Winners and losers from Premier League Matchday 20
On a weekend full of draws, there were very few wins to celebrate. The likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa were able to break the chain to solidify their position at the top, alongside Wolves, who were able to secure their first victory of the season.
Sports News Blitz writer Eloise Stevens breaks down the winners and losers of Matchday 20 as Arsenal go six points clear at the top of the table.
Winner: Arsenal
Arsenal secured victory twice at the weekend, first when they won their match against Bournemouth on Saturday and then again on Sunday when Chelsea scored a late equaliser at the Etihad to deny Manchester City the chance to go just three points behind them.
Their own win didn’t come easy, though, as a mistake from Gabriel Magalhaes allowed Evanilson to put Bournemouth ahead before the Brazilian was able to redeem himself, scoring an equaliser just over five minutes later.
Two goals from Declan Rice following his return from a knee injury cemented the three points for the league leaders, who are now six points clear after Man City failed to close the gap in second.
Loser: Manchester City
Manchester City missed out on the opportunity to go just three points behind leaders Arsenal when they let in Enzo Fernandez’s 94th-minute equaliser.
Despite the minor setback, manager Pep Guardiola deemed his team’s performance against Chelsea ‘fantastic’ and didn’t seem to have lost faith in his side being in contention for the Premier League title.
He now faces more imminent issues as two more players in Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias, look set to be on the sidelines for the next few weeks after picking up injuries during a time when the squad is already flailing due to injury and players being away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
READ MORE: Premier League news: Ruben Amorim sacked by Man Utd after Red Devils stumble to draw at Leeds
Winner: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves finally have a Premier League win to their name this season after they defeated West Ham 3-0.
The victory coincidentally came against former manager Nuno Espirito Santos, who Rob Edwards is looking to follow in the footsteps of by staying consistent with team selection.
Edwards seems to have found the winning formula with the Wanderers tripling their points tally in their last two games, but there is still work to be don,e with the team still only on six points at the bottom of the table.
Loser: West Ham
West Ham continued their poor run of form, losing 3-0 to Wolves to gift them their first win of the season.
Espírito Santos’s side had the chance to go one point behind Nottingham Forest in 17th following their defeat to Aston Villa, but now seem firmly stuck in the relegation zone.
They will now be hoping that new signing Taty Castellanos will help to lift the club back up to winning ways.
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Winner: Calum McFarlane
As far as first Premier League games go, at the Etihad against Pep Guardiola’s Man City is a pretty big feat.
So to come home with a draw, albeit only secured in the last minutes of the match, may have been one of Calum McFarlane’s biggest victories to date.
The under-21s coach was in charge of the match following the departure of Enzo Maresca and was able to hold up a convincing performance despite being without key players in Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella.
Loser: Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim appears to be the biggest loser this week after he was sacked by Manchester United following a final breakdown in relations with the club.
Reports suggest the major factor in the decision was Amorim’s ‘emotional and inconsistent behaviour’ and his refusal to adapt his 3-4-3 system.
Man United were only able to achieve a 1-1 draw against Leeds on Sunday, leaving them in sixth, and level on 31 points with Chelsea.
