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Adam Booker·27 December 2024
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Adam Booker·27 December 2024
The Premier League resumed Friday evening with two clashes to round out the matchday.
Here is what went down at The Amex and The Emirates.
Scorers: Havertz 23'
A lone Kai Havertz goal was enough for Arsenal to ease past Ipswich Town at home to see the Gunners move into the top-two.
Ipswich were bunkered into their own half from first whistle, a pattern that would remain through the opening 10 minutes.
The Gunners appeared blunted in possession in the opening exchanges however, perhaps working out where to find penetration in the absence of talisman Bukayo Saka.
The deadlock was finally broke when Leandro Trossard repaid his manager for the start with a superb cross into the box for Kai Havertz to tap home and open the scoring.
The opener did little to force Ipswich out of their shell, as they remained penned into the own half in the dying minutes of the opening interval.
Arsenal should have found their second and potentially clinching goal, but somehow Gabriel missed his header on a corner from mere feet out.
Ipswich looked poised to punish Arsenal for not putting the game away earlier, but they had little bite in their late periods of pressure.
Brighton and Brentford played out a scoreless draw on the south coast, despite both sides creating a handful of prime scoring chances.
It was a rampant start from the Seagulls, who put their visitors under pressure from the first whistle.
They perhaps should have found a quick opener inside five minutes, but Julio Enciso somehow hit the woodwork from close range.
Brentford appeared to relieve the pressure with aplomb when Yoane Wissa put the ball in the back of the net on the counter, but the goal was ruled off for offside in the buildup after a VAR check.
The pattern continued for the two sides however, as Brighton created a flurry of quality scoring chances and will perhaps feel aggrieved to remain level heading into the half-hour mark.
A potential swing of momentum came past the 30-minute mark when Brentford keeper Mark Flekken was subbed off through injury after making a bundle of fantastic saves.
Despite both sides trading chances in the second-half, somehow the scoresheet remained untouched heading into the final 10 minutes.
Somehow, that scoreline held to the final whistle and the two sides shared the points.
📸 Julian Finney - 2024 Getty Images