It was an exciting Premier League Gameday 5 at the weekend, with a number of enthralling games, not least Manchester City and Arsenal's dramatic, controversial and pulsating 2-2 draw.
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Let's now take a closer look at how this weekend's action on the Premier League Gameday 5 unfolded.
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Manchester United and Crystal Palace played out a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park on Premier League Gameday 5, but the match was not without its controversies.
One of the most talked-about incidents was the challenge by United centre-back Lisandro Martínez on Palace's Daichi Kamada. The referee awarded a free kick and booked Martínez, but many felt that the two-footed lunging challenge warranted a red card.
The VAR decision upheld the yellow card, but the pundits felt that the review suggested that the challenge was dangerous enough to merit a red card. This incident drew comparisons to a similar challenge by Luton Town striker Jacob Brown in a recent Championship match.
Another point of contention was the possible handball by Maxence Lacroix and Jefferson Lerma. The ball touched their arms after a free kick, leading to a corner. The VAR decided against awarding a penalty, stating that the handball must be blatant for VAR involvement. Both players' arm positions were deemed justifiable, leading to no further action.
Both teams had chances to win the game but spurned them with Ebere Eze missing a golden chance for Palace late in the second half. In the first half United hit the woodwork twice within seconds with Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes both seeing their efforts come off the crossbar.
The Premier League Gameday 5 match between Manchester City and Arsenal ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw. You can find a complete breakdown of the game and the major incidents in our comprehensive review of the match here.
It was a game that had it all with drama, a sending off, controversial refereeing decisions, goals and a last gasp equaliser for the home team.
One controversial moment was when Erling Haaland threw the ball at Gabriel's head after City equalised late in the game through John Stones.
The VAR review considered this act petulant but not violent conduct, making retrospective action unlikely due to prior review by officials.
However many pundits felt that the Norwegian striker was lucky to not to receive a red card for his inflammatory action, which led to a confrontation between players at the end of the game.
Chelsea secured a convincing 3-0 victory over West Ham on Premier League Gameday 5. One of the key moments was a possible penalty when Wesley Fofana challenged Crysensio Summerville. Summerville's arm was held by Fofana, causing the West Ham striker to go to the ground.
The referee waved away the appeals, and the VAR review judged it as a fleeting hold, stating that Summerville went down too easily. The high bar for intervention was not met, leading to no penalty being awarded.
In truth though, Chelsea were dominant. Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson continued his excellent start to the season netting two early goals to put Chelsea in control of the London derby. Then early in the second half, Cole Palmer added a third to make the game safe for the visitors.
Tottenham emerged victorious with a 3-1 win over Brentford on Premier League Gameday 5. The visiting Bees took the lead after just 23 seconds, when Bryan Mbuemo scored his fourth goal of the season to put Thomas Frank's team in front.
However, like against Manchester City last weekend, Brentford could not hold on. After eight minutes Dominic Solanke scored his first goal for Spurs since his big money move from Bournemouth in the summer.
Then just twenty minutes later, Brennan Johnson scored his second goal in two games to put Tottenham 2-1 in front.
A significant incident came when the score was at 2-1 to Spurs and Spurs keeper Gugelminpietro Vicario handled the ball outside the area while claiming it ahead of Mikkel Damsgaard.
There is a common misconception that handball outside the area is an automatic red card, but it must deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO). Vicario’s actions did not meet the DOGSO criteria, so only a booking and a free kick were warranted. A decision which infuriated many Bees fans.
James Maddison scored a third on 85 minutes to make the game safe for Spurs, a result which moved them up to 10th in the Premier League Table.
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Liverpool went top for 24-hours on Saturday after a 3-0 win at Anfield over Bournemouth on Premier League Gameday 5. Luis Diaz scored twice and Darwin Nunez added a spectacular third, all in the first half as the Reds led the table until Manchester City's draw with Arsenal.
Liverpool's rivals Everton picked up their first point of the season in a 1-1 draw with Leicester. Iliman Ndiaye put Everton in front on 12 minutes in a rain-soaked and thundery afternoon at the King Power Stadium. Stephy Mavididi equalised for Leicester on 73 minutes.
Brighton and Nottingham Forest shared four goals in an exciting game at the AMEX. Forest took the lead through Chris Wood's penalty, only for Brighton to score twice just before half time with a fine header from Jack Hinshelwood and a free kick from Danny Welbeck. However, Forest levelled through Ramon Sosa and despite Morgan Gibbs-White being sent off (along with both managers) on 83 minutes, Forest hung on over the last few minutes to remain unbeaten this season.
Ipswich denied Southampton a first win of the season at St Mary's. The Saints had led the game following an early goal from talented young striker Tyler Dibling. But Ipswich struck back in the fifth minute of added time, with Sam Morsy scoring the equaliser. Both teams remain winless after Premier League Gameday 5
Aston Villa's persistence paid off in their 3-1 win over Midlands rivals Wolves. The visitors took the lead through Matheus Cunha on 25 minutes and hung on to that lead until 17 minutes from time. Ollie Watkins levelled for Villa before late goals from Ezri Konsa (88) and Jhon Duran (90+4) handed Villa a deserved win.
Newcastle United saw their unbeaten start to the season ended by Fulham. The Londoners produced a fine display to beat the Geordies 3-1 at Craven Cottage. Raul Jimenez gave Fulham an early lead which was doubled a short time later by Emile Smith Rowe. Harvey Barnes pulled a goal back for Newcastle early in the second half but Reiss Nelson's injury time third handed Fulham an important win.
