The Big 6 Review – GW 12: Reds grope blindly in the Forest, fall to 11th place by Olaoluwa Nwobodo

The international break is over, and Nigeria is not going to the World Cup. Of course, this means we return to the Premier League, and it’s time for another Big 6 Review. This weekend, four of the six Big 6 teams lost. Again, Liverpool suffered the heaviest defeat, and has been duly rewarded with a comfortable seat in 11th place. Chelsea and Arsenal recorded victories.

With Tottenham taking heavy fire from the Gunners, Manchester United getting shocked by 10-man Everton, Liverpool getting lost in the Forest, and Man City getting clowned by the Toons, here’s the Big 6 Review for Game Week 12. 

Chelsea: Job Done

Burnley 0-2 Chelsea

Enzo Maresca had reminded everyone that his team will be far from fresh. He was spot on, as the first half was not pretty. The Blues still managed to score in both halves. The goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and all the centerbacks ensured it was a solid win and clean sheet. Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez found the net for Chelsea on the day, and that result was good enough to push Maresca’s men into second place. 

Liverpool: Dyche shreds the Reds

Liverpool 0-3 Nottingham Forest

New Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche had a day he’d never forget on his first visit to Anfield in his new job. The former Burnley and Everton manager executed an excellent game plan against Arne Slot’s champions. 

Going down 0-1 in the 33rd minute still looked doable for Slot’s men. However, things started to look bleak just after halftime as Dyche’s clarets doubled the lead 40 seconds after the restart. Forest finished off Liverpool in the 78th minute with another strike, this time by Morgan Gibbs-Whyte. 

The Merseyside club had been underperforming, but perhaps many didn’t realize how badly. This loss took the Reds down to 11th place. Yes, you read that right.

Man City: Surgical precision from Eddie Howe’s Toons

Newcastle 2-1 Man City

Man City missed a chance to regain second place after Harvey Barnes put Pep Guardiola’s men to the sword at St. James Park. The away side had become too reliant on Erling Haaland, who had carried the goal burden for the club and continues to. 

Newcastle, for its part, was frighteningly effective. The club created 2.24 expected goals (xG) on the night. That is impressive in and of itself, but the Toons did it from just nine shots. That puts each shot at an average of 0.25 xG/per shot. For context, that’s the equivalent of nine big chances from nine shots. 

Newcastle created five big chances on the night, and should have put more than two past Man City. Gianluigi Donnarumma made sure that the score remained somewhat respectable.

Arsenal: Eberechi Eze. Wizard. Hattrick Hero

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

The North London Derby is usually a fierce, vicious, if sometimes violent affair. This time, it was far from that. Arsenal was vicious, yes, but not physically. Mikel Arteta’s men took no prisoners against Tottenham. 

Eberechi Eze was the man of the day, though, scoring a delicious hattrick in his first North London Derby. Eze enjoyed himself, slicing Thomas Frank’s men open with his passes. His goals were just the icing on the cake. The cherry on top.

Arsenal made sure Tottenham was soundly beaten, making a statement for the Premier League title early on.

Tottenham: Flogged like incompetent thieves

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Tottenham was an eyesore. To lose like that in a North London Derby against your bitter rivals will leave a sour taste in the mouths of everyone in the Tottenham community. Guglielmo Vicario tried his best, but Arsenal simply had too much for Frank’s men.

Manchester United: All the shots, none of the points

Manchester United 0-1 Everton

Manchester United struggled embarrassingly against 10-man Everton. The Red Devils gained a man advantage in the 13th minute when Idrissa Gueye was sent off for violent conduct. Yet, the same Red Devils went down 0-1 in the 29th minute.

Ruben Amorim’s men found it difficult to break down David Moyes’s Everton. Bruno Fernandes did as much as he could, but he couldn’t single-handedly help his team avoid defeat. With this defeat, Man United missed the chance to go fifth.

Amorim’s men dominated in possession, shots and big chances, but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s goal remained the decider.

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