As we headed into the seventh week of action of the Premier League, there was a lot to look forward to. Who would hold their unbeaten record – Tottenham or Manchester City? Could Sunderland pick up points? Could Arsenal and Liverpool maintain their fine form?
The weekend did spring a surprise or two as big teams like Manchester United and Manchester City dropped points.
As we draw the curtains on yet another exciting weekend of football and head into the international break, here are 10 things we learnt from the weekend of football in the Premier League.
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#1 Manchester City missing De Bruyne
Tottenham Hotspur handed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City their first defeat of the season after a brilliant 2-0 victory for the Blues. While Tottenham were simply the better team, it did look like Manchester City were missing a certain Belgian star in their midfield.
Kevin De Bruyne’s absence was felt as Manchester City absolutely lacked tooth in their attacking play. De Bruyne has the knack of creating chances with brilliant final balls to the forward players and also chipping in with goals.
Both David Silva and Gundogan were not effective going forward as Victor Wanyama and Moussa Sissoko did a formidable job shutting them down, and it clearly looked like City missed the presence of the Belgian.
#2 Payet is back
We have seen few fantastic goals already in the Premier League this season, but Dmitri Payet’s mesmerising goal against Middlesbrough has got to the best of the season. The Frenchman was, as always, the best player on the pitch for West Ham United.
While West Ham’s season has been off to a horrible start, the Hammers can bank on Payet’s brilliance to rescue them from their woeful position.
This has perhaps been the game that he has influenced the most so far, but glimpses of his brilliance were seen so far this season, especially when he made the rabonna cross for Michail Antonio’s goal earlier this season.
#3 Chadli making a point at West Brom
Tony Pulis’ men had a decent game against Sunderland on Saturday and Nacer Chadli proved to be a vital player for The Baggies yet again. However, his performance could not help his team take all three points as Sunderland managed to draw the game 1-1.
Chadli did not get enough playing time in Tottenham and moved to West Brom in an attempt to relaunch his career. That is exactly what the Belgian has done at West Brom as he has added the cutting edge, to an otherwise average West Brom team.
Not only has he been a threat going forward, the Belgian has tracked back to help the defence on many occasions, thus proving to be a fantastic buy.
#4 Manchester United improving without Rooney
While Manchester United might have dropped points against Mark Hughes Stoke City at home, the scoreline does not tell the whole story.
The Wayne Rooney-less Manchester United team have been improving considerably and signs of brilliance were seen when they took on Stoke. Anthony Martial finally looked in good touch as he gave the Red Devils the lead.
It is the finishing that the Red Devils lacked as they could have easily scored several goals with the number of chances they created. Pogba looked better in his advanced role while Ander Herrera was fantastic as the deeper lying midfielder on the pitch.
David De Gea’s rare error handed Stoke City a goal but the result certainly is not an accurate indicator of Manchester United’s game.
#5 Sunderland refusing to give up
With less than 10 minutes left on the clock, Sunderland was staring at yet another defeat on Saturday at the hands of West Bromwich Albion at home.
However, David Moyes’ team managed to snatch a point after super-sub Partick Van Aanholt scored a goal for the Black Cats in the 84th minute.
Despite yet another poor start to the season and being tagged as relegation favourites, Moyes’ men have refused to give up. Their performance against West Brom would have surely impressed the fans and their form can only improve from here under David Moyes.
The Black Cats have made a poor start to the season with just two points in 7 games.
#6 Tottenham are clear title challengers
For a second season running, Tottenham Hotspur has announced themselves as one of the favourites to challenge for the Premier League title. With a fantastic display at home to take down Manchester City by two goals, Pochettino’s men must be proud of their performance so far this season and are the only team to remain unbeaten.
While Sissoko and Wanyama look solid in the midfield, Walker and Rose have been consistent for Spurs this season. Son, Harry Kane’s replacement, looks to be in the form of his life and Dele Alli has also been doing a good job in the attack.
The Spurs haven’t really made headlines with thumping wins but have been clinical in attack and solid at the back.
#7 Milner settling in well at left-back
When the season began in August, many speculated that James Milner may find it tough to secure a spot in the starting line up with Wijnaldum’s arrival.
However, Jurgen Klopp had other plans for the former Manchester City player, as he moved the player to the left-back position and Milner has made the most of this opportunity.
Seven weeks later, the move seems to be a brilliant one as Milner has been a vital cog both in the defence and in attack. He is also one of the first names on the team sheet and has secured his spot in the starting 11.
Milner has been excellent from the penalty spot having scored four this season.
#8 Arsenal leave it very late
Arsene Wenger’s men left it late against Burnley to secure a win in controversial fashion after Laurent Koscielny scored in the 93rd minute to hand the Gunners all three points. However, it looks like Arsenal haven’t learnt from their past in terms of the football they play.
Arsenal has been accused of overplaying in an attempt to make it look pretty. Against Burnley, Arsenal went back to their old ways making one pass too many on several occasions when they could’ve gone for goal.
Alexis Sanchez made a meal of the best chance for the visitors. However, the Chilean refused to give up and got closer to a goal when he rattled the post late in the game.
Both Alexis and Walcott must be more clinical in front of goal if Arsenal want to have any chance of winning the title.
#9 Leicester’s performance affected by European games
After seven weeks into the season, Leicester City finds themselves in the bottom half of the table in the 12th spot. While the Foxes have been clinical in Europe, they have been less impressive in the Premier League.
One reason for this could be the European fixtures draining the players out before their games in the weekend. Leicester City have strengthened their squad to cope with the pressures of Europe and the league, but have had a hard time managing both effectively.
While they are in the running in three tournaments, manager Ranieri must prioritise one over the other or find the right balance.
#10 Costa shines in a poor start for Chelsea
The top scorer of the league, Diego Costa, was linked with a move back to Spain to rejoin Atletico Madrid, but the Spanish international stayed back in London and is doing a fine job for the Blues.
The Spanish striker has been fantastic for Chelsea this season, scoring six goals in seven games.
Chelsea have made a much better start to the season this year, and Costa has certainly been their best player, scoring goals that have earned Chelsea points in over half of their games so far this season.
The Blues must sort out their defensive problems and hope for Costa to continue his fine start to the season in order to push for a top four finish.
