CRISIS DEEPENS: ROB EDWARDS' WOLVES SUFFER SOUL-CRUSHING LOSS WHILE CRYSTAL PALACE GO FOURTH
Rob Edwards' debut as Wolves manager ended in a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. The loss marks Wolves' 10th of the season, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.
The anticipated boost from a new manager didn't occur for Wolves, as Rob Edwards' initial match concluded with a 2-0 loss against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Following a disheartening 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton has now faced its 10th defeat of the season.
After hiring Rob Edwards from Middlesbrough, the home team had hopes for a fresh start under a new manager, but the harsh truth of the situation was exposed during his opening game, as Wolves only managed to get one shot on target.
Conversely, Palace extended their streak without a loss to five games across all competitions, propelled by goals from Daniel Munoz and Yeremy Pino, pushing the Eagles up to fourth place in the Premier League table.
Oliver Glasner and his team have now amassed 20 points this season and are presently only six points behind Arsenal, who are at the top of the league.
Instead of just trying to stay in the league, Wolves are now aiming to avoid the unwanted title of the worst team ever in Premier League history.
Edwards traded a promotion chase with Middlesbrough for what is likely the most challenging job in the highest level of English football, and the 42-year-old is now completely aware of the magnitude of his predicament.
Wolves have become only the eighth team in Premier League history to not win any of their first 12 games of the season, leaving their chances of survival looking extremely grim.
Having accumulated only two points this season, it is becoming obvious that the current group of players at Molineux are not capable enough, which was something many foresaw after several significant players left last summer.
As Wolves are already contemplating their future in the Championship, Crystal Palace are seemingly launching an unexpected campaign to qualify for the Champions League.
Glasner's team went through a tough period in October, losing three of their four matches across all competitions, but the Eagles seem to have regained their top form and are currently unbeaten in five games.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.