Man City with 6th win in a row
©IMAGO
This text first appeared on December 27th at 3:29 p.m. and was adjusted after the afternoon games.
Florian Wirtz scored his redeeming first goal in the Premier League. In Liverpool FC’s 2-1 win against bottom team Wolverhampton Wanderers, the German international scored to make it 2-0. Arsenal FC regained the lead with a 2-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion after Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest 2-1.
A double strike shortly before half-time helped Liverpool win against Wolves. Ex-Munich player Ryan Gravenberch (41′) gave the Reds the lead before Wirtz was able to increase a short time later after an assist from Hugo Ekitiké (42′). For the criticized German international, who came from Bayer Leverkusen for 125 million euros in the summer, it was a liberation – the first Liverpool goal after 23 appearances. Santiago Bueno scored the goal at the start of the second half (51′), but the Reds managed to win over time. It was the sixth game without defeat for Arne Slot’s team, which temporarily jumped to fourth place.
Before the Premier League duel between Liverpool and Wolverhampton, the late Jota, who played for both clubs in his career, was remembered with an emotional gesture. Before kick-off at Anfield, Jota’s sons Dinis and Duarte ran onto the pitch alongside LFC captain Virgil van Dijk. A mural honoring the Portuguese striker was previously unveiled near the stadium. It shows Jota forming his hands into a heart. It says “Forever 20” underneath. Jota’s shirt number 20 will no longer be used at Liverpool FC after his death. In the 20th minute of the game, the Anfield spectators rose to their feet, applauded and chanted Jota’s name.
Arsenal regains league lead
Arsenal FC regained the lead in the table with a 2-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. The Gunners won in front of their home crowd thanks to a goal from Martin Ødegaard and an own goal from ex-Hoffenheim player Georginio Rutter. Diego Gómez (64th) brought Fabian Hürzeler’s team into the game again, but in the end the North Londoners won. The lead over Man City is now two points.
6th win in a row for Man City
Manchester City’s professionals survived the Christmas holidays well and secured a valuable win in their last Premier League game of the year. Coach Pep Guardiola’s team won 2-1 (0-0) at Nottingham Forest and temporarily pushed Arsenal off the top of the table. Before the game, Guardiola had threatened his team with a weight check after Christmas dinner.
Initially, the spectators at the Forest Ground saw an uneventful game. Things only got interesting after the half-time break. With the first real shot on goal, Tijjani Reijnders (48th) made it 1-0. However, the lead only lasted a short time. After a quick counterattack by the hosts, Omari Hutchinson (54th) equalized.
Afterwards, an open game developed with opportunities on both sides, with City having the better chances, but being denied several times by Nottingham’s strong goalkeeper John Victor. Erling Haaland, who caused laughter on social media with a photo of his scales in response to Guardiola’s announcement, remained goalless. Summer signing Rayan Cherki (83rd), who came from Lyon for 36.5 million euros, scored the decisive goal in the Citizens’ deserved victory. For Haaland’s team it was the sixth win in a row in the Premier League since the 2-0 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen.