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Where does football go as it moves on from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Where does football go as it moves on from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
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Premier League Matchday 12 Recap (2025/26)

     

Full Results (Matchday 12)

  • Burnley 0–2 Chelsea

  • Bournemouth 2–2 West Ham

  • Brighton 2–1 Burnley

  • Fulham 1–0 Sunderland

  • Liverpool 0–3 Nottingham Forest

  • Wolves 0–2 Crystal Palace

  • Newcastle 2–1 Manchester City

  •  Leeds 1–2 Aston Villa 

  • Arsenal 4–1 Tottenham

  • Manchester United 0–1 Everton

Game of the Matchday 

Newcastle 2–1 Manchester City

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe finally got the better of Pep Guardiola in the Premier League in his 17th attempt in a thriller. Even with their lopsided head to head history, this never felt like a surprise but a genuinely elite contest. Newcastle didn’t play like underdogs waiting to be steamrolled, instead played like a team ready to punch Manchester City in the mouth as from the starting whistle, they came flying in with real aggression, pressing high, making tackles, and immediately disrupting City’s rhythm.  The first half somehow stayed goalless despite huge chances for both the sides, setting up a second half that exploded into life. Harvey Barnes struck either side of a Ruben Dias goal during a 7-minute spell in which 3 goals were scored. It is indeed a little surprising that the Magpies have only beaten the Cityzens once in their last 35 Premier League meetings prior to this match but this was a result that was coming since a couple of seasons where the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Ferran Torres and Oscar Bobb prevented it from happening. A match that was filled with action and consequences.

Biggest Surprise

Liverpool 0–3 Nottingham Forest

Anfield is supposed to be Liverpool’s fortress, but Nottingham Forest completely flipped the script for the second time running, striking first through Murillo against the run of play in the 33rd minute in this upset. Liverpool went to half-time trailing and they were expected to crank the urgency, the quality and the skills up to eleven, but instead Nicolo Savona scored an immediate second right after halftime, doubling Forest's lead and killing the game thanks to Morgan Gibbs-White. In the second half, Liverpool got worse somehow, as they managed only one shot on target, a long-range effort from Szoboszlai as opposed to Forest's 5 shots on target, with two of them going past the returning Alisson.

Best Team Performance

Arsenal 4–1 Tottenham

North London has been red for quite some time now, and it looks like that is not going to change anytime soon. The gap between Arsenal and Tottenham was clearly visible from the first minute. 'Set-piece FC' showed that while set-pieces remain one of their most threating aspects, but is not the only aspect of their attack. All 4 of Arsenal's goals were scored from open-play with a goal from Leandro Trossard and a first ever North London Derby hat-trick scored in the Premier League from Eberechi Eze. Don't let that one Tottenham goal fool you by thinking there was some fightback from the Lilywhites. There was not. If not for a Richarlison wonder goal, Arsenal would've also kept a clean sheet. The Gunners look unbeatable in every facet and are on top of the Premier League and the Champions League for a reason. Tottenham? Lifeless, bland, toothless, spiritless, dull and all those sorts of words.

Player of the Matchday

Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)

Ever since the transfer saga in the summer transfer window ended, you could have bet your house on Eberechi Eze having a impact on the North London Derby in some way, shape or form. A goal was delightful, a brace would have been more than enough, a hat-trick is unbelievable. And to think he also had a decent chance of adding a fourth. His goals symbolized his style of play pretty well - finding an extra touch where most other players would've took the shot, before firing home the finish. Eze scoring a treble against the club that was so close to signing him, instead going to their cross-town rivals, his boyhood club. It looks like some stories are just meant to be.

Honorable mentions - Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace) & Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest)

Moment of the Matchday

Idrissa Gana Gueye's bizzare red card

Watch the strange incident here

When was the last time something like this happened in the Premier League? Moments like this are so rare, and that is why it just had to be the standout moment of the matchday. Following a messy defensive mix up that gifted Manchester United a real chance to score, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Michael Keane completely lost their cool with each other. What started as a bit of shouting between teammates suddenly boiled over, and in a moment nobody expected, Gueye just swung and slapped Keane right in the face. There was no hiding from the referee Tony Harrington standing only a few steps away. He went straight to the red card, no hesitation, and Everton were left stunned by one of the most chaotic self inflicted moments of the season. The slap reminded everyone that football remains unpredictable in the smallest of moments and that sometimes off the ball incidents carry as much weight in public discourse as the goals on the board.

Looking Ahead – Matchday 13 Fixtures (IST Kick-offs)

Saturday, 29 November (IST)

    • Brentford vs Burnley- 8:30 pm

    • Manchester City vs Leeds - 8:30 pm

    • Sunderland vs Bournemouth - 8:30 pm

    • Everton vs Newcastle - 11:00 pm

    Sunday, 30 November (IST)

    • Tottenham vs Fulham - 1:30 am

    • Crystal Palace vs Manchester United - 5:30 pm

    • Aston Villa vs Wolves - 7:35 pm

    • Nottingham Forest vs Brighton - 7:35 pm

    • West Ham vs Liverpool - 7:35 pm

    • Chelsea vs Arsenal- 10:00 pm

    by ShotBlogged


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