I *AM* Leavin'!

Brentford 4 Brighton 2

The football gods have blessed us with a wealth of midtable talent and play that’s pleasing to the eye. While the European race appears to be run for the Birds (er, Seagulls) and the Bees, they still make for delightful viewing.

Bryan Mbeumo scored a brace for Brentford, with Yoanne Wissa and Christian Norgaard also adding goals to propel Thomas Frank’s side to a home victory. Mbeumo and Wissa—the Prem’s Dame Lillard and CJ McCollum—sit 4th and 6th in scoring charts with 18 and 16 goals respectively. Each assisted the other on Saturday, further cementing their status as the league’s most underrated attacking threat, though they become more “rated” with each passing edition of Inbox FC.

The ageless Danny Welbeck and Kaoru Mitoma were scorers for Brighton, while Joao Pedro earned a red card.

Palace 0 Bournemouth 0

Palace fell to ten men when Chris Richards received an exceptionally harsh second yellow card in first-half stoppage time. Handicapped in numbers, they failed to register a single shot on target in the match.

Still, they managed to hang on for a point against a similarly toothless Bournemouth. There are many games we would’ve predicted to finish 0-0. This is not one of them.

Everton 0 City 2

No Cole Palmer redux at City. Not this time. Nico O’Reilly continues to reward the club for refusing to sanction his January exit, finding the breakthrough in the 84th minute to make it consecutive games with a goal. Mateo Kovacic doubled the advantage in stoppage time to deal Everton a cruel defeat in one of their last matches at Goodison Park.

Just two matches left at a crumbling and cozy cathedral of English football.

For City, it’s a crucial win—as they all are—in a claustrophobic battle for top 5. Places three through seven are separated by just two points.

West Ham 1 Southampton 1

It would be hard to pick a less appetizing fixture than this one, but Hammers-Saints delivered the drama in the form of a 93rd-minute Lesley Ugochukwu equalizer.

The draw ensures that Southampton won’t register the lone-worst points total in Premier League history, as they move level with that wretched Derby County campaign. Put differently:

West Ham haven’t won since February against Leicester, and though they won’t be relegated, 17th is a disaster for Potter’s side. Bear in mind that this is a club that felt the Moyes and actively chose to no longer feel the Moyes.

Villa 4 Newcastle 1

The meeting of two in-form Champions League contenders had us salivating, but it was Villa foaming at the mouth to convincingly dispatch their competition, with Ollie Watkins scoring in the first minute.

Though Fabian Schar equalized shortly after, this match belonged entirely to the Villans in the second half, with Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana each scoring beauties and lanky Dan Burn contributing an own goal. It’s Villa’s fifth consecutive victory in the Prem and a meaningful step into the Champions League-qualifying fray.

Most importantly, Unai Emery’s side showed no signs of deflation from their midweek exit from this year’s competition, instead using their heroic performance as a source of fuel and belief for the domestic run-in.

United 0 Wolves 1

You know who didn’t use their heroic midweek performance as a source of fuel and belief for the domestic run-in?

United.

In fairness, the rest of the domestic campaign is meaningless for the Red Devils, though some momentum certainly wouldn’t hurt a club that has struggled to build any. And nothing washes away the glorious euphoria of a legendary victory like a 1-0 defeat to Wolves. Wolves by no means played Amorim’s side off the pitch, but they found the critical breakthrough—from a sublime Pablo Sarabia free kick—while their opposition did not.

Wolves picked the perfect time to take their form to a different level, going unbeaten in their last six matches in the league dating back to late February. That run has seen them not only avoid relegation but climb to 15th, level on points with United. Oh, how rude of us, by the way—congratulations are in order.

A big tip of the cap to United for officially avoiding the drop.

Fulham 1 Chelsea 2

Chelsea are perhaps the most befuddling side in the league this season. Based on the fan and pundit reaction to their performances and manager, you might think they’re struggling in midtable. The (perhaps harsh) treatment continued as the “traveling” support at Craven Cottage voiced their displeasure at Maresca and Company at half-time, with the Blues behind 1-0 thanks to an Alex Iwobi goal.

