the ‘Gers play the game in hand on Wednesday against Dundee (who?) with the chance to jump to the top knowing that the SPL title will be in their hands.
The Scottish Premier League split into 2 groups after this weekend with the Top 6 teams playing each other once, meaning there will be one final Old Firm Derby to give both of the Glasgow clubs a chance to win the SPL.
If Rangers do get the victory over Dundee (who?) on Thursday then all the Teddy Bears have to do is match Celtic’s results in the remaining 5 fixtures, to become this season’s Champions.
Braveheart/Kylie was last seen in the local park with a can of Tennents Extra singing,
‘We’re on the March with Ally’s Army, we’re all going to Argentine!’
He’s still spinning around.
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