Arsenal vs Wolves - 15:00 - Saturday 2nd December 2023

Arsenal @ 2/7     Draw @ 17/4      Wolves @ 19/2

Arsenal: DWLWW

Wolves: WDLWL

Arsenal face Wolves at the Emirates in the first match of the weekend, with the Gunners looking to cement their place at the top of the Premier League.

A late header from Kai Havertz was enough to give Mikel Arteta's side a narrow win over a spirited Brentford team and return the Gunners to the Premier League summit.

A big mistake from the returning Aaron Ramsdale went unpunished early on, as Bryan Mbeumo saw his effort cleared off the line by Declan Rice after great work from Yoane Wissa.

Leandro Trossard thought he had given the Gunners the lead in the 42nd minute, but the Belgian was narrowly offside after Mark Flekken’s limp save from a Gabriel Jesus header.

Oleksandr Zinchenko came to Arsenal’s rescue in the 72nd minute, the Ukranian was at full stretch as he prevented Neal Maupay’s header at the back post from going in.

Declan Rice tried his luck from range but his deflected drive ended up whistling safely past the Brentford goal.

The game seemed destined for a draw when William Saliba’s long range effort went safely out for a goal kick.

Kai Havertz had other ideas though, the German’s 89th minute header at the back post went through the legs of goalkeeper Mark Flekken and gave Arsenal a vital 1-0 win to take them back to the top of the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta gave his thoughts on his sides performance to Sky Sports and he also reserved special praise for Kai Havertz.

"I'm so happy with the team, with the way they performed, we got the clean sheet and I'm so happy with how everybody played.

We should've scored earlier than that, but this is a really tough place to come.

Credit to Brentford for what they do to every team. We showed a lot of resilience and belief.

I'm delighted for Kai. You only have to see the reaction of everyone, how much they love him, and what he brings to the team. It's what he needs to do.

We believed he could change the game with the way they were defending, and it was the perfect timing, perfect execution.

He won the game for us - that's what big players do."

Wolves Suffer Again

Gary O Neil could scarcely believe his sides luck as two penalties proved to be decisive as Wolves lost 3-2 at Craven Cottage.

Marco Silva’s side came into the game on a run of three defeats in their last four but Alex Iwobi gave them a seventh minute lead at Craven Cottage.

The former Everton man’s left footed effort was easily tapped in through the legs of Jose Sa from an Antonee Robinson cross.

Wolves went close to equalising on the counter attack, with Hwang Hee Chan eventually hitting the crossbar after being put through on goal by Mario Lemina.

The visitors did find an equaliser in the 26th minute when Matheus Cunha’s header levelled the scoring, but it all stemmed from a superb run and cross from Jean Ricner Bellegarde.

Fulham retook the lead from the penalty spot in the second half, with referee Michael Salisbury pointing to the spot after Tom Cairney was seemingly fouled by Nelson Semedo.

Replays showed otherwise, but the VAR failed to direct the referee back to the monitor to check. After a long delay Willian stepped up to convert and gave Fulham a 2-1 lead in the 59th minute.

Wolves did get some justice as they were awarded a penalty at the other end as Tim Ream fouled Hwang Hee Chan in the box, but O Neil was incensed that the USA international wasn’t given a second yellow for the foul.

Hwang Hee Chan stepped up to convert the penalty, levelling the scores with his seventh goal in 13 matches this season (75).

There was still time for a third penalty of the game to be awarded, with Michael Salisbury initially refusing to award the penalty for the foul on Harry Wilson, but VAR sent him to the monitor and that normally means only one thing.

Willian stepped up for the second time of the match and dispatched his penalty to give Fulham a 3-2 win in the fourth minute of stoppage time (90+4).

Gary O’Neil admitted to WolvesTv that VAR has lost his support after two penalty decisions went against his Wolves side in their defeat at Craven Cottage, while also believing a pair of Fulham players should have received red cards.

"The game was fairly even. For the neutrals it would have been a good game to watch. Two teams going at it, end to end, trying to win it, but I’m just disappointed.

We should have done better as a team in the second half. In the first half I thought we had decent control, we had some good chances. But I’m just gutted for everybody really.

The supporters were excellent, singing right until the end, and they’ve suffered some tough moments, especially late in games this season, but it was incredible backing from them, a big effort from the players, and, unfortunately, fine margins have gone against us.

The players will be fine. They know that it’s the Premier League and we’ll give everything – like we did this evening, and of course there’ll be mistakes.

But they’ll be ready to make sure we’re ready to go against at the Emirates on Saturday."

Betting Tips

• Total Goals - Over 2.5 Goals @ 23/20
• Gabriel Jesus to score first @ 5/1
• Hwang Hee Chan to score first @ 17/2

Brentford vs Luton - 15:00 - Saturday 2nd December 2023

Brentford @ 4/9     Draw @ 10/3      Luton @ 6/1

Brentford: WWWLL

Luton: DLDLW

Brentford welcome Luton to the Gtech this weekend, with Thomas Frank's side looking to avoid three successive defeats.

The Bees were narrowly beaten in their last game, with a Kai Havertz header proving to be the difference as the Gunners handed them a 1-0 home defeat.

A big mistake from the returning Aaron Ramsdale went unpunished early on, as Bryan Mbeumo saw his effort cleared off the line by Declan Rice after great work from Yoane Wissa.

Leandro Trossard thought he had given the Gunners the lead in the 42nd minute, but the Belgian was narrowly offside after Mark Flekken’s limp save from a Gabriel Jesus header.

Oleksandr Zinchenko came to Arsenal’s rescue in the 72nd minute, the Ukranian was at full stretch as he prevented Neal Maupay’s header at the back post from going in.

Declan Rice tried his luck from range but his deflected drive ended up whistling safely past the Brentford goal.