However, as much Jekyll as they are Hyde, Chelsea rallied with two goals in the final 15 minutes of the match, first through youngster Tyrique George and then Pedro Neto. The win sees Chelsea in sixth place in the table and very much in the hunt for Champions League. Last we checked, sixth is not, in fact, midtable, and though it’s not a title, it would be a commendable result in a manager’s first season with a young (albeit expensive) side.

Also important is the emerging form of Jadon Sancho, whose halftime introduction provided a significant attacking spark for Chelsea. The please-don’t-nullify-your-obligation-to-buy-me plea persists.

Ipswich 0 Arsenal 4

Sorry, Liverpool. Your wait continues.

A loss to Ipswich and a Reds win would’ve mathematically eliminated Arsenal from title contention and handed Liverpool the trophy, but come on! This is Arsenal, slayer of European giants! Facing Ipswich, singers of Sheeran.

Arteta’s side showed no signs of a hangover from their exhilarating midweek conquest, and they were aided by a red card for Ipswich’s Leif Davis in the 32nd minute. Leandro Trossard scored a brace for the Gunners, while Gabriel Martinelli (from a Mikel Merino backheel) and Ethan Nwaneri also added goals.

The drop awaits Ipswich, and Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes remain atop the hot seat; they face another can’t-lose match against Palace on Wednesday.

Leicester 0 Liverpool 1

Did Liverpool want to win the title at the King Power, anyway? Arsenal’s victory meant the occasion would be nothing more than an opportunity to move within one win of the trophy.

But for whatever reason, Liverpool appeared reluctant to take that step for much of this match. In fact, Leicester registered the first true warning shot, with Patson Daka finding the back of the net only to have the goal disallowed for a (pretty soft) foul on Alisson.

Trent Alexander-Arnold returned from injury in the 71st minute, and five minutes later, he lashed home with his left foot from a scramble in the box. The scouser in the team whipped off his shirt in a fiery celebration and failed knee-slide in front of the traveling support.

Since every Liverpool fan has analyzed the scenes like the Zapruder film to find clues as to whether Alexander-Arnold intends to stay or leave for Madrid, here’s our take. This was no Jordan Belfort I’m not leaving moment. This was less a grab-the-badge (granted, his shirt was gone), embrace-the-supporters turning point and more a cunning, even spiteful “still hate me now?” smile directed at those who are (rightfully) sour that an academy product is leaving the club on a free transfer.

Either way, Alexander-Arnold created a memorable moment—perhaps one of his last in red—to give “his” club a chance at sealing glory at Anfield next weekend.

Spurs 0 Forest

Forest notched two consecutive losses and it feels like everyone collectively decided to count them out, patronizing their high-flying campaign as a feel-good story that ultimately fell short of the mark.

You know who didn’t count out Forest? Forest.

Elliot Anderson channeled his inner Stevie G in the fifth minute, unleashing on the ball to ensure it would sizzle through every obstacle on its meteoric journey to the back of the net. Eleven minutes later, an Anthony Elanga cross found the dangerous head of Forest’s tallest tree, Chris Wood, to double the lead.

Spurs recorded a consolation goal through a Richarlison header in the 87th minute to add zest to the closing minutes, but they couldn’t find the equalizer, and like United, they couldn’t find a way to sustain the momentum of a galvanizing Europa League victory.

Forest move back into the familiar comfort of third place with the win, while Spurs languish in sixteenth. Sixteenth! Spurs supporters will hope that Dan Levy goes all Ari Gold on Ange the second their Europa campaign ends, even if it’s in triumph.

But reality likely favors a more meek and professional “removal from his duties.”

3⃣ Espanyol won their third straight match, making it four unbeaten. Marash Kumbulla was the lone scorer on Friday evening, pushing the home side into 13th place, six points clear of the drop.

