It felt strange to be watching Premier League football just a few days after a World Cup final, but in this unique season, there is no time to rest before we’re right back in the thick of it again. Boxing Day brought about the return of the 2022-23 Premier League season, and there was no shortage of talking points as the campaign got back underway.
With supporters casting a sharp eye on the football betting market once again, let’s take a look at a few of the most interesting goings-on from the Premier League’s festive return to action.
Spurs claw back a point against Brentford
Anyone who thought Brentford may suffer from the fabled ‘second-season syndrome’ this season have been made to look rather foolish. Thomas Frank’s side have gone from strength to strength, and they will feel unfortunate not to have beaten Tottenham Hotspur at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney established a 2-0 lead for the Bees in a match they looked in firm control of. However, Antonio Conte’s Spurs side have been masters at salvaging points from dangerous positions, and they managed to escape with a draw thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Arsenal keep up the pace
The big question upon the Premier League’s resumption was whether Arsenal would be able to continue their push for the title. No one could have expected Mikel Arteta’s side would find themselves in such a position, but after a 3-1 win over West Ham United, it appeared that there would be no let up in Arsenal’s supreme form.
They were made to work for it though. Said Benrahma’s penalty gave West Ham the lead in the first half, and the Gunners found themselves behind at the break. But this Arsenal team have showed plenty of courage this season, and they did so again in the second half, blitzing West Ham in a 15-minute flurry of goals. Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah did the damage, as the dream was kept alive.
Newcastle still on the march
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United have been one of the standout teams of this Premier League season, and they continued their excellent form with a convincing 3-0 win over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
An early Chris Wood penalty was followed by Miguel Almiron’s fine finish, establishing a 2-0 lead for the visitors after just seven minutes. By half-time, Newcastle led 3-0 thanks to Joelinton’s strike, and that was how it remained on a comfortable afternoon for the Magpies.
Crystal Palace capitulate
Down in south London, Crystal Palace endured a Boxing Day to forget. Up against city rivals Fulham, red cards for Tyrick Mitchell and James Tomkins cost them dearly. Fulham took full advantage, scoring three goals through Bobby Decordova-Reid, Time Ream and Aleksandar Mitrovic to rub salt in the wounds of the miserable Palace fans at Selhurst Park.
There will be better days ahead for Patrick Vieira’s men, but this was a game they’ll want to quickly erase from their memory.
Photo by Nelson Ndongala on Unsplash