The game seemed destined for a draw when William Saliba’s long range effort went safely out for a goal kick.

Kai Havertz had other ideas though, the German’s 89th minute header at the back post went through the legs of goalkeeper Mark Flekken and gave Arsenal a vital 1-0 win to take them back to the top of the Premier League.

Head coach Thomas Frank told www.brentfordfc.com he was keen to highlight another impressive display from his side, despite Kai Havertz’s late header consigning the Bees to a defeat.

"There were two chances for both teams; they took one of theirs and we didn’t.

It’s tough to take when they score in the last minute of the game, but we made it very difficult for Arsenal.

It was almost the perfect defensive performance in so many ways against a very, very good offensive team.

There are a lot of positives to take from the game. In the moment it is frustrating to take, but we need to focus on the performances.

This is game 13 and we have had 12 good or very good performances. We just need to keep doing that, keep moving forward and keep believing."

Luton Secure Famous Win

The Hatters secured their first home win since returning to the Premier League as they edged Crystal Palace 2-1 at Kenilworth Road.

Thomas Kaminski produced a terrific double save to deny Eberechi Eze and Jefrrey Schlupp early on at Kenilworth Road.

Odsonne Edouard thought he had given the visitors a vital lead in the 67th minute, but his effort was ruled out for a handball in the build up.

Just four minutes after that decision was overturned Luton took the lead, Teden Mengi scoring his first senior goal from a corner to give the Hatters a 1-0 advantage in the 72nd minute.

Michael Olise levelled just two minutes later (74) with a superb solo goal, the wingers run and left footed strike flying past Kaminski, it was the weekends best goal until Garnacho pulled out his stunner at Goodison.

The game appeared to be heading for a draw but another first Premier League goal, this time for Jacob Brown, proved to be the difference between the sides as his right footed effort at the back post gave Luton a huge first home win of the season.

Palace came within inches of equalising, Jefferson Lerma’s header rattling the outside of the Luton post.

And that lead to another chance on the break for Luton, but Elijah Adebayo saw his effort well saved by Johnstone and ruled out for offside after a brilliant through ball from Tahith Chong.

Luton boss Rob Edwards told Sky Sports that he was very proud in what he felt was a deserved win over Crystal Palace and said his players always respond well to challenges.

"We'll enjoy it, but we've got to go again. Brentford's really difficult next week, then we've got Arsenal and Man City to look forward to.

We've got to keep improving and getting better. So enjoy the moment, enjoy the feeling, it's nice. The players can enjoy their weekend. But it's back to work quickly.

If we're going to win games in this league, Thomas [Kaminski] is going to have to make some saves.

He's in really good form and he made some important saves. The crowd recognise that by singing his name.

He can feel the support and we rode our luck a little bit when they're quite direct at the end.

It was the land of the giants so we tried to find the balance in our defending.

They hit the woodwork, there were some really good blocks and we found a way to get over the line."

Betting Tips

• Total Goals - Under 2.5 Goals @ 8/11
• Bryan Mbeumo to score first @ 17/4
• Carlton Morris to score first @ 7/1

Burnley vs Sheffield United - 15:00 - Saturday 2nd December 2023

Burnley @ 5/6     Draw @ 5/2      Sheffield United @ 10/3

Burnley: LLLLL

Sheffield United: LLWDL

Burnley face Sheffield United at Turf Moor in a crucial fixture in the context of the Clarets season.

Vincent Kompany's men come into this game knowing even at this stage of the season that they cannot lose this encounter, particularly after they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in their 2-1 home defeat to West Ham last weekend.

An early strike from Luca Koleosho was well saved by Alphonse Areola as the Clarets looked to secure their second win of the season.

Zeki Amdouni should have done better with his header, but he could only glance a cross from Sander Berge wide of the target.

Burnley and Koleosho were really unlucky not to have been awarded a first half penalty after a clumsy challenge from Vladimir Coufal went completely unpunished.

Koleosho eventually got the penalty his wing play deserved four minutes after the restart, Mohammed Kudus’ foul on the edge of the box leaving Samuel Barrott with no other choice.

Jay Rodriguez stepped up in the 49th minute to give Burnley a 1-0 lead at Turf Moor.

Lucas Paqueta and Zeki Amdouni both had chances at opposite ends as West Ham went in search of an equaliser and Burnley looked to double their lead.

Mohammed Kudus made amends for his earlier error as his cross was turned into his own net by Dara O’Shea with four minutes to go to make it 1-1 (86).

And Burnley hearts were broken in the first minute of injury time as Tomas Soucek’s superb volley from a second Mohammed Kudus cross saw West Ham complete a stunning 2-1 comeback at Turf Moor.

Manager Vincent Kompany admitted to Clarets+ that although defeat was a 'tough one to take' the Clarets boss had plenty of praise and insists his side must go again following an 'outstanding' performance against West Ham.

"It's a really tough one to take, but it is what makes this game beautiful. It was a very fine margin that's cost us in the end.

Looking at the game and the performance from the team was outstanding, on and off the ball it was disciplined, mature and organised.

There's nothing more cruel than a game like today, but I would be a hypocrite if i started laying into the team after that.

We showed all the standards and habits that we have and work on everyday. We were outstanding and it is a painful one for us to take, but we have to go again now.

It’s tough yes, but you know how I function and in these moments you have to take them and use them as an opportunity to look back and see what could have been done."

Blades Soundly Beaten

Paul Heckingbottom's side were handed a 3-1 defeat at home against relegation rivals Bournemouth last weekend.

Marcus Tavernier gave the Cherries a 12th minute lead at Bramall Lane, the wingers left footed shot beating Foderingham after a through ball from Antoine Semenyo.

