The first weekend of December just passed, and for fans of the Premier League across the world, the weekend wasn’t just the beginning of the winter season, but a weekend of exciting Premier League matches of Matchday 15. As the 24/25 Premier League season approaches halfway through the season, the level of intensity rises between clubs; Liverpool and Chelsea seem to form the new title race as Manchester City drop points, the underdog stories of Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United’s poor streak of matches under new manager Ruben Amorin. This is a recap of some exciting matches in Premier League Matchday 15.
Manchester United v.s Nottingham Forest:
Starting off at the famous Old Trafford Stadium of Manchester United, the Red Devils hosted underdog club Nottingham Forest in what appeared to be a fairly easy three points for Ruben Amorin and his side. But Nottingham Forest shocked many fans when Center-back Nikola Milenkovic scored a header against United goalkeeper Andre Onana, giving Forest an early lead. Manchester United soon struck back, with striker Rasmus Hojlund scoring off a deflected ball from Forest goalkeeper Mathys Sels. Right at the start of half time, Morgan Gibbs-White gave Forest a 2-1 lead, with a shocking error by Onana, who was unable to save a swerving straight strike. Just seven minutes later, Chris Wood extended Forest’s lead to 3-1 with a header Onana surely should have saved. Bruno Fernandes granted United a consolation goal after a thunderous strike to the bottom left corner of the net, but it proved to be futile. Nottingham Forest pulled a stunner against Manchester United at home, continuing United’s poor season.
Player of the Match: Morgan Gibbs-White, 8.5 rating (Fotmob)
Manchester City v.s Crystal Palace:
The Eagles (Crystal Palace) hosted Manchester City at Selhurst Park, with fans, pundits, and social media expecting Manchester City to continue their winning streak after dismantling Nottingham Forest 3-0 last Wednesday. Manchester City have won just one match in their last eight fixtures, leading many to consider Manchester City out of the title race to win the Premier League. During the 4th minute of the match, it seemed as if that losing streak would continue when Crystal Palace left-back Daniel Munoz shot a strong right-footed strike to beat Manchester City goalkeeper Stefen Ortega. City soon struck back, with striker Erling Haaland scoring a powerful header from a deep cross, his 14th of the season. Crystal Palace took back the lead in the 56th minute with a strong header by Maxence Lacroix, crossed in beautifully by midfielder Will Hughes for his second assist of the match. Rico Lewis, the talented young midfielder soon equalized with a powerful strike in the top-left corner, who also picked up a red card after a clumsy tackle that reduced City to just 10-men. The match ended 2-2, with both teams sharing a point. Crystal Palace managed to hold off the reigning Premier League champions and continue City’s winless streak.
Player of the Match: Will Hughes, 8.8 rating (Fotmob)
Chelsea v.s Tottenham:
Chelsea played away at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium, with Maresca’s squad looking to extend Chelsea’s five-game winning streak after an impressive start to the Premier League season. The long-lasting rivalry between the two London-based clubs started off with two early Tottenham goals, both as a result of a slip by Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella, leading the Spaniard to change his football boots after the second goal. Solanke and Kulevski both were able to capitalize on Chelsea’s mistakes and score. Chelsea winger Jadon Sancho quickly followed up with a powerful strike that beat Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster, keeping Chelsea in the game with a 2-1 score and scoring his second career goal for the Blues. After half-time, Chelsea substituted midfielder Romeo Lavia for Malo Gusto, moving Moses Caicedo from an inverted right-back to a defensive midfielder. This change in the midfield formation allowed Chelsea to soon dominate the flow of the match. Chelsea were soon awarded a penalty after a nasty tackle from Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma on Moses Caicedo, and Chelsea star Cole Palmer put the ball in the back of the net with a powerful shot to level the score 2-2. In the 73rd minute, in-form midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who has five goal contributions in his last four league matches, scored a thunderous volley off a deflection to give Chelsea a 3-2 lead. Cole Palmer soon extended the lead to 4-2 with another penalty after a poor challenge by Spurs midfielder Pape Sarr, humiliating Fraser Forster with a Panenka penalty. Cole Palmer also broke the Premier League record of most consecutive penalties, 12, and passing former Manchester City player Yaya Toure’s record of 11. Tottenham reduced the lead with a late goal by Spurs captain Son Heung-Min, but it came too late. Chelsea now are placed second in the league, only four points behind first place Liverpool.
Player of the Match: Cole Palmer, 9.4 rating (Fotmob)
