Premier League match review (matchday 32)

Author – Amrit Santlani

After Arsenal (Premier League leaders) kicked off matchday 32 with a 3-3 draw against last-placed Southampton, the other teams in the competition were in action on Saturday. Due to the participation of Man City, Man United and Brighton in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, the league matches with their participation have been postponed to a later date.

Nottingham Forest were downed by Liverpool as Mohamed Salah saved the day

Liverpool started the match on the attack when Van Dijk’s header was saved by Keylor Navas and then Williams was in the right place at the right time to clear the ball off the line from Gakpo’s shot.

After a goalless first half, the teams “played around” in the second half. Just after the break (47 minutes), Diogo Jota hit a well-placed header to give Liverpool the lead. Four minutes later, Williams managed to beat Alisson to level the score at 1-1.

But the guests weren’t happy for long. Four minutes later, Jota scored again, bringing the score to 2-1. The Portuguese striker came close to scoring a hat-trick, but Navas’ brilliant save got in the way. In the 67th minute, Morgan Gibbs-White gave Nottingham another chance to equalize. With a powerful strike, the score was level at 2-2.

However, the Liverpool team celebrated their victory. After Arnold’s free-kick, the home side’s leader Salah sent the ball to the far post, from where it flew into the net, sending the Anfield fans into raptures – 3:2. Towards the end of the game, the visitors almost snatched an equalizer. Taiwo Avoni’s shot through himself landed just above Alisson’s net, while Brennan Johnson’s shot bounced off the crossbar.

Brazilian Douglas Louis gives Brentford a draw

Candidates for the Europa League next season, Aston Villa should have taken the lead in the first few minutes. Buendia, from the edge of the penalty area, tested the reaction of home goalkeeper David Raya. In response, Mbeumo received a pass from a teammate, played the ball over the defender, but shot weakly. Then the Cameroonian missed another chance to open an account. The goalkeeper’s cross on the edge of the box was perfect, but Alex Moreno managed to deflect it out for a corner.

After the break, Mbeumo made a horse pass from his own half of the pitch, making Sade 1-1 with the goalkeeper. The German hit the ball with a header – Olsen deflected it, but the ball rolled further down the pitch. But when Sade reached him, he missed the empty net…

But in the 65th minute, Brentford still took the lead. Long throw from the goalkeeper – pass from Mbeumo on the right wing and pass to the far post – the ball after Tony’s shot went between the goalkeeper’s legs – 1:0.
It looked like Brentford would claim their first win in their last six matches, but in the 88th minute, Brazilian Douglas Louis was the most agile. Confusion in the goalkeeper’s area – 1:1.

Wissa could have given the hosts the win, but the Congolese’s goal was disallowed for offside.

In other matches on Saturday, Crystal Palace drew 0-0 with relegation-threatened Everton. Meanwhile, Fulham suffered another defeat to Leeds United at Craven Cottage, winning 2-1. Leicester City continued their fight for survival by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at the King Power Stadium.