Tavernier’s next effort wasn’t anywhere near as lethal, the winger ballooning a second ball from Semenyo out of Yorkshire just before the break.

A howler from Wes Foderingham let in Justin Kluivert to make it 2-0 just before the break (45+3), the keeper failing to clear his lines before the Dutchman picked his pocket.

The game was over in the 51st minute as Tavernier grabbed his second, the winger’s left footed shot from an Adam Smith ball was enough to beat Foderingham at his near post to make it 3-0.

Dominic Solanke could and should have made it 4-0 to the visitors, but he could only hit the side netting after following up on a Foderingham parry.

Bournemouth continued to dominate, with chances from Justin Kluivert and Ryan Christie were well saved by Foderingham, who was seeking to make amends after his earlier error.

The Blades grabbed a consolation with the last kick of the game, Oli McBurnie heading the ball across Neto in the 97th minute to make it 3-1 at the full time whistle.

Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom told Sky Sports that his side lacked quality in their loss to Bournemouth and they need to put the result behind them.

"We started poorly and never really recovered. The second and third goals take the game away from us and they're really poor. We can't hide from that.

What we have to be more concerned about is the overall performance. We have to get this out of our heads. We didn't play with the quality we need to win the game.

You see Bournemouth's goals, they come on the counter, they've got great athleticism up front. I'm concerned about how we performed and why that quality wasn't there.

We've got a huge game next week and we know we can be better."

Betting Tips

• Total Goals - Under 2.5 Goals @ 4/5
• Zeki Amdouni to score first @ 6/1
• Cameron Archer to score first @ 8/1

Nottingham Forest vs Everton - 17:30 - Saturday 2nd December 2023 - Sky Sports

Nottingham Forest @ 17/10     Draw @ 11/5      Everton @ 13/8

Nottingham Forest: DLWLL

Everton: LWDWL

Nottingham Forest host Everton at the City Ground this weekend, with both sides looking for an instant response to last weekends defeats.

Steve Cooper's side were on the back end of their second successive 3-2 defeat, this time they lost to the ten men of Brighton.

Anthony Elanga gave Forest the perfect start, as his header from a Morgan Gibbs White cross gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in just the third minute.

Brighton found an equaliser in the 26th minute courtesy of Evan Ferguson, the Irishman’s curling effort on the edge of the box levelling the scoring. Pascal Gross contributing with the assist.

The Seagulls took the lead for the first time in the game in the fourth minute of first half injury time, Joao Pedro’s header from a second Pascal Gross assist ensuring Roberto De Zerbi’s side went into the break 2-1 up.

Brighton’s record signing scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 58th minute, the Brazillian drawing the foul from Chris Wood before stepping up to convert the resulting penalty to make it 3-1.

Forest were awarded a penalty in the 71st minute after Anthony Taylor and the VAR agreed that Billy Gilmour had indeed brought Callum Hudson Odoi down in the box.

Things went from bad to worse for Brighton as their skipper Lewis Dunk was given two yellow cards in succession, first for questioning the referee and then the second was for calling Taylor an insult straight after.

Morgan Gibbs White stepped up from six yards to make it 3-2, the former Wolves man adding a goal to his earlier assist, as Forest were given a route back into the match.

A late header from Ryan Yates was the only decent chances Forest were able to muster against ten men and the game ended with the ten men of Brighton securing their first win in six matches.

Steve Cooper told Sky Sports that his side didn't play enough in the first half, but says poor refereeing played a part in his 3-2 loss to Brighton.

"It probably tells you a bit about Anthony today and where we're at in general with refereeing.

When you see decisions like that, he sees the one in open play but doesn't see the one overturned by VAR.

It's probably where we're at in terms of the confidence in refereeing at the moment.

It's cost us and it will be someone else next week. But I repeat, we didn't play well enough in the first half so I'm not going to hide just behind the penalty decision.

I'm trying to be in the camp of: 'how can we help and support them?' Because they obviously need help.

Like I said, Anthony is right up there in terms of being one of the best referees and if that's where it's at, then it's not setting the bar for anybody.

The second half, for the neutral it was quite entertaining because there were loads of incidents that I didn't particularly enjoy.

But that's just caused by the referee and the performance levels. But he will know that, he's an honest ref and he will know he has to improve."

Garnacho Stunner Downs Toffees

A tough week for Everton ended in defeat as an Alejandro Garnacho stunner paved the way for a 3-0 win for Manchester United.

Alejandro Garnacho’s stunning overhead kick in the 3rd minute gave Manchester United a 1-0 lead early on at Goodison Park.

The Argentines effort from Diogo Dalot’s cross silenced a crowd baying for blood following their ten-point deduction from the Premier League.

Premier League debutant Kobbie Mainoo came to United’s rescue in the 32nd minute, the midfielder clearing Dwight McNeil’s shot off his own goal line to preserve United’s lead.

Abdoulaye Doucoure missed a golden opportunity a minute later, the midfielder hitting his strike narrowly wide of United’s goal after being perfectly teed up by Dwight McNeil.

Anthony Martial went over in the box in the 52nd minute, initially Martial was given a yellow card for simulation but that card and the decision was overturned when VAR concluded that it was in fact a penalty to the visitors after a foul from Ashley Young.

Bruno Fernandes unselfishly gave the penalty to Marcus Rashford who slotted home for his 2nd goal of the season to make it 2-0 in the 56th minute to Erik Ten Hag’s side.

Andre Onana had to be at his acrobatic best to deny Idrissa Gueye, with the midfielders strike from distance destined for the top corner were it not for the Cameroon keeper’s intervention.

The game was over in the 75th minute when Bruno Fernandes’ ball found Anthony Martial, the Frenchman’s silky lifted finish over Pickford helping United to a 3-0 win over Everton.

