Maresca sack closer as Chelsea, West Ham, Burnley share similar problem; Parker, Nuno also on brink | OneFootball

Chelsea, West Ham and Burnley created their own problems on Tuesday night, with their managers ending the evening closer to being sacked…

During the festive period, there is all the football, all the time, and the final six Premier League games of 2025 take place tonight. Four of which kicked off at 7:30. Then at 20:15, there is one of the biggest matches of the season so far as Manchester United host Wolves. Oh, and there’s also Arsenal vs Aston Villa at the same time.

Before we bring you our reaction to those later games, here is a round-up of Chelsea vs Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest vs Everton, Burnley vs Newcastle United and West Ham vs Brighton…

Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth

With Chelsea’s rollercoaster season further hampered by a draw against Newcastle United and a loss against Aston Villa, head coach Enzo Maresca acknowledged before Tuesday’s match against Bournemouth, who themselves were on a nine-game winless run, that his side needs to “improve” how they “manage games”.

Well, there was no improvement in the three days between the matches against Villa and Bournemouth, with Chelsea, who fielded the youngest starting XI of any Premier League side of the season (23 years and 157 days), derailed by their shambolic attempt to deal with long throws.

The Bournemouth match was 2-2 at the interval as Chelsea conceded twice via long throws, with David Brooks and Justin Kluivert converting for the visitors. The second was particularly bad from the host’s perspective, as the goalscorer was completely free at the back post from a flick on.

Thankfully for Chelsea, they were more potent in attack, turning the game around and briefly taking the lead before Brooks’ equaliser.

Cole Palmer scored his first goal since returning from injury with a penalty, which he obviously nonchalantly converted. Enzo Fernandez’s emphatic finish into the top corner was easily the pick of the first-half goals, with this his fifth of the season in the Premier League.

The momentum of the second half swung in Chelsea’s favour after the break, but they were made to settle for a point. They finish the year with a run of one Premier League win in seven games. A parting of ways between club and head coach looks increasingly likely after he stuck the knife into the board, with this form not helping matters at all.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Everton

Forest’s recent upturn, sparked by the arrival of Sean Dyche, has lifted the strugglers out of the relegation zone, but they have failed to build a sizable gap to the bottom three over the past week.

Losses against Fulham and Manchester City were followed up with a defeat against Everton at the City Ground on Tuesday, with Forest on the end of one of David Moyes’ trademark ‘proper away performances’.

Forest had significantly more of the ball and most of the chances, but Everton were clinical with their opportunities to claim a victory that moves them back into the Premier League top half.

In-form James Garner produced a great finish to score a rare goal from a patient move before he turned provider with a brilliant turn and through ball for Thierno Barry, who netted from close range to score only his second Premier League goal of the season and second in a month against Forest.

Forest should be grateful that the bottom three are quite so bad…

Burnley 1-3 Newcastle United

Burnley’s plan to end their nine-game winless run in the Premier League against Newcastle United would surely have been to remain level or at most a goal behind for as long as possible before putting the visitors on the back foot.

But this plan went out of the window inside six minutes at Turf Moor, with Scott Parker’s side easily succumbing to Newcastle’s intensity by conceding two quickfire goals via a sweeping finish from Joelinton before summer signing Yoane Wissa scored his second goal in his second start for his new club with a simple tap-in on the goalline at the second attempt.

Newcastle and Eddie Howe, too, have been under pressure for their poor form and they could not hammer home their advantage against frail opposition, who worked their way back into the match.

Josh Laurent volleyed home an exquisite finish to get a goal back for Burnley, who later struck the bar as they huffed and puffed for an equaliser.

Ultimately, this came to no avail and more calamitous defending cost Burnley in the closing stages. Bruno Guimaraes was gifted the ball by Martin Dubravka way out of his goal, and the ‘keeper was punished for leaving his moment of madness with a precise lob. This gives Parker an ‘advantage’ over Howe in the sack race, but in truth, questions for both remain.

West Ham United 2-2 Brighton

With the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo not offering the necessary ‘new manager bounce’, West Ham’s position in the Premier League has become even more perilous, especially with Leeds United and Nottingham Forest improving.

Having only won two of their first nine home games this term, the Hammers, with Nuno as the new sack race favourite, desperately needed a win this evening.

Jarrod Bowen, once again, proved his importance to West Ham by scoring his third goal in five Premier League games with a clinical finish from a one-on-one, with this move accelerated by Brighton’s failure to deal with a simple long ball. But, just as West Ham were threatening to hammer home their advantage, they shot themselves in the foot twice in the sapce of a couple of minutes as they carelessly conceded two penalties.

Max Kilman and Lucas Paqueta were the guilty parties, with it a relief for the forward that Danny Welbeck only took one of the two chances. The Brighton striker sent Alphonso Areola the wrong way to convert his first spot-kick before striking the bar, but he was left with egg on his face after his cheeky panenka hit the bar.

There was more luck for Paqueta at the end of the half as the game’s third penalty was awarded to West Ham, with the Brazil international converting following a stop-start run-up.

West Ham’s optimism was quashed by Brighton’s equaliser with half an hour remaining, though. Again, it was all their own doing as Areola made a weak flap at a corner to gift Joel Veltman the easiest of finishes at the back post.

Brighton tried and failed to score a late winner, which means they are still remarkably yet to win in December while head coach Fabian Hurzeler has been in charge.