Nottingham Forest took another major step towards their dream of Champions League football next season by beating Ipswich 4-2 in their last game before the March international break. Forest’s 4-2 win over the Tractor Boys, secured thanks to a fine brace from Anthony Elanga, saw Nuno Espirito Santo’s men move five points clear of fourth placed Chelsea in the league standings.
Both Chelsea and defending champions Manchester City suffered setbacks in Week 29, with the former losing to London rivals Arsenal and the latter dropping points at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal, with the winning goal somewhat predictably again coming from a set piece for the Gunners, with Spaniard Mikel Merino heading home in the 20th minute.
City were held to a 2-2 draw by Brighton and Hove Albion, for whom left-back Pervis Estupinan scored a fine free-kick. If Brighton had their finishing boots on, they might have even gone home with all three points from the Etihad, instead of the solitary one they had to be content with.
Liverpool weren’t in league action over the weekend in GW29 as they were involved in the Carabao Cup final, which they surprisingly lost to Newcastle. It was the Magpies’ first domestic trophy in nearly 70 years, and LFC gaffer Arne Slot, who might have been thinking of a quadruple at the beginning of the year, has quickly seen those hopes evaporate.
Despite their twin defeats at the hands of PSG (CL) and Newcastle (Carabao Cup), the current odds at the Lottoland sportsbook suggest that Liverpool should still be able to take the Premier League title. The Reds have a significant lead at the top of the table and the international break could perhaps not have come at a better time for Arne Slot’s charges.
Liverpool are 12 points clear of Arsenal with nine games to play, and Week 30 has interesting fixtures for both teams. LFC will be up against fierce rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby while Arsenal will square off against Fulham, who beat Spurs 2-0 last weekend and might even be harbouring European aspirations of their own- they’re only four points behind Chelsea.
Fulham took points off Arsenal home and away last season, and have proved to be tricky opponents for the Gunners in recent years.
Brighton’s game against Aston Villa promises to be a cracker, as does Newcastle’s fixture against Brentford. Albion, NUFC, Villa and Fulham are all part of a mini top-ten log-jam in the table, with only five points separating the team in fourth (Chelsea) from the 10th placed one (Bournemouth)
Tottenham have another London derby this weekend, but their Jekyll and Hyde season means that the Lilywhites will probably focus more on the Europa League rather than domestically, where they’re currently 14th and could even potentially drop to 16th after this round.
Week 30 fixtures
Arsenal v Fulham
Wolves v West Ham
Nottm Forest v Man Utd
Bournemouth v Ipswich
Brighton v Villa
Man City v Leicester
Newcastle v Brentford
Southampton v Palace
Liverpool v Everton
Chelsea v Spurs
