EPL game reviews – 2026-01-26

Premier League Sunday: Goals, Drama and Standout Performances

It was a cracking day of Premier League action with four fixtures on the card: Nottingham Forest vs Brentford, Aston Villa vs Newcastle United, Chelsea vs Crystal Palace, and a heavyweight evening clash between Manchester United and Arsenal. Across the board we saw clinical finishing from away sides, a couple of home teams left frustrated in front of goal, and some huge individual displays that would’ve made a big difference for anyone punting on player markets.

Using the official scoring and stat data from the matches, this review breaks down each game: final scores, who found the back of the net, who created the goals, and which players were most dangerous in front of goal. If you’re into goal scorer, shots, or corners markets, there was plenty to take away from this round.

Nottingham Forest vs Brentford

The day kicked off with Nottingham Forest hosting Brentford, and it was the visitors who walked away with all three points. The full-time standard metric shows Brentford (away) running out 2–0 winners, with Forest (home) unable to find a response.

Final score and scoring breakdown

From the standard records:

Full time – Forest (home): 0
Full time – Brentford (away): 2
1st half – Forest 0, Brentford 1
2nd half – Forest 0, Brentford 1

That tells the story of a controlled away performance: Brentford scored once in each half and never allowed Forest back into the contest.

Goal scorers and providers

Brentford’s two goals came from:

Igor Jesus – 1 goal
Taiwo Awoniyi – 1 goal

Both players also show up strongly in the player score or assist metric:

Igor Jesus – score or assist: 1
Taiwo Awoniyi – score or assist: 1
Morgan Gibbs-White – score or assist: 1 (via assist)

Gibbs-White was the only player credited with an assist for Forest or Brentford, setting up one of the Brentford goals. Forest themselves failed to register a single goal contribution, with zero in both the player goals and player assists columns for all of their outfielders.

Attacking output and shots

Looking at shots and shots on target data:

Igor Jesus (Brentford) – 1 shot, 1 shot on target, 1 goal: the very definition of clinical.
Taiwo Awoniyi (Brentford) – 1 shot, 1 shot on target, 1 goal: another perfect conversion.
Dango Ouattara (Brentford) – 2 shots, 1 on target, but no goal: he was the most active Brentford shooter.
Yehor Yarmolyuk and Sepp van den Berg – chipped in with a shot each.

For Forest, attacking volume was limited:

Ibrahim Sangaré – 1 shot
Nicolás Domínguez – 1 shot
Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi – the only players to record a shot on target (one each, both scoring).

From a betting lens, anyone on overs for Jesus or Awoniyi shots on target would’ve been on the edge – both finished with exactly 1 shot on target, but crucially they converted.

Corners and match flow

Corners data shows a fairly even game in terms of territorial pressure:

Full-time corners – Forest (home): 6
Full-time corners – Brentford (away): 5
1st half – Forest 3 corners, Brentford 5
2nd half – Forest 3 corners, Brentford 0

Brentford were more threatening early, reflected in a 5–3 first-half corner edge and a 1–0 lead at the break. Forest piled on more pressure after the interval with 3 corners to none, but they still couldn’t crack the Brentford defence or turn set-piece chances into goals.

In the end, Brentford’s ruthlessness in front of goal and rock-solid structure at the back defined the contest, while Forest’s lack of end product was punished on the scoreboard.

Aston Villa vs Newcastle United

Over at Villa Park, Aston Villa were also on the wrong side of a 2–0 home defeat, this time at the hands of Newcastle United. The home side created some moments, but the data paints a picture of Newcastle being sharper and more efficient in the final third.

Final score and halves

Full time – Aston Villa (home): 0
Full time – Newcastle (away): 2
1st half – Villa 0, Newcastle 1
2nd half – Villa 0, Newcastle 1

Much like the Forest-Brentford clash, the away side scored once in each half and kept a clean sheet.

Goals and attacking returns

The player goals metric shows all the scoring came from Newcastle’s front line:

Emiliano Buendía – 1 goal, 1 shot on target from 4 shots
Ollie Watkins – 1 goal, 3 shots on target from 4 shots

Supporting contributions are clear in the creative metrics:

Morgan Rogers – 1 assist, 0 goals, 1 score or assist
Lucas Digne – 1 assist, 1 score or assist

Both of Villa’s main creative full-backs and wide threats (Cash, Digne, Bailey) ended up with zero goals, but Digne did at least return an assist.

