GOLDEN GOALS MATCHDAY 35: PALMER VS WATKINS & A BIG WIN FOR NEWCASTLE

It was the weekend of relegation six-pointers on Premier League Matchday 34 with every team in the bottom six facing off against one another. Brentford thumped Luton while Burnley dispatched Sheffield United but VAR, and post-match X posts, stole the headlines in the showdown between Everton and Nottingham Forest.

Let’s hope any drama during Golden Goals Matchday 35 remains on the pitch as we delve deeper into this weekend’s action. Remember: pick the six correct scorelines and you could win up to £2 million. Find out more here.

Fulham vs Crystal Palace

Form (all competitions) Fulham: LWLLD Crystal Palace: WWWLL

Are we finally getting a glimpse into Glasner-ball? It may have taken some time but Crystal Palace put it all together last weekend when they ran West Ham’s defence ragged to take a 4-1 lead at half-time.

Jean-Philippe Mateta bagged his second of the game after the break to give Crystal Palace a five-star performance on home turf. He added another brace in midweek to take his tally to 11 goals this campaign, more than he has managed in his previous three seasons in the Premier League combined.

It wasn’t just Mateta who put in a stellar performance at Selhurst Park last weekend with fit-again midfielder Eberechi Eze had fans purring over his magisterial performance in the centre of the park. His impressive acrobatic finish in the 16th minute earned him a spot alongside Mateta in the BetMGM Team of the Week too.

They will no doubt both be salivating at the idea of playing Fulham’s generous backline. The Cottagers have the sixth-worst expected goals against per 90 minutes in the Premier League (1.65) and sit behind only the bottom three, West Ham and Manchester United.

Fortunately for Fulham, they have a top-10 defence which is marginally overperforming at the back (conceding 54 goals vs 56.1 xGA). Goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s Premier League top-five save percentage (71.6%) is likely propping up that statistic somewhat.

Marco Silva’s men have strung together a magnificent campaign – claiming the scalps of Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United – but with nothing much to play for you would not be ridiculed for thinking they are on the beach to end the season.

As such, Palace will go to West London and grab another big win under Glasner.

Prediction: Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Manchester United vs Burnley

Form (all competitions) Manchester United: WWDDL Burnley: WDLDD

Oh, Manchester United. The Premier League’s Jekyll and Hyde. Erik ten Hag’s men were back at their polarising best last weekend when they reached their second consecutive FA Cup final… just.

It looked like they had already booked their place in the showpiece when Bruno Fernandes scored his fifth goal in four matches before the hour mark – then madness ensued.

Coventry scored two goals in eight minutes to make the game 3-2 marking the 15th game this season in which United have conceded a pair of goals in 10 minutes or less.

Haji Wright found the net from the spot in the 95th minute to take the game to extra time and, thanks to a disputed VAR offside call in the dying embers against a potential winner for the Midlands outfit, United went on to win the game on penalties.

Ten Hag’s charges were almost on the end of another shock in midweek when Sheffield United led twice at Old Trafford before another pair of goals from Fernandes as well as Rasmus Højlund’s first goal in two months.

To play (Red) Devil’s advocate, United are suffering from an unfounded injury crisis. There have been 65 cases of injury or illness reported at Old Trafford this season, including every central defenders besides Harry Maguire in recent weeks, which has lent itself to their porous defensive record with 31 goals conceded across 18 games in 2024.

Unwanted defensive records and Burnley have gone hand-in-hand during this Premier League season. Have they finally found a solution late on in the campaign? Well, it certainly looks like it.

The Clarets have only conceded twice or more in one of their last six league matches – a 2-2 draw with Chelsea – and they have also only tasted defeat in one of their previous seven Premier League matches. They might still be facing the drop but they are going down fighting.

It probably will not be enough against Manchester United at Old Trafford though. Vincent Kompany’s side haven’t beaten the red side of Manchester since 2020 and that won’t change here. Home win.

Prediction: Manchester United 3-1 Burnley

Newcastle United vs Sheffield United

Form (all competitions) Newcastle United: LWWDW Sheffield United: LLLDL

It has been quite the turnaround on Tyneside in recent weeks. Amid an injury crisis at the turn of the year, Newcastle looked destined for a season of midtable mediocrity.

However, just a couple of weeks later, they are in contention for another season of European football after picking up 10 out of a possible 15 points in their last five games.

Swedish striker Alexander Isak has been the catalyst for the Magpies’ resurgence in the second half of the campaign with seven goals in his last seven Premier League matches. He also leads the league in goals per 90 minutes (0.86) ahead of leading scorers Cole Palmer and Erling Haaland.

It will take a monumental effort from Sheffield United’s rearguard to stop the imperial Isak from finding the net… or any other player for that matter.

The Blades are officially the worst defence in Premier League history after shipping four goals on Saturday to Burnley and another four in midweek against Manchester United, taking their total to 92 conceded in 34 matches and surpassing the 88 allowed by the infamous Derby County 2007-08 team which managed only 11 points from the full campaign.

Next on the list of distressing records Chris Wilder’s side could break is whether they can concede more goals than Swindon Town did in the old 42-game top-flight season (100) and become the worst of all-time. Newcastle scored just the eight goals on their trip to Bramall Lane earlier in the season to record their biggest-ever away win. They might not reach those lofty heights in front of their home crowd but it should still be a comfortable win at St. James’ Park and Sheffield United will be officially relegated after a dire season for the Yorkshire club.

