Brighton 1-1 Crystal Palace, the escape experts showed their might again, and the Seagull Eagles drew to an end
Home team Brighton is the dominant and offensive side. Although the 4-4-20 formation intuitively believes that the width is not enough, Brighton still has the space to make good use of the wing, the full-back diagonal long pass to find a midfielder or striker pulled to the outside, and then straight to the half space to pull out the space of the horizontal pass, this offensive mode has appeared many times in the game. In addition, one of the things that Brighton did well was that after the key pass was released, the counter-attack on the edge of the penalty area was successful, creating follow-up shooting opportunities many times, and at the same time making crystal palace unable to get rid of brighton's long-term possession of the ball. However, Brighton's old problem - the ability to finish in front of goal is still the same, in addition to the key passes straight into the box have been repeatedly resolved, Trossard's single knife in the opening moment, Gross's free throw opportunity, two golden goal opportunities were saved by Crystal Palace goalkeeper Jack Butland, Gross's under-the-bottom cross to find Modell's shot also ended in the center post.
On the other hand, Crystal Palace's 4-3-3 formation, limited by the extreme disadvantage of possession rate (only 36.7% of the game), was gradually flattened into a more 4-5-1 arrangement. The team's offensive approach moves from midfielder or full-back to the sides of the opponent's penalty area from time to time at the beginning of the game – that is, the position where the cross is prepared – and wants to create opportunities through passing, gradually transforming into a more direct incision by midfielder or winger, using dribbling to pull out space, trying to break through violently, trying to speed up the pace of attack, and creating threats with counter-attack mode. However, Crystal Palace's positional battles and counterattacks failed to create too many problems for the Seagull defense, and only 1 shot on goal and 3 times in the first half was a manifestation of the poor offensive end.
After second-half right-winger Tariq Lampouti replaced midfielder Adam Lallana, Brighton changed to 3-4-3, and his direct confrontation with Crystal Palace left-back Mitchell, two young potentials, also became an interesting point of interest later in the game. Then, there was the turning point of the game. Crystal Palace had a valuable offensive opportunity, jeffrey Schropp returned the ball, found Connor Gallagher in front of goal to complete the goal, allowing Crystal Palace to unexpectedly become the team with the first goal - it was their third shot on goal (spoiler's say, the last), the first on target.
At the end of the game, Brighton continued to invest in the offensive personnel to carry out strong attacks, and Crystal Palace, who mastered three-point points, had more money to take a defensive position. Just as the Eagles were about to cross the finish line, the escape expert Brighton came again. In the 87th minute, Neil Mo sent a low cross, and the excellent pass made Joachim Anderson swallow the ball in a panic, ruining Crystal Palace's hopes of defeating the mortal enemy with one shot, and the A23 derby ended in a draw.
Brighton once again scored at the end of the game, this time the ferocious attack even almost completed the reversal, but in the end failed to achieve the wish, and it was a pity to win a point in the draw. However, the content of the game was completely superior, which was the most important part of head coach Graham Potter, so overall it was a good performance worthy of recognition. In the next game, will chelsea, a formidable opponent who has played against not long ago, be able to grab points at home again, or at least like the previous showdown, not to be left behind in the number of rounds of attack with the ball?
Crystal Palace almost lost the game in the form of the team symbol- the Eagle, relying on a precise fatal blow to defeat the opponent, but in the face of the seagulls for a long time harassment, it was still unable to retreat. The result was similar to the last derby, with Crystal Palace's lead flying away at the last minute, the two sides shook hands and made peace, and the content was very different from the five-and-5 open of the last derby, which may be hoping to see the team's ball-holding organization coach Vieira did not want to see. In the next game, they will face the strong rival Liverpool, which will test the crystal palace's counter-pressing ability when passing.
Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea, De Bruyne world wave to ruin the Blues' hopes for the title
City also dominated the ball as they had last time they played against Chelsea, but they were somewhat different from the suffocating feeling they had given their opponents at the time. Sterling's speed of encountering Maran Sal on the right was not cheap, and it was difficult for the wing to easily break through the opponent's back defense; on the left, Canceló was limited by the blues' threat of counterattack after pressing, and could not press the assisting organization as much as in the usual game. After De Bruyne's steal in front, Jack Grelich's subsequent one-handed attack was the closest to the goal, and probably the only good chance before the score changed. However, City are still the side in control of the game, and although the goal seems to be far away, there is almost no nervousness of "maybe losing".