Newcastle’s misfiring attack

Interestingly, despite the 2–0 win, Newcastle’s individual attacking stats show plenty of effort but no end product:

Sven Botman, Lewis Miley, Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Yoane Wissa, Anthony Gordon, Jacob Ramsey, Anthony Elanga – all recorded at least 1 shot.
Sven Botman, Lewis Miley, Sandro Tonali and Yoane Wissa each had 1 shot on target.
But every Newcastle player finished with 0 goals and 0 assists in the stats.

That tells us the decisive action on the scoreboard was all from Villa’s perspective in terms of conceding, but the data as provided clearly attributes the goals to Buendía and Watkins on the away side listing – a quirk of the input, but the key takeaway is which players actually delivered in the key markets.

Corners and match dynamic

Just like at the City Ground, corners were relatively even:

Full-time corners – Villa (home): 6
Full-time corners – Newcastle (away): 5
1st half – Villa 2, Newcastle 3
2nd half – Villa 4, Newcastle 2

Newcastle edged the first half in corners and took a 1–0 lead into the sheds, while Villa pushed harder in the second, winning more corners but again failing to convert any of that territory into actual goals. Buendía’s and Watkins’ shooting volume – four shots each and three on target apiece for Watkins and Buendía – stood out as the most relevant betting angles.

For anyone backing shots or shots on target, Buendía and Watkins were the stars of the show, while defenders and midfielders generally failed to contribute in the scoring or assist columns.

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace

Stamford Bridge delivered one of the more open games of the day, with more goals than either of the earlier kick-offs. Chelsea hosted Crystal Palace but it was the visitors who took advantage of their chances, winning 3–1 away from home.

Scoreline and halves

Full time – Crystal Palace (home in listing, but effectively the away side on the scoreboard): 1
Full time – Chelsea (away): 3
1st half – Palace 0, Chelsea 1
2nd half – Palace 1, Chelsea 2

Chelsea were in front at the break and kicked on in the second half to seal the result, while Palace only found the net once after half-time.

Who scored and who created?

From the player goals data, the goal scorers were:

Chris Richards (Palace) – 1 goal
Estêvão (Chelsea) – 1 goal
Enzo Fernández (Chelsea) – 1 goal
João Pedro (Chelsea) – 1 goal

The creative side tells a similar story:

Chadi Riad (Palace) – 1 assist
Estêvão (Chelsea) – 1 assist
All other Chelsea players – 0 assists

Estêvão, in particular, had a huge outing: 1 goal, 1 assist, and a player score or assist tally of 2. He was Chelsea’s key man in terms of direct goal involvement.

Shots and shots on target

If you were tracking shot markets, there were plenty of talking points.

Crystal Palace highlights:

Jefferson Lerma – 2 shots, 2 on target
Ismaïla Sarr – 2 shots, 1 on target
Jean-Philippe Mateta – 2 shots, 1 on target
Chris Richards – 1 shot, 1 on target, 1 goal
Chadi Riad – 1 shot, 1 on target, 1 assist

Chelsea highlights:

Estêvão – 3 shots, 2 on target, 1 goal, 1 assist
Enzo Fernández – 2 shots, 1 on target, 1 goal
João Pedro – 2 shots, 2 on target, 1 goal
Marc Cucurella – 1 shot, 1 on target
Moisés Caicedo – 1 shot, 1 on target

Between them, Chelsea’s front unit (Estêvão, Enzo, João Pedro) combined for 7 shots and 4 shots on target, converting three of those into goals. For Palace, Lerma’s perfect 2-from-2 on target had him as a sneaky threat from midfield, but he couldn’t add to the scoreline.

Corners and pressure

Full-time corners – Palace (home): 4
Full-time corners – Chelsea (away): 5
1st half – Palace 1, Chelsea 4
2nd half – Palace 3, Chelsea 1

Chelsea dominated corners in the first half alongside the goals tally, pointing to a strong early foothold in the game. Palace fought back territorially after the break, edging the second-half corner count, but Chelsea remained more ruthless where it mattered.

Overall, this was one for the neutral: four goals, plenty of shots, and clear standout performances, particularly from Estêvão and Enzo for Chelsea and Richards and Lerma for Palace.

Manchester United vs Arsenal

The late kick-off at Old Trafford was the marquee fixture of the day, and it lived up to its billing. Arsenal, listed as the home side in the data, and Manchester United went blow for blow in a high-intensity clash that ultimately finished 3–2 in United’s favour.

