Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth
I bet nobody else in the world is reviewing this game first! If you read my preview, you would have heard me talk about how Dominik Solanke loves scoring against Fulham and it only took him 65 seconds to get on the score sheet this time. Fulham were level 20 minutes later through an Issa Diop header. The question needs to be asked about who teaches Bournemouth to defend from corners. Bournemouth were then claiming for a penalty, but it wasn’t given. It was probably the right call, but it was clumsy defending by Tim Ream. Dominik Solanke was then back, this time he set up Jefferson Lerma who calmly place the ball home to put the Cherries back in front. If you watch the goal, you’d be shocked at just how simple it was for the visitors. Bernd Leno made back-to-back saves, his second one was really good and in the second half, Lerma brought down Aleksandar Mitrovic off the ball inside the penalty area and the Serbian centre forward put the ball home from 12 yards to level the game up at 2-2. Both Solanke and Mitrovic had half chances, but neither could find the back of the net meaning both teams took home a point. The draw means Fulham end their losing streak and end the weekend just outside the top 10. They host Aston Villa this Thursday in their next game. As for Bournemouth, they are now unbeaten in their last 6 games and sit just inside the top 10 as a result of it. They host Southampton this Wednesday.
Brentford 2-0 Brighton
Brentford got back to winning ways after a great performance against Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday Night Football. Early on, David Raya was forced to make a couple of good saves to keep Brighton from taking the lead before Bryan Mbeumo’s tremendous volley smashed off the top of the cross bar. It didn’t matter too much though as Ivan Toney scored a fantastic little flick on/backheel goal to put the Bees in front. Midway through the second half, Joel Veltman conceded a silly foul which gave Brentford a penalty. Ivan Toney stepped up and scored because of course he did; the Brentford striker has an 100% record when taking spot kicks for the Bees. March had a pretty good chance to bring Brighton back into the game, but David Raya pulled out another fine stop before he did it again to make sure that he gets a clean sheet next to his name. It’s been tough for Brentford recently so this was a big win for them. They sit 9th in the table and host Chelsea in their next game (this Wednesday). As for Brighton, they suffered their second loss in a row and new manager Roberto De Zerbi is yet to get a win next to his name at his new club. Brighton still sit in a pretty good 7th place though and they host Nottingham Forest tomorrow.
Tottenham 2-0 Everton
Tottenham picked up their third win in 7 days with a solid performance against Frank Lampard’s Everton. Everton’s game plan was to try and get at Spurs on the counterattack and they had a couple of decent chances. The second chance particularly was a golden one for Amadou Onana, but his shot went flying over the bar. In the second half, Harry Kane’s well struck volley forced a good save out of Jordan Pickford before Heung Min Son put the rebound over the bar. Jordan Pickford then made a very poor mistake which cost his Everton side. A shot came in from Doherty and the England Number 1 spilled the ball into Harry Kane’s path before he brought him down for a Tottenham penalty. Harry Kane then stepped up and fired the ball home to make it 1-0 to Spurs. With less than 5 minutes to go in normal time, Pierre Emile Hojbjerg made it two-nil after a slight deflection of former Arsenal man Alex Iwobi. It was another solid win for Spurs as they stay in third place with a really impressive 23 points from 10 games. They face a big test away from home against Manchester United on Wednesday. As for Everton, they suffer their second defeat in a row and they now sit in 14th spot in the table. The travel to Newcastle next for a half 7 kick-off on Wednesday.
Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea
Graham Potter continues his near perfect start as Chelsea manager with a decent win away to Aston Villa. Chelsea were ahead inside 6 minutes after a terrible mistake from Tyrone Mings was excellently put away by Mason Mount. Leon Bailey then had a great chance to level the game, but his headed effort hit the crossbar and went out. Then, out of nowhere, Kepa Arrizabalaga pulled out 3 brilliant saves within 10 seconds of each other. Truly sensational play from the Spaniard. Danny Ings then had an absolutely brilliant chance to equalise, but he also failed to score due to another excellent save from Kepa. Raheem Sterling should have then made it 2 for Chelsea but his effort came back out off the bar. Midway through the second half, Mason Mount scored a freekick. At first glance, it looked like an amazing strike but when you watch it on the replay, you can see that Martinez’s positioning was all wrong. Raheem Sterling then had another great chance, but he failed to hit the target. Aston Villa suffer their first defeat in 4 games, but they are still in 16th place, just 1 point above the drop zone. They go to Fulham this Thursday. As for Chelsea, they have won all 3 of their Premier League games under Graham Potter and sit 4th in the table as a result of it (with a game in hand on the top 3). They go to Brentford next time out in a game that promises to be a lot of fun.
Southampton 1-1 West Ham
Both Southampton and West Ham shared a point at the St. Mary’s Stadium. Che Adams did really well to create himself a half chance, but Lukas Fabianski was able to make the stop. Some awful defending from West Ham United then allowed Southampton to take the lead through Romain Perraud. The Left Back’s shot actually took a deflection off of a Hammers defender. Scamacca then came close a couple times, but neither was quite good enough to find the back of the net. We then saw more woeful defending from West Ham, but Fabianski was once again able to come to the rescue before Lucas Paqueta hit the outside of the post. Then, midway through the second half (the line of the week), Declan Rice scored with a beautiful solo strike. A point may end Southampton’s 4 game losing streak, but the Saints now find themselves sitting inside the relegation zone. They play Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium this Wednesday. As for West Ham, they will be slightly disappointed with only a point given they had 25 shots in total. The Hammers currently sit 12th and will go to Anfield for their next matchup.
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
Liverpool pulled out a huge win to give Manchester City their first defeat of the season. In the first half, Kevin De Bruyne’s cross found Erling Haaland, but the Norwegian goal machine could only head the ball into Allison’s hands. It was a half chance but a chance that you maybe would have expected more from him. In the second half, Mohamed Salah was in one-on-one with Ederson and the Brazilian goalkeeper pulled out an excellent save to keep the game at 0-0. Just a couple of minutes later, Phil Foden put the ball into the back of the net to give City the lead. However, Anthony Taylor went to the monitor and ruled the goal out for “a foul” by Erling Haaland. If the referee was consistent, that probably was a foul. However, he let pretty much everything else go in this game so why is there a difference when City score? Diogo Jota then had a great chance, but he couldn’t guide the ball home. In the 75th minute, Kevin De Bruyne put in a poor cross that went straight to Allison. The Brazilian Keeper then smashed the ball up field before Cancelo made a terrible mistake which allowed Mo Salah in 1-on-1 against the Keeper again but this time, he found the back of the net. A good calm finish from Salah but a shocking goal to concede from a City point of view. After a clash between Salah and Bernardo Silva, the referee sent Jurgen Klopp off. It didn’t matter in the end though as Liverpool held on to earn themselves a massive 3 points. The win means Liverpool have now moved up into 8th place and they host West Ham United in their next game this Wednesday. As for Manchester City, they suffer their first loss of the season in a frustrating matter. They are still in second place and will rest up midweek before their clash with Brighton on Saturday.
Leeds 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal made it 9 wins from 10 in the Premier League with a well fought win at Leeds. The game was delayed for a long time due to technology issues meaning the game finished a lot later than planned. In the 35th minute, Rodrigo played a horrible switch pass which fell to Odegaard and he then played Bukayo Saka in who managed to smash the ball home from a tight angle. In the second half, Patrick Bamford thought he had levelled the game up for his side, but the referee deemed that Bamford had fouled Gabriel in the build-up. Midway through the second half, Leeds were awarded a penalty through a William Saliba hand ball but, Patrick Bamford guided his penalty wide of the mark. A bad spot kick from the Englishmen. Then, in additional time, there was more antics between Patrick Bamford and Gabriel. After a discussion with the assistant referee, Chris Kavanagh awarded Leeds a penalty and gave Gabriel a red card. However, the ref then went to look at the monitor which automatically means he changes his mind. He scrapped Leeds’ penalty and replaced a red card with a yellow card for the Brazilian Centre Back. The game finished 1-0 to the Gunners. For Leeds, it’s their second defeat in a row and they have now dropped down to 15th place. They take on Leicester at the King Power Stadium this Thursday. As for Arsenal, they earnt their 7th win in a row in all competitions and they have now built themselves a slight gap at the top of the table. They face PSV in the Europa League this Thursday before they go to Southampton in the Premier League.
