EPL Matchday 26 Takeaways

Another matchday has come and gone in the English Premier League, and the word of this week seemed to be “goals”. There was controversy during the game between Liverpool and Tottenham, a flurry for Watford, and Bournemouth’s rise back up into the top half was completed. With plenty coming out of this weekends games, let’s get into it. Here are the takeaways from Matchday 26 of the English Premier League:

City drops points at Burnley 

One of the smaller talking points to come out of the weekend was how Burnley managed to score in the 82nd minute to grab a point against the league leaders. The game could have gone either way, with Ederson making some fantastic saves to deny Burnley, while Raheem Sterling missed from point blank range for City. It doesn’t mean too much within the context of the table, with City still more than four games ahead of the second placed Manchester United. For Burnley, while isn’t a win, it officially seals off their streak of poor games.

Conte in trouble as Watford smashes Chelsea

The future of Antonio Conte is looking bleak, as Watford scored three goals in the last ten minutes to sink Chelsea 4-1 at home. Eden Hazard equalized for Chelsea eight minutes after Troy Deeney scored in the first half, but goals for Janmaat, Deulofeu and Pereyra in the last six minutes of regulation time sunk Chelsea’s hearts. With Chelsea looking worse for wear, and injuries starting to creep up, Conte gave his players three days off before the West Brom game this weekend. Only time will tell if that works, as well as if he has a job come the end of the week.

Liverpool robbed?

It has been the biggest talking point of the week, with some players calling Harry Kane a diver, and others asking for John Moss to be dropped. The referee consulted with his assistant after the linesman called him back, and pointed to the spot. Harry Kane converted for Tottenham and they managed to steal a point at the death, as Liverpool was left furious over the decision.

The officials came out and said that referee Moss got the decision “spot on”. The assistant referee apparently pumped his fist when the penalty was given, which sent social media into an absolute spin. John Moss has come out and said he was “misguided” in asking the fourth official to look at the replay, despite the decision being correct in the end. Moss hasn’t been dropped from the league, with the referee appointed to Everton and Palace this weekend. Liverpool will come out all guns blazing this weekend to prove a point.

Everton shot down by the Gunners

Coming off a shocking loss against Swansea, Arsenal was looking to bounce back against an Everton team that was looking to shake things up. That didn’t happen, as Arsenal’s new signings ran rampant at Anfield. Henrikh Mkhitaryan bagged a hat-trick of assists, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his first goal for Arsenal. In addition, Aaron Ramsay sank a hat-trick of his own to take home the match ball.

While Everton is still sitting in the top ten, Arsenal closed to within four points of Tottenham. The Gunners play Tottenham this weekend, so there is a perfect chance to pile the pressure on the European spots, as well as take points off their North London rivals. Game on.

Carlos Carvahal is a genius

Swansea has gone from having absolutely no chance of surviving, to now sitting outside of the relegation zone. Carvahal came in after another Swansea manager got the sack, and he has changed the team for the better. The Swans have had as many wins in the last six games as they did in the first twenty-one. They have just one less point in their last six games as they did in their first sixteen games.

Swansea has the players to make a run up the table with twelve weeks to go, as they just needed a manager to believe in them and guide them. Paul Clement tried and failed, but Carvahal has worked his magic for the Swans to pull them out of the zone. It is now up to the players to keep that work up and start making a run up the table while the fixtures allow that. They have five more games until they play Manchester United. If they win two and get a result in at least one other, they will be for a chance during the last seven weeks.