We are officially at the halfway point of the season, 19 games complete and 19 games to go. So, what is the story of the year? Liverpool, maybe but for me the real question is:
What is wrong with Manchester City! That is the the Hot Take from this week. After dropping their first Premier League game to Chelsea a few weeks back, they have now lost 3 of their last 4, losing to Crystal Palace and Leicester City in back to back games. Last years runaway winner is struggling. Their mini-slump has turned into a crises in Manchester. The next two games are huge. A game Sunday against Southampton where they need to find some momentum and then….a showdown with Liverpool. Win and they are right back in the race. Lose and they go down 7 points and maybe it’s over. Liverpool is now halfway to an unbeaten Premier League season. It has happened only twice in history. First accomplished by Preston North End in the inaugural Football League season on 1988-1989. A total of 27 games, winning the league and the FA Cup. A record of 23 wins and 4 draws over the season. The only other time it was accomplished was in the 2003-2004 season in which Arsenal became the first team to go undefeated in a 38 game Premier League season, finishing the year with 26 wins and 12 draws. Can Liverpool be the 3rd. Lots of work to do, but the dream is still alive.
Match Week 18 Recap
No feature matches between Top 6 clubs this week, but some very interesting games and results to report. The score that really shocked everyone was the Leicester City 2-1 win over struggling Manchester City. For Leicester, that is back to back big wins, having taken down Chelsea the game before. Manchester City had their chances, but it just seems when you are in a bit of a funk, that things just don’t go your way. Man City actually took a 1-0 lead, but Leicester City keep pressing all game. Two really nice goals, one on the counter attack and a rocket shot from Ricardo off a corner kick stunned Manchester City. Wow. Back to Back losses. Incredible. Did I ever tell you that this league is hard!
Let’s check out some highlights.
In other games the winners were:
Everton 5-1 over Burnley.
Liverpool rolls on with a dominating 4-0 win over Newcastle.
Tottenham is building momentum after thrashing Bournemouth 5-0
Manchester United seem to have forgotten Mourinjo after 2 wins. 3-1 over Huddersfield.
Chelsea back on track with a 2-1 win over Watford.
West ham with a 2-1 win over Southampton.
Race for the Title & Champions League Top 4
Win-Loss-Tie
1- Liverpool 16-0-3 51 Points
2- Tottenham 15-4-0 45 Points
3- Manchester City 14-3-2 44 Points
4-Chelsea 12-3-4 40 Points
5-Aresnal 11-3-5 38 Points
6-Manchester City 9-5-5 32 Points
Leicester City, Everton, West Ham United and Watford, Bournemouth round out the Top 10. Bournemouth and Wolverhampton dropped out of the Top 10 with recent losses.
Relegation Zone
There are now 5 teams within 3 points of the 18th position and fighting to stay up. Southampton (15) and Cardiff City (15) currently safe but sitting just outside the relegation zone. The new bottom three:
18. Burnley 3-13-3 12 Points
19. Fulham 2-12-5 11 Points. Their first week out tof the 20th spot on a few months.
20. Huddersfield 2-13-4 10 Points
Match Week 20 Preview
Game of the Week. #1 Liverpool vs. #5 Arsenal. The first of two big weeks for Liverpool. Will they be caught looking ahead to Manchester City. Can Arsenal protect their title as the only undefeated Premier League Champion in the modern era of 20 teams.
Get ready for an exciting second half to the season.