7⃣ Level on points with Espanyol are Valencia, who drew 1-1 with Rayo to take their unbeaten run to seven matches.

🥇 It took a 98th-minute Raphinha penalty, but Barcelona escaped with a 4-3 win over Celta Vigo, fending off a Borja Iglesias hat trick. Raphinha’s penalty made it a brace, with Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo adding goals. Flick’s men are flickering.

💀 Simeone’s side are the walking dead, and they’re struggling to limp over the line with too many pounds of flesh taken from their clashes with Barcelona and Madrid. Javi Munoz scored a 93rd-minute winner to send the Estadio Gran Canaria into delirium, as those three points could prove vital in staving off relegation for Las Palmas.

🥈 After the lifeless midweek defeat to Arsenal, things are getting testy at the Bernabeu, and the frustration continued to simmer through 92 minutes of fruitless efforts against Athletic Bilbao. But even when form is flailing, the presence of world-class talent is enough to make the difference, a reality demonstrated with panache by Fede Valverde’s 93rd-minute wonderstrike on the half-volley.

Title challenge, still on.

🟢 Betis made easy work of Girona, who are doing a dangerous dance closer to the drop with each passing week. Johnny Cardoso opened the scoring, Antony added a clinical first-time finish, and Isco made it three. With the fifth spot now confirmed to be a Champions League qualifier, Betis are very much in the hunt.

⚽⚽ Assane Diao scored a brace for Como in their 3-0 win at Lecce. The Senegalese attacker might be the most impactful signing of the winter window; despite only arriving in January, he leads the club in goals.

📈 Napoli dealt with cellar-dwellers Monza on the road, finding the winner through Scott McTominay, who has delivered an impressive nine Serie A goals in his debut campaign. It remains mind-numbing, even with the financially advantageous nature of selling homegrown players, that United showed McTominay the door. With the win and Inter’s stumble, Napoli move level on points with the league leaders.

🎄 Will Roma ever lose in Serie A again? Eldor Shumorodov scored in the fourth minute, and that was enough to secure a crucial win for Ranieri’s side in a subdued affair against Verona. This Roma team is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.

🛟 Empoli and Venezia played to a 2-2 draw in what could’ve been a relegation six-pointer. The draw ensures the survival of their survival hopes.

✂️ How’s this for drama? Riccardo Orsolini scored a 94th-minute scissor kick to erupt the home support in a 1-0 win over league-leaders Inter. The sides combined for just four shots on target, but only one proved decisive. The Bologna win ensures that they remain in the Champions League chase and that the race for Scudetto will be an all-timer.

🩹 An Ederson goal at the San Siro was enough for an Atalanta victory over Milan in a match that produced three shots on target (hold my beer, Bologna-Inter). Atalanta remain seven points adrift of the lead, but they’ve stemmed the bleeding of their Champions League qualification hopes with consecutive victories over Bologna and Milan.

🥇 Bayern made easy work of Heidenheim, with goals from four scorers, including Harry Kane’s 13th-minute opener. Kane can finally claim silverware with a Bayern win and Leverkusen loss or draw next weekend.

Now, to the carnage in Champions League qualifying.

🏳️ Mainz surrendered two critical points in the 89th minute when Wolfsburg’s Denis Vavro equalized, leaving them two points adrift of top four.

😡 Leipzig similarly stumbled to a draw, theirs more frustratingly against Holstein Kiel. They retain fourth place for the moment.

📈 Thanks to a Lucas Holer brace, Freiburg earned a vital win over Hoffenheim to climb into fifth, one point behind Leipzig.

0⃣0⃣ Joining the parade of frustrating draws, Frankfurt couldn’t find a breakthrough at Augsburg, missing an opportunity to extend their lead in third place.

🎶 All those draws were music to Dortmund’s ears. Three first-half goals, from Serhou Guirassy, Felix Nmecha, and Daniel Svensson, propelled them to a 3-2 win over Gladbach. They’re four points off of fourth, but the gap has closed fast in recent weeks. Again: they couldn’t, could they?

