The English Premier League (EPL) was eventful again this weekend with lots of stories to talk about. However, it might be overwhelming to keep up with everything that happened, but some events stood out as the most impactful for the EPL overall. Here are the top highlights to learn about from all the exciting events that happened on Matchday 33 of the EPL 2023/24:
Wharton stands out with 88% pass completion rate at Anfield
Crystal Palace snatches a 1-0 victory at Anfield, officially breaking Liverpool’s hopes of competing for the EPL title this year. It was a close match with impressive defences on both sides only broken by Eberechi Eze’s score in the first 14 minutes. Despite being the scorer of the game, pundits hailed Adam Wharton as the man of the match on that fateful day.
Wharton, Crystal Palace’s 20-year-old Danish centre-back, impressed the crowd with his successful headers and clearances. His ability to pass and receive enabled Crystal Palace’s strong manoeuvres throughout the match. Though their attempts have failed, Wharton’s distribution prevented Liverpool from gaining momentum.
With this feat, the midfielder earned an 88% pass completion rate at Anfield. It has significantly raised his trade price from the £18 million that Crystal Palace paid to have him. The club is still an underdog in the EPL given their inconsistent performance but it’s a front-page-worthy crypto betting news considering they beat Liverpool.
Arsenal lost 0-2 to Aston Villa due to a miscalculation
Arsenal is another club from the Big Six to lose to an underdog as they miscalculated their odds against Aston Villa. The club decided to reserve its strength by leaving out Jorginho from the lineup in preparation for future games. They did this because they wanted to go all-out in the offence.
Unfortunately, the absence of one of Arsenal’s top midfielders cost them 2 goals for Aston Villa from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins. To make matters worse, they failed to close that gap with a goal of their own due to an underwhelming offence. Pundits believed that Jorginho could have at least prevented Villa from scoring that day so this is a miscalculation that might cost Arsenal the title.
Manchester City on the momentum to a 4th EPL victory in a row
Liverpool is officially out of the race to the EPL 2023/24 title after their loss and Arsenal is having a sinking feeling that it’s just going downhill from here. Meanwhile, Manchester City has a 3-point consecutive victory after 2 draws in the last 5 games.
City is only 2 points away from Arsenal and Liverpool from the standings but pundits believe that they can boost that gap in the remaining match days of EPL 2023/24. That means this year’s three-way fight for the title is nearly over for everyone else. If Manchester City can keep going at the pace they are now, then they are likely the definitive champion of the EPL title again.
Manchester City is now gearing up to win the EPL for four consecutive seasons. If they succeed, then they’ll be the first club to do so in history and Pep Guardiola is the manager to make that happen.
Ollie Arblaster gets high praise despite own goal
Sheffield United is struggling at the EPL and faces danger of relegation by the end of the 2023/24 season. It doesn’t help that they lost a 2-0 lead to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, one of which was an own goal from 19-year-old midfielder, Ollie Arblaster. Despite this, Sheffield United’s manager, Chris Wilder, gives him a high rating of 9.5/10.
Such an opinion can be seen as inconceivable when only looking at the stats from the latest crypto betting news, but Wilder Wilder’s reason for giving him such a high mark was that he’s impressed by Arblaster’s performance in the midfield. Considering that Ollie is still a fledgling and a teenager, he dominated the midfield for the majority of the match.
Arblaster’s talent becomes more apparent when considering that this is his fifth start in the EPL and he’s still just 19 years old. His own goal was a misplay he is fortunate enough to experience and learn from at such a young age. Wilder further explains that if Sheffield United can keep him in the future, then he is someone that the club can be planned around for.
