With 7 teams involved in the FA Cup quarter-finals, we only had four matches in gameweek 29. But despite that, we had plenty of drama as the relegation battle and race for Europe took centre stage.
Gameweek 29 Roundup
Brighton ease relegation worries
Perhaps the most significant fixture was the relegation six pointer on Saturday between Brighton and Newcastle. Brighton’s last three home wins had come in three different years. But they eased their relegation fears with a comfortable 3-0 win thanks to goals from Leandro Trossard, Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay. The win takes the Seagulls six points clear of the relegation zone. On Friday, Fulham couldn’t take advantage of Newcastle’s defeat as they suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Leeds United.
The focus shifted to the battle for Europe from relegation on Sunday. Spurs, who were reeling from a shock Europa League exit at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb, bounced back in style to win 2-0 away to Aston Villa. A first Premier League goal for Carlos Vinicius and a penalty from Harry Kane were enough to take Spurs to within three points of Chelsea.
Arsenal recover after a disastrous opening
Earlier, Arsenal produced a stunning comeback from three goals down to draw 3-3 at West Ham United. The Hammers flew out of the blocks, with goals from Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek gave them a comfortable 3-0 lead with just 32 minutes played. However, own goals from Soucek and Craig Dawson either side of half time set up a frantic finale, and Alexandre Lacazette duly equalized with 8 minutes remaining. Arsenal showed character and fighting spirit to snatch a draw from the clutches of defeat, but a point means they are still ninth and well below the pace for Europe. As for West Ham, they missed the opportunity to go level on points with Chelsea.
In what has been a congested fixture list, clubs will look forward to the upcoming International break. Premier League action resumes on 3rd April with West Brom’s trip to Stamford Bridge.
This is how the table looks after gameweek 29.
