EPL 2016/17: 10 things we learned from Gameweek 23
The 23rd game week of the Premier League came on the back of a week of cup football action. After Manchester United sealed their spot in the League Cup finals against Southampton, both teams’ celebrations were cut short after their games ended in a draw and loss respectively.
In a week of surprising results, both Tottenham and Arsenal were unable to capitalise on Chelsea’s two dropped points and gave the league leaders a massive advantage with a nine-point lead. With only 15 game weeks of football left, it would take a stunning effort from any of the top 6 teams to displace Chelsea from the top of the table.
All of the bottom four teams picked up points this game week while defending Premier League champions are currently tied with relegation favourites Swansea City on 21 points. This happens only in the Premier League. All this and more as here are 10 things we learned from game week 23:
#1 Sam Allardyce finally delivers
Resilient, organised, aggressive and defensively’s sound – Crystal Palace was everything that you could expect from a Sam Allardyce team against Bournemouth. The Cherries have been a tricky side to play away from home, but Crystal Palace overcame this challenge with grit and determination.
On a rainy winter night at the Vitality Stadium, it was Crystal Palace’s calculated counter attacks that made the difference. Scott Dann and Cristian Benteke found the back of the net for the London outfit. The clean sheet, however, would please Sam Allardyce the most; expect more of the same from his team.