Let’s start here — No one is allowed to say Manchester United “is back” anymore, so don’t expect those words to be said again in this space — at least until the Red Devils look top-four caliber for more than a week at a time.
While Ruben Amorim’s positive results have been few and far between during his young tenure at Manchester United, his last two have come on the stages that mean so much to diehard supporters — a Premier League win over noisy neighbors Manchester City and now a draw against in-tune Liverpoool.
[ MORE: Premier League 2024-25 table | Golden Boot leaders ]
United continue to be graded on a curve given the insipid tenures we’ve seen under bosses from David Moyes to Louis van Gaal to Jose Mourinho to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to Erik ten Hag. Trophies have come around a little but nothing near to the top-of-the-world caliber we saw so often under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Moments like Sunday at Anfield are great for the Premier League because of the din at that ground when both sets of supporters realized the game was in the balance. Liverpool weren’t simply looking at their longtime rivals as a punching bag — there was actual fear of a negative result.
It’s a start for Man Utd, and the draw carries the bonus of keeping the title race look just a bit more open despite Chelsea and Arsenal also drawing this weekend.
There’s one more match in Week 20, and it will have implications near the top and bottom of the table when Wolves host Nottingham Forest at 3pm ET Monday on USA Network and streamling online via NBC.com).
Here are 10 quick thoughts about the nine games staged in Week 20 so far from our writers — Joe Prince-Wright, Andy Edwards, and Nick Mendola.
10 things we learned from Week 20 of the 2024-25 Premier League season
Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Amorim deliver and don’t sugarcoat emotions
Liverpool 2-2 Manchester United
- Liverpool vs Man Utd player ratings
- Three things learned from Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd
- Ruben Amorim, Bruno Fernandes angered by comeback draw
- Arne Slot, Virgil van Dijk thought Liverpool deserved more
- Mo Salah ties Thierry Henry on Premier League all-time goals list
Manchester United’s two biggest personalities — coach and captain — were left fuming because of how well the Red Devils played at Anfield against the best team in the Premier League. Why? Because now they know this sort of intense effort is within this team, and it certainly had not been in previous losses. Amorim said he was upset with had to calm down
Here’s what Bruno Fernandes said, “I’m upset because if we showed this today against Liverpool at Anfield, the highest-performing team in the league, then why can’t we do this every week? We need to be aware that we need much more from ourselves. We need to put pride up.”
Amorim followed up with the same thoughts, and even Liverpool boss Arne Slot seemed to confirm it, noting how well Man United has performed in cup finals and against Man City. Passive aggressive? Sure, but he’s not wrong. The Red Devils need to learn how to replicate their best efforts, and quickly. — Nick Mendola
Depth attackers let down Arteta, Arsenal
- Mikel Arteta baffled by penalty in Arsenal draw
- Three things JPW learned at Brighton 1-1 Arsenal
- Ethan Nwaneri injured after scoring beauty for Gunners
Starting a game without Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard is difficult, but the talent at Arsenal provided plenty of hope that Mikel Arteta’s men could deliver a win even at a tricky, rain-soaked Brighton. Saka remains out for a while with injury, and an ill Odegaard would’ve surely liked to keep his coat on but there was no question he was needed when Arteta plugged him into the match shortly after Brighton made it 1-1. Ethan Nwaneri was decent for the Gunners, and his goal was way better than decent, but the bounces didn’t go Arsenal’s way nor could the other attackers conjure something special. Gabriel Jesus had a decent day but was offside when he nearly bagged a beautiful goal, while teammate and ex-Seagull winger Leandro Trossard was booed all day and his performance suffered under the weight of the vitriol heaped on him, going the full 90 minutes but managing just two touches in the Brighton box. It says a lot that Seagulls center backs Jan Paul van Hecke and Igor Thiago — the latter of whom left the game injured after 66 minutes — were the game’s Nos. 2 and 3 players in touches on the ball behind Arsenal center back William Saliba. Brighton’s back line was largely comfortable, and Seagulls keeper Bart Verbruggen had less to do than counterpart David Raya. — Nick Mendola
How many cracks does Romeo Lavia actually paper over?
