Bournemouth (1) 2 v Arsenal (1) 3 Premier League Matchweek 20 Talking Points By Kaz Mochlinski at the Vitality Stadium No one with any affection for Arsenal will want to remotely tempt fate in the first week of January, but 2026 could very well be an immense year for the club. And right at the outset it already feels as if every game is going to be like a cup final. Just in January, out of a total of nine fixtures, there are five huge Premier League matches, which will be cru

Brentford 0 v Tottenham Hotspur 0 Premier League Matchweek 19 Talking Points By Kaz Mochlinski at the Brentford Community Stadium There may not have been much to watch in Brentford’s goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur, but there was plenty nevertheless for the two head coaches, Keith Andrews and Thomas Frank, to talk about over a beer after the match. Friendly from their work together for the Bees before Frank’s move to Spurs in the summer, they still live close to each oth

Crystal Palace (0) 0 v Tottenham Hotspur (1) 1 Premier League Matchweek 18 Talking Points By Kaz Mochlinski at Selhurst Park “S**t happened again.” The articulate and eloquent Crystal Palace manager, Oliver Glasner, could not have expressed in any better phrasing the frustration felt by his team after yet another narrow and probably undeserved defeat against Tottenham Hotspur. It was an inauspicious result to end the best ever year for the club, with a first major prize in Pa

Blues v Cherries by @JTaylorSport Chelsea 2 Bournemouth 2 Chelsea’s final game of the calendar year saw some festivities in the shape of an entertaining draw at Stamford Bridge. Yet there will be little seasonal fun for embattled Enzo Maresca, who left the stadium feeling unwell at the climax. Naturally, the consequence of stalemate, disjointedly thrilling or not, will provide significantly more satisfaction for Bournemouth than it will for the Blues, who now have one win fro

West Ham United (0) 0 v Fulham (0) 1 Raúl Jiménez 85 By Kaz Mochlinski at the London Stadium Premier League Matchweek 18 This was the one that brought them to tears. Ollie Scarles could not stop himself crying very visibly on the pitch at the final whistle, after his mistake led to the winning goal in the closing stages, but most of West Ham United’s faithful must have felt very similarly. The Hammers’ growing gloom got ever greater on a grey winter afternoon as they were con

Gunners v Seagulls by @JTaylorSport Arsenal 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Engulfed with relief, the outstretched arms of Declan Rice at the end of this latest battle of nerve said it all. Apart from the occasional moment, there were few festive frolics on show at the Emirates as Arsenal dug out a 2-1 win over Brighton to force themselves back to the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners made heavy weather of managing the game at times after they went a couple of goals ahe

Brentford (0) 1 v Leeds United (0) 1 Henderson 70 Calvert-Lewin 82 By Kaz Mochlinski at the Brentford Community Stadium Premier League Matchweek 16 Jordan Henderson’s first goal for Brentford proved precious in picking up a point against Leeds United to take the Bees a little further from the threat of relegation in the lower reaches of the Premier League table. In a close encounter between two excellently-coached, well-organised and evenly-matched sides, Brentford took the l

Tottenham Hotspur (0) 1 v Fulham (2 Talking Points By Kaz Mochlinski at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Thomas Frank finally fought back against the fans turning the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium toxic for the team, after the deteriorating atmosphere again appeared to affect the players in a disappointing defeat by Fulham. “They can’t be true Tottenham fans” was the Spurs head coach’s most forthright comment about the recurrent booing that marked the Saturday night London derby, as

Brentford (0) 3 v Burnley (0) 1 Igor Thiago (pen) 81 Flemming (pen) 85 Igor Thiago 86 Ouattara 92 By Kaz Mochlinski at the Brentford Community Stadium Premier League Matchweek 13 Brentford added another home victory, with another Igor Thiago double, including another penalty, plus another stoppage time goal, as a very late, late show in the end ensured that Burnley were beaten 3-1. The Bees have now won five of the seven Premier League matches which they have played on their

Fulham (0) 1 v Sunderland (0) 0 Raúl Jiménez 84 By Kaz Mochlinski at Craven Cottage Premier League Matchweek 12 Fulham gained an absolutely vital victory over Sunderland with a Raúl Jiménez goal six minutes from full-time that significantly eased their fears of falling into the Premier League relegation zone. Having begun the weekend just one point above the bottom three, they left it late before getting the only goal of the game for a win which was thoroughly deserved after