Mykolenko’s late effort smashed the crossbar but Sean Dyche’s side were unable to find a consolation goal.

Sean Dyche heaped praise on Everton fans for the unwavering support they have given his team during what has been a difficult couple of weeks and stated to EvertonTV that rewarding them with "winning performances" is the collective primary focus.

"At the end of the day, we have got to park it. We have to keep moving forward. I think there were signs of that [against United].

Even 3-0 down, the team hit the bar, we were still asking questions and trying to take the game on.

So the mentality is firm and it's got to remain firm going forward quite obviously.

It's a big knock. But the fans have been brilliant since I got here, especially recently.

We have rewarded them with some good points, albeit with the caveat of what has happened [points deduction].

Compared to recent seasons, there have been some good points put on the board early in the season, with good performances.

We have to keep doing that. I don't expect a free hit now because of what has gone on."

Betting Tips

• BTTS @ 7/10
• Anthony Elanga to score first @ 15/2
• Dominic Calvert Lewin to score first @ 6/1

Newcastle vs Man United - 20:00 - Saturday 2nd December 2023 - TnT Sports

Newcastle @ 20/23     Draw @ 27/10      Man United @ 29/10

Newcastle: WDWLW

Man United: WLWWW

Newcastle face Manchester United on the Saturday Night Football, with both sides looking to steal an early march in the battle for a Champions League spot.

Newcastle produced an excellent win over Chelsea last weekend, with Eddie Howe's injury hit squad beating the Blues 4-1.

The Magpies took a 13th minute lead through Alexander Isak, the Swede’s right footed strike from a Lewis Miley assist putting Newcastle 1-0 up.

Chelsea responded ten minutes later through Raheem Steling’s sumptuous free kick, the forgotten England man continuing his fine season with his fifth goal in thirteen matches to make it 1-1 (23).

Joelinton produced one of the misses of the season shortly after, the Brazilian missing with his head at the back post from two yards away to let Chelsea off the hook.

It didn’t prove costly as Jamal Lascelles gave Newcastle a 2-1 lead on the hour mark, the defender heading Anthony Gordon’s cross into the bottom left hand corner (60).

Joelinton made amends for his earlier miss as Newcastle made it two goals in two second half minutes to go 3-1 up. The Brazillian pouncing on a rare mistake from compatriot Thiago Silva to send St.James’ Park into raptures (61).

It went from bad to worse for Chelsea in the 73rd minute, as Reece James was given his marching orders after receiving a second yellow card for hauling down Anthony Gordon.

Gordon put the icing on the cake for Newcastle with their fourth of the night (83), the wingers right footed shot from a Miguel Almiron through ball giving the Magpies a commanding 4-1 win.

Howe was delighted with the performance of his depleted side when he spoke to Sky Sports.

"I think it was a real statement of the character in the squad, the ability to be resilient and respond in difficult moments.

We really asked the players to step up today, the ones who were available, and they did. We deserved to win and it was a top-class performance.

There were some really big positives for us to take today. We don't surrender.

It's a difficult moment for us and that won't change in the short term, but we've shown we've still got very good players."

Garnacho Stunner Downs Toffees

Alejandro Garnacho produced a goal of the season contender as Manchester United ran out 3-0 winners at Goodison Park.

Alejandro Garnacho’s stunning overhead kick in the 3rd minute gave Manchester United a 1-0 lead early on at Goodison Park.

The Argentines effort from Diogo Dalot’s cross silenced a crowd baying for blood following their ten-point deduction from the Premier League.

Premier League debutant Kobbie Mainoo came to United’s rescue in the 32nd minute, the midfielder clearing Dwight McNeil’s shot off his own goal line to preserve United’s lead.

Abdoulaye Doucoure missed a golden opportunity a minute later, the midfielder hitting his strike narrowly wide of United’s goal after being perfectly teed up by Dwight McNeil.

Anthony Martial went over in the box in the 52nd minute, initially Martial was given a yellow card for simulation but that card and the decision was overturned when VAR concluded that it was in fact a penalty to the visitors after a foul from Ashley Young.

Bruno Fernandes unselfishly gave the penalty to Marcus Rashford who slotted home for his 2nd goal of the season to make it 2-0 in the 56th minute to Erik Ten Hag’s side.

Andre Onana had to be at his acrobatic best to deny Idrissa Gueye, with the midfielders strike from distance destined for the top corner were it not for the Cameroon keeper’s intervention.

The game was over in the 75th minute when Bruno Fernandes’ ball found Anthony Martial, the Frenchman’s silky lifted finish over Pickford helping United to a 3-0 win over Everton.

Mykolenko’s late effort smashed the crossbar but Sean Dyche’s side were unable to find a consolation goal.

Erik ten Hag praised his side's second-half performance - and that stupendous first-half goal by Alejandro Garnacho - as he savoured Manchester United's biggest winning margin of the season so far when he spoke to MUTV.

"The season is still long but it is probably the Goal of the Season. It was not only that finish, but also the build up was very good with the switch [of play].

We talked about being brave, being dynamic, being proactive. But the finish is fantastic.

I said to you before how we want to play, and in Copenhagen we had the example.

There was another example of how this team can play, how you can quieten the crowd but also make an impact on an opponent.

So be brave, be proactive, be dynamic. And that is what we showed in the first couple of minutes in the game.

Our three offensive players scored and that is very good. That is what we need, that they go and score because that will help us as a team.

And I said we need that to get into the season, to be successful, absolutely. That will give them confidence and we have to take this into our next game."

Betting Tips

• BTTS @ 4/6
• Alexander Isak to score first @ 17/4
• Rasmus Hojlund to score first @ 9/1

Bournemouth vs Aston Villa - 14:00 - Sunday 3rd December 2023

Bournemouth @ 5/2     Draw @ 14/5      Aston Villa @ 20/21

Bournemouth: LWLWW

Aston Villa: WWLWW

Bournemouth face Aston Villa in the first of four 2pm kick offs, with both sides in excellent form coming into the game.

