Week 10 Review: Stalemate at Stamford Bridge; Fulham Foils Foxes; Rise of West Ham; Red Devils Are Hot, Gunners Are Not; West Brom Bags One

 

Top of the Table

Tottenham Hotspur – Spurs remain top of the league following their goalless draw with Chelsea.  Jose Mourinho is likely happy with the away point which saw his defense put the brakes on the league’s highest scoring team.  The clean sheet was the fourth in five games for the north London club.  Spurs are now unbeaten in their last nine matches

Liverpool – Diogo Jota continued to have a hot hand for Liverpool as he scored his fifth Premier League goal and ninth across all competitions this season in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Brighton.  A controversial penalty in stoppage time accounted for the Brighton goal.  Manager Jurgen Klopp took on targets ranging from Premier League broadcasters to Sheffield United Manager Chris Wilder in an extended postgame rant about VAR, fixture scheduling and substitution rules.

Chelsea – Chelsea’s fifth clean sheet in its past seven matches earned a point in its London derby versus the league leading Spurs.  Chelsea dominated possession but managed only three shots on target from its normally dynamic attack.  Chelsea is now unbeaten in eight matches.

Leicester – The Foxes were able to put just three shots on target, despite 68% possession of the ball, in a disappointing 2-1 loss to Fulham.  A late goal by Harvey Barnes provided some late hope which went unfulfilled.  It was the season’s third loss at home for the Foxes.

West Ham – West Ham defeated Aston Villa 2-1 for their third consecutive victory.  The now fifth place Hammers had entered November in fourteenth position.  Angelo Ogbonna scored the opening goal and Jarrod Bowen had the winner, his team leading fourth of the season, for West Ham.  Only Spurs and Chelsea have conceded fewer goals than the Hammers this season.

Southampton – A heavenly first half performance was washed away by the sins of a poor second half as Southampton fell 3-2 to Manchester United.  The Saints had built a 2-0 first half lead on the strength of James Ward-Prowse’s set piece prowess which delivered a free kick goal and an assist from a corner kick.  Southampton lost for the first time in eight matches.

Wolverhampton Wanderers - Wolves, one of three teams sitting on seventeen points, defeated Arsenal 2-1 for the team's first win at the Emirates since 1979. The offensive explosion marked only the third time this year Wolves have scored more than one goal in a match. Striker Raul Jimenez sustained a first half head injury which later required surgery.

Our first win at Arsenal since 1979.

📅📍 pic.twitter.com/zhxPQPVasH

— Wolves (@Wolves) November 30, 2020

Mid Table

Everton – Everton lost 1-0 to Leeds, a fourth defeat in their last five matches.  Early season optimism has all but dissolved as the Toffees lost a second consecutive home match and fell to eighth in the table.  Numerous opportunities from their fifteen shots went unconverted by the Toffees before the defense failed to complete a clean sheet for a ninth consecutive match.

Manchester United – Manchester United overcame a 2-0 first half deficit in a 3-2 victory at Southampton.  Second half substitute Edinson Cavani contributed two goals and an assist in the Red Devil’s comeback, including the stoppage time winner.  Manchester United, now ninth in the table, has won three consecutive matches and extended their away winning streak to eight.

Aston Villa – Aston Villa’s 2-1 loss to West Ham was a fourth defeat in the past five matches for Villa and drops them to tenth in the table after what had been an encouraging start to the season.  Villa Striker Ollie Watkins suffered a frustrating evening with a missed penalty, a goal disallowed on VAR review and another clear opportunity which he sailed over the bar.

Manchester City – Manchester City broke out of its season long offensive doldrums in spectacular fashion with a 5-0 defeat of Burnley.  Riyad Mahrez had a hat trick for the Citizens as their goal total on the day equaled those accumulated in their prior six matches.  City moves to eleventh in the table with the three points.

Leeds – Leeds 1-0 victory over Everton was a first win at Goodison Park since 1990.  Rafinha’s first Premier League goal was the winner for the Whites.  Kalvin Philip was essential to the victory in his defensive midfield role, laying back in defense as teammates continually swarmed into the Everton end.  Leeds has posted two consecutive clean sheets.

Newcastle – Newcastle’s patience was rewarded as two late goals delivered a 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park.  The Magpies Callum Wilson scored his seventh goal of the season at the eighty-eight-minute mark before Joelinton’s goal two minutes later ended any remaining Eagle hopes.  The clean sheet was Newcastle’s first since its opening match of the season.

Arsenal – Arsenal’s goal in a 2-1 loss to visiting Wolves doubled the amount of goals accumulated by the Gunners in their five prior matches.  On the one-year anniversary of firing former coach Unai Emery, Arsenal are off to the worst start in their Premier League history.  The loss was a third consecutive losing effort for Arsenal at the Emirates.

Crystal Palace – Crystal Palace, playing without star Wilfried Zaha, were scoreless for a third time in their last four matches in losing to Newcastle 2-0.  The Eagles have failed to score a goal in more Premier League matches (45) than any other club since the beginning of the 2017/18 season.  Palace has now lost 15 of the last 17 games played without Zaha.

Bottom of the Table

Brighton & Hove Albion – Brighton earned a late point at Liverpool with the conversion of their second penalty kick attempt of the match.  Striker Neal Maupay missed a first half spot kick before later leaving with an injury.  The 1-1 draw ended a nine-game losing run versus Liverpool for the Seagulls.  Brighton have now drawn three of their past five matches.

Fulham – Amendola Lookman continues to elevate his game for Fulham, scoring the Cottagers first goal in a 2-1 win at Leicester. Fulham later found what for them has been elusive success from the penalty spot with Ivan Cavaleiro providing the winner.  The Cottagers exit the relegation places with a second victory of the season and are just three points below Brighton.

West Bromwich Albion – West Brom earned a first victory of the year in a 1-0 defeat of Sheffield United. Conor Gallagher scored his first Premier League goal.  Matheus Pereira created nine chances for the Baggies, the most by a Premier League player in a match this season.  West Brom has conceded just five goals in its past five matches after conceding thirteen in their opening five contests.  The Baggies sit one point below Fulham and safety.

Burnley – The final score line versus Manchester City marked a fourth successive Etihad defeat for Burnley by the same 5-0 margin.  The annihilation is disappointing for a Claret squad which had shown some improvement in capturing four points from their two previous matches.

Sheffield United – The futility which is Sheffield United’s season continued in the 1-0 loss to West Brom.  The Blades have now failed to score in six of their matches this season and remain bottom in the table with a solitary point.