Game week 19 Matchday Digest

Tuesday night’s pre–New Year action brought thrills, spills and goals galore, with wins for Newcastle, Everton and Arsenal and three other games finishing in lively score draws.

Burnley 1 - 3 Newcastle
“Massive, massive win for us!” . These were the words of Newcastle boss Eddie Howe after his side claimed just their second away victory in 10 matches, beating Scott Parker’s struggling Burnley 3–1. Two goals inside the opening 10 minutes from Joelinton striking in the second minute and Yohan Wissa adding another in the seventh gave Newcastle a flying start. Burnley responded through J. Laurent in the 23rd minute and pushed hard for an equaliser, but a 93rd-minute goal sealed a damaging 13th defeat of the season. Burnley remain 19th, six points from safety, while Newcastle climb up to 10th in the table.

Nottingham Forest 0 - 2 Everton
A goal in each half handed Everton a victory at the City Ground, marking their fifth win in the last nine matches. Former Forest player James Garner opened the scoring in the 19th minute, before £27 million summer signing Thierno Barry sealed the points with his second goal of the campaign 10 minutes from time, condemning Forest to a third straight defeat.
The win leaves Everton just four points off the top four, though David Moyes remained cautious in his post-match assessment. “We want to keep pushing,” he said. “If you lose, you could be 15th; if you win, you could be fifth, it’s really difficult for everyone to judge the league. This is one of our best results because of what we had available.”

Arsenal 4 - 1 Aston Villa

Full match report link - Arsenal v Aston Villa | Pitchside Primer

West Ham 2 - 2 Brighton

West Ham again dropped points from a wining position to draw 2 -2 with Brighton in an entertaining and penalty riddled game at the London Stadium. Jarrod Bowden scored the first goal of the game in the 10th minute before a trio of penalties were award, two for Brighton and one for West Ham. Danny Welbeck converted one to equaliser and then missed the second for Brighton to take the lead before Lucas Paqueta scored West Ham's spot kick on the stroke of half time. Disappointingly for the Hammers and their fans J Volthan levelled the game in the 61st minute as both teams shared the spoils. A disgruntled but optimistic J Bowden told WHFC after the game, "We need points not just good performances."

Manchester United 1 - 1 Wolves

• coming soon

New Years Day Stalemates

All four of Thursday night’s fixtures ended in draws, with only one match providing any real goal-scoring entertainment. Many had hoped to settle down after their New Year’s dinner to a mouth-watering selection of ties, including the clash between second-placed, rampant Manchester City and a robust, resolute Sunderland side on home soil, as well as Thomas Frank’s return to the G-tech Community Stadium, to name just a few. In we were served with two bore draws, one mediocre draw and one of the best scoreless draws you will witness this season.

Crystal Palace 1 v 1 Fulham

• coming soon

Liverpool 0 v 0 Leeds

The spoils were shared for the second consecutive meeting between Leeds United and Liverpool, but unlike last month’s thrilling 3–3 draw at Elland Road, this encounter ended goalless. It was the first scoreless draw since Arne Slot took charge of Liverpool in August 2024.
Leeds have been in remarkable form, remaining unbeaten since switching from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 formation. The tactical change has played to their strengths and helped them get the best out of summer signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Fortunately for Liverpool, the in-form striker did not start the match. However, Leeds came close to snatching victory after his introduction, when Calvert-Lewin found the net in the final 10 minutes, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Liverpool created plenty of chances throughout the game, but their clearest opportunity went begging when Hugo Ekitiké uncharacteristically headed wide with the goal at his mercy from close range.
The draw extends Liverpool’s unbeaten run to eight matches, while Leeds are now unbeaten in six, as both sides look to climb further up the table in 2026. After the game Slot was asked if his side were still in the hunt to retain their premier league title“[Aston] Villa are really close but Arsenal created a bit of a gap by beating Villa and those two teams are quite far away from us and we should not look at those two at this moment in time."

Sunderland 0–0 Manchester City
Sunderland and Manchester City played out a goalless draw in an entertaining, end-to-end contest packed with chances and outstanding goalkeeping. Both sides registered four shots on target, but neither could find a breakthrough as Sunderland once again refused to bow to one of the league’s big guns at home, where they remain unbeaten this season.
"It’s a tough place to come, but the amount of chances we missed..." said a visibly bemused Pep Guardiola.
The ball did find the net early on when Ernodo Silva tapped in from close range, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside against the Spaniard. Moments later, goal machine Haaland had a golden opportunity to open the scoring, but Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs produced a fine save to deny him.
The Black Cats had chances of their own. Brian Brobbey showed great strength to shrug off City defender Ruben Dias, but his finish lacked power and was straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma. Shortly before half-time, Trai Hume came close with a header that flew just over the bar.
The second half saw the return of 2025 Ballon d’Or winner Rhodri, along with the introduction of Jermy Doku. Both made an immediate impact, helping City apply sustained pressure and push Sunderland deeper into their own half who defender Josko Gvardiol saw his effort hit the post. However, the hosts defended resolutely and stood firm until the final whistle to earn a well-deserved point.
While Sunderland will be delighted with another strong home performance, Manchester City will undoubtedly view this result as two points dropped.

Brentford 0 v 0 Tottenham
Brentford’s home form this season has been strong, with six wins, two draws, and just one defeat. Tottenham, meanwhile, had taken 17 points on the road, more than at home 8, setting expectations for a New Year’s Day spectacle among the 18,000 in attendance, though it was mainly the travelling Spurs fans who voiced their frustration at full time.
The return of former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, who left for Tottenham in the summer without a farewell, added intrigue, but the match itself offered little drama. The only notable moment came when Kevin Schade had a first-half goal ruled out for offside. After the game Thomas Frank was questioned on his thoughts hearing boos from the travelling fans and replied, “I think they seemed like they were not too satisfied, and it's fair.”

Arsenal celebrate scoring against Aston Villa Manchester City attack down Sunderland's flank

Highlights from visit to to G-tech Stadium to watch Brentford v Tottenham

Thomas Frank applauds Brentford fans on his return to the G-tech Stadium before kick off