Wolves 1-0 Nottingham Forest
Wolves got themselves a big victory at the expense of Nottingham Forest. Ait Nouri had a couple of decent chances in the first half but both efforts missed the target, particularly the second attempt. Max Kilman had a great chance to make it 1-0 and his header beat the goalkeeper, but it came back out of the post. In the second half, Wolves were awarded a penalty after a hand ball by Harry Toffolo. I can’t 100% make a decision on if it should have been a penalty or not because the replay cameras aren’t particularly clear. Anyway, Wolves got the penalty and Ruben Neves calmly placed the ball past Dean Henderson to give his Wolves side the lead. Notts Forest were then awarded a penalty of their own. The ball did hit Adama Traore’s hand but it’s never a penalty. It didn’t end up mattering though as Brennan Johnson’s spot kick was saved by Jose Sa. Let’s hope he doesn’t take a penalty like that for Wales in this year's World Cup! Then, in additional time, Ryan Yates had an excellent chance to earn his side a point, but his header went over the bar. This was a massive game for Wolves and they managed to get all 3 points. They are now out of the relegation zone (still 17th though) and they play away from home against Crystal Palace tomorrow. As for Nottingham Forest, the defeat means they are back to the bottom of the Premier League table with just 5 points from 10 games. They also play away from home tomorrow; their game is against Brighton at the AMEX.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
Two teams very close to one another in the Premier League table played out a close nil-nil draw. Early on, Callum Wilson was taken down in the penalty area by Raphael Varane. When I watched it back, I was quite surprised that the referee didn’t give a penalty. I would feel very annoyed if I was a Newcastle fan. Then, after a poor freekick by Kieran Trippier, Joelinton hit both the crossbar and the post within about 3 seconds. The first attempt was unlucky, but he should have scored with his second header. In the second half, a very strange thing happened where Cristiano Ronaldo scored after it looked like Newcastle had taken a freekick. It’s strange because the Newcastle players and particularly Nick Pope stood still like it hadn’t been taken and the referee agreed so the game stayed at nil-nil. Like Newcastle, Manchester United probably should have been given a penalty. The only reason why I think it wasn’t given was because of the way Jadon Sancho went down. 1 each in the should have and not given penalties. Marcus Rashford then went round Nick Pope and played the ball back across to Fred but somehow, he put it wide! And then, in the 95th minute, Marcus Rashford had a golden chance to snatch all 3 points for Manchester United, but his headed shot just went wide of the post. A point isn’t the end of the world for United but I’m sure that they will be slightly disappointed. They still sit in 5th place and host Tottenham Hotspur next time out in a massive, massive game for both sides. As for Newcastle, it’s a solid point that keeps them in 6th place. They host Everton this Wednesday.
Leicester 0-0 Crystal Palace
Leicester and Crystal Palace played out a pretty dull goalless draw. Harvey Barnes had a small chance early on, but Vicente Guaita closed him down really well. Marc Guehi had a half chance for Palace, but his headed effort went sailing over the crossbar. In the 57th minute, James Maddison created himself an opportunity, but he dragged his shot wide of the goal. Then, Odsonne Edouard managed to get a shot away and Danny Ward pulled out an excellent save to keep the game all square. The game ended and boo’s echoed around the King Power. Leicester may not be bottom anymore but, 19th place isn’t much better. They host Leeds United in “ANOTHER” huge game this Thursday. As for Crystal Palace, a draw isn’t the worst result, but I think Patrick Viera would have wanted to see a bit off quality from his players at some point during the game. Crystal Palace are currently sitting in 19th place and they host Wolverhampton Wanderers tomorrow.
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