EPL Matchday 29 Takeaways
Matchday 29 of the English Premier League saw absolutely everything imaginable happen. We had freakish goals to seal comebacks, top teams being upset once again, and we even had a winless streak come burning to the ground thanks to a little bit of Kiwi magic at the death. Without any more being said, here are the takeaways from Matchday 29 of the English Premier League:
Burnley burns the winless streak
It had to be coming, and the win finally came at the expense of Everton as the Clarets racked up a 2-1 win at home. Kiwi Chris Wood sealed the goal ten minutes from stoppage with a header to sink Everton to their fifth successive away defeat, after goals to Everton’s Cenk Tosun and Burnley’s Ashley Barnes had the score locked up at 1-1.
It didn’t come without controversy, as Ashley Williams saw his first red card of the season with four minutes to go. It leaves Everton outside of the top ten for the first time in fifteen weeks, having only gained nine points out of the last thirty. Burnley edged ever so close to sneaking up over Arsenal yet again, with their first win in twelve games sure to leave them with confidence for the game against West Ham this weekend.
Manchester United leaves it late
It took an absolute “wonderstrike” from Nemanja Matic in stoppage time, but Manchester United was able to get the job done against a valiant Crystal Palace. It was not the dream start, with Anthony Martial sidelined with an injury before the game. Things were made even worse when Palace took a 2-0 lead after 48 minutes, thanks to goals from Townsend and Van Aanholt.
Seven minutes later, the comeback began. Chris Smalling bagged a goal, with Romelu Lukaku scoring with fourteen minutes of regulation time to level it up at 2-2. The “wonderstrike” from Matic sunk the hearts of Palace fans, as the comeback was complete for the Red Devils.
The win ensured that Manchester United finished the week in second place, while Palace is back in the relegation zone. It does not get any easier for Palace, who have to travel to Chelsea to try and replicate their heroics from Matchday 9. United has a juicy game against Liverpool in what should emerge as the match of the day, so there is plenty in it for both teams next week.
Wenger, Pardew in trouble
West Bromwich Albion hasn’t won a solitary game in the whole tenure of Alan Pardew. How he has not been sacked yet is beyond some fans thought process, with the Baggies eight points away from freedom, and twenty points from the magical number that is forty.
Arsenal on the other hand gained eleven points from their last ten games. The calls for #WengerOut are growing louder by the day. A 2-1 loss away to Brighton did not help the cause, despite the Gunners having close to seventy percent of possession.
What does this mean for both managers? For Pardew, he will be seeing the door once again in the very near future. As for Wenger, who knows. He signed a contract extension at the end of last season, but anything can happen in the EPL.
