In the recently concluded Premier League Round 21, many strong teams collectively "crashed" on the field. Traditional giants such as Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool all encountered unexpected setbacks. At the same time, the ranking of the points table has undergone significant changes due to multiple draws.
Manchester United drew with Brentford: A thrilling night where a good start was hard to maintain
Manchester United hosted Brentford at home, taking the initiative in the game and securing a two-goal lead first. However, the team ultimately failed to maintain the victory until the end. Foden scored two counterattack goals (in the 66th and 78th minutes) to quickly level the score, exposing Manchester United's huge defensive vulnerabilities once again. Although Vissa scored for Manchester United in the 82nd minute, Norgaard completed the equalizer in stoppage time. The final score was set at 2-2, leaving Manchester United fans disappointed.
Chelsea also failed to escape the shadow of winlessness
The Blues Chelsea struggled to draw with Leeds United. In the 13th minute, Palmer took the lead to help Chelsea take the lead, but Leeds United continued to exert pressure throughout the game, with Cruyff and Semenyo scoring two goals to overtake. At a critical moment, Rice-James scored in stoppage time to secure a breathless draw. However, Chelsea's streak of draws has extended to five rounds, with their hopes on the points table gradually fading.
Liverpool suffered a cold snap, while Nottingham Forest rewrote the script as a dark horse
The leader Liverpool faced Nottingham Forest away from home, and the result was equally unexpected. As early as the 8th minute of the game, Chris Wood broke the deadlock, which was particularly cruel for the Reds. Although Lotta came off the bench to equalize in the 66th minute, Liverpool failed to change the score again, ending the game in a 1-1 draw, meaning they only managed to secure a precious 1 point in this round.
Points Table: Liverpool remains at the top, with a subtle battle for ranking reappearing
After this round, Liverpool continues to lead the Premier League points table with 47 points, but their advantage has weakened. Nottingham Forest, after drawing with Liverpool, rose to second place on the points table, just six points behind. Arsenal, on the other hand, dropped to third place with 40 points. Chelsea slipped to fourth place, followed closely by Manchester United and Newcastle in sixth and seventh places respectively, while Tottenham Hotspur ranked 13th with 24 points.
Outlook
In this round of matches, the consecutive failures of the strong teams have kept the Premier League competition suspenseful. The defending champions Manchester City failed to secure a victory, while some "dark horses" like Nottingham Forest began to show real momentum on the points table. In the upcoming fixtures, who will seize the initiative and compete for the championship is still something to look forward to!