Premier League Midweek Review

    Premier League Midweek Review

    Because of the FA Cup, the Premier League scheduled round 24 for the middle of the week. Four encounters happened on Tuesday while clubs contested the rest on Wednesday. These are the matches in which Nigerian players or those of Nigerian descent featured.

    Bottom of the table Huddersfield Town took on Everton at the John Smith’s Stadium. A single goal scored early was enough to settle this match. Richarlison netted the decider in the 3rd minute.  This victory turned out to be an only away win in this round.

    The Toffees finished the match with ten men after the referee sent Lucas Digne off late in the game. Philip Billing wasn’t in the squad for the Terriers while Ademola Lookman spent the game on the Everton bench.

    Arsenal welcomed Cardiff City at the Emirates looking for a back to back win. The first half finished goalless with chances few and far between.

    At the break, Gunners coach Unai Emery substituted Mohamed Elneny with Alex Iwobi. The second half started in a better tempo with Arsenal breaking the deadlock in the 66th minute. Iwobi passed the ball which led to the penalty kick. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converted the spot kick to give Arsenal the lead. Alexandre Lacazette doubled the lead in the 83rd minute, but there was still time for a consolation goal for Cardiff.

    Alex Iwobi – Player of Arsenal - Vlad1988 / Shutterstock.com

    Alex Iwobi – Player of Arsenal – Vlad1988 / Shutterstock.com

    Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored for Cardiff in the third minute of stoppage time making the final score 2:1 Arsenal.

    On Wednesday, Watford visited Tottenham at Wembley for yet another London derby. Craig Cathcart made the away fans happy when he gave the Hornets a lead in the 38th minute.

    The Spurs rallied and forced a comeback in the second half. Heung-Min Son scored in the 80th minute and Fernando Llorente got the winner in the 87th minute. Isaac Success Ajayi came on for Watford in the 61st minute. His only achievement in the game was a yellow card in stoppage time.

    Leicester City travelled to Liverpool to take on the Premiership leaders at Anfield Road. Reds were quick out of the gate with Sadio Mane scoring in the 3rd minute. Just before the break, the Foxes levelled the score after a free kick. Harry Maguire scored the equalizer.

    Wilfred Ndidi played well for the visiting side with some timely tackles.  Kelechi Iheanacho played only for a few minutes in stoppage time. The match finished all square.

    Bournemouth welcomed Chelsea at the Vitality Stadium. After a goalless first half, the Cherries opened their account just two minutes into the restart. Joshua King slammed the ball into the Chelsea net. Chelsea didn’t defend well, and the home side took advantage by scoring another goal. David Brooks was the scorer in the 63rd minute after a pass from King.

    Jordon Ibe came in off the bench for Bournemouth in the 68th minute. And in the 74th minute, King scored his second to give the Cherries a 3:0 lead. Five minutes into the stoppage time, the hosts scored again to confirm the win. Charlie Daniels, who came in three minutes before, scored it after a free kick taken by Ibe.