The Cherries produced a superb performance to brush aside relegation rivals Sheffield United 3-1 at Bramall Lane.

Marcus Tavernier gave the Cherries a 12th minute lead at Bramall Lane, the wingers left footed shot beating Foderingham after a through ball from Antoine Semenyo.

Tavernier’s next effort wasn’t anywhere near as lethal, the winger ballooning a second ball from Semenyo out of Yorkshire just before the break.

A howler from Wes Foderingham let in Justin Kluivert to make it 2-0 just before the break (45+3), the keeper failing to clear his lines before the Dutchman picked his pocket.

The game was over in the 51st minute as Tavernier grabbed his second, the winger’s left footed shot from an Adam Smith ball was enough to beat Foderingham at his near post to make it 3-0.

Dominic Solanke could and should have made it 4-0 to the visitors, but he could only hit the side netting after following up on a Foderingham parry.

Bournemouth continued to dominate, with chances from Justin Kluivert and Ryan Christie were well saved by Foderingham, who was seeking to make amends after his earlier error.

The Blades grabbed a consolation with the last kick of the game, Oli McBurnie heading the ball across Neto in the 97th minute to make it 3-1 at the full time whistle.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola told Sky Sports that his team need to continue their momentum following their impressive 3-1 win against Sheffield United.

"Performance and result were impressive. It's good that we give continuity between performance and result.

We wanted to make it clear we were coming for the three points - we tried to stay front foot and play in their half.

It was the kind of game we prefer. For us, scoring early helped because it makes them push a bit higher and leave space.

We could find spaces in between and more importantly in behind.

It's difficult to win a Premier League game away but this is really important. Three wins from the last four - we're in a good moment."

Villa Climb Into Top Four

Unai Emery's side continued their impressive run as they handed Tottenham a third successive defeat in their 2-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham made a rapid start as they looked to avoid three successive defeats, and they came close to opening the scoring in the third minute as Dejan Kulusevski’s left footed effort hit the bar.

They eventually opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, a rocket from Giovani Lo Celso deflected off Diego Carlos before flying into the roof of the net to give Spurs a deserved lead.

Villa thought they had an instant reply as Ollie Watkins headed Lucas Digne’s cross beyond Guglielmo Vicario, but the centre forward had strayed narrowly offside in the build up and the goal was chalked off.

Pau Torres recovered from an earlier miss to head Villa level in the seventh minute of first half injury time, the Spaniard directing Douglas Luiz’s free kick beyond Vicario to make it 1-1 heading into the break.

Leon Bailey tried his luck with a left footed effort cutting inside in the second half, and despite a half hearted save from Vicario, the ball trickled off the post but crucially back into his hands.

Villa completed the comeback in the 61st minute when Ollie Watkins combined with Youri Tielemans to give Unai Emery’s side a 2-1 lead with a right footed finish across goal.

Tottenham will feel hard done by, especially as skipper Heung Min Son was denied by VAR on three separate occasions but ultimately it was Tottenham who registered their third successive defeat as Villa secured a 2-1 win.

Unai Emery cut a delighted figure after when he spoke to VillaTV following his sides 2-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur.

"I’m very happy.

I’m very thankful to everybody - the supporters, the club, the workers, the players, the coaching staff.

We were focused in this match trying to be very consistent in the 90 minutes, trying to keep our mentality like we were trying to build. And we did.

One match, very tough, we could have lost, drew or won, but to be always keeping our gameplan and trying to be focused in all the details we were trying to face on the pitch.

And the players did perfectly."

Betting Tips

• BTTS - No @ 6/4
• Dominic Solanke to score first @ 7/1
• Ollie Watkins to score first @ 17/4

Chelsea vs Brighton - 14:00 - Sunday 3rd December 2023

Chelsea @ 4/6     Draw @ 3/1      Brighton @ 18/5

Chelsea: DLWDL

Brighton: LDDDW

Chelsea face Brighton at Stamford Bridge this weekend with the Blues looking to bounce back following their humbling at St.James Park.

Mauricio Pochettino's men were soundly beaten 4-1 last weekend, with Anthony Gordon's man of the match performance inspiring Eddie Howe's injury hit side.

The Magpies took a 13th minute lead through Alexander Isak, the Swede’s right footed strike from a Lewis Miley assist putting Newcastle 1-0 up.

Chelsea responded ten minutes later through Raheem Steling’s sumptuous free kick, the forgotten England man continuing his fine season with his fifth goal in thirteen matches to make it 1-1 (23).

Joelinton produced one of the misses of the season shortly after, the Brazilian missing with his head at the back post from two yards away to let Chelsea off the hook.

It didn’t prove costly as Jamal Lascelles gave Newcastle a 2-1 lead on the hour mark, the defender heading Anthony Gordon’s cross into the bottom left hand corner (60).

Joelinton made amends for his earlier miss as Newcastle made it two goals in two second half minutes to go 3-1 up. The Brazillian pouncing on a rare mistake from compatriot Thiago Silva to send St.James’ Park into raptures (61).

It went from bad to worse for Chelsea in the 73rd minute, as Reece James was given his marching orders after receiving a second yellow card for hauling down Anthony Gordon.

Gordon put the icing on the cake for Newcastle with their fourth of the night (83), the wingers right footed shot from a Miguel Almiron through ball giving the Magpies a commanding 4-1 win.

Mauricio Pochettino gave an honest assessment to ChelseaTV when reflecting on his sides 4-1 defeat to Newcastle, labelling it as our ‘worst performance of the season’.