🥈 Perhaps the king of disappointing draws was Leverkusen’s 1-1 stalemate at St. Pauli, with Patrik Schick’s goal canceled out in the 78th minute by Carlo Boukhalfa. The draw has Xabi Alonso’s side on the precipice of conceding their title defense.

🥇 PSG checked the box, defeating Le Havre 2-1 with goals from Désiré Doué and Goncalo Ramos to remain invincible.

The Champions League battle is as fierce in Ligue 1 as in the Bundesliga.

0⃣0⃣ Monaco and Strasbourg played to a 0-0 draw. Strasbourg are now 10 games unbeaten, but they slid to seventh with the result, while Monaco fell from second to third.

🥈 A Mason Greenwood brace led Marseille to a 5-1 destruction of Montpellier, allowing them to reclaim second.

📈 Lille beat Auxerre 3-1 thanks to a Jonathan David brace as the Canadian approaches his final matches for the club. He’ll hope to leave them another season of Champions League football as a parting gift; they leaped into fourth with the win.

📈 Nice’s 2-1 win over Angers propelled them up the table as well, climbing from seventh to fifth.

📉 Lyon fell to a bitter defeat against rivals and relegation-likely Saint Etienne. Lucas Stassin scored a brace for the home side, while American Tanner Tessman scored his first goal for Lyon to cut the deficit late.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 They are goin’ up, said they are goin’ up. Leeds and Burnley officially sealed their promotions back to the Premier League. Leeds beat Stoke 6-0 to ascend in style, with four first-half goals from Joel Piroe. Burnley beat third-place Sheffield United 2-1 behind a Josh Brownhill brace to condemn the Blades to the playoff.

As it stands with two matches remaining, Sheffield United will be joined by Sunderland, Bristol City, and Coventry City in the fight for the final promotion spot.

🇺🇸 Inter Miami beat Columbus 1-0 after Benjamin Cremaschi’s first-half diving header, knocking the Crew off their Eastern Conference perch.

Olivier Giroud finally scored his first MLS goal on a free kick. Didn’t have that on our bingo cards. Had to watch the replay just to make sure he didn’t somehow score the free kick with his head.

Evander scored a brace and Kevin Denkey added a goal to lead Cincinnati to a 3-2 victory over Chicago.

🇳🇱 Not so fast, Ajax! Utrecht played them off the park in a 4-0 victory. The Ajax lead atop the Eredivisie remains at nine points, but PSV have a game in hand.

Staying in Holland, Go Ahead Eagles won the Dutch Cup on penalties after equalizing from the spot in the 99th minute. Go ahead, Eagles!

🇹🇷 Fenerbahce ceded ground to Galatasaray with a 3-3 draw against Kayserispor, despite a brace from Anderson Talisca and a goal from Jose Mourinho’s doughy punching bag Allan Saint-Maximin. Gala’s lead is now five points.

🇵🇹 Sporting and Benfica remain level atop the Portuguese table after victories for both sides. Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat trick for Sporting, while Vangelis Pavlidis notched a brace for Benfica.

🇧🇪 Union Saint-Gilloise knocked Genk from the Belgian league lead, winning 2-1 with a brace from Promise Akinpelu and a little help from their kitman, who stopped a late Genk counterattack by throwing a ball on the pitch.

🇲🇽 Toluca drew 2-2 with Cruz Azul to end the Clausura regular season atop the table, three points ahead of Club América who won 5-0 thanks to braces from Victor Davila and Alvaro Fidalgo.

🇧🇷 Both bitter derbies ended in draws in Brazil, as Vasco de Gama and Flamengo played to a 0-0 stalemate and Gremio and Internacional scored a goal apiece. Memphis Depay scored a brace in a 2-1 Corinthians win over Sport.

