Good Morning,
Only one game today so we can all recover from the weekend. Some high points worth noting — Leicester scored at home for the first time in 5 months, Chelsea beat Liverpool for the first time in 10 attempts, and Man U lost for the 16th time this season.
I’ve also sprinkled a heavy dose of puns into the letter today (getting ready for the unsubscribes). Enjoy!

-Gabe

Matches

⚽️ Match Preview: Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest

In the final fixture of Matchweek 35, Crystal Palace hosts Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park. It’s been nothing short of a Forest fire as of late. With Forest losing four of the last five, they desperately need to turn over a new leaf. Palace is soaring, or perhaps even flying, with their ticket punched for the FA Cup final on May 25th. But they aren’t out of the woods yet, as they still have two league games before then.

Key Storylines:

• Fresh Blood: Oliver Glasner took over as coach for Palace in February after one the teams worst PL starts ever. Since then they have taken 37 points from 22 matches.

• Hardwood: Forest’s resident Kiwi/goal machine, Chris Wood, will need to rediscover his old ways of putting the ball away. He’s scored once in his last nine.

• The Eagles are Coming: Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta has been instrumental in their direct attacking style, having made 329 runs challenging the defensive back line. Palace has the fewest number of buildup plays (sequences of 10 passes or more that lead to a shot) opting more for a direct over-the-top/in your face style.

Extra Slice
🟢🟢🟢🟢❌ Penalty Specialists

The Premier League’s Coolest Customers (from the Spot)
When the pressure’s on, some players just don’t flinch. According to Opta Analyst, there are three PL players with 100% penalty records (over 10 attempts). Yaya Touré remains the gold standard of Premier League penalty takers, scoring all 11 of his spot kicks—seven of which ended up being match-winners. Raúl Jiménez and Bryan Mbeumo joined the 100% club this season (10/10 each), with Chelsea’s Cole Palmer also achieving perfection until his unlucky 13th attempt broke the streak in March.

On the flip side, some big names haven’t fared as well. Juan Pablo Ángel tops the list of least reliable takers, converting just 5 of 10 attempts, while Paul Pogba, Riyad Mahrez, and even Wayne Rooney hover below 70%. There are quirky notes too: Alan Shearer scored the most Premier League penalties (56), Harry Kane netted seven against Arsenal alone, and Justin Kluivert became the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties in a single match this past November. Full story via Opta.

📈 Table