Successes for midtable, and what is going wrong at United? Hot or not: Gameweek 32

Another week passed, and despite the Premier League’s limited fixture list due to FA Cup commitments, there were plenty of talking points.

Newcastle and Brentford pulled out of the relegation struggle, while Arsenal and Manchester United were flattered for cheating on them in the race for the top four.

So who excelled and who struggled over the weekend?

HOT: Newcastle United

Newcastle United’s increasingly impressive form under Eddie Howe since the turn of the year shows no sign of giving up, with late winner Bruno Guimarães giving the Magpies three points and just one win away from the top half of the table.

this team

⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/Q0Q77FxUhO

– Newcastle United (NUFC) April 17 2022

For the team that was battling relegation early in the year, there has been some recovery.

HOT: Cristiano Ronaldo

Where will Manchester United be without Cristiano Ronaldo this season? His goals were key to knocking them out of the Champions League group stage, and his 15th Premier League goalscorer this season behind only Mohamed Salah and Hong Min Son on the scorers list.

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the sixth player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League pic.twitter.com/gpfG0x7kle

– B/R Football (brfootball) April 17 2022

As in the face of Tottenham, it was a hat-trick by the Portuguese icon that saved the very mediocre team from an embarrassing defeat against Norwich. Now 37, he continues to set expectations.

HOT: Brentford

Brentford’s fourth victory in five games has nicely and genuinely lifted them from any relegation risk, with the Bees now 14 points ahead of Burnley in 18th place five games ahead.

The captain delivers # Brentford #whatper SimplexityTM pic.twitter.com/ZH5uXdNJAH

– Brentford (BrentfordFC) April 16 2022

Christian Eriksen has played a pivotal role in that renaissance, and it was his injury-time group that gave them a hard-fought win over Watford, almost certainly cementing their place in the Premier League for next season, and they now have their sights set firmly in the top half at the end of this season.

Not: Arsenal

What an awful two weeks for the Gunners. The third loss on the rebound, this time against Southampton, left them needing to score big against their direct rivals in order to have any chance of finishing in the Champions League places, although odds have previously been the favorites to do so.

Injuries to Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney, as well as a worrying drought in front of goal, appear to have derailed the north London side.

No: Manchester United

What on earth is happening at Old Trafford? Manchester United were saved by Ronaldo but in fact looked well below average against Norwich, who are the same at the bottom of the standings.

Rangnick is not happy with the defence: “Once there’s contact we need to get physical and aggressive but we weren’t and it’s very easy. We are the only team in the league that has conceded goals like this. It’s not aq of tactical discipline, it’s appropriate for how to defend physically?”

– Charlotte Duncker (@CharDuncker) April 16 2022

Although they have the lifeblood of getting back into the top four at the end of the season with other results around them over the weekend, they need to improve greatly if they are to progress and accept the gift. They can’t count on Ronaldo for every game.

No: Burnley

Ah Burnley. What were they thinking about sacking Sean Daichi with just a few matches left?

Clarett played well against West Ham, but they could only get out by one point because they failed to take their chances, meaning they lost more points in their goal to beat the relegation.

Now she’s three points clear, having played a game more than Everton directly above them, it looks grim for Turf Moor’s side.

Read more:

Osasuna vs Real Madrid betting tips: La Liga preview, predictions and odds

Atletico Madrid vs Granada betting tips: La Liga preview, predictions and odds

---

This article has been edited by
Josh Parker.