In the UK this weekend, we were braced for some bad weather conditions, and that wasn’t just because of the storm spoken about by Ruben Amorim midweek, but Storm Darragh which caused major disruptions across the footballing world as travel issues rose, games were postponed and those that did take place had to factor in the gale-force winds effecting play.

Despite the weather and risk of postponement across the round of fixtures, we still saw most football go ahead as the league kicked on and the cancellation of some fixtures also meant teams in the league could put pressure on, or even leapfrog some of their league neighbours.

As always, in this post we will be picking out 3 of the biggest talking points of the weekend, along with giving out the game of the week and player of the week awards. If we’ve missed something in this post that you saw over the weekend please do get in touch with us on all the usual places (Bluesky @NextGoalWinner – Instagram @NextGoalWin), and if you prefer an audio round up of the action then do check out our YouTube channel (@NextGoalWinner) where we post weekly reviews on there of all the key talking points in the Premier League and around Europe.

There’s A Storm Coming

As mentioned, Storm Darragh caused a lot of chaos across the UK this weekend, and took full effect on the footballing calendar, with most amateur games postponed, we also had an impact to professional game, as several clashes were postponed, most notably the Everton vs Liverpool game which was scheduled for midday on Saturday.

In what was scheduled to be the final Merseyside derby at Everton’s current stadium before their move in the summer, the postponement means we will have to wait a few weeks more as the higher ups in the league search the schedule for a new date/time for the game.

While the safety of everyone involved travelling to games and being in and around the stadium is paramount, the disappointment was surely felt as this exciting lunchtime treat of a fixture left many without the perfect start to a big weekend of football.

Manchester Misery

While over in Merseyside the game was called off, both sides down the road in Manchester would have probably wished for the same looking back after their respective results, where United were beaten at home against Nottingham Forest, while City had to settle for a point on the road away at Crystal Palace.

For United, Amorim had made a strong start, with 1 draw followed by 2 wins and the only hiccup coming in the midweek loss to Arsenal. With a home tie against an up and down Forest side, fans were confident of recovering from the midweek setback to see goals flying in amid the poor conditions. Although not in the way fans perhaps expected, but we did see goals in the game as Forest took a lead inside of 2 minutes from yet another set piece mess in United’s defence which was converted well by Milenkovic. The lead only lasted until the 18th minute however as United’s choice of forward for the afternoon Rasmus Hojlund turned poacher to Garnacho’s saved effort to send both teams in at half-time level.

In the second half it was almost a repeat as Forest got going instantly with Gibbs-White catching Onana sleeping as his effort swerved slightly out of the keepers path but Onana will have known he should have done much better, and the incredibly low xG (0.03) suggests any keeper should have not let that in. Onana’s chaotic energy resonated across the squad as mistakes continued to happen for the home team which then allowed birthday boy Chris Wood to make it 3-1 as Martinez simply watched the ball drift in at the far post. Although Fernandes pulled one back in the 61st minute, the substitutes and changes from Amorim couldn’t do enough and in the closing stages we saw the sheer level of naivety as Onana wasted 1 minute of the 6 added on arguing about the placement of a United free-kick inside their own half.

This result ends Amorim’s home run of wins and leaves United unable to capitalise on the results elsewhere to climb the table, and with City up next it will be a week of trying to figure out more from the side and remove the mistakes for Amorim while also fitting in a tricky away Europa League trip on Thursday.

For the blue side of Manchester, they travelled south to take on Crystal Palace, with their midweek win over Forest hoping to be a springboard for them to re-join the title contenders and end Guardiola’s month of misery. This wasn’t to be either however as Palace took the lead in the 4th minute with Munoz converting from a terrific Will Hughes pass. City fought back and in the 30th minute levelled things up with Haaland getting his obligatory finish. In the second half it continued to mainly be City with the ball, but Palace got the better of the chances early in the half as they went ahead again through Lacroix, before Rico Lewis levelled the game in the 68th minute. The final piece of notable action came in the 84th minute when goal scorer Lewis received his second yellow card and was sent off to leave his side to settle for a point on the road which despite closing the gap on leaders Liverpool today, the game in hand will surely become a factor down the line when City could fall further behind.

These 2 results left City in 4th but 8 points adrift of Liverpool who have the aforementioned game to play, while United sit in the bottom half still looking up as they stick in 13th. Palace were able to climb a bit further away from the drop zone where they now have a 4 point gap from the bottom 3, while high-flying Forest sit 2 points behind City in 5th (all accurate as of Saturday evening before Sunday/Monday’s action).

London Shines

While the Manchester sides struggled on Saturday, on Sunday the London derby between Spurs and Chelsea brought plenty of drama from down south as the 7 goal battle resulted in Chelsea coming away the happier side with all 3 points and potential shouts for a title race push this season if they can continue to add to the early signs of promise they’ve displayed at times this season.

he game began explosively, with Spurs racing to a 2-0 lead within the first 11 minutes. Dominic Solanke opened the scoring in the 5th minute, capitalizing on a slip by Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella. Just six minutes later, Dejan Kulusevski doubled Tottenham’s advantage with a precise finish. Chelsea responded swiftly, as Jadon Sancho reduced the deficit in the 17th minute with a well-placed shot.

The second half saw Chelsea intensify their efforts to overturn the deficit. Their persistence paid off in the 61st minute when Cole Palmer converted a penalty, awarded after Yves Bissouma’s reckless challenge on Moises Caicedo. Chelsea continued to press and took the lead in the 73rd minute through Enzo Fernández’s powerful strike. Palmer further extended the lead in the 84th minute with his second penalty of the match, following a foul by Pape Matar Sarr. Tottenham managed a late consolation goal in stoppage time, with Son Heung-Min finding the net, but Chelsea held on to secure a 4-3 victory.

This comeback win propelled Chelsea to second place in the Premier League standings, narrowing the gap to leaders Liverpool. The match also highlighted Tottenham’s defensive vulnerabilities, as they squandered a two-goal lead at home. The defeat marked their 11th instance in Premier League history of losing a match after leading by two or more goals, underscoring a recurring issue for the team.

Elsewhere around the capital, West Ham picked up a big win over Wolves to edge away from the relegation zone, Palace picked up the aforementioned point as they hosted a struggling Manchester City side and Arsenal struggled to break down Fulham as their draw couldn’t allow them to close the gap on Liverpool.

Game of the week: Tottenham Hotspur 3-4 Chelsea With a 7 goal thriller to round off Sunday’s action we have to go with the Chelsea win over Tottenham as the game of the week. Palmer’s quality and composure shone as we’ve come to expect and Spurs are left wondering if they will ever defend a lead again.

Player of the week: Morgan Gibbs-White With a goal and assist at Old Trafford, Gibbs-White was hugely influential in picking up a big win for Forest to keep their impressive run going. With United pushing to get back into the game, Gibbs-White’s goal put Forest back ahead, and his assist for Chris Wood minutes later put the away side out of reach in what was a historic result for Nottingham Forest who have beaten United back-to-back in league games for the first time since 1992.