From Manchester United winning the Manchester derby at the death to Liverpool and Fulham sharing the spoils in a thriller, matchweek 16 of the 2024/25 Premier League season was not short of controversy, entertainment, drama and goals.
A total of 29 goals were scored across nine games, with Bournemouth vs West Ham United slated to happen on Monday night. Without further delay, let’s take a look at the 5 takeaways from the Premier League matchweek 16.
**#Liverpool blow title race wide open**
Earlier this month Liverpool had a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League – now it is down to just two.
The Reds dropped points following an enthralling 2-2 draw with Fulham at Anfield. They went 1-0 down early before being reduced to 10 men in the 17th minute, with Andy Robertson given the marching orders. Arne Slot’s men equalised just after the break, but Fulham made the most of a man advantage and restored the lead through Rodrigo Muniz.
Returning from injury after almost two months on the sidelines, Diogo Jota made it 2-2 to give the Anfield faithful hope. However, the Cottagers held onto their nerves and stopped Slot’s Liverpool from continuing their winning momentum.
**#Chelsea take advantage of Liverpool’s slip-up**
Chelsea won the West London derby bragging rights by beating Brentford 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. By doing so, they stretched their winning run to five Premier League games and closed the gap on Liverpool, who still have a match in hand.
Few could have imagined Chelsea to be in the title race under the leadership of Enzo Maresca. It is incredible what Maresca has done so quickly at the club since arriving in the summer; giving the richly assembled squad a stricture, identity and spirit to play which was lacking under his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino.
**#Ruben Amorim’s men paint Manchester in Red**
Ruben Amorim made the perfect impression in his first Manchester derby as Manchester United came from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
For so long, it had looked as though Man City would close out a much-needed win thanks to Josko Gvardiol’s header following a 36th-minute corner. And then, at the very end, they were not as Man United turned the tie in just 115 seconds.
Amad Diallo, the standout performer in Amorim’s fledgling tenure, made the difference for United. He won the penalty for 1-1—converted by skipper Bruno Fernandes with two minutes left on the clock—and reached a long cross from Lisandro Martinez on the bounce, took it away from Ederson with his first touch and volleyed it from an acute angle that squeezed home.
It turned out to be a sweet victory for Amorim’s Reds and another disappointment for Pep Guardiola, who is yet to find a solution to stop the City rot.
**#Everton show grit to hold Arsenal to a draw**
Everton’s physical approach and ability to defend set-pieces saw them tame Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The visitors frustrated the Gunners with their tight defending, giving the likes of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard very little space to thrive in the final third. Idrissa Gueye and Orel Mangala were tenacious and tigerish in midfield, while Jordan Pickford made a couple of wonderful saves to help Everton earn a valuable point against an in-form Arsenal side.
**#Gary O’Neil, Russell Martin sacked over relegation fears**
Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin paid the heavy price for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton’s struggles in the top flight.
Wolves suffered a damaging 2-1 loss to relegation rivals Ipswich Town at Molineux on Saturday, which left them second bottom of the table. The result saw the owners run out of their patience and pull the trigger on O’Neil.
Martin’s axing was announced shortly after Southampton’s 5-0 slaughtering at the hands of Tottenham at the St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday. Having guided the Saints to promotion in May, the 38-year-old departs having taken just five points from 16 games, leaving the club nine points adrift of safety.