Click here to see the current table after Premier League Gameday 5.
Everton is currently second from bottom of the table after Premier League Gameday 5 with only one point from their first five games. The club has been struggling both financially and on the pitch, leading to fan protests and dissatisfaction.
But this week the Friedkin Group has reached an agreement to buy Farhad Moshiri's 94% stake in Everton, marking the end of Moshiri's turbulent tenure since taking control in 2016. Moshiri's reign involved ambitious spending but resulted in financial issues and poor performance on the field.
Last September, Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners attempted to buy the club but failed due to legal and financial problems. The Friedkin Group, which also owns Roma, is expected to pass regulatory tests without issues. Dan Friedkin brings significant experience from football, having invested around £830m in Roma since purchasing the Italian outfit in 2020.
The Friedkin Group provided a £200m loan to Everton in June, which is expected to be converted into equity. They have agreed on deals to clear external debts amounting to around £400m.
Former Everton captain Alan Stubbs expressed cautious optimism about the new ownership, and fans are hopeful for stability and a clear vision for the future under the Friedkins.
Ensuring survival in the Premier League remains a primary goal for this season. Addressing financial losses (£89.1m for the last season) and rising net debt (£330.6m) are also significant challenges.
Everton will move to a new stadium at Bramley Moore-Dock next term, which will boost revenue streams significantly with its near-53,000 capacity. Current manager Sean Dyche’s job is considered safe due to his efforts under difficult circumstances, though he is in the final year of his contract.
However, there have been reports in the press that the new owners may consider making a move for ex-England manager Gareth Southgate to come in and take charge.
Arsenal has been identified as the Premier League's biggest time-wasters. Accusations arose after their draw at Manchester City, where they were alleged to have used delaying tactics.
Mikel Arteta's team faced criticism for gamesmanship while trying to protect a lead during the second half at the Etihad Stadium. John Stones scored a dramatic equalizer for Manchester City in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Several Manchester City players expressed frustration with the stop-start nature of the game, with Kyle Walker accusing Arsenal of using “the dark arts.” Research by Opta Analyst supports City's complaints, showing Arsenal tops the table for highest average delays in top-flight matches after Premier League Gameday 5.
Arsenal averages 31.8 seconds per delay (corners, goal kicks, free-kicks, penalties, throw-ins, and kick-offs), narrowly ahead of Leicester City.
Tottenham averages 24.2 seconds over dead balls; West Ham wastes the least time at 23.9 seconds on average. Liverpool is second from bottom with an average delay of 24.1 seconds; reigning champions Manchester City take 25.4 seconds on average.
Brentford ranks third-highest behind Arsenal and Leicester with an average delay of 31.2 seconds; Chelsea is seventh; Manchester United is twelfth with an average delay of 27.6 seconds.
Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly was booked for unsporting behaviour after relaying a message to goalkeeper David Raya, who then fell to the floor to stop proceedings. Referee Michael Oliver booked Lewis-Skelly in the 65th minute as Arsenal led 2-1.
Bernardo Silva expressed frustration post-match, stating only one team came to play football while the other pushed limits allowed by the referee. Kyle Walker acknowledged it was a great spectacle but noted frustrations from a Manchester City perspective due to what he termed “the dark arts.“
The Premier League Gameday 5 match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw.
And the teams seem to have brewing an intense and often bitter rivalry.
Bernardo Silva of Manchester City gestured at Arsenal’s Gabriel during the match, and Erling Haaland also had a disagreement with Gabriel. He also threw the ball against the Brazilian defenders head following City's late equaliser.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was seen gesturing on the touchline next to Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola. Players clashed towards the end of the match, and Haaland and Ruben Dias remonstrated with referee Michael Oliver.
The game ended with John Stones scoring an equaliser for City in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time. Arsenal played with ten men for the entire second half after Leandro Trossard was sent off in first-half stoppage time.
City's midfielder Rodri was injured, with a suspected knee ligament injury and he was involved in a number of tussles, including a collision after just seconds of the game with Arsenal striker Kai Havertz.
City players accused Arsenal of employing “dark arts” or anti-football tactics to disrupt City's rhythm.
Bernardo Silva criticised Arsenal for not playing football but rather pushing limits allowed by the referee. Pep Guardiola showed frustration by kicking his seat after feeling injustice over Arsenal’s equaliser by Riccardo Calafiori.
The rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester City is intensifying, becoming one of Premier League's new heavyweight rivalries. Kyle Walker acknowledged it as a great spectacle but noted certain unsavoury tactics from Arsenal.
Silva mentioned that matches against Liverpool were more enjoyable as they faced City head-to-head to win games, unlike Arsenal’s approach. There is anticipation for the return match at Emirates Stadium in early February.
After five games, Arsenal sits in fourth place, two points behind leader City. Liverpool are second with Aston Villa third.
Silva pointed out that Liverpool has won both Premier League and Champions League titles recently while competing with City ‘fairly', while Arsenal has not won a league title since their last championship in 2004.
With the two teams likely to embroiled in the title race, this is looking like being a rivalry equally as intense as any other Premier League rivalry over the years!
Premier League Gameday 5 continued to deliver thrilling matches, controversial decisions, and evolving rivalries. Fans eagerly await the next round of fixtures, hoping for more excitement and fewer controversies.
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Check out bet365’s Safer Gambling page for more details.
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