Prediction: Newcastle United 5-0 Sheffield United

Wolves vs Luton

Form (all competitions) Wolves: LLDLD Luton: LLWLL

Time is of the essence for Rob Edwards and Luton Town. They have fought hard all season against the odds but last weekend’s capitulation to Brentford showed signs of a team that is falling at the final hurdle.

Matchday 34’s hammering by the Bees extended their poor record to one win across the last 13 matches and condemned Luton to a second 5-1 defeat in as many outings.

Their woeful defensive record – 75 conceded in 34 games – makes worse reading when you look at their away record in isolation. When playing outside their Kenilworth Road home, Luton have conceded the most goals in the Premier League (43) more even than defensive disasters Sheffield United (37).

They face a Wolves side that has secured Premier League status for another season… but with a litany of injury concerns.

Matheus Cunha returned with a bang in Wolves’ draw with Nottingham Forest on April 13 when he bagged a brace but was left out due to fitness issues against Arsenal on Matchday 34. The Brazilian could feature in this one after playing 35 minutes off the bench in the midweek loss to Bournemouth.

The importance of the former Atletico Madrid man cannot be understated. He leads Wolves in most offensive statistical categories including goals scored, goal contributions and expected goals.

A loss for Luton could put the final nail in their Premier League coffin but they are facing a Wolves side that isn’t close to 100%. They will not get a much-needed win but what they will do is put a point on the board.

Prediction: Wolves 1-1 Luton

Everton vs Brentford

Form (all competitions) Everton: WWLWD Brentford: WWDDD

This would have been a six-pointer almost a fortnight ago but Brentford have strung together a few impressive results and another season of Premier League football is now almost certain as a consequence.

Saturday’s demolition of Luton Town may be the pick of the bunch. The Bees were propelled into a two-goal lead by Yoanne Wissa before Ethan Pinnock, former Hull City man Keane Lewis-Potter and the returning Kevin Schade secured a 5-1 victory at Kenilworth Road.

Rob Edwards’ side just could not deal with the dual threat of Bryan Mbeumo and Wissa in the Brentford attack. Congolese forward Wissa’s brace took the duo up to 18 goals on the season combined; he accounts for almost 35% of Brentford’s total this campaign.

Does this prove there is, in fact, life without Ivan Toney? Well, the English forward has now gone nine games without a goal since scoring four in five after his eight-month suspension ended so the prospect is perhaps less daunting than it once was.

Everton, meanwhile, bounced back brilliantly after their 6-0 drubbing against Chelsea with a solid, albeit slightly controversial, 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest and a Dominic Calvert-Lewin-inspired Merseyside Derby victory over Liverpool to simultaneously ease their relegation worries and drive a stake through the heart of their rivals’ title hopes.

Despite the impressive wins, there are still question marks about the Toffees’ effectiveness at the top end of the pitch. They have mustered just 36 goals in 34 games – Sheffield United are the only team with fewer goals – and have underperformed their xG by almost 14 this season. For context, Brentford are the third-worst in the Premier League with just 4.5 fewer than expected.

While they are toothless in attack Sean Dyche’s side makes up for it, Chelsea game aside, with rugged defensive displays. Two clean sheets in a row means Jordan Pickford is up to 11 for the season, behind only Arsenal’s David Raya in the race for the Golden Glove award.

Realistically, neither of these sides has to worry about playing in the Championship next season – so they won’t mind sharing the spoils here. Score draw.

Prediction: Everton 2-2 Brentford

Aston Villa vs Chelsea

Form (all competitions) Aston Villa: WWDLW Chelsea: LLWDW

Before Tuesday’s fixture against Arsenal, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino insisted: “We must prove we are Chelsea Football Club and not Cole Palmer Football Club.” They did not do themselves, or that statement, any justice with a dismal 5-0 defeat at the Emirates in which they mustered only one shot on target.

It highlighted once again how important Palmer is to Chelsea. Without his 20 goals and nine assists in the Premier League, the Blues could conceivably have gotten dragged into a relegation battle.

Tuesday marked another disappointing day for striker Nicolas Jackson. The Senegalese forward had a few golden opportunities to get Chelsea on the scoresheet but, once again, he failed to convert his chances.

Indeed, his 4.4 fewer goals than expected is the third-worst in the Premier League behind Everton’s Calvert-Lewin and enigmatic Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez.

There is only one man in the Premier League who can better Palmer’s 29 goal contributions and that is this weekend’s opponent Ollie Watkins. Aston Villa’s number 11 has been directly involved in a league-leading 31 goals this campaign, scoring 19 and registering 12 assists.

His 19 goals make him the Villans’ joint-most prolific goalscorer in the Premier League era alongside Christian Benteke, who hit the back of the net the same amount of times but with considerably fewer assists in the 2012-13 season.

However, as much as Watkins steals the headlines, Villa have a plethora of attacking talent to call upon including Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey and January acquisition Morgan Rogers. All three have combined for six goals across their last six league appearances.

Combining their multitude of attacking threats and the news manager Unai Emery has signed a new deal, Villa Park should be rocking and welcoming another three points toward a top-four finish.

Prediction: Aston Villa 4-2 Chelsea

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