In the early hours of January 19th, Beijing time, the 22nd round of the 2024-25 Premier League season kicked off, with five matches taking place overnight. After intense battles, Aston Villa drew 2-2 away against Arsenal, West Ham United lost 0-2 at home to Crystal Palace, Liverpool won 2-0 away against Brentford in a thrilling finish, Newcastle lost 1-4 at home to Bournemouth, and Fulham won 2-0 away against Leicester City.
Liverpool had previously drawn two consecutive matches against Manchester United and the dark horse Nottingham Forest, leading many fans to doubt their form, believing they would collapse like last season when Salah's performance dipped in the second half of the season. However, today someone stood up in Liverpool's time of crisis, shouting "Refuse to Collapse!" As guests at the Community Stadium, Liverpool took the initiative from the start, launching 37 shots throughout the match, but failed to score in 90 minutes. Indeed, Salah was not performing well; in the 6th minute, Liverpool launched a quick attack on the right flank, with Diogo Jota crossing from the bottom, and Jota making a run into the box to head the ball, which was saved by the goalkeeper Fleck. In the 17th minute, Liverpool advanced through the middle, with Gavi taking a powerful shot from the top of the arc, which Fleck once again managed to save. In the 34th minute, Liverpool continued their central advance, with McAllister playing a cross from the top of the arc, and Sobosloei adjusting his position before unleashing a powerful shot that hit the crossbar. In the 38th minute, Salah showed a glimpse of brilliance, sending a precise through ball from the edge of the box, setting up Jota for a one-on-one opportunity, but Jota's shot lacked both angle and power, sailing wide of the goal.
In the second half, Liverpool continued their relentless attack, but their efforts bore no fruit. In the 64th minute, Liverpool manager Klopp made a crucial substitution, bringing on Nunez to replace Diogo Jota. Nunez almost scored within a minute of coming on, leaping high to head the ball towards the goal from close range, but it narrowly missed the target. In the 88th minute, Nunez set up Salah, who found himself in a good position just outside the box, but his left-footed shot went wide. In stoppage time, Liverpool pressed forward from the right flank, with Alexander-Arnold and substitute Elliott engaging in a wall pass, the latter then providing a through ball, which Alexander-Arnold followed up on, cutting into the box and delivering a cross that was blocked by the returning defender Amorimuk. Alexander-Arnold reacted quickly to regain possession and crossed again, with Nunez sweeping the ball into the net at the near post, securing a 1-0 victory for Liverpool over Brentford. Just a minute later, Liverpool launched a quick counterattack from the right, with substitute Kieza initiating a through ball, and Elliott following up to deliver a precise diagonal pass into the box. Nunez controlled the ball and adjusted his position before unleashing a powerful shot with his right foot, which found the back of the net. The three substitutes for Liverpool performed exceptionally well, especially Nunez, who scored twice in a minute to secure a 2-0 victory for Liverpool.
Liverpool secured a thrilling victory in the dying moments of the match, while Arsenal, who were leading by two goals, conceded two goals in eight minutes to be held to a draw, a result that could drive Arsenal fans mad. Arsenal started the match strongly, dominating possession from the outset. In the 3rd minute, Trossard shifted the ball from the left to the right flank, where Martinelli unleashed a close-range shot from an acute angle, which was brilliantly saved by the goalkeeper Martinez. In the 34th minute, Arsenal made a rapid advance down the left flank, with Trossard breaking through the defense and delivering a cutback cross. Martinelli met the ball at the far post inside the six-yard box and volleyed it towards the goal, which Martinez managed to save, but the ball had already crossed the line, giving Arsenal a 1-0 lead. In the second half, Arsenal continued to exert pressure on Villa, and in the 54th minute, Trossard once again broke through down the left flank and delivered a cross. This time, Havertz met the ball at the near post and volleyed it towards the goal with his left foot, which Martinez managed to block, but could not prevent the ball from finding the net, extending Arsenal's lead to 2-0.
Just five minutes later, Villa responded quickly, also attacking from the left flank. Digne delivered a precise cross from a 45-degree angle, which Tielemans met with a diving header at the near post, sending the ball into the bottom corner of the net to reduce the deficit to 1-2. A mere eight minutes later, Villa were awarded a free-kick from a distance on the left flank, which they lofted into the box. Arsenal's defense cleared the ball, but Villa regained possession outside the box. Cash, after a slight adjustment, delivered another cross from a 45-degree angle, which Havertz failed to connect with at the near post, leaving Watkins unmarked inside the six-yard box to volley the ball into the net, leveling the scores at 2-2. In the 87th minute, Arsenal launched a sustained attack, with Merino shooting from the top of the arc after gaining possession. The ball bounced off the ground and Havertz deflected it into the net from the penalty spot, but the referee ruled that Havertz had handled the ball first, disallowing the goal and denying Arsenal a potential match-winning goal.
In the league standings, Liverpool's late victory halted their slump, while Arsenal's two-goal lead evaporated as they were held to a draw. As a result, Liverpool, with a game in hand, extended their lead to six points. The dark horse Nottingham Forest remained in third place, three points behind Arsenal, while Newcastle, who had the chance to temporarily surpass Nottingham Forest and climb to third, saw their six-match winning streak come to an end with a heavy defeat, leaving them three points adrift of Nottingham Forest in fourth place. The battle for the top four is now incredibly fierce; if Manchester City wins and Chelsea draws in subsequent matches, there will be a tight race involving five teams separated by just two points. Currently, Manchester City has been pushed down to eighth place, putting significant pressure on the reigning champions.
In the scoring charts, Salah continues to struggle, still leading with 18 goals, followed by Haaland with two goals fewer in second place, and Isak with 15 goals in third. Watkins scored the equalizing goal today, while Cruyff scored a hat-trick, both catching up with Cunha and raising the threshold for the top ten to 10 goals.
