Matchday 15 of the Premier League was exhilarating, with 30 goals coming in from all over England. This matchday – like most of the recent matchdays – had its fair share of upsets, dominant victories and table changes. As the season approaches its halfway mark, all the teams are looking ahead to finish at a good league position. Without further ado, let’s get right into it.

Key Match Summaries

Manchester United demolished Wolves at their own turf, winning by 4-1. United showed high attack momentum throughout the match, resulting in 3 second half goals. Bruno Fernandes stood out in the fixture, along with Mason Mount taking United higher in the table. Manchester City secured a thumping 3-0 victory over Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium. Apart from keeping the ball most of the time, City also had 2 headers displaying their attack momentum. Rúben Dias and Joško Guardiol weren’t just good in defence but also shared a goal each in the victory. 

Leeds and Liverpool played out an exciting 3-3 draw, where all the goals came in the second half. After a goalless first half, Liverpool took the lead by 2 goals within 5 minutes of the restart. Leeds pulled back 2 quick goals in the 73rd and 75th minutes, before Dominic Szobozlai scored in the 80th minute. Liverpool almost claimed the win before Ao Tanaka came in with the equalizer in the 90+6th minute. Everton registered a 3-0 victory over Forest. Although Forest had most of the possession and passes, an early goal added to Everton’s rhythm – who later scored a goal in each half. 

Arsenal lost to Aston Villa with a 2-1 scoreline, their only second defeat of the season. Villa entered the second half with a 1-0 lead, when Leandro Trossard equalised in the 52nd minute. While both teams looked for a winner, it was Villa who took the victory with a 90+5th minute goal from Emiliano Buendía. Tottenham secured an easy 2-0 victory over Brentford. The Spurs high attack in the first half guaranteed them 2 goals in the first half, which they translated into a victory after a goalless second half. 

Newcastle won their fixture against Burnley with a 2-1 at home. Newcastle managed to score twice, but Burnley was reduced to 10 before the second half. Despite a high attack momentum, Burnley managed to keep their goal clear and also scored a goal in the 2nd half. Visitors Crystal Palace pulled off a 2-1 victory against Fulham. While Palace scored the opener in the 20th minute, Fulham responded with a goal in the 38th minute. Captain Marc Guéhi’s strike in the 87th minute solidified the victory for the Eagles after a tight second half. 

Bournemouth and Chelsea ended their bout in a goalless draw at the Vitality Stadium. The closely contested match was a show of defense rather than attack, where both the goalkeepers shined. Brighton and West Ham also played out a 1-1 stalemate at the American Express Stadium. A goalless first half saw both the teams battle it out for the winner in the second half. While West Ham scored in the 73rd minute, Brighton equalised in injury time denying a defeat at home.

Standout Players

Xavi Simons of Spurs had a fantastic outing with a goal and an assist, earning him a Sofascore rating of 9.5. Bruno Fernandes shined for Man United, with a Sofascore rating of 9.3 from 2 goals and an assist. With the same rating, Ryan Cherki was the player of the match for City with two assists, while Phil Foden also bagged a goal and an assist. Hugo Ekitike was crucial for Liverpool with 2 goals. Bruno Guimaraes and Antony Gordon were key in Newcastle’s victory against Burnley.

In defense, Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez stood out with 7 saves pulling off a thrilling victory over Arsenal. Matty Cash was also instrumental, netting the first goal for the Lions. Marc Guéhi proved important for Palace not just in defense but also netting in a goal. Caoimhin Kelleher also had 7 saves against Spurs but ended up on the losing side. 

Other players who showcased brilliant performances include Mason Mount, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Anton Stach, Jeremy Doku, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Leandro Trossard, Edward Nketiah, Harry Wilson, Richarlison, Christian Romero, Nathan Collins, Roberto Sanchez, Matheus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke.

Suspension Updates

Matchday 13 had just 2 red cards, but both were direct redcards. Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien was given a straight red after VAR changed the decision in the 94th minute. Burnley’s Lucas Pires was shown the red card right before the 2nd half, making Burnley play with 10 men in the second half. Both the players are set to mix their next round of matches in the Premier League.

League Table and Impact

Arsenal manage to stay on top despite their defeat, while Man City closes the gap down to 3 points from first place. Aston Villa climbs to 3rd place while Crystal Palace takes the 4th, after their victories. Man United climbed up to 6th place, and are tied on 25 points with Chelsea in 5th place. Brighton, Sunderland and Liverpool stand in 8th, 9th and 10th places all tied on 23 points – just a point above Tottenham and Newcastle. 

In the other half, Bournemouth and Brentford take 13th and 14th separated again by a point. Fulham stays in 15th, while Leeds and Forest take 16th and 17th respectively. West Ham, Burnley and Wolves remain unchanged at the bottom of the table.

Looking Ahead

Matchday 16 brings in exciting fixtures as Arsenal host Wolves, Chelsea invites Everton and Man United welcome Bournemouth. City travel to Crystal Palace, Spurs get ready to visit Nottingham and Aston Villa fly to West Ham. As we move closer to the season’s midpoint, the pressure intensifies, and each match begins to feel like it carries double the stakes.