Let’s begin our wrap of this wild week in the Premier League by talking about a game that wasn’t completed and has dominated many minds.
Luton Town hero and Welsh international Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Bournemouth, and manager Rob Edwards was in tears after the game.
[ MORE: Premier League table — Standings from 2023-24 season ]
For this writer — from Buffalo, New York — it was an eerie reminder, maybe even a gut punch; For it was almost one year ago that Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a heart injury and was saved on the field in Cincinnati. Quick action from players, coaches, officials, and medical personnel made a huge difference there and Hamlin is playing for the Bills this weekend versus Dallas. Whether Lockyer returns again or not, there were many heroes on Saturday at the Vitality Stadium who stepped up to make sure Lockyer is still among us a day later.
One of the bittersweet aspects of both incidents across two continents was how both competitors came together after near-tragedy. Bills fans will tell you how much it meant that Bengals coach Zac Taylor recognized something bigger than American football was occurring in Ohio and led the way in postponing the game, and Andoni Iraola and Bournemouth filled that role admirably vs Luton as the soccer world worried about Lockyer.
Back to the pitch... Let’s relive Week 17 with our writers Joe Prince-Wright, Nick Mendola, and Andy Edwards supplying analysis on the 10 games played in England’s top flight.
10 things we learned from Week 17 of the 2023-24 Premier League season
Gunners ooze class as Jesus, Havertz stand up
This was a brilliant display from Arsenal as they carved Brighton open time and time again and two players who have been criticized for not finishing enough did the damage. With lots of chat about Ivan Toney potentially coming in this January, Gabriel Jesus put in a brilliant center forward display. He never gave Brighton a moment to rest and stopped them playing out from the back, then took his goal really well. As for Kai Havertz, he drifted around in a more attacking role in midfield and was always an option. He finished calmly when played clean through as his confidence levels continue to rise. Arsenal may still need to add a forward to complete this squad but Jesus and Havertz proved their worth and the midfield — Declan Rice was majestic again — and defense is now set. They stopped Brighton registering a single shot on goal in the first half which is the first time that’s happened since Roberto De Zerbi arrived 49 games ago. They also ended Brighton’s run of 32-straight games with at least a goal, underscoring their defensively solidity. But the main thing that will stop Arsenal from winning the Premier League title this season is scoring regularly and it’s now up to Jesus and Havertz (probably their two best finishers) to kick on over the festive period. If they do that, maybe Arsenal don’t need to buy a new No. 9 in January... and maybe this is their year? - Joe Prince-Wright
Ten Hag’s plan to flummox Anfield works as Varane, Shaw, Onana shine
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United | JPW’s player ratings
Liverpool from top-to-bottom is a better team than Manchester United, but the Red Devils were strong in the important places on Sunday when it came to hunting a point against a better side away from home. Erik ten Hag was forced into using World Cup winner Raphael Varane — what a sentence — and the Frenchman was his Man of the Match, with 15 clearances amongst his 20 defensive actions and a 4-of-4 duel mark. Liverpool could not isolate Jonny Evans, and the Northern Irish veteran was pretty good, too. Luke Shaw had his hands full with Trent Alexander-Arnold and a red-hot Mohamed Salah, who was effective but kept off the score sheet while taking six shots and creating five chances. What helped more? No mistakes from eight-save Andre Onana. Diogo Dalot (pre- red card) and Sofyan Amrabat — the latter at times looking like a third center back — were quite good, too. There were also, arguably, some unforced errors from Jurgen Klopp. He couldn’t do anything about Ryan Gravenberch’s injury sub in the 61st minute, but taking off Dominik Szoboszlai at the same time shook up the contest and the Reds then rarely got anything going once Luis Diaz departed in the 78th. - Nicholas Mendola
Late Man City capitulations point to boredom
Manchester City have dropped points in five of their last six Premier League games and it keeps happening late in games. Why? Well, quite simply they look very bored; They’ve dominated most of these games for so long. Against Crystal Palace they were 2-0 up, cruising — could have scored five or six — but then as soon as Palace scored in the 76th minute everything changed. Just like their recent draws against Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham, Man City were dominant for large spells of those games and looked like they had done more than enough to win it. But there is a lack of focus, concentration, and cutting edge creeping in during the final stages of games which keeps coming back to haunt the treble winners. Pep Guardiola will hate that. City dropped two points against Palace in a very similar way to how they coughed up points against Liverpool and Spurs at home and if they want to win the Premier League for a fourth-straight season, they cannot afford many more mental lapses like this one. The fact City were flying out to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup after this game seemed to be on the minds of the players as they were coasting and they were caught out. Again. You can’t switch off against any team in the Premier League and City known that better than anyone given their domination over the last few years. - Joe Prince-Wright
Chelsea go to the grimy places to grind out win
Neither the Blues nor Blades side found any joy to speak of during a dire first half, as Chelsea and Sheffield United combined for 0.28 xG on eight shots (one on target) between them. Very little of what Chelsea did in the second half could be considered aesthetically pleasing football, but through sheer will — and a bit of chaos — they found a way through not long after the restart. Raheem Sterling picked the ball up atop the penalty area and beat two defenders to the end line before cutting a hard, low cross in front of goal. Cole Palmer arrived from deep and touched it home from six yards out with three defenders surrounding him. Seven minutes later, another cross led to the easiest goal that Nicolas Jackson will ever score. Palmer played the ball to Sterling inside the penalty area but he couldn’t corral it in traffic. Conor Gallagher got a touch amid the scrum as well, but eventually it fell back to Palmer, who squared across the face of goal to Jackson, who was standing all by himself at the far post to tap it in and put the game to bed. - Andy Edwards