"It wasn’t our best game, in fact I’d say that was probably our worst performance of the season.

It was really tough to be in the stands today and not be able to influence things.

I think both teams weren’t at their best levels but we absolutely cannot complain about the result.

We only scored one goal, while Newcastle were very ruthless with their chances and deserved to win.

We didn’t read the game from the beginning and we didn’t play the way that we should or in the way we expect. That’s very disappointing."

Seagulls Come From Behind

Roberto De Zerbi's side ended their poor recent run with a comeback win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

It wasn't plain sailing for the Seagulls, not only were they a goal down inside three minutes but they were a man down with 16 minutes remaining but they held on for a 3-2 win.

Anthony Elanga gave Forest the perfect start, as his header from a Morgan Gibbs White cross gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in just the third minute.

Brighton found an equaliser in the 26th minute courtesy of Evan Ferguson, the Irishman’s curling effort on the edge of the box levelling the scoring. Pascal Gross contributing with the assist.

The Seagulls took the lead for the first time in the game in the fourth minute of first half injury time, Joao Pedro’s header from a second Pascal Gross assist ensuring Roberto De Zerbi’s side went into the break 2-1 up.

Brighton’s record signing scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 58th minute, the Brazillian drawing the foul from Chris Wood before stepping up to convert the resulting penalty to make it 3-1.

Forest were awarded a penalty in the 71st minute after Anthony Taylor and the VAR agreed that Billy Gilmour had indeed brought Callum Hudson Odoi down in the box.

Things went from bad to worse for Brighton as their skipper Lewis Dunk was given two yellow cards in succession, first for questioning the referee and then the second was for calling Taylor an insult straight after.

Morgan Gibbs White stepped up from six yards to make it 3-2, the former Wolves man adding a goal to his earlier assist, as Forest were given a route back into the match.

A late header from Ryan Yates was the only decent chances Forest were able to muster against ten men and the game ended with the ten men of Brighton securing their first win in six matches.

Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi hailed his players' character when he spoke to Sky Sports as they held out resolutely with ten players to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 at the City Ground.

"I'm not a policeman, I'm a coach. He said sorry to everyone, he understood the mistake."

Without character, it's impossible to win the game, especially in football. But we played a great game for 60 minutes I think.

I don't want to speak about controversies. I believe in my captain and I believe in Dunk. He made a mistake because it's possible he said something bad.

I don't know, I have not spoken with him yet but we wanted to win 100 per cent with our best and maybe it's possible Lewis made a mistake.

Absolutely, we defended very well with character, with order. Sometimes we lost order but Nottingham at home is very tough. The atmosphere in this stadium is fantastic.

I'm not used to speaking about the referee decisions. When they decide something, we have to accept.

I don't know if they're similar or not. But I don't think the referee made the difference in the game."

Betting Tips

• Total Goals - Over 2.5 Goals @ 1/2
• Nicolas Jackson to score first @ 19/4
• Evan Ferguson to score first @ 15/2

Liverpool vs Fulham - 14:00 - Sunday 3rd December 2023

Liverpool @ 2/9     Draw @ 11/2      Fulham @ 21/2

Liverpool: WWDWD

Fulham: LDLLW

Liverpool host Fulham at Anfield this Sunday with the Reds looking to keep pace with Manchester City and Arsenal.

Jurgen Klopp's side secured a vital 1-1 draw at the Etihad last weekend, ending City's run of 23 consecutive home wins in all competitions.

Liverpool attempted to draw first blood through Darwin Nunez, but the Uruguayan saw his header from a Salah cross comfortably saved by Ederson.

Erling Haaland’s opener in the 27th minute saw him became the fastest man to 50 Premier League goals, smashing the record set by Andrew Cole, and he has now scored against every club except Brentford in doing so.

The Norwegian put the finishing touch on a brilliant run from Nathan Ake, who glided past both Trent Alexander Arnold and Dominic Szoboszlai before finding the number nine.

Alisson had to be at his best to deny Phil Foden, with the Brazillian scrambling to his left as his fingertip save just about prevented the Stockport Messi from doubling the hosts tally.

Julian Alvarez fired a great chance over the bar, with the Argentine failing to connect with a brilliant lay off by Jeremy Doku, who was running rampant down the Liverpool right hand side.

Ruben Diaz thought he had doubled City’s lead midway through the second half (68), but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Alisson by Manuel Akanji, replays showed it was a very soft foul.

City were made to pay for their lack of cutting edge as Liverpool found their equaliser in the 80th minute, Trent Alexander Arnold’s right footed effort levelling the scoring for the Reds.

Haaland went close to snatching all three points with the last kick of the game, but the forward couldn’t direct Julian Alvarez’s corner into the bottom corner and the game ended 1-1.

Jürgen Klopp told LFCTV that he was pleased by the second-half improvement that gained Liverpool a 1-1 draw away at Manchester City on Saturday.

"I told the boys [at half-time]: imagine we would play good, how that game could look – because we had good moments in the first half but we didn’t feel them properly.

It was not that we [thought], ‘Ah OK, let’s try it again like this.’

But all their good moments had a real impact, I could see that in the body language and stuff like this, we lost compactness.

We were a bit in a rush in the first line to press Ederson with nothing around. That opened up the half-spaces.

Even when we were more together, they found Bernardo too often.

Mentality is a big word. When I speak about body language, it’s a bit similar to mentality. I didn’t like it too much in the first half.

But it’s really difficult, we are still in the early stages with the team.

Very good. He [Trent] played a really good game, super-influential. We changed it, if you want, with the position; we brought him and made it more clear where he has to be in these moments."

Huge Win For Cottagers

Fulham ended their recent poor run with a thumping 3-2 win over Wolves on the Monday Night Football.