Not to sound like a broken record (here), but Chelsea were once again just another side twisting in the wind (that also happened to cost well over a billion dollars to assemble) without Romeo Lavia in the side. The oft-injured Belgian missed his fifth straight PL game with a hamstring injury. Chelsea looked terribly susceptible to the counter-attack as they desperately clung to a narrow lead for most of the second half, leaving a makeshift defense even more exposed without its midfield marshal there to shield the back line and goalkeeper. Aside from Cole Palmer’s goal and a big chance from a corner kick in the 28th minute, Chelsea didn’t create much of note either so Lavia’s absence is surely felt there as well. Palace let themselves get a bit too open and exposed in the first half, thus most of Chelsea’s best moves came on the counter. When that went away after halftime, Chelsea simply had no answers to unlock Palace’s defense and put the game away. — Andy Edwards
Struggling Spurs have to keep the faith with Ange
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Newcastle United
Tottenham have taken just five points from their last eight Premier League games but with so many injuries and now illness sweeping through the team, there should not be pressure on Ange Postecoglou. Spurs’ patched-up side dug deep against an in-form and resilient Newcastle side and were unlucky to not grab a point. Third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin was excellent and youngsters Bergvall and Gray are progressing massively after being thrown in out of necessity. Tottenham are in a strange position where everybody wants to blame someone for their top four hopes taking a huge hit in the last month but there isn’t anybody to blame. When Spurs have a fully-fit side there’s no doubting they can go toe-to-toe with everyone in the league. That isn’t the case right now and the players clearly believe in what Ange wants them to do, even though the results haven’t been positive. There are other factors for that and everybody at Tottenham needs to get behind Postecoglou, help him bring in some more experience in the transfer market this month and when things improve with injuries you can see Spurs making a late season push. Short-term it’s not great but long-term Ange Postecoglou is still the answer. — Joe Prince-Wright
Pep Guardiola tries to stay steady at Man City’s four-star wheel
Manchester City 4-1 West Ham United
We all know what’s happened to Manchester City over the past two months, a collective that includes City boss Pep Guardiola. During previous dry spells at City, Guardiola was quick to talk about the performance rather than the results. But this one has seen Guardiola lamenting injuries and failings from his players, so would he be buoyant after a pair of Erling Haaland goals and a bright day for Savinho led a three-goal win? Or might Guardiola stay consistent and talk about the fact that West Ham were right there with City in the first half, only to get to half time with the score line 2-0 to his side? He went with the latter, and that’s what we should’ve all expected from the Catalan wizard. City were good enough to win Saturday, and their finishing was near its best. The possession was decent, too, but there were still mistakes and there’s a long way to go for City to reach any of their season goals. Guardiola was the right guy to build up the side and the right one to keep them near their best levels. Now we’re finding out he might be the right guy to handle the rebuild, too. — Nick Mendola
Unai Emery’s Villa far from spoiled
Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester City
Too often in the Premier League, we find teams who buy their own hype and lose the resolve that got them to their lofty statuses. Unai Emery’s not letting that happen to Aston Villa. Yes, they’ve been worn down by fixtures but they haven’t turned into a side who latch onto excuses and let points slip due to lack of effort. Saturday saw Villa down good defenders Pau Torres and Diego Carlos, was without suspended striker Jhon Duran, and lost John McGinn to an early injury. There are names on the bench that only Villa diehards recognize, and turns out that’s fine by Emery. The Villans answered Leicester’s equalizer with a well-celebrated first goal of the season for Leon Bailey, who was very good, and then didn’t shirk their responsibilities as Ruud van Nistelrooy’s desperate Foxes hunted a second answer. This won’t be mentioned amongst Villa’s results of the season, but they needed all three points and got them — don’t ignore these sorts of mettle showcases when you see them. — Nick Mendola
Everton’s pivotal 2025 off to rocky start
Every time I have had the (mild dis)pleasure of covering Everton this season, I find myself wondering how in the world they’re going to fix this (and how it got this bad). Everton fans are not having any fun this season — We see your pain — in what should be a celebratory send-off for Goodison Park. They’re not winning, they’re not entertaining, and they’re not improving. But the club finally have new owners and the January transfer window is open, so it’s time for someone to figure it out. The squad clearly needs improvement to be more competitive this season, but then you stop to think, “Is Sean Dyche the one you want to back with hundreds of millions of dollars (because that’s what’s going to be required) to build his own team from scratch?” Understatement of the Year: These next 12 months are absolutely massive for Everton Football Club. — Andy Edwards
Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo stake claim for ‘best of the rest’
There are a handful of Premier League players outside of the ‘Big Six’ who are worthy of being in the conversation as the best players outside of that group and Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa are right up there with the likes of Eberechi Eze, Joao Pedro, and Antoine Semenyo. The Brentford strikers are individually brilliant but as a duo they are almost unstoppable when they get time and space like they did at Southampton. They absolutely annihilated Saints with their quick movements, clever running, and clinical finishing. Brentford are so happy to have them. Kevin Schade is a great foil too with his pace creating space, as Brentford’s recruitment continues to be fantastic. Ivan Toney will always be respected but Mbeumo and Wissa’s form means that he seems like a distant memory just a few months after his departure. — Joe Prince-Wright
A January draw to remember in May
This crazy game felt like two teams dropping points that may stop them short of their season goals come Week 38. Fulham are in the thick of a nearly unfathomably-deep pool of teams that could play in Europe next season. Say what you will about Manchester United and Tottenham this season, but their resources mean their bottom-half statuses will remain very rare. Fulham have only lost four times this season but have also drawn at home to Ipswich, Bournemouth, Southampton, Everton, and West Ham. Marco Silva’s men should be furious to sit 10th in this season given the above. Ipswich, on the other hand, have played a lot of good football but it feels like they’re racking up so many of the “almost” results that plague eventually relegated sides — the 1-0 home loss to Palace and 2-1 home loss to Bournemouth both should’ve been at least a point. This result, while away from Portman Road, feels like it should’ve been three. — Nick Mendola
Liverpool have a Trent Alexander-Arnold problem
Liverpool 2-2 Manchester United
- Liverpool vs Man Utd player ratings
- Three things learned from Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd
- Ruben Amorim, Bruno Fernandes angered by comeback draw
- Arne Slot, Virgil van Dijk thought Liverpool deserved more
- Mo Salah ties Thierry Henry on Premier League all-time goals list
The fact that Liverpool fans at Anfield were getting on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s back about his reported desire to move to Real Madrid said it all about his display. Defensively he was all over the place, as Manchester United’s two goals came down his side and he was subbed off late on as Arne Slot couldn’t trust him to defend. Alexander-Arnold has been good for most of this season but we all know he has a problem with being caught too high up the pitch. United exposed that ruthlessly and there is now a real question about Alexander-Arnold’s focus as he’s in the last six months of his contract at Liverpool and his display on Sunday suggests he’s already thinking about a move to Real Madrid. — Joe Prince-Wright
