Top 5 most interesting matches of the 2022-23 Premier League season
Premier League is arguably the greatest football league in the world. From Liverpool to Manchester United, English top-tier football is blessed with big names that are never shy to portray their prowess and dominance on the ground.
This season, we saw Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City ending Arsenal’s hopes of a potential league title years after Arsene Wenger’s invincibles. Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta eventually failed to lead his team to a Premier League title even after being the league leader for the majority of the season.
However, the Gunners managed to find a spot in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2017. Surprisingly, Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United will also be joining them in the UCL draw following their fourth-place finish.
Consequently, the whole season was nothing lesser than a rollercoaster ride full of breathtaking moments. Thus, on a similar note, let’s take a look at the top five most interesting matches of the 2022-23 Premier League season.
#5 Southampton vs Nottingham Forest: May 9
The relegation battle in English top-tier football has always been as interesting as the top-place fight. The Saints required the win over Nottingham Forest passionately to keep their Premier League hopes alive, however, Steve Cooper’s men managed to stay far away from the relegation zone with a fast-paced 4-3 win.
After a loss against Brentford, Forest locked horns against Southampton. The first half was extremely eventful as Taiwo Awoniyi scores twice before the 25-minute mark. Carlos Alcaraz made the deficit less for the Saints, however, Morgan Gibbs-White made the score 3-1 for Forest.
In the second half, Lyanco tries fueling a comeback, however, Danilo slammed all the hopes of Ruben Selles’ side as the score became 4-2. James Ward-Prowse’s injury-time strike worked as a consolation goal for the Saints as they lost the match 4-3.
#4 Manchester United vs Manchester City: January 14
After three consecutive losses against Manchester City, United finally managed to take down Pep Guardiola’s men in the home leg
Erling Haaland’s arrival at Etihad gave Pep Guardiola’s side a massive boost for the 2022-23 Premier League season. With his complete striking ability, the Cityzens also managed to win the league overcoming Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
However, their match against Erik ten Hag’s side on January 14 was a five-star fixture. In the last three matches, United failed to secure a win over Guardiola’s side. Before the World Cup, the two sides squared off where Erling Haaland and Phil Foden recorded hat-tricks against David de Gea. Thus, United’s home leg was going to play a major role.
Manchester City was playing a possession-based game while Erik ten Hag’s men were waiting for their turn while working on counterattacks. Jack Grealish’s strike made the score 1-0, but Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford’s late efforts fueled the Red Devil’s spectacular win in front of the home ground with the scoreline of 2-1.
#3 Arsenal vs Liverpool: April 9
Although Liverpool failed to secure a spot in the next edition of the UEFA Champions League, but the Reds still managed to give a couple of unforgettable matches. Thus, one such match was witnessed at Anfield, when the Gunners squared off against Jurgen Klopp’s side.
As expected, the Reds were heavily dominating the match in terms of ball possession but Arsenal was also capitalizing on the opportunities wherever they got the chance. Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus helped the Gunners get an early 2-0 lead before the 30-minute mark.
When it seemed like Arsenal will go home with three points, the storm named Mohamed Salah decreased the deficit before the first half ended. For more entertainment, a couple of fights also broke out between the sides, however, Martin Odegaard’s team bottled the lead in the end as Roberto Firmino forced the match into a draw.
#2 Brighton vs Brentford: April 1
Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister’s 90th-minute set piece held Brentford in a six-goal thriller
The 2022-23 Premier League season was, in real terms, a breakthrough season for Brighton. They started their season with a win over Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United and managed to stay up top despite the dominance of the big six in English top-tier football. Playing against each other pre-World Cup, Brentford secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Brighton.
However, both sides managed to keep the fans on the edge of their seats when they locked horns in April. Pontus Jansson of Brentford broke the deadlock in just 10 minutes. In addition to that, the first half met with goals from Kaoru Mitoma & Danny Welbeck of Brighton and Ivan Toney of the Bees.
After the Initial 45 minutes, the scoreboard stated the score to be 2-2. However, fans were unaware that a half full of intense action was remaining to prevail at the Falmer Stadium. In the 49th minute, Ethan Pinnock made the score 3-2 in favor of the Bees. Following that, Roberto de Zerbi’s side started pushing to the least extent. Their hunt for an equalizer ended in the 90th minute when Alexis Mac Allister stunned David Raya with the help of a set piece.
#1 Liverpool vs Manchester United: March 5
Manchester United might have a better season than Jurgen Klopp’s side, but Liverpool’s 7-0 win over The Red Devils at Anfield will be the highlight of their season. After a harsh away leg defeat fueled by Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, the Reds had a score to settle with Erik ten Hag and it’s fair to say that they did it fairly.
Manchester United visited Anfield on March 5, the match was expected to go in Liverpool’s favor as a close call. However, all the guesses turned out to be wrong when Jurgen Klopp’s men started annihilating Bruno Fernandes’ and Co. in the second half.
Cody Gakpo got the Reds a lead in the first half, in addition to that, Darwin Nunez didn’t waste any further time in making the scoreline 2-0. Mohammad Salah and Roberto Firmino also came forward to mark the complete act of sheer humiliation against the Red Devils as the scoreline stated 7-0 as the final score.
