MY ACCOUNT
A supremely busy Premier League Sunday may not have included either of the top two, but there was certainly no shortage of talking points.
There was particular focus towards the bottom of the table, with Norwich City and Everton losing yet again, while in the top-four race, Arsenal took another step towards sealing the final Champions League spot.
Chaos continues to engulf Chelsea, but they carry on winning, claiming a dramatic 1-0 win over Newcastle United, who were reminded again what it is like to lose following an impressive unbeaten run.
Without any further ado, Stats Perform looks at the key Opta facts from some of the day’s games…
Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle United: Havertz decisive again
It was a particularly strange day at Stamford Bridge, with much of the pre-match noise focused on the two clubs’ owners and fans.
But once the game started it was quickly remembered that this was going to give the clearest indication of the true extent of Newcastle’s recent improvement.
As it happened, Chelsea clinched a late winner through Kai Havertz, who appeared to channel Dennis Bergkamp as he brought down Jorginho’s pass and prodded home almost in one action.
That was the German’s sixth goal involvement in five league games and saw him net in three successive top-flight matches for the club, with the former Bayer Leverkusen talent well and truly establishing himself as one of the competition’s standout attackers.
It brought Newcastle’s nine-match unbeaten run in the league to an end, with it also the first time since December that the Magpies have failed to score in the competition, though it was another encouraging performance from Eddie Howe’s team.
Arsenal 2-0 Leicester City: Gunners finding their groove
Everything’s looking rather rosy right now at Arsenal, with the Gunners making a pretty convincing case for the top four – this victory puts them a point clear of Manchester United, with Mikel Arteta’s men crucially having three games in hand.
Leicester never looked like interrupting Arsenal’s flow here, with the hosts in fine shape and playing eye-catching football.
This was their fifth successive league win, with Arsenal the only team outside of the top three to achieve that feat this season.
Their home form has proven a major help. They have lost just once at the Emirates Stadium since losing to Chelsea in their season opener, winning 10 of those 13 games.
Martin Odegaard in particular seems to have found another level lately, and he was excellent again, creating six chances. Five of those came in the first 45, making it the most by an Arsenal player in the first half of a game since October 2017 (Mesut Ozil, six).
Leeds United 2-1 Norwich City: Marsch madness twist leaves Canaries looking doomed
Leeds fans were devoted to Marcelo Bielsa. His replacement, Jesse Marsch, has been received well, but the jury is out on him.
A first win will surely aid his hopes of inspiring a bit of Marsch madness in the fanbase, and it came in dramatic circumstances too.
Joe Gelhardt scored a 90th-minute winner, making him the youngest player (19 years 313 days) to score a last-minute decider in the Premier League since February 2017 (Gabriel Jesus, 19y 308d) – the drama appeared to floor Marsch, who went tumbling to the ground amid the jubilant celebrations.
The joy on the Leeds bench was juxtaposed by the despair among the Norwich players and staff.
That was the Canaries’ 20th Premier League defeat of the season in 29 games – never before in a league campaign have they reached 20 losses in fewer games.
Everton 0-1 Wolves: Lage’s men continue exceptional 2022 form
What a season this is turning out to be for Wolves. When Nuno Espirito Santo left, there were certainly those who feared for the club’s Premier League status given the stability that had served them well for several years was about to be truly tested.
Yet, they needn’t have worried. Here we are in March and Wolves are challenging for European football and are one of the two form teams in the league in 2022.
This was their seventh Premier League win of the calendar year, secured by Conor Coady’s goal, and leaves them with 21 points since January 1 – only Liverpool (eight wins, 25 points) have a better record than Wolves in 2022.
The reality is rather grimmer for Everton, however. Defeat here leaves them on 22 points from 26 matches, the lowest tally they have ever recorded at this stage of any league campaign (assuming a win equals three points).
This latest disappointment will likely bring fresh questions of manager Frank Lampard given only Norwich (one) have accumulated fewer points than Everton (three) since the former Chelsea boss’ first game in charge.
