The Seagulls finally find their nest

We witnessed a thrilling game on Thursday when Brighton pulled off a shock win over Tottenham. The Seagulls have been on a rough patch since they began their adventure in the Europa League. Performances have been dwindling leaving them drop a few places down the table. But, the free-flowing football remains part of the players' DNA as Roberto De Zerbi’s men came out flying out of the blocks early on in their fixture against Tottenham.

The return of the energetic Pervis Estupi?án may have raised the morale of his team to a whole new level. Nevertheless, the scintillating attacking desire of this team leaves their defense vulnerable against sides who love to hit their opponents on the break. Spurs needed just a few minutes to score two goals in a game that looked over in the 80th minute. They will fancy their chances of soaring higher up the table in the coming months due to the promising fixtures ahead.

City is back in the mix.

New World Club Champions returned from Saudi Arabia sitting 7th on the league table. But they weathered an early storm at Goodison Park to come back from a goal down to win 3-1 and draw themselves back into the title race. A second-half performance showed Pep’s faith in his team to pull through regardless of the situation, as he made only two substitutions late on in the game.

Fatigue is gradually creeping in at the Etihad Stadium, for the defending Champions to bounce back yet again after going behind in a game for the fourth time in the last five games, their resilience in games is being tested to the limit. With such an enigmatic performance, the defending champions are sending their rivals a message, “We are coming for you!”

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The Blues end 2023 on a high note.

Chelsea won their final game at home this year by rising above adversity to take all three points in their London derby against Crystal Palace. It’s back-to-back home wins for the Blues, but knowing this young team, this momentum can come crashing down yet again with a disappointing result.

Despite assembling a team worth over 2 billion pounds, the Blues have recorded their lowest points return in a calendar year since 1993. A rejuvenated Luton side away from home for their final fixture of the season is not going to help matters as they are a tough nut to crack at home, but will Mauricio Pochettino find a way to unleash his young team against teams that defend with a low block?

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The Cherries move into the top half of the table

Bournemouth enjoyed sweet tidings during the festive season, recording their sixth win in seven games to move into 10th place heading into the new year. The newfound form for Andoni Iraola's side shows a side brimming with confidence under their coach. With their star striker Dominic Solanke in devastating form, they will fancy their chances in their first fixture of 2024 when they come up against a Tottenham side that conceded 4 goals to Brighton.

The Reds stay on top

What a difference a week makes… After squandering a lot of chances in their top-of-the-table clash with the Gunners last weekend, the Reds took their chances against Burnley with a late goal from Diogo Jota, sealing the victory for Liverpool, the 50th goal for the Portuguese winger in the Liverpool Jersey.

Liverpool rose above Burnley’s renaissance in the second half to secure all three points and return to the top of the league. With half of the season gone, the Reds remain unbeaten at home so far this season and have conceded only 16 goals as well. This is a side who began the season without playing with a defensive midfielder. After the new year, some key players are expected to return from injury. It is hard to imagine what heights this team can reach when everybody is fit and competing for a starting position. It's only a matter of time before Liverpool 2.0 reaches its full potential.

?The Hammers finally knock the Gunners out

After 23 games trying to crack the code at the Emirates, David Moyes finally leads his team to a win in North London. A Giant-killing victory for the Hammers follows wins over Chelsea, Tottenham, and Manchester United for David Moyes’ men.

West Ham ended the year on a high note, sixth on the table, pushing for another spot in Europe at the end of the season, and into the knockout stage of the Europa League. With 10 wins out of 14 matches in the last few months of the year, The Hammers will be full of confidence heading into 2024. Will 2024, be the year West Ham qualifies for the Champions League?