They were very fortunate as they were gift wrapped two very soft penalties but it's a brilliant win for the Cottagers after a run of just one win in their previous six.

Marco Silva’s side came into the game on a run of three defeats in their last four but Alex Iwobi gave them a seventh minute lead at Craven Cottage.

The former Everton man’s left footed effort was easily tapped in through the legs of Jose Sa from an Antonee Robinson cross.

Wolves went close to equalising on the counter attack, with Hwang Hee Chan eventually hitting the crossbar after being put through on goal by Mario Lemina.

The visitors did find an equaliser in the 26th minute when Matheus Cunha’s header levelled the scoring, but it all stemmed from a superb run and cross from Jean Ricner Bellegarde.

Fulham retook the lead from the penalty spot in the second half, with referee Michael Salisbury pointing to the spot after Tom Cairney was seemingly fouled by Nelson Semedo.

Replays showed otherwise, but the VAR failed to direct the referee back to the monitor to check. After a long delay Willian stepped up to convert and gave Fulham a 2-1 lead in the 59th minute.

Wolves did get some justice as they were awarded a penalty at the other end as Tim Ream fouled Hwang Hee Chan in the box, but O Neil was incensed that the USA international wasn’t given a second yellow for the foul.

Hwang Hee Chan stepped up to convert the penalty, levelling the scores with his seventh goal in 13 matches this season (75).

There was still time for a third penalty of the game to be awarded, with Michael Salisbury initially refusing to award the penalty for the foul on Harry Wilson, but VAR sent him to the monitor and that normally means only one thing.

Willian stepped up for the second time of the match and dispatched his penalty to give Fulham a 3-2 win in the fourth minute of stoppage time (90+4).

Marco Silva told FFCTV that he was pleased with how Fulham put a ‘resilient’ Wolverhampton Wanderers to the sword on Monday night.

"We wanted to react, after a tough month for us. We wanted a reaction, and we did it.

The second half we were much more on the front foot, much more in control of the game. We pushed them back and controlled the game much better.

But I have to say that the way we started the game was really good, too. First minute of the game, a very good combination on the right hand side, we almost score.

The way we scored for 1-0 was a very good moment from ourselves. We had the chance to score 2-0 in that combination from a corner, very good save from Sa."

Betting Tips

• Total Goals - Over 2.5 Goals @ 2/5
• Mohamed Salah to score first @ 10/3
• Carlos Vinicius to score first @ 10/1

West Ham vs Crystal Palace - 14:00 - Sunday 3rd December 2023 - Sky Sports

West Ham @ 20/21     Draw @ 12/5      Crystal Palace @ 29/10

West Ham: LLLWW

Crystal Palace: LLWLL

West Ham welcome Crystal Palace to the London Stadium this weekend, with the sides at opposite ends of the form table.

The Hammers scored two goals in the final five minutes at Turf Moor to rescue a win from the jaws of defeat against Burnley.

Thomas Kaminski produced a terrific double save to deny Eberechi Eze and Jefrrey Schlupp early on at Kenilworth Road.

Odsonne Edouard thought he had given the visitors a vital lead in the 67th minute, but his effort was ruled out for a handball in the build up.

Just four minutes after that decision was overturned Luton took the lead, Teden Mengi scoring his first senior goal from a corner to give the Hatters a 1-0 advantage in the 72nd minute.

Michael Olise levelled just two minutes later (74) with a superb solo goal, the wingers run and left footed strike flying past Kaminski, it was the weekends best goal until Garnacho pulled out his stunner at Goodison.

The game appeared to be heading for a draw but another first Premier League goal, this time for Jacob Brown, proved to be the difference between the sides as his right footed effort at the back post gave Luton a huge first home win of the season.

Palace came within inches of equalising, Jefferson Lerma’s header rattling the outside of the Luton post.

And that lead to another chance on the break for Luton, but Elijah Adebayo saw his effort well saved by Johnstone and ruled out for offside after a brilliant through ball from Tahith Chong.

David Moyes told WHUTV that a hard-fought, slightly fortunate, last-gasp 2-1 Premier League win at Burnley will set his West Ham United squad up positively for the busy period ahead.

"We got a goal out of nothing. Divin done great and worked it through and we got the own-goal from it. Divin did brilliantly to make the opportunity.

It didn’t look like we were going to get one. We had about three or four corners and the ball was not going in, then we had a couple that were headed out and we shot wide or had it blocked, and I thought it looked like we weren’t going to get it.

But we’re resilient and we stick at it and the players don’t give in.

They’ve got great commitment, all of them, so there was always a chance we were going to do that and thankfully we did it today."

Palace Fall To Hatters

Crystal Palace come into the game having been beaten 2-1 at Kenilworth Road as Luton secured their first home win.

An early strike from Luca Koleosho was well saved by Alphonse Areola as the Clarets looked to secure their second win of the season.

Zeki Amdouni should have done better with his header, but he could only glance a cross from Sander Berge wide of the target.

Burnley and Koleosho were really unlucky not to have been awarded a first half penalty after a clumsy challenge from Vladimir Coufal went completely unpunished.

Koleosho eventually got the penalty his wing play deserved four minutes after the restart, Mohammed Kudus’ foul on the edge of the box leaving Samuel Barrott with no other choice.

Jay Rodriguez stepped up in the 49th minute to give Burnley a 1-0 lead at Turf Moor.

Lucas Paqueta and Zeki Amdouni both had chances at opposite ends as West Ham went in search of an equaliser and Burnley looked to double their lead.

Mohammed Kudus made amends for his earlier error as his cross was turned into his own net by Dara O’Shea with four minutes to go to make it 1-1 (86).

And Burnley hearts were broken in the first minute of injury time as Tomas Soucek’s superb volley from a second Mohammed Kudus cross saw West Ham complete a stunning 2-1 comeback at Turf Moor.

