Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Premier League Match Week 6 Results: Liverpool Survives Bee Sting To Lead Table; Manchester City Breaks Chelsea Hex; Aston Villa Shocks Manchester United; All Hail Arsenal; Seagulls Swoop Late; Foxes Falling Out of Hunt

Brentford continues to create a buzz as the Bees came back twice to match Liverpool in a 2-2 draw at Brentford Community Stadium. The newly promoted club sits in the top half of the table after adding a third draw to two victories already this season. In a wildly entertaining match, the Bees would send four players swarming into the box to twice score in response to Liverpool second half goals after a 1-1 halftime deadlock.

Despite dropping points, Liverpool moved to the top of the table as a result of Chelsea’s loss to Manchester City as Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are the only remaining undefeated side. Mohamed Salah scored his fifth goal of the Premier League season, marking his 100th tally for Liverpool as he became the fastest Red to the century mark, surpassing club legend Steven Gerrard.

Manchester City ended its three-match losing run to Chelsea in a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge, with a goal by City’s Gabriel Jesus inflicting the first loss of the season on the Champions of Europe and toppling Chelsea Blues from the top of the league table. City dominated play against a Chelsea squad which offered little attacking threat, reviving questions regarding striker Romelu Lukaku’s performance in big games which date to his first Premier League tour of duty. The victory moves Manchester City all the way to second in the table after their view from outside the top four entering the match.

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes shockingly missed a 93rd minute penalty, depriving his club of a late chance to salvage a point in a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa. Villa’ Kortney Hause was at the center of late game action as the center back’s goal in the 88th minute gave Aston Villa the lead before his stoppage time handball in the box provided Fernandes with United’s missed opportunity. Manchester United’s season has hit a rough patch these past two weeks as they have lost to Young Boys in Champions League group play, West Ham in the Carabao Cup, and have now handed Aston Villa their first victory at Old Trafford in 12 years.

Despite missing the gifted late penalty opportunity on Saturday, Ole Gunner Solskjaer embarrassingly spoke to United’s problems of recent weeks in terms of poor officiating. The Red Devils will need to pick it up as they return to Champions League competition this coming week.

Arsenal, meanwhile, appear remarkably improved as the Gunners romped over rival Tottenham Hotspur in a 3-1 win at the Emirates, marking a third consecutive win for a club which was blanked in terms of both goals and points in their opening three matches. Young guns Emile Smith-Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were instrumental in Arsenal’s victory which also saw captain Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang score in the victory. Mikel Arteta’s squad moved past their north London rival and into the top half of the table with Sunday’s win. Tottenham Hotspur’s season opening three match run of victories has now been followed by three weeks of defeat with opponents racking up three goals in each of the three matches. With the defense collapsing and Harry Kane still goalless, Spurs Manager Nuno Espirito Santo is finding his new seat to be getting increasingly warmer.

Leicester manager Brendan Rogers is currently not the most popular manager either as his talented Foxes struggle to remain in the hunt this season. Leicester has won just two of their six matches following a 2-2 draw with Burnley over the weekend. Rogers continues to stubbornly refuse to adjust his tactics to incorporate the benched goal scorer Kelechi Iheanacho in his starting lineup along with the now fit Harvey Barnes. Resultantly, the club is even more dependent on the ageless Jamie Vardy to carry the attack. Vardy had a hybrid hat trick on Saturday, scoring a brace for the Foxes while also netting an own goal to the benefit of the Clarets. Burnley remains relegation bound despite the point. Worse yet, the positive energy from the away draw to a more talented opponent and the first Premier League goal by newly acquired striker Maxwel Cornet was dampened when Cornet was forced to leave the match with a hamstring injury.

Patrick Vieira’s young Crystal Palace team hopefully learned a valuable lesson in properly finishing out a match when the Eagles sacrificed hard earned points with a late lapse in a 1-1 final with rival Brighton. The fat lady had not yet sung when the Eagles switched off and conceded Brighton’s equalizer with three seconds left in stoppage time. Normally solid goalkeeper Vicente Guaita directed a goal kick to the wrong side of the field from where his defenders were positioned. Said defenders were slow to react. Brighton striker Neal Maupay suddenly found himself unencumbered as he bore down on Guaita and banked his fourth goal of the season as an unexpected gift. Wilfried Zaha’s fifth goal in eight topflight matches against Brighton was ably defended by Crystal Palace through a well-played second half until the Eagles’ bald error which led to Maupay’s goal. Fortunately, crowd control was maintained at Selhurst Park when Brighton’s volatile French striker taunted the dumbfounded Eagle faithful after his fateful goal.

Michail Antonio’s joint league leading fifth goal of the season, scored in the 90th minute, was the difference in West Ham’s 2-1 defeat of Leeds. The Hammers sit seventh in the early table while Leeds fall into the relegation places at 18th as they continue to search for a first win of the season.

Norwich’s sad march to a second relegation in three years continued with a 2-0 loss to Everton. The Toffees found a way despite the injury related absence of their top two offensive threats in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison. Everton manager Rafa Benitez has led his charges to four victories in their opening six league matches as Saturday’s victory marked the first time since the 1989/90 season that the Toffees have won the opening three home matches of a topflight season. Unheralded Everton transfer acquisition Andros Townsend scored his fourth goal of the season in the win over the Canaries, doubling the total goal production of his last two seasons at Crystal Palace. Everton moved to fifth in the table with the victory while hapless Norwich fell to a 16th consecutive topflight defeat under manager Daniel Farke.

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce was once again subjected to derisive chants from Newcastle supporters during a 1-1 draw at Watford. Saturday’s criticism seemed a bit unfair as an away point was captured by a Magpies side which created more chances than their hosts and notched the point despite the absence of star striker Callum Wilson. The Hornets’ Ismaila Sarr scored his fourth goal of the season to tie the match for newly promoted Watford, now 12th in the table. Newcastle moved out of the relegation places on goal differential. Australian Jarred Gillett handed out seven yellow cards in the match as he became the first overseas official to referee a Premier League match.

Southampton failed to score for a third consecutive match as the Saints fell at home 1-0 to Wolves. Wolves have had their own scoring issues this season as Sunday marked only the second match in which they have scored this season, both resulting in victories. Striker Raul Jimenez scored his first of the season for manager Bruno Lage’s side.

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