It was another memorable weekend in the Premier League that was jam packed with 34 goals and non-stop entertainment. While we were treated to some spectacular performances, there were also a few surprise results.
Chelsea losing to Arsenal has to be the major talking point from the match week but there were many other stories developing in the Premier League. Let’s look at the other talking points from the set of games.
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#1 Chelsea gunned down
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are now winless in their last three league games, losing twice and drawing once. The Blues have failed to step up against the tougher teams and have lost their last two games at home to Liverpool and away to Arsenal.
The Gunners ran riot against a poor Chelsea team at The Emirates in a 3-0 win. All goals were scored in the opening half, leaving the Blues with an uphill task in the second half.
Arsenal attacked right from the start as their opponents sat off and allowed Arsene Wenger’s side to dominate proceedings. Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil got on the scoresheet to cap off a memorable win, ending a run of 10 competitive games against Chelsea without a win.
The Gunners moved up to third position and have won their last four league meetings on the trot. Conte will particularly be displeased with his defenders, who were shambolic on the day. In the second Chelsea half converted to the Italian’s preferred 3-5-2 formation, which saw the slightest of improvements from the team.
#2 Top of the table shaping up
Manchester City continued their dominance in the league with a hard fought 3-1 victory away against Swansea. It was just another day at the office for Sergio Aguero, who returned from suspension with two goals taking his tally for the season to 11 goals in all competitions already.
Tottenham also remained unbeaten this season after their 2-1 victory against Middlesbrough at the Riverside. Heung-Min Son justified his selection over Erik Lamela with another dazzling performance that saw him score his second brace in three weeks. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have only dropped points against Liverpool and Everton, drawing both matches 1-1.
Spurs and City are the only unbeaten teams in the league and will now face each other on the coming weekend.
#3 Worrying signs for Stoke and Sunderland
The other end of the table is looking more and more worrying for teams that are struggling in the relegation zone. Stoke City and Sunderland are the only teams in the top flight who are yet to win a game in the league this season.
Mark Hughes’ Stoke only managed a draw at home to West Brom thanks to a late equaliser from Solomon Rondon. Although, it was their first point gained since their opening day draw against Middlesbrough. The Potters have been performing extremely poorly considering the quality of players in their side, with Hughes desperately hoping for a change in fortunes.
David Moyes will be the most disappointed manager of the week after he saw his side throw away a two-goal lead to end up losing the game against Crystal Palace at The Stadium of Light. Jermaine Defoe did his job up front, grabbing both goals but the Black Cats could not hold out and lost their third league game in a row.
Even though it is still very early in the season, both sides will want to dig themselves out of this slump as quickly as possible.
#4 Klopp’s unstoppable Reds
After their dominant display at Chelsea last week, Jurgen Klopp’s side came up against a resilient Hull City side at Anfield. The Reds demolished the newly promoted side 5-1, to continue their upsurge in recent weeks. Only Manchester City have scored more goals(18) in the league this season compared to Liverpool’s 16. With three wins in a row, Liverpool find themselves in the top four position, only a point behind Tottenham and five behind leaders Manchester City.
Hull have enjoyed a decent start to the season despite their off the field issues with victories in their opening two fixtures. Three losses and a draw in their last four games is not an ideal scenario but considering that their defeats were against Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, Mike Phelan will not be too worried.
#5 Manchester United back to winning ways
Back-to-back losses against Manchester City and Watford had put United under close scrutiny by critics. The downfall of Wayne Rooney covered headlines across England this week and much too many fans delight, the Englishman was dropped to the bench against Champions Leicester City.
The Red Devils started the game with a point to prove and prove that they did with a fine 4-1 victory over the Foxes. Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba were among the scorers as Jose Mourinho’s side won by a three-goal margin for the first time this season.
#6 Hammers’ struggles persist
After a super last season, West Ham have miserably failed to recreate that form. Slaven Bilic’s side have only three points to their name so far and have lost five of the opening six games.
While the London club are dealing with a number of injuries, they still managed to put out a decent starting XI against Southampton but were thrashed 3-0 by the Saints at The London Stadium.
West Ham are yet to win a game on their new home ground and will have a chance to do so against Middlesbrough this weekend.
Scores:
Manchester United 4-1 Leicester City
Bournemouth 1-0 Everton
Liverpool 5-1 Hull City
Middlesbrough 1-2 Tottenham
Stoke City 1-1 West Brom
Sunderland 2-3 Crystal Palace
Swansea City 1-3 Manchester City
Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea
West Ham United 0-3 Southampton
Burnley 2-0 Watford
