“Hat Trick” is a column by Marco Haynes about the English Premier League in which he breaks down the week’s three most consequential results.
Martin Ødegaard’s intelligent finish earns Arsenal a vital three points
Arsenal battled out a tense 2-0 victory over the Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium to climb atop of the Premier League table, at least until Manchester City plays its game-in-hand.
In the first half, Wolves came close to taking the lead through midfielder Joao Gomes’s shot inside the 18-yard box that Gunners’ goalkeeper David Raya had to parry onto the crossbar.
Just before the halftime whistle had blown, Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus managed to keep hold of the ball after being surrounded by three Wolves players in the penalty box. The Brazilian played a pass to his teammate, Leandro Trossard, who slashed the ball past Wolves goalkeeper José Sá's fingertips and hit the inside of the right side post to score.
The second half saw Arsenal control the flow of the game, limiting Wolves’ chances of scoring an equalizer.
In the 95th minute, Ødegaard, at the edge of the 6-yard box, shot from a tight angle to put the finishing touches on Arsenal’s victory.
After the club’s elimination in the Champions League last week, Arsenal rebounded with a win and have momentarily captured the Premier League’s top spot with the Gunners’ sixth consecutive away clean sheet in the league and their 15th in total this season — the most of all PL clubs. Arsenal have also scored the game’s first goal in 25 Premier League matches this season, meaning they consistently set themselves up for success.
Trossard scored his ninth league goal and is tied-second among Arsenal’s top goalscorers with Kai Havertz. Only Bukayo Saka has more than either with 14 Premier League goals
Arsenal returns to action in a London Derby against Chelsea on Tuesday at Emirates Stadium.
After the defeat, Wolves remain 11th in the table and without a victory in their previous five Premier League matches, last winning against Fulham 2-1 on March 9.
They have now lost their last six Premier League matches against Arsenal.
Wolves next play Bournemouth at Molineux Stadium on Wednesday.
Out-of-form Liverpool bounce back with a crucial win at Craven Cottage
Diogo Jota sealed a much-needed 3-1 victory for Liverpool over Fulham to sit in second place, level on points with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table but behind on goal difference.
At the 30-minute mark, Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold curled a stunning free-kick at the edge of the penalty box, swerving the ball into the top left corner.
Consequently, Liverpool dropped off its tempo before the halftime break, allowing Fulham to find an equalizer through fullback Timothy Castagne, who side-footed a loose ball inside the penalty area after it rebounded off Reds centerback Jarrell Quansah to score his first goal for the Cottagers.
In the second half, Liverpool came out with a point to prove. Midfielder Harvey Elliot intercepted Fulham winger Alex Iwobi’s cross-field pass and rolled the ball to midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who, in quick succession, curled his shot onto the right side of the net, regaining the Reds’ lead.
Before the full-time whistle, Jota latched onto Cody Gakpo’s through ball inside the left of the penalty box and hammered a shot past Bernd Leno’s finger-tips to complete the victory for Liverpool.
The Reds earned an important win and kept their title-win chances alive after a recent loss to Crystal Palace and a frustrating Europa League elimination at the hands of Atlanta.
Liverpool has now won seven of its last nine Premier League matches on the road.
Jota scored his 10th goal of the season against Fulham. The Portuguese forward also scored his 100th goal for English clubs, having scored 44 with Wolves before reaching a tally of 56 for Liverpool.
A Merseyside derby against Everton awaits Liverpool, as the club travels to Goodison Park on Wednesday.
Fulham stayed in 12th in the Premier League table and suffered its 16th defeat of the season, equalling its total number of defeats from the 2022-23 season, when the Cottagers finished 10th. They now have only one win in their previous five Premier League matches.
Fulham returns to Craven Cottage Saturday in a London Derby against Crystal Palace.
Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil pull Everton away from the drop zone
Everton eased its relegation worries in a 2-0 victory at Goodison Park against fellow drop-contenders Nottingham Forest, who now sit 17th.
In the first half, Toffees midfielder Idrissa Gueye struck a low, long-range shot from outside the penalty box and found the bottom left corner after intercepting Forest fullback Ola Aina’s headed clearance.
Following the halftime interval, Forest began dictating the game, but couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net, with Morgan Gibbs-White coming closest in a moment where he had acres of space inside the penalty area, but sliced his shot wide of Jordan Pickford’s goal.
Everton winger Dwight McNeil effectively wrapped up the match in the 76th minute, playing a one-two with teammate Abdoulaye Doucouré at the edge of the box and striking a low shot that hit the inside of the post and redirected into the goal.
The victory lifts Everton to 16th, five points clear of the relegation zone. Sean Dyche’s men have now won two successive home matches for the first time this season in the Premier League. McNeil scored his third goal of the season in his 200th Premier League appearance.
Next, Everton plays back-to-back home matches with the Merseyside derby against Liverpool on Wednesday preceding a game against 15th-place Brentford, who the Toffees could potentially overtake.
After suffering a huge dent in their survival hopes, Nottingham Forest have just a one point advantage on 18th-placed Luton Town.
While the squad will be agonizing over missed chances, Forest also feels aggrieved from poor refereeing decisions. Everton defender Ashley Young was at the center of three potential penalty calls that the referee did not award Forest. Young appeared to commit fouls on Forest players Giovanni Reyna and Callum Hudson-Odoi and also a handball inside the penalty box, but all incidents were waved away by referee Anthony Taylor, meaning VAR could not intervene.
Nottingham Forest then posted a controversial Tweet post-match, insinuating that Taylor’s known Luton Town fandom affected his refereeing.
Forest will look to overturn their misfortune against Manchester City on Sunday at City Ground.
“Hat Trick” runs every Tuesday.