Manchester United and Everton were among the teams who had a reason to celebrate during the eighth matchday of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
The two of them won their games against Brentford and Ipswich Town, respectively, earning three points each in the process to improve their place in the English top-flight standings.
Erik ten Hag’s men are still in 12th place despite the victory, but at least they finally broke their winless run of six games in all competitions.
As for Sean Dyche’s side, they moved up to 16th place after going unbeaten for four straight league games, improving their Premier League 2024 odds of maintaining their top-flight status.
Speaking of keeping their top-flight status, Crystal Palace suffered a huge blow in that regard after last night’s loss.
Keep up with the latest Premier League 2024 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Manchester United finally return to winning ways
Since routing Barnsley 7-0, Manchester United haven’t won a single game, and the lack of goals has been apparent for Erik ten Hag’s men (except for their 3-3 draw against Porto).
Manchester United found themselves in a similar situation when Ethan Pinnock scored a header to put Brentford up by one goal before halftime.
The Red Devils were unlucky because Matthijs de Ligt had to be taken off after sustaining a cut on his head. Otherwise, he would’ve prevented Pinnock’s goal.
Erik ten Hag said during the postgame interview that his players were “angry and fuming” when they were down at halftime, and they used it as fuel to make a stirring comeback.
Alejandro Garnacho scored the equaliser following a sumptuous cross from Marcus Rashford, and a familiar name returned on the scoresheet as Rasmus Hojlund recorded his first league goal this year after a nifty dime by Bruno Fernandes, who had been out of form before this match.
Noussair Mazraoui was back on the pitch for the Red Devils, which is a pleasant surprise since he just had a heart procedure. The same goes to Victor Lindelof, who also came off the bench for the second consecutive game this season.
Manchester United would’ve scored more if they had been more clinical, but they’ll take the win any day ahead of their trip to Turkey.
Everton out of the drop zone for now
After a lacklustre start to the 2024-25 campaign, Everton are slowly finding their rhythm as of late. The Toffees just recorded a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday, marking their second win in their last three league games.
Iliman Ndiaye and Michael Keane scored two goals in the first half, which were enough to put the Tractor Boys away.
Ndiaye is becoming a fan favourite on the blue side of Merseyside, as he has netted in consecutive away games already. On the other hand, Keane’s finish after Dwight McNeil’s dime was pure class.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin almost made it 3-0 for the Toffees in the dying seconds of the match, but his last-ditch attempt was saved by Arijanet Muric. The 27-year-old striker also had his opportunity in the first half, but to no avail.
Because of his wastefulness in the final third, Dominic Calvert-Lewin gives Everton a huge attacking conundrum. His contract is also up next summer, and he hasn’t come to terms with the Toffees’ front office so far.
For now, Everton will take this win and will hope to get more points in the next few matchdays. It is important to remember that the Toffees face a formidable schedule of opponents in December, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
Crystal Palace continue to go downhill
Crystal Palace’s drought has extended to eight consecutive league games, as they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest last night.
After a one-hour seesaw battle, Crystal Palace conceded the marginal goal during the 65th minute when Chris Wood struck for the first time following a weak clearance from Trevoh Chalobah, and Dean Henderson was slow to get down and prevent the New Zealander’s attempt.
With only three points to show after the first eight matchdays, the Eagles are on their joint-worst start to a Premier League campaign, which is a far cry from their new manager’s bounce last season.
When Oliver Glasner took charge of Crystal Palace in February, he led the team to its best ever Premier League finish, in 10th place with 49 points.
Michael Olise’s move to Bayern Munich is already being felt at Selhurst Park, especially since newcomers Eddie Nketiah and Ismaila Sarr have yet to open their accounts this term.
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