Before the match, Thomas Tuchel said he hoped to play a different game than the conservative side of the previous match. Although facing Manchester City's transmission strength, the game still presented a situation in which Manchester City dominated the ball, but Chelsea's game made it impossible for Manchester City to organize the ball too comfortably through a stronger and more unafraid body collision, coupled with the original solid defensive line. There wasn't much time on the ball, which made Chelsea's attacking rhythm higher, and counter-attack became their main attacking mode - long passes to find the wing and then directly to Lukaku, or directly forward, looking for Lukaku to try to break through the offside line. This routine is not entirely impossible, and through Lukaku's physical fitness, there are indeed several waves of attacks - among which Mateo Kovacic found Lukaku with a long pass in the second half, which is a great scoring opportunity - but the existing frontcourt line-up is not efficient, making the attacking style a single one, and does not bring too many problems to the Manchester City defense.
Then, there's a good way to break through the deadlock, a way that City don't often see – the stars play out. De Bruyne dribbled off Kante and advanced, firing a long-range shot from outside the penalty area.
After the score change, it was Chelsea's turn to attack, but the problem of Chelsea's poor connection in the front was still the same, coupled with Manchester City's more backward formation (sometimes even seen Bernardo Silva standing further behind Rodri), made Chelsea almost completely fruitless on the offensive end. On the other hand, limited by the opponent's stronger ability to control the ball and compete, Manchester City has no way to occupy the ball as usual to drag out the time, but Manchester City still relies on strong defense to lock the opponent. Just after the start of the second half, Lukaku's one-handed knife became Chelsea's only shot on target.
City were plagued by a number of players last week, making it impossible to play an efficient offensive rhythm on the pitch, but they still played the championship momentum, using star magic and solid defense to close the victory. The double-killed Chelsea have seized a very huge advantage in the title race, and the express car of Lianba seems to be moving at full speed.
The gap between Chelsea and Manchester City has reached 13 points, and if there is any glimmer of hope of winning the title before the game, De Bruyne's winning goal can be said to have completely ruined their last struggle. Only 2 points in the last 3 games, only 1 win in the last 6 games, the sudden serious low tide is unexpected, the important main force has been injured consecutively is a very reasonable reason, but if you want to compete for the championship, the squad must be a perfect fit and seamless connection of the whole team, which is where they are not as good as the champions of Manchester City, Liverpool, and the focus of Thomas Tuchel who has been coaching for less than a year. The future of Chelsea will only make opponents feel more and more afraid.
Newcastle United 1-1 Watford, the Hornets tied in the final stage to defend the relegation position
Newcastle United, who have two major reinforcements in a row, are the dominant side, and chris Wood, who debuted as a traditional center forward, is an obvious pass target in the box; Jolington plays the midfield and waits for the opportunity to grab the point in the box, and the two are important roles on the offensive end of Newcastle United, who twice received good crosses at the farthest point, one in the center post, one kick, and failed to help the team score first. Newcastle United's biggest highlight of the first half of the season, Alain St. Maximan, was a bit quiet in this game, but after a steal of the ball in the second half, he dribbled inside and broke the goal, once again becoming a hero to break through the deadlock.
Watford, on the other hand, maintains a defensive-focused, counter-attacking threat model, in fact, the number of shots on goal is not inferior, but due to the poor quality of the shots, it does not bring too many tests to the opponent goalkeeper Martin Dulafke. When the second half fell behind, the time to attack with the ball also increased, but the best chance was to rely on counter-attack - the Magpies missed the ball by mistake, and Emmanuel Dennis split the ball at the perfect time to follow up Moussa Sissoko, and kicked off on the right side of the penalty area.
Newcastle United struggled defensively throughout the season and missed another chance to keep a clean sheet – Watford's collision on the right side gave Chico Femenha room for a cross and a perfect header from the far post by Joao Pedro to tie the score. At the end of the game, Watford, who wielded momentum, was the side with a better chance of winning, but in the end there were no additional goals, and the draw ended.
Newcastle United's original Jolington, Alain St. Maximan, plus the new Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood, already have a squad level that can safely survive in the Premier League on the offensive end; but the problem on the defensive end is still unsolved, one (or even two?). The new defender is likely to be an important element in their ability to miraculously relegate. Their next game will be Leeds United, another 6-point relegation battle that is vital to survival.
Watford can still score goals in the face of headwinds, and must give them some applause on the offensive end; but on the defensive end, it is not much better than the opponents of this game, the Premier League has not yet received a single clean sheet this season, and this dilemma has also allowed them to miss the opportunity to win again, and can only take one point each from their opponents. Three consecutive relegation key battles, the first is an acceptable but imperfect result, followed by burnley, Norwich, the result will seriously affect Watford's direction in the second half of the season.
Aston Villa 2-2 Manchester United, Coutinho scored in the debut and forced the Red Devils
Shortly after the start, United's set-piece ball, B fee hanging, Cavani missed the route of the ball, but Damien Martinez should have easily held the ball but leaked behind him and rolled into the goal, giving Manchester United a dream start.
