Skiddle's open goal: A weekly roundup of football news and events

We are in the final stretch of the season now, as most teams in the Premier League have only five or six games left of the season. This weekend started with a stunning game as Crystal Palace hosted fellow Londoners West Ham. Palace's uptick in attacking form continued as they ran out 4-3 winners.

West Ham took the lead before Palace responded with three goals. The home side were brilliant throughout but were let down by their defending at set-pieces which left West Ham players completely free to tap into the net. If Palace could mark from a corner then the scoreline would have been a lot more flattering.

Nottingham Forest thought they'd got a surprise win away at Brentford for some crucial points which would have seen them get that much closer to safety. But second-half goals from Toney and Dasilva, with the latter in the 94th minute saw them take a cruel blow with vital points taken away.

Brighton started their home game against Wolves by dropping some of their key performers such as Mitoma, MacAllister and Caicedo to the bench. It was theoretically an easier task for Wolves but the home side absolutely battered them in a 6-0 victory. It was proof that De Zerbi's system is incredibly powerful and that his wider squad can fit in and fulfil their roles when the regular starters need a rest.

Leeds went away to Bournemouth knowing that they needed to pick up a win to have any hope of survival, with their remaining fixtures being Manchester City, Newcastle, West Ham away and Tottenham at home. They promptly lost 4-1 with an early Jefferson Lerma double sinking them. 

It looked like the last game Leeds were going to win and with new breaking that they're going to bring in Sam Allardyce for the last four games, it looks like a desperate punt in the hope of a new manager bounce that showed the desperation not to go down. He has four unlikely results to turn it around.

Manchester City were made to work for all three points away at a stubborn Fulham side. City took the lead through a Haaland penalty before Vinicius pulled a goal back for the home side. A stunning Alvarez goal put City back on track but they never looked entirely comfortable for the rest of the match.

Manchester United went up against Aston Villa, the second-highest in-form team since the World Cup. Emery has done a brilliant job with Villa but they couldn't get the best of a tight encounter and Bruno Fernandes scored a decisive goal. Newcastle looked at risk of an upset when Southampton went ahead but the second half was a different story with Callum Wilson's brilliant form being decisive as he picked up two goals and Walcott got an own goal.

It looked as though Tottenham were at risk of two maulings in consecutive weekends as they fell behind 3-0 to Liverpool after 15 minutes. But, Liverpool forgot how to kick a ball afterwards and each player would spend as long as possible on the ball until they were inevitably pressured, leading to Tottenham stealing it time after time. It was a summary of how dreadful both sides have been all season.

Spurs levelled it up in the final minute through the dreadful Richarlison getting his first goal for Spurs, Celebrating as if he had won the World Cup, Liverpool went straight up the other end and got a winner through Jota. The final game of the weekend was a potential relegation decider.

Leicester vs Everton could have seen the away side possibly in dire straights if they lost as they don't have the easiest matches coming up. It ended in a draw, with Everton having chance after chance but having complacent defending that allowed Leicester to score twice. It lifted the home side out of the relegation zone but increased the anxiety around both sides.

If you're looking for some end-of-season action take a look at the events below.

 

FA Cup Final Dalston Fan Park

When: Saturday 3rd June

Where: Dalston Roofpark, London

The FA Cup final will see its first-ever Manchester derby this year. It is United's chance to stop City from getting the treble and also a chance for them to prove that Ten Hag is pushing them in the right direction. City fans will be confident that their stars will get the job done and you can catch all of the action at this fan zone.

 

 

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Women's FA Cup Final Live Screening

When: Saturday 14th May

Where: Vauxhall Food and Beer Garden, London

A bit before the men's FA Cup Final, the women's FA Cup final will be taking place as Chelsea take on Manchester United. Sam Kerr will be the one to watch on the pitch and you can see it on three huge screens at Vauxhall Food and Beer Garden in London. You won't miss a kick here.

 

Buy tickets:

 

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Tam Cowan's Aff The Baw

When: Thursday 1st June

Where: Club 45 Blackfriars Of Bell St, Glasgow

Tam Cowan's Aff The Baw sees him host another Scottish footballing legend, where they'll be having a chat about his glittering career. This time it is the turn of Frank McAvennie who famously had stints at Celtic and West Ham. He'll be quizzed on his story, with both his club and national career.

 

Buy tickets:

 

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Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.