Premier League Crucible: The Winners

The Crucible officially ended Thursday when Matchweek 21 wrapped up with an Arsenal vs. Liverpool stalemate . Along this 45 day odyssey that began on November 22, we crammed in ten league fixtures. Not content with that schedule, some sides layered on Carabao Cup and UEFA competition ties as well. Gluttons.

Much like a soccer match, the Crucible as a whole will have winners, losers and those who are neither (the term ‘draw’ is exactly accurate in this context). Below we have our winners, and provide our reasoning behind the label. One will definitely shock you. They are listed in order of awesome winningness.

Arsenal

With the only real rain on their parade being a tepid 0 – 0 draw to Liverpool this afternoon, it was an otherwise exceptional Crucible campaign for the Gunners. In the second half they avenged their earlier loss to Aston Villa, plus ground out wins over Everton, Brighton and Bournemouth. The penalty shootout win over Crystal Palace means they’re still in the Carabao Cup. While Arteta will no doubt be fuming at the seemingly loss of urgency against Liverpool, the team still sit six points clear on top, and in fine form.

Aston Villa

Outside of their single loss to league leaders Arsenal, it was as close to perfection as a side can have in the Crucible. They’ve only managed one clean sheet, but who cares as long as you’re winning? To think they started the season without scoring a goal in four straight games, and only had one point. An astonishing turn around. The only reason they’re not in the top spot is that Arsenal still have a strong lead on the table.

Fulham

It was done with little fanfare, a climb so subtle that many missed it. But under manager Marco Silva Fulham scrambled into the top half of the table from near the relegation zone. Silva is the rarest of Premier League beasts: a manager with more than four years of tenure (he was appointed back on July 1, 2021 when Fulham were in the EFL Championship). It’s not a stretch to say the Crucible resuscitated Fulham, making them a real winner.

Brentford

That is not a typo: Brentford are in 5th place. If the season were over, they’d be headed into European competition next year. And this comes from a club who were pillaged over the summer. Their manager is a former set piece coach in charge of his first-ever club. The Bees are proving pundits and haters wrong; including me. Any side that can make a seven place leap over a seven week span has to be taken seriously. This is why they’re ranked higher than other clubs with better statistics.

Newcastle United

For all the grand statistics, Newcastle appearing in the winner’s group smacks of imposter syndrome. I mean, I’m just not convinced that the Magpies are that good. I had to double-check the data to make sure there wasn’t an error. But the numbers don’t lie. Newcastle had a solid Crucible.

Liverpool

We have to lump Liverpool into the same category when talking about imposter syndrome. They moved from 11th place to 4th, but I still feel that they’re just not all there. The defense is still too porous; the attack is still too desperate and slapdash. But you can’t argue with the data, and although Manchester City might have better numbers, Liverpool edge them out.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Yes, Wolves started off the Crucible in last place. They currently sit in last place. But they are in the winner’s circle in my book. Here’s why.

Wolves got their first win of the season in the Crucible’s second half, a 3 – 0 shellacking over West Ham. They also earned two draws. All in all, they are heading into this weekend’s FA Cup tie with three undefeated games in a row. That’s incredible momentum for a side that was in the doldrums for so long.

P.S. The FA Cup result from this morning was a 6 – 1 win over League Two’s Shrewsbury Town. Without these Crucible results, I wonder if the outcome might have been different.