🇸🇦 Al Nassr lost 2-1 to Al Quadiash on Friday. Sadio Mane scored in defeat, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang notched the winner. Reviewing Saudi Pro League results is like traveling into a FIFA 18 time machine.

Manchester City vs. Aston Villa (3:00 PM ET TUE)

No rest for the weary. Villa’s unending stretch of important games continues with a visit to the Etihad this afternoon where they’ll meet an intimidating foe for Champions League qualification. Villa can leapfrog City with a win, but Pep’s side has experienced a resurgence, avoiding defeat in their last six matches and winning four of those tilts.

Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace (3:00 PM ET WED)

Arsenal need to channel their midweek magic once more to keep Premier League title hopes alive (and, really, to avoid Liverpool clinching on a day when they don’t even play). Palace’s form has dropped like Ismaila Sarr’s shorts against Bournemouth, and they may be looking ahead to the FA Cup semifinal over the weekend against…

Who else? Aston Villa, who will play their 17th high-stakes match in a row.

Barcelona vs. Mallorca (3:30 PM TUE), Getafe vs. Real Madrid (3:30 PM WED)

All eyes on the title race in La Liga, where Barcelona host Mallorca on Tuesday and Madrid visit Getafe on Wednesday. Neither side is in rampant form despite winning over the weekend, so a slip-up would not surprise. But a slip from either team could shape the chase for the title.

Parma vs. Juventus (12:30 PM WED)

Yes, this match is important for Juventus, who can move into fourth place in the hunt for Champions League football. But, we’re much more interested to see if Parma can record a sixth straight draw. Club is absolutely addicted to avoiding a definitive outcome. More ties than Brooks Brothers.

Plus:

Genoa vs. Lazio (12:30 PM WED)

Cagliari vs. Fiorentina (12:30 PM WED)

Torino vs. Udinese (12:30 PM WED)

Bonus Coverage: Coppa Italia Semifinal (2nd Leg)

Inter vs. Milan (3:00 PM WED, 1-1 Agg)

Derby della Madonnina round two! Milan may have escaped with a 1-1 draw last time out at the San Siro, but now they’ll have to travel to—checks notes—the San Siro to face Inter on the “road.” Are they catching the Serie A league leaders at the right time after their late loss to Bologna? Or are they set to become the target of Inter’s frustrations?

Plus:

Bologna vs. Empoli (3:00 PM THU, 3-0 Agg)

🇺🇸 Inter Miami visits Vancouver in CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal action on Thursday night at 10:30 PM. The second leg takes place next week, and the winner will meet the victor of a Mexican matchup between Tigres and Cruz Azul.

🇦🇷🇧🇷 Matchday 3 of 6 in the Group Stage of the CONMEBOL Libertadores unfolds this week, and we’re eyeing Estudiantes against Botafogo on Wednesday night at 8:30 as an important match in Group A.

🇳🇱 PSV visits Twente on Thursday at 3:00 PM with a chance to cut the Ajax lead to six points.

🇵🇹 Sporting and Benfica are already vying for the Portuguese title, and this week, they can confirm their opposition in the Taca de Portugal final. Benfica is up 5-0 against Tirsense ahead of Wednesday’s second leg, while Sporting leads Rio Ave 2-0 ahead of today’s match at 3:45 PM ET.

🇹🇷 Galatasaray contests the Turkish Cup semifinal against Konyaspor today at 1:30. The winner will meet the winner of Trazbonspor and Goztepe on Thursday.

🎠 The manager carousel has begun to turn. Rumors suggest that Carlo Ancelotti is likely playing out his last season in charge at Madrid, with Xabi Alonso the leading candidate to replace him. Don Carlo hopes to take the helm for a recently rudderless Brazilian National Team.

🔥 Transfer rumors are heating up as well. According to Fabrizio Romano, United are front of the queue to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves, with negotiations set to heat up in the coming days and weeks. No matter what changes—from managers to sporting directors—a flawed transfer strategy has remained resolute at the club in recent years. Is this the turnaround?