Liverpool’s rare goose egg stalls title charge
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United | JPW’s player ratings
Jurgen Klopp was right to be a bit bemused by the scoreless draw, and his words following Liverpool’s failure to score against Manchester United showed his frustration. Klopp claimed that Liverpool were better on the day than it was in last season’s 7-0 demolition of the Red Devils at Anfield. That’s bonkers, but he’s right that Liverpool were superior on the day but never found the goal to potentially break open the dam. Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold were terrific on the right side but Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane really frustrated them. Darwin Nunez and Ibrahima Konate both pumped chances to Andre Onana, while Luis Diaz prepared a meal but neither he nor his recipients were ready to feast. The Reds have had better days, but every point dropped while Man City is stumbling and without Kevin De Bruyne feels like one that will burn them in the end. - Nicholas Mendola
Villa win ugly as Watkins now Villan and a villain
Aston Villa’s win was a very entertaining one, but fines will likely be coming to both teams after frustrations boiled over and left a mess all over the kitchen. Ollie Watkins, a seemingly beloved former Bee, provided the go-ahead goal for Villa against his 10-man old friends. Watkins celebrated against his old club, but it was more about the location of the party, as Sam Ghoddos and then several teammates took great offense to Watkins and his teammates’ setting up shop inside the Bees’ goal. Tempers stayed hot as Villa’s Emiliano Martinez flopped to the turf after Neal Maupay ran past him to pick up a corner kick, and a second incident saw Martinez somehow evade a red card for trying to pick up a prone Maupay by the shirt with two hands. The incident saw Boubacar Kamara sent off in the aftermath. It was embarrassing for Martinez and not a great moment for Watkins, who tried to explain himself to Bees boss Thomas Frank after the match. It did not appear to go over very well. Villa’s very good, and this colors what should be a great discussion about the Villa’s rallying to strengthen their surprising title case. Unai Emery certainly wasn’t happy with some of the Villans’ antics. - Nicholas Mendola
Sean Dyche shows Turf Moor a familiar act
For many years, pundits wondered what Sean Dyche’s Burnley would look like with a bigger budget. And the post-Dyche takeover of the club started to show us a bit of it. New boss Vincent Kompany rampaged the Championship with fantastic football, and ascended to the Premier League with a lot of hope while former boss Sean Dyche was predicted by some to have as many face palms as wins at Everton. Nope. The only thing keeping Dyche’s Everton from a European charge right now is their 10-point deduction, as the players who know his system front-to-back — Dwight McNeil, James Tarkowski — have been joined by prototypical Dyche players in forming a team that no one will relish seeing on their docket. Everton’s sixth in expected points, sixth in xGA, and eighth in xG. Those numbers will sink a little by the end of the matchweek, but Dyche would be front-runner for Manager of the Year in a world without Ange Postecoglou. Then again, he probably likes it this way. - Nicholas Mendola
Lewis Miley the real deal, shows Newcastle academy growth
Newcastle’s latest breakthrough is Lewis Miley, and the 17-year-old looks capable of being everything the Magpies would like to tout from their academy: A local boy who can reach the very highest of levels. The Magpies’ academy has produced so many great players over the years, from Peter Beardsley and Lee Clark to Andy Carroll, but the true elite talents had slowed to a trickle as the club failed to get bright lights like Adam Armstrong and Matty Longstaff to the next level. Recent years, however, have seen Sean Longstaff become a regular, while Elliot Anderson has slowly turned into a true factor. Miley, however, could be the best of the bunch by a mile. A young 17 — his birthday’s in May — Miley plays aggressive, passionate football and seeks the ball in the final third, usually looking to set up the forwards. Keep an eye on the young midfield menace, whose 19-year-old brother Jamie is also drawing positive reviews. - Nicholas Mendola
Dangerous Hammers have increased quality
The trio of Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, and Mohammed Kudus showcased why West Ham can beat anyone on their day. Over the last few years David Moyes’ side often set up to be tough to beat; They sit back and then hit teams on the counter and from set pieces. This year is no different but they now have players in the attacking areas who have taken their games to a new level. Bowen and Paqueta have kicked on and improved again, while Kudus adds incredible speed and clinical finishing to the team. James Ward-Prowse’s wonderful deliveries lead to so many chances for West Ham’s massive team who for a long time have been one of the best in the Premier League when it comes to set-piece goals. There are weaknesses to West Ham’s game and they may not be the most attractive or adventurous side to watch, but their win against Wolves on Sunday showed they have improved their strengths massively this season. - Joe Prince-Wright
Spurs win, but lose another player as AFCON looms large
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Yves Bissouma was sent off after 70 minutes for a highly dangerous tackle on Ryan Yates. Bissouma put his studs into Yates’ knee as the two challenged for a 50-50 ball. After initially receiving a yellow card, Bissouma was shown red for the second time in eight appearances. The Mali international will be banned for four games, but likely won’t feature for Spurs again until late January or early February as he is eligible to return a day after the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off, on Jan. 13. - Andy Edwards
