A rundown on weekend’s English Premier League matches

Now that the English Premier League finals are coming to a close, with Arsenal leading the title race over Liverpool, Manchester City, and Aston Villa, let’s take a good look at what we learned from last week’s football action. 

Salah struck the bar again

Mohamed Salah proved again that he is the king of surprises on the pitch. He once more demonstrated his goal-scoring skills by delivering a bombastic performance. The Egyptian winger knew that the tides will turn despite his recent challenges and his uncertain future. 

In a match of Liverpool against Tottenham, he demonstrated a fiery performance whereas he struck the ball into the bar, with a cross-to-shot, producing a solid save for Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario within the first ten minutes of the match. 

The shot added to the other three goals for Liverpool, enough to give Jurgen Klopp a happy afternoon at Anfield. 

#OnThisDay in 2⃣0⃣2⃣3⃣

Mo Salah's 💯th Anfield goal made him the first player in our history to score in nine consecutive home games for the club 👏 pic.twitter.com/ykeRhWcrqJ

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 6, 2024

Villa was exhausted in the Premier League

If the defeat of Tottenham has assisted the progress of Aston Villa in the Champions League, Unai Emery’s side demonstrated that every English Premier League team that are competing in pan-European tournaments are vulnerable to exhaustion. Recently, Jurgen Klopp, has complained about it in an interview. 

Roberto De Zerbi, the boss of Brighton and Albion, stated that he deeply understand the fatigue of Villa when they came back from the Champions League. He recalled the struggles of Brighton in the Europa League where his side experienced wear and tear throughout the tournament. 

Arteta surprisingly zen amidst the title race

In the past few years, Mikel Arteta was known for his hot-headed mood like football’s very own Gordon Ramsay. However, in recent weeks, he was surprisingly a bit more calm—a behavior that seems foreign even to him. Perhaps, he learned how to keep his cool despite the intense title race going on. 

Following the 3-0 win of his side Arsenal against Bournemouth, he commended how his squad handled the clash very well. He said to the Gunners to enjoy the journey and don’t caught up in the chaos. 

Madueke demonstrated the Blues are progressing maturely

In last month’s game, there was a self-inflicted debacle where Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson made a penalty save from Cole Palmer while in a 6-0 victory against Everton. Back then, Coach Mauricio Pochettino complained how immature his squad was. 

Now, in a match between Chelsea and West Ham, Pochettino was deeply ecstatic because of Madueke, whereas the winger shot the ball and then passed to Jackson. This win showed that Chelsea was learning from their past mistakes. 

Forest saved from the abyss of relegation 

In a momentous win over Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest was out in a secure position that will save them from being relegated from the English Premier League. Perhaps, they deserved it, considering that they are the side that had plenty of drama this season. 

In the current standing, Forest is now three points ahead of Luton Town and five points ahead of Burnley. Meanwhile, Luton Town, Burnley, and Sheffield United are in danger of being relegated to the EFL Championship 

Murphy wins again for Newcastle

Newcastle clinched three goals and secured a victory in a match against Burnley, thanks to Jacob Murphy. In the past, he wasn’t even a celebrated player, he spent most of his spell in Newcastle on the sidelines. However, being a professional that he is, he never disappointed coach Eddie Howe and always waited patiently for the perfect opportunity to show his skills.

In the recent English Premier League, he was given plenty of time on the pitch, which resulted in injuries. In a match against Burnley at Turf Moor, Murphy played a critical role in a well-optimized formation on the field as per Howe. The winger was given plenty of opportunities to toggle between offensive and defensive strategies, and now he received the rewards. 

Adebayo may remain if Hatters relegated

The absence of Elijah Adebayo due to injuries for two months has had a severe impact on Luton Town. This is the first time Adebayo played for the English football topflight, and it has gone beautifully. However, when he got injured in February, the Hatters struggled to provide a solid manpower during the matches last week. 

It was clear that Rob Edward’s side was not the same without Adebayo. The painful draw sealed the fate of Luton Town and they became one of the bottom three who are in danger of being relegated from the English Premier League. However, it seems that this drop is what the hatters needed if they want to keep their most valuable player on the team.