EPL Weekly Wrap | All the Headlines – Gameweek 35

I’m not sure I’ve seen a gameweek quite like this one, with four of the eight completed fixtures finishing 3-0 or 3-1. Goals came early and often, and the table looks dramatically different at both ends to how it did a week ago. 

For anyone tracking football betting tips this season, the final three rounds are going to be chaotic. Here’s a breakdown of all the Premier League news you may have missed last week.

Old Trafford was already buzzing before kick-off on Monday morning NZT, and Manchester United gave the home crowd exactly what they wanted. Matheus Cunha’s deflected sixth-minute strike and Benjamin Sesko’s close-range finish eight minutes later had Liverpool in deep trouble before the quarter-hour.

I thought United were cruising. Then it unravelled. Amad Diallo gifted the ball to Dominik Szoboszlai two minutes into the second half, and the Hungarian drove the length of the pitch before finishing coolly. Senne Lammens followed up with a dreadful goal kick that Cody Gakpo pounced on to level at 2-2 in the 56th minute. 

For about 20 minutes, Liverpool looked like they might complete the comeback.

But Kobbie Mainoo had other ideas. A loose ball fell to him on the edge of the area in the 77th minute and he threaded a first-time finish inside the far post. That goal sealed a 3-2 win and confirmed United’s return to the Champions League after two years away. Sesko now has 11 league goals this season, all but two of them coming since Michael Carrick took over in January.

Arsenal’s title charge didn’t slow down either. 

Viktor Gyokeres scored twice and Bukayo Saka added another in a 3-0 demolition of Fulham at the Emirates on Sunday morning NZT. All three goals came before half-time. Saka was making his first league start since the Carabao Cup final and looked sharp from the first whistle, setting up Gyokeres for the opener before scoring himself. I’d been worried about him coming back too fast from that Achilles heel issue, but he put those concerns to rest.

Arsenal are now six points clear of Manchester City, who still have two games in hand. City play Everton away on Tuesday morning NZT.

Bournemouth are now the form team in the league, and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. A 3-0 win over Crystal Palace extended their unbeaten Premier League streak to 15 games, the longest active one across Europe’s top five leagues.

A Jefferson Lerma own goal opened the scoring in the 10th minute after Evanilson’s header bounced goalward and Lerma couldn’t divert it off the line. Eli Junior Kroupi then converted a contentious penalty after Dean Henderson was judged to have fouled Marcos Senesi. Rayan added a third in the 77th minute to put it beyond doubt. Palace had made five changes with one eye on the second leg of their Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk. 

I don’t blame them for that, but they looked like a team with its mind elsewhere.

Bournemouth are now sixth on 52 points with three games left. For a club with no history of European football, this is an extraordinary season.

I’d written Tottenham off after their injury list grew even longer last week. Losing Xavi Simons to an ACL tear and Dominic Solanke to another hamstring problem felt like the final blow. 

Then they went to Villa Park and played their best football in months.

Conor Gallagher crashed a shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards after 12 minutes for his first Tottenham goal. Richarlison headed in a Mathys Tel cross in the 25th minute to double the lead. 

Aston Villa, rotated ahead of their Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest, didn’t manage a single shot attempt in the first half. Emiliano Buendia grabbed a consolation deep in stoppage time but it changed nothing.

Tottenham are now 17th on 37 points, one clear of West Ham who were thumped 3-0 by Brentford on Sunday morning NZT. I still think Tottenham go down, but they’ve at least given themselves a fighting chance. West Ham’s defeat was grim, while already-relegated Burnley lost 3-1 at Leeds to pile on another miserable away day.

For NZ punters browsing best betting apps ahead of Gameweek 36, Liverpool host Chelsea at 11:30pm NZT on Saturday, while the relegation picture could shift further when Tottenham face Leeds on Monday. If you’re using new betting sites for the final stretch, the fight for 17th is as tight as it’s been all season.