Watford (0) 1 v 2 (1) Brentford
55 Denis, assist Sarr 15 Norgaard, assist Ajer
90+5 Jansson, assist Eriksen
Yellows: Kamara, Louza Toney Referee: S Hooper
Played Saturday 16 April 2022, at Vicarage Road, attendance not declared.
Watford thought they had a point from this their 32nd match of the Premier League (PL) season until Brentford stung again with a late, late goal. The Bees Captain Pontus Jansson did what all good Captains should and scored on 90+5 with a header from Christian Eriksen’s floated free kick. With Burnley winning 2-0 against Southampton on 21 April, and now 6 points ahead of the Hornets and only 1 point behind Everton in 17th, time is running out.
Chelsea (2) 2 v 4 (2) Arsenal
17 Werner 13, 57 Nketiah
32 Azipilicueta, assist Mount 27 Smith Rowe, assist Odegaard
90 Saka (penalty)
Yellows: Azipilicueta, Sarr, Mount Gabriel Referee: Jonathan Moss
Played Wednesday 20 April 2022 at Stamford Bridge, attendance 32,249.
This was Chelsea’s 3rd home defeat in a row again due to uncharacteristic defensive errors, making it 11 goals conceded in those 3 matches. For the Arsenal it was a welcome win after 3 defeats which had seen them slip in the race for 4th place in the PL. Eddie Nketiah was their star, and Bukayo Saka scored a late penalty to help heal the psychological wound from the Euros of 2020/21. Chelsea may cite fixture congestion for their form, but there is still the Abramovich/Putin shadow cast over a less than full Stamford Bridge.
The season is far from over for the Chelsea men who duly dispatched Crystal Palace 2-0 (scorers Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount) in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday 16 April 2022. Chelsea Women produced a similar 2-0 win (scorers Guro Reiten and Ji So-yun) over Arsenal Women in their FA Cup semi-final and will meet Manchester City Women who beat West Ham Women 4-1 in their Final.
Back to Brentford who entertain Tottenham Hotspur in our next Premier London Derbies (PLDs) match on Saturday 23 April 2022. Will it be 4 in a row for the Bees or will Spurs regain their impetus in the race for 4th? Then on Sunday 24 April 2022 it is Chelsea v West Ham United. The Blues have 3 wins to the Hammers’ 1 in the last 5 seasons and will be keen to stop that poor home run. It is all to play for as the season reaches its climax.
Until next time, “Keep Safe” and enjoy your football, Andrew at PLDs.