Premier League 1st Sep 2018: Top performers and report card from Liverpool, Chelsea & Manchester City games 

Leicester City v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Alisson is relieved that his error has not cost Liverpool three points.

Game Week 4 of the English Premier League completed its first day before the international break. There were no surprises for title favourites like Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, who entertained on the first day of this round with victories over Leicester City, Bournemouth and Newcastle United, respectively.

Liverpool:

Final Score: Leicester City 1 - 2 Liverpool (Rachid Ghezzal 63'); (Sadio Mane 10', Roberto Firmino 45')

Liverpool played away against tricky opponents Leicester City, who made Liverpool sweat to earn all three points. Goals from Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino ensured Liverpool's perfect start to the season. This was the first time since 1990/91 that Liverpool won their first four league games in a row.

Liverpool started the game as usual with a quick-fire attack on Leicester's goal whenever they got possession and it paid in the tenth-minute when Sadio Mane's strike put Liverpool ahead. Liverpool doubled their lead at the end of the first half with Firmino's header from a corner.

But the 'Foxes' came into the second half with some purpose and eventually Leicester's Rachid Ghezzal scored after Alisson's mistake, which halved Liverpool's lead but failed to deny a Liverpool victory.

Chelsea:

Final Score: Chelsea 2-0 Bournemouth (Pedro 72', Hazard 85')

Chelsea also maintained their 100 per cent record with a victory against Bournemouth. Bournemouth defended first half well as Chelsea found it difficult to break the deadlock as their best chance in the first half was Marcos Alonso's shot that hit the post.

Chelsea opened the scoring in the second half with Pedro providing the blues with the opener after his introduction. Hazard doubled their lead within five minutes of stoppage time from a brilliant one-two with Alonso.

Manchester City:

Final Score: Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle United (Sterling 8', Walker 52'); (DeAndre Yedlin 30')

Manchester City seemed a little bit off the pace in the absence of De Bruyne and Leroy Sane, but they managed to grind out the victory to get to the third spot on the table temporarily.

Manchester City didn't take much time to score as usual as they went ahead with a perfect strike from Raheem Sterling, who danced past a couple of Newcastle defenders cutting from the right side and unleashed a perfect curler past goalkeeper Dubravka.

Newcastle United barely tried to attack, but they equalized with their first attempt with Yedlin netted the goal from a beautiful low cross from Salomon Rondon.

While Manchester City then found it difficult to score again as Newcastle United organized well to dilute the City's attacks, it took a sensational 30-yard drive from Kyle Walker to defeat Newcastle United's goalkeeper Dubravka, who looked solid throughout the game.


Let us find players who are extraordinary in their side's victory in the next slide.

Top Performers:

Liverpool – Joe Gomez

Leicester City v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Joe Gomez was impressive in Liverpool's outing at King Power Stadium

England's youngster Joe Gomez is making the most of the chances he is getting. This time with a perfect outing at King Power Stadium. The injury to Dejan Lovern allowed Klopp to play the young defender in every game this season, and he impressed his manager with some brilliant performances.

Joe was excellent in dealing with the pace of Leicester's forwards, especially Demarai Gray. He also made his physical presence felt in the opposition's box during setpieces and made some fine tackles and interceptions. The best came in the second half when Gomez denied James Maddison.

The man of the match performance in a team that comprises Mane and Salah is a great achievement and this guy deserves the centre back position for Liverpool at the moment. However, it remains to be seen how he performs against big teams.

Chelsea – N'Golo Kante

Chelsea FC v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League
Chelsea FC v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League

It's not a surprise that the World Cup winner Kante dominated midfield during Chelsea's game against Bournemouth.

Even his manager was surprised by his ability.

"Kante is a great midfielder, he can play any position in my midfield. It’s not a problem for him. I was surprised about the technical qualities from Kante." – Maurizio Sarri (Chelsea Manager)

He was given a new role by the manager in which he played in a more attacking role than usual; he also dealt opponents with tackles and interceptions with his usual high work rate. He was one of the reasons why Chelsea was so dominant in possession. Here's how some fans reacted on Twitter.

He is omnipresent! N'Golo everywhere...

Manchester City – Kyle Walker

Manchester City v Newcastle United - Premier League
He can outrun Usain Bolt on the Football pitch!

Manchester City is so dominant in possession, but they lack ruthlessness in the absence of De Bruyne and Leroy Sane. Raheem Sterling and David Silva both performed brilliantly, but Kyle Walker was the one who saved the day for Manchester City on their 10th anniversary with a stunning 30-yard rocket that would make Aguero and also the Twitterati proud.

Kyle Walker's whizzbang and his lightning pace were a delight to watch. He provided the winner when the opposition defence was well organized and their goalkeeper seemed impossible to beat. He could be the main asset for Pep Guardiola's side in their pursuit of retaining the Premier League.

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Edited by Shashwat Tiwari
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