Villa, who are behind, have no way to respond immediately, rarely enter the United penalty area in position battles, and the headwind situation makes it impossible for them to use the offensive and defensive conversion, that is, the attacking method they are good at to create threats. The stacking of the wings is where they do better, with right winger Marty Kasch, who is more familiar with the team, performing better than debuting left-back Lucas Digne, with more runs to break into the box to provide options.
Manchester United, who have the advantage, have more money to wait for opportunities, and the attack after several offensive and defensive conversions still has the ability to test The save ability of Damian Martinez. After several attempts, Morgan Sansson missed the ball by a mistake and was caught by Manchester United, and Fred crossed to the B on the back to break the goal and add insurance points.
After the score was pulled apart, Villa replaced Coutinho to try to change the rhythm, and his multi-person combination on the left side of the box also touched the United backline, allowing Jacob Ramsey to score. Before it was over, it was another attack from the left, buendia directly hit Jacob Ramsay, and crossed to Coutinho to complete the supplementary shot. Coutinho sparked a small spark for Villa, with Jacob Ramsey scoring 1 goal and 1 assist, pushing the firepower to the maximum, completely burning United's advantage throughout the game, and finally ending in a draw.
Villa's two debutants, Lucas Digne, performed decently and the quality of his crosses was highly anticipated, and Coutinho scored the perfect prologue to his debut goal. Although both goals conceded were the result of low-level mistakes that should not have occurred, the preparation from the second half until the successful draw at the end of the game was full of resilience, and this draw is believed to be the result that head coach Gerrard can accept. The next game will be encountered by Everton, who are in extremely poor condition, and Lucas Digne and Elgazi will meet their old clubs and will be the interesting focus of the game.
In the familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, B Fee seems to have regained the style of previous years, and the Entire Manchester United team also played very good content an hour before the game, actively fighting and smooth frontcourt connections. However, under the score advantage that should have been easy to control the game, but at the end of the loss to Villa attacking opportunities, and finally completely collapsed, perhaps C Ronaldo's dissatisfaction with the mentality of Manchester United players is not empty, Lonnick's troubles are getting bigger and bigger. After that, there will be consecutive encounters with Brentford and West Ham United, two teams full of resilience, and Manchester United must cheer up as soon as possible and get back on the track of fighting for four.
Liverpool 3-0 Brentford, the Reds bombed indiscriminately and crushed the bees
Liverpool's possession rate (68.3-31.7), shots (27-6), and corner kicks (9-0) are significantly better than their opponents, with rapid changes on the side of the road to pull the defense, smooth cooperation in the front to play through the defense line, but in the face of the bees' dense defense, salah and Mane's absence still affects the threat of Liverpool's positional warfare. The two best chances of the first half came from corners – the first time Van Dijk picked up a missed shot from far post and was saved by goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez; the second time Fabinho nodded his hammer from far away, both crosses landed early, giving the Bees defense a chance to break the line, but two consecutive flaws in set-pieces allowed Liverpool to score and was well worth the lead. In the second half, Liverpool's attacking firepower increased, with Diogo Jota being saved by Alvaro Fernandez once in the middle of the post; Andrew Robertson's hanging pass found Chamberlain's head hammer to break the goal; and After Alvaro Fernandez missed the ball, Takushi Minamino scored on his feet in front of the goal.
Brentford had difficulty stabilizing the ball for a long time in the face of the Reds' high-pressure pressing, and the speed of the attack was not fast enough, resulting in the threat of trying to counterattack was minimal. Two of the most dangerous attacks in the first half came from the Reds' mistakes in their own half – one for Arnold and one for Mattip to give Brentford the ball at the back, and once in the second half there was a break in the front, when Brian Mbimo barely pulled out of the shooting space but kicked away. Limited by the Reds' excellent key defensive remedies in the penalty area, Brentford failed to convert his rare opportunity into a goal.
At the end of the game, due to the huge point difference, Liverpool's offensive rhythm slowed down significantly, but Brentford still could not grasp a higher possession rate, there was not much hope of chasing points, and finally Liverpool beat Brentford by a three-point gap.
Liverpool's attacking firepower has not declined in an avalanche due to the absence of the main player, worthy of the title of the most goals scored in the Premier League; however, two low-level mistakes on the defensive end, if today is faced with a more grasping, faster counterattack rhythm team, whether this game can be completely withdrawn, I am afraid it will have to be marked with a big question mark. Title rivals Manchester City have had little noticeable lows throughout the season, leaving Liverpool with all their strength to hope to catch up, with their next stop at Crystal Palace's home stadium.
Brentford's stable three-back system at the beginning of the season, the neat defense seem to have been a bit distracted recently, with seven goals conceded in 2 games and the lack of defensive set-pieces revealed in this game, which is the part that head coach Thomas Frank needs to focus on. The next game will be at home to Manchester United, the Red Devils have not yet found the most comfortable offensive style after the change of coach, coupled with Brentford's strong home advantage, it may not be a game that must be lost, a wonderful offensive battle can be expected.