Roy Hodgson voiced his frustration to PalaceTV as his side suffered defeat at Luton Town.

"I congratulate them [Luton]. I thought they worked very hard for their victory.

I think we can feel ourselves a little bit unlucky. We could have had some good moments in the game and certainly we asked some very tough questions of their goalkeeper [Thomas Kaminski], who had an outstanding game on the day.

In that last 10 or 15 minutes, when we were pushing for an equaliser, I thought we were going to get that equaliser on at least three occasions, but it didn’t come, and I congratulate Luton for their valiant effort.

They really did put an awful lot of work and effort into getting that victory, so we have to accept that we weren’t good enough to get the points we thought we could get from this game."

Betting Tips

• BTTS @ 7/10
• Jarrod Bowen to score first @ 9/2
• Odsonne Edouard to score first @ 6/1

Man City vs Tottenham - 16:30 - Sunday 3rd December 2023 - Sky Sports

Man City @ 1/4     Draw @ 5/1      Tottenham @ 17/2

Man City: WWWDD

Tottenham: WWLLL

Manchester City welcome Tottenham to the Etihad in the second of the Super Sunday matches, with both sides looking to return to winning ways.

Pep Guardiola's men registered a second successive draw, as a late Trent Alexander Arnold goal ensured the game ended 1-1.

Liverpool attempted to draw first blood through Darwin Nunez, but the Uruguayan saw his header from a Salah cross comfortably saved by Ederson.

Erling Haaland’s opener in the 27th minute saw him became the fastest man to 50 Premier League goals, smashing the record set by Andrew Cole, and he has now scored against every club except Brentford in doing so.

The Norwegian put the finishing touch on a brilliant run from Nathan Ake, who glided past both Trent Alexander Arnold and Dominic Szoboszlai before finding the number nine.

Alisson had to be at his best to deny Phil Foden, with the Brazillian scrambling to his left as his fingertip save just about prevented the Stockport Messi from doubling the hosts tally.

Julian Alvarez fired a great chance over the bar, with the Argentine failing to connect with a brilliant lay off by Jeremy Doku, who was running rampant down the Liverpool right hand side.

Ruben Diaz thought he had doubled City’s lead midway through the second half (68), but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Alisson by Manuel Akanji, replays showed it was a very soft foul.

City were made to pay for their lack of cutting edge as Liverpool found their equaliser in the 80th minute, Trent Alexander Arnold’s right footed effort levelling the scoring for the Reds.

Haaland went close to snatching all three points with the last kick of the game, but the forward couldn’t direct Julian Alvarez’s corner into the bottom corner and the game ended 1-1.

Pep Guardiola told City+ that he is ‘incredibly proud’ of his players after the performance against Liverpool.

"We are hungry and upset in the locker room, but it was an incredibly great game.

Statistics or who deserved it more, it doesn’t count. I am going to drink my wine with one point.

I am incredibly pleased about the performance we played because Liverpool are an incredible team.

We conceded just two chances against that team. The header in the first half and goal.

The way we make a build up from Ederson with Ruben, Manu Akanji, Rodri, how they play in these ridiculous spaces…Kyle and Nathan to avoid transitions.

Our left side was a bit better than our right side. We have incredible players, it’s different to Kevin or Gundogan but our defending of set pieces… everything was a really high standard.

After eight years, it was really good to perform in that way. I am so proud of my team."

Three Successive Defeats

Tottenham come into the game on the back of a 2-1 home defeat against Aston Villa, their third successive defeat.

Ange Postecoglou could scarcely have wished for a worse fixture as they look to avoid four defeats in a row - as they head to the Etihad to face last seasons treble winners.

Tottenham made a rapid start as they looked to avoid three successive defeats, and they came close to opening the scoring in the third minute as Dejan Kulusevski’s left footed effort hit the bar.

They eventually opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, a rocket from Giovani Lo Celso deflected off Diego Carlos before flying into the roof of the net to give Spurs a deserved lead.

Villa thought they had an instant reply as Ollie Watkins headed Lucas Digne’s cross beyond Guglielmo Vicario, but the centre forward had strayed narrowly offside in the build up and the goal was chalked off.

Pau Torres recovered from an earlier miss to head Villa level in the seventh minute of first half injury time, the Spaniard directing Douglas Luiz’s free kick beyond Vicario to make it 1-1 heading into the break.

Leon Bailey tried his luck with a left footed effort cutting inside in the second half, and despite a half hearted save from Vicario, the ball trickled off the post but crucially back into his hands.

Villa completed the comeback in the 61st minute when Ollie Watkins combined with Youri Tielemans to give Unai Emery’s side a 2-1 lead with a right footed finish across goal.

Tottenham will feel hard done by, especially as skipper Heung Min Son was denied by VAR on three separate occasions but ultimately it was Tottenham who registered their third successive defeat as Villa secured a 2-1 win.

Ange Postecoglou was left to ponder what might have been when he spoke to SPURSPLAY as his side fell to a 2-1 loss against Aston Villa in the Premier League at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

"The result is disappointing - disappointing for our fans and particularly for our players, because I thought the way we played, the intent they showed… we deserved to get something out of that game.

On any other day, we would have won it comfortably. So, obviously, disappointed that they don’t get the rewards and our supporters miss that joy of winning a game of football.

I was really pleased with some of the football we played. In patches, that was as good as we’ve played all season.

Obviously, we didn’t get the kind of rewards our play deserved, and sometimes that happens in football, it’s fine margins.

From what I’m looking for from the lads and the way we played, I just thought we went out there with a real intent to play the kind of football we want to play."

Betting Tips

• BTTS @ 3/5
• Erling Haaland to score first @ 5/2
• Son Heung Min to score first @ 8/1