What is it about these two? Newcastle and Liverpoolmet in early December, a precursor to March’sCarabao Cup final. Liverpool were on a run of seven wins in all competitions, most recently over Real Madrid and Manchester City, but St James’ Park under the lights was still an ominous task. The Premier League’s two most potent forwards faced off and both delivered. Newcastle ‘s Alexander Isak scored a thunderous opener, leathering a shot into the top corner, while the Swede also provided an assist for Anthony Gordon. At 2-1 Mohamed Salah put on a clinic with two expertly taken goals and one assist. The Liverpool winger appeared unstoppable at this stage of the season – despite (or because of?) questions circling over his contract – and this game came in the middle of a run when Salah scored 12 goals in 11 games between November and January. A 90th-minute equaliser by Fabian Schär capped a brilliantly even game by two of the league’s outstanding sides.
Football is a rare sport where one side can dominate a game and still lose. And like a chess player who has lost nearly all of their pieces only for a remaining rook to swoop over the board and checkmate the opponent’s king, Bournemouth emerged asthe most unlikely victorsat Goodison Park. They trailed 2-0 until the 87th minute but three goals in the final nine minutes completed one of the most dramatic comebacks in Premier League history. Antoine Semenyo’s 87th-minute tap-in seemed nothing more than a consolation for Bournemouth, but Lewis Cook then headed a 92nd-minute equaliser before Luis Sinisterra’s winner in the 96th sparked wild scenes in the away end. “I think they had one shot on target before [their first goal],” aaid the Everton manager, Sean Dyche. “It’s the most frustrating [defeat of my career]”. The Bournemouth manager, Andoni Iraola, could also barely believe what he had seen but was characteristically gracious in victory: “It was the worst game we played this season. Everton deserved to win.”
This game has perhaps become more interesting in light ofPalace’s FA Cup final triumph. This, however, was a thrilling spectacle in its own right: seven goals, a shock (but well deserved) 2-0 lead for Palace before amagnificent comeback from Manchester City, who according to Pep Guardiola “could have scored eight or nine”. Palace, though, could have been out of sight in the first half and were denied a 3-0 lead by the slightest of offside calls. Instead, City halved the deficit five minutes later through a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick. It was a pleasure to see the Belgian rolling back the years, comfortably the best player on the pitch, as City clawed their way into the lead. Two spectacular goals from youngsters James McAtee – rounding Dean Henderson after a direct assist from Ederson – and Nico O’Reilly completing the rout. The quotes were great too: De Bruyne admitted he “was wondering ‘What’s going on here?’” after Palace’s early lead; McAtee bluntly stated: “Ederson can kick it dead far”; while the Palace manager, Oliver Glasner, said: “As I said to Pep afterwards: ‘If we meet again, you can’t play in this system because we will solve it.’” Such a brave and bold thing to say, but the Austrian was proved right as Palace duly turned the tables at Wembley a month later.
The two encounters between Manchester City and Arsenal this season were very different but both classics, although theirfirst meeting at the Etihad Stadiumshaded it. When Arsenal travelled to Manchester in September, we were still under the impression City would be title contenders once againas they won all four of their opening league matches. A beautiful Ricardo Calafiori strike and a Gabriel Magalhães header (from a corne) had given Arsenal a 2-1 lead, but City’s last-minute equaliser through John Stones felt on point with the 10-man Gunners wilting after Leandro Trossard had seen red in first-half stoppage time. Erling Haaland was not shy in reminding a furious Mikel Arteta to “stay humble” after the final whistle but by the time City visited the Emirates in the reverse fixture in February, City were well out of the title race – nine defeats in 12 matches in all competitions between October and mid-December saw to that – and the Gunners cashed inwith a commanding 5-1 victory. It was notable for Myles Lewis-Skelly’s first Arsenal goal and his meditative yoga pose celebration, a nod to Haaland’s remark. Here’s hoping, from a neutral’s point of view, next season has as much needle riding on the two City-Arsenal games as it did in 2024-25.
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If this was not the match of the season, then Everton’s equaliser in the final men’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park was certainly the moment of the season. When Everton fans look back on the end of this era, surely thedramatic 2-2 draw with Liverpooland those limbs at the Gwladys Street End to celebrate James Tarkowski’s unapologetic, 98th-minute volley will be the first memory that comes to mind. “Four goals, four red cards, one mass brawl plus enough controversy, fury and entertainment to elevate the fixture way above the Premier League norm; the Merseyside derby bid a fitting farewell to Goodison Park,” Andy Hunter’s breathless report had it. The tension of two VAR reviews, Arne Slot’s red card and Abdoulaye Doucouré celebrations in front of the Liverpool fans (and the subsequent melee with Curtis Jones) only added to the spectacle. The game had see-sawed from Everton (through a Beto opener) to Liverpool (thanks to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah) and then back to Everton again. The scores ended level but this was a victory of sorts for all Bluenoses and for Goodison, a last defiant roar,in a men’s game that is, to deny its fiercest rival.