Yeah, that's not the expression but it's the truth. Also, once again, the EPL sides had a better time of it in Europe than in their domestic league.
Another Clean Sheet of the Wrong Kind
The goal drought continues for Newcastle. There was every expectation that Aston Villa would be a tough opponent so the 0-2 loss was not a surprise. But, a goal would be nice. The defense was mostly solid, limiting Villa to low percentage shots. Unfortunately, one of those, a laser from Buendia outside the box, was unstoppable. A serious failure to mark Watkins in the box resulted in the late insurance goals. Again, not an awful performance but they better find some offense soon.
The xG is revealing here - 2.10 to 1.22 favor Newcastle. Buendia's goal was a low xG but Villa do this regularly; it was their league-leading 13th from outside the box. That tendency is also reflected in their season stats, in which their actual total exceed xG by 5.5, second best in the league behind Spurs' 7.4. On the flip side, the Magpies's number exposes a certain lack of clinical finishing. And that's a season trend too. Their total goals is 3.8 behind xG, 17th worst in the league. Hard to work your way up the table with that record.
Missing Bruno
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| The data says "No Bruno, no win" |
arrived in Newcastle, the team has failed to win any of them. The detailed chart from The Athletic is below:
Games | 138 | 11 |
Wins | 73 | 0 |
Draws | 26 | 6 |
Losses | 39 | 5 |
Avg. goals for | 1.9 | 0.7 |
Avg. goals against | 1.2 | 1.6 |
Win % | 52.9% | 0% |
Points per game | 1.8 | 0.6 |
The goals for with and without indicate what an important playmaker he's been. Almost as amazing to me is how few games he was out or didn't start. From the article:
Between November 2023 and September 2025, Guimaraes set a Newcastle record for consecutive Premier League starts for an outfield player (68), which came amid a run of 94 starts in 95 top-flight games.
Not Lou Gehrig but gotta be one of the better Iron Man efforts in the EPL.
Ich Bin Ein Man United Fan
That had to be the top expression this weekend for all hoping to keep the race at the top close as Arsenal took on Man United. Fans of all stripes were treated to a marvelous back-and-forth match. The Gunners got the jump with an own goal that Bryan Mbeumo matched for a halftime score of 1-1. Dorgu got the Red Devils a lead at 50 minutes that looked like it might stand until Mikel Merino leveled things in the 84th moment. Well a draw would still tighten the race. Except Matheus Cunha took an audacious shot from over 20 yards out minutes later to give Man United all three points. We make it this week's YouTubeableMoment. Michael Carrick is still perfect with wins over Man City and Arsenal. You'll find him in the dictionary under Bounce, New Manager.
With Man City (2-0 over Wolves) and Aston Villa wins, Arsenal's lead is now four points. And Man United have climbed into the top four.
Frankly Not What They Needed
A 2-2 draw with Burnley is not exactly what the doctor ordered from Thomas Frank and struggling Spurs. The way they accomplished may also be problematic. The 1-0 lead that van de Van had given Spurs didn't even make it to halftime. Then they fell behind in the 76th and looked to be heading to defeat until Cristian Romero scored in the 90th minute to avoid a complete disaster. Side note, does anyone besides the center backs score for Tottenham? Okay, that's an exaggeration but defenders have 9 of Spurs 33 goals. We can only wonder whether Frank would have been sacked had Spurs not had a Champions League match mid-week.
Someone Please Explain Liverpool To Me
I know I asked this earlier in the season but I must ask again after the Reds loss to Bournemouth. They fell behind 2-0 at Bournemouth, struggled to get back level then conceded the game loser at 90+5. You can see Adli's stoppage time winner here. Liverpool don't have a win (4 draws and a loss) in their last five against competition that includes Leeds, Fulham, Burnley and Bournemouth; they have slipped to sixth in the table.
Points at the Bottom
Another good week for the relegation challenged sides, unless you're called Wolves. Burnley got a point. West Ham got a win over Sunderland, making Nuno look less at risk. The bad news is that they didn't gain on 17th place Nottingham Forest, who were grabbing all three points against Sunderland. And Leeds took a point in a 1-1 draw versus Everton.
ICYMI
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| Marco Silva elated with Fulham progress Photo: Getty Images |
Financial Fair Play For Whom?
Remind we why we have these FFP regulations. I note that in the January transfer window they signed Semenyo for $77m and Guehi for $27 m. The window is still open but the most anybody else has spent is Crystal Palace $47m for Brennan Johnson.
A Pointless Point?
Well, not exactly but Newcastle's 1-1 draw with PSG left them both outside the top eight in Champions League play. The performance was excellent, getting a draw against the current champions in their home stadium. It would be nice if they could match that in domestic league play.
For the rest of the EPL sides it was another awesome week. Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Man City all got wins and clinched spots in the top eight. The six EPL sides finished 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12 in league play. A side note is that the Spurs' win looks to be enough for Frank to keep his job another week.
In Europa Cup play, Aston Villa rallied from 0-2 down to beat RB Salzburg and take 3rd in league play. Nottingham Forest were also winners; they finished 13th and will be in the playoffs for advancement to the final 16.
ICYMI Part II
We would be seriously remiss if we did not tell you the story of Benfica and their wide ride to the Champions League playoff. Late in their match with Real Madrid, despite being up 3-2 they were still in 25th place on goal differential. In stoppage time, Real Madrid saw two players sent off for second yellows. Benfica did not seem all that much in a hurry, almost like they didn't know they needed another goal to make the playoff round. They did eventually get moving. On a last minute free kick they sent keeper Anatoliy Trubin forward into the box to essentially give them a three man advantage. Watch the guy in yellow here to see what happens. That play never, ever works but when it does, it's so cool.
A Little Less Busy...
...unless you're Newcastle, Man City, Arsenal or Chelsea. We have Matchweek 24 for the EPL Saturday-Monday, then the second legs of the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Tuesday and Wednesday.
No 7:30 am Saturday match which is always appreciated around here. The 10 am time slot is also light, with just three matches. Opta suggests none is compelling. We'll probably go with Brighton - Everton over Wolves - Bournemouth or Leeds - Arsenal. The 12:30 fixture is a London derby but not likely to be competitive, as Chelsea will host West Ham. Then we have the Saturday afternoon special at 3 pm with Newcastle traveling to face Liverpool. As we noted above, the Reds are an enigma but the Magpies have been mostly wretched on the road so we're not expecting anything from that match.
Sunday dawns with probably more snow and three 9 am fixtures. Aston Villa host a recently slumping Brentford and we have high hopes for Villa in that one. Michael Carrick puts his perfect record on the line as Fulham come to Old Trafford. That's two hot sides right there, though Opta see United as a big favorite. Or, you can go with Nottingham Forest versus Crystal Palace. Forest have been recently making a move away from the relegation zone while Palace are slowly sinking towards it. Sunday also has Tottenham - Man City; Spurs seem to do better in Champions League and on the road so this could be trouble for them.
The week ends with Sunderland - Burnley at 3 pm on Monday.
In Carabao Cup action, on Tuesday we have Arsenal - Chelsea. The Gunners bring a 3-2 lead back home and are in the stronger position. On the other hand, the Blues are feeling that new manager bounce under Liam Rosenior and have won five of six in all competitions. On the other, other hand, that one loss was against Arsenal.
On Wednesday Newcastle go to the Etihad down 0-2 to Man City. Do you believe in miracles?
Still plenty to watch without feeling like your drowning.
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