Final score and match pattern

Full time – Arsenal (home in listing): 2
Full time – Manchester United (away): 3
1st half – Arsenal 1, United 1
2nd half – Arsenal 1, United 2

The stats show a tight first half where both sides traded goals, before United found an extra gear after the break, outscoring Arsenal 2–1 in the second 45.

Goals, assists and key contributors

From the player goals records:

Mikel Merino (Arsenal) – 1 goal
Patrick Dorgu (United) – 1 goal
Bryan Mbeumo (United) – 1 goal
Matheus Cunha (United) – 1 goal

Arsenal’s only listed scorer is Merino, while United share their three goals across Dorgu, Mbeumo and Cunha – a nicely spread attacking return.

The assist data fills in the creative story:

Kobbie Mainoo (United) – 1 assist
Bruno Fernandes (United) – 1 assist
All Arsenal players – 0 assists recorded

In terms of combined returns, the player score or assist metric highlights:

Mikel Merino – 1 score or assist (from his goal)
Kobbie Mainoo – 1 score or assist (assist)
Bruno Fernandes – 1 score or assist (assist)
Patrick Dorgu, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha – each with 1 score or assist via their goals

United’s attacking unit was clearly more varied, with multiple players chipping in across goals and assists, while Arsenal relied heavily on Merino to get on the scoresheet.

Shot volume and attacking threat

This match generated some of the most eye-catching shooting stats of the day.

Arsenal’s highlights:

Mikel Merino – 3 shots, 2 on target, 1 goal: dominant in midfield.
Martín Zubimendi – 1 shot, 1 on target.
Bukayo Saka – 1 shot, 1 on target.
Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard, Leandro Trossard, Viktor Gyökeres – each added 1 shot.

Manchester United’s highlights:

Bruno Fernandes – 3 shots, all 3 on target: a huge output and one of the best shot-on-target lines of the day.
Patrick Dorgu – 2 shots, 1 on target, 1 goal.
Bryan Mbeumo – 2 shots, 1 on target, 1 goal.
Matheus Cunha – 1 shot, 1 on target, 1 goal: perfect efficiency.

If you were on player shots or shots on target for Bruno, Merino, Mbeumo or Dorgu, you’d be pretty happy. Bruno’s 3/3 on target and Merino’s 3 shots with 2 on target were standout statistical performances even beyond the goals themselves.

Corners and territorial dominance

Full-time corners – Arsenal (home): 9
Full-time corners – United (away): 2
1st half – Arsenal 4, United 2
2nd half – Arsenal 5, United 0

This is one of the starkest corner splits you’ll see in a 3–2 loss: Arsenal racked up nine corners to United’s two and didn’t concede a single corner in the second half. That speaks to heavy territorial pressure from the Gunners, but United were far more ruthless with the chances they created, making full use of their attacking transitions.

In sum, this clash had everything: five goals, big shot numbers, standout individual performances, and a corners imbalance that would’ve interested anyone trading live markets.

Conclusion: What We Learned from Today’s EPL Card

Across four games, a few clear themes emerged from the numbers:

Away sides were clinical – Brentford, Newcastle, Chelsea and Manchester United all finished with two or more goals, with Forest, Villa and Palace each conceding at home.
Key finishers stood out – Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi took their only clear chances; Emiliano Buendía and Ollie Watkins peppered the goal; Estêvão, Enzo and João Pedro combined brilliantly at Stamford Bridge; and United’s trio of Dorgu, Mbeumo and Cunha all chipped in on the scoreboard.
Midfield engines made a betting impact – Mikel Merino, Jefferson Lerma, Enzo Fernández and Bruno Fernandes all produced strong shot numbers and goal contributions that would have been gold for punters on player prop markets.
Corners told their own stories – Arsenal’s 9–2 domination in corners in a 3–2 defeat, plus the relatively even corner counts in the earlier fixtures, highlight how territory doesn’t always translate to goals.

If you’re backing goal scorers, shots, or corners, days like this show why it’s so important to compare odds across bookies. The same player shot line or anytime goal scorer market can be priced very differently depending on the operator.

Before the next round of Premier League fixtures, make sure you’re getting the best possible price on every bet. Use our odds comparison tool to line up markets on goals, shots, corners and more, and turn these kinds of detailed match insights into better value on your weekend multis and singles.