Friday, September 2, 2022

Match Week 5 Results: Arsenal Wins Its Fifth; Another Haaland Hat Trick In City Romp; Saints Hand Chelsea A Second Loss; Liverpool Leaves It Late To Edge Newcastle; Toothless Wolves Fall Into Relegation Zone; Red Devils Win Third Straight To Climb In Table

Erling Haaland is greatly enjoying his move to the Premier League. The former Borussia Dortmund striker delivered a second consecutive hat trick in Manchester City’s 6-0 demolition of Nottingham  Forest. Haaland becomes the quickest to score two hat tricks in a Premier League career. The striker’s nine goals in five matches notably exceeds the six tallies that Sergio Aguero achieved in his first five matches for the Citizens.

The frightening potential of the Manchester City attack was further demonstrated when Julian Alvarez delivered two goals in his first start for the Citizens. Despite their intimidating play, Manchester City remain second in the table.

Gabriel Jesus opened scoring and a Gabriel Martinelli goal closed out the match as the two Brazilians gave Arsenal a fifth consecutive victory and lone occupancy at the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners 2-1 victory over Aston Villa kept Arsenal two points ahead of Manchester City. Martinelli’s winning strike came less than three minutes after Aston Villa had knotted the match and demonstrated the resiliency of a young Arsenal side.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, lost for a fourth time this season. Manager Steven Gerrard has now lost as many matches as he has won since taking over Villa last year.

Tottenham Hotspur dropped points for a second time this season in a 1-1 draw at West Ham. Spurs benefitted from a first half West Ham own goal before the Hammers stuck back with a second half goal from Tomas Soucek. Spurs remain undefeated but are not scoring to the level their attacking personnel would seem to promise.

Liverpool scored in the 98th minute of play as the Reds defeated Newcastle 2-1. The goal by Fabio Carvahlo on Liverpool’s 13th corner kick of the match was controversial as it came in the eighth minute of an initially estimated five-minute stoppage time. The late drama resulted in Newcastle’s first loss of the season and overshadowed an impressive debut by the Magpies’ newly signed forward Alexander Isak who scored one goal and had a second score overruled on VAR review.

Chelsea’s lackluster start to the season continued with a 2-1 defeat to Southampton. Chelsea lost for a second time in the opening five matches of a league season for only the second time in 27 seasons. Raheem Sterling nicked his second goal of the season, but the Blues miss goal chances at an alarming rate. Kai Havertz continues to underwhelm as the club anxiously awaits the addition of newly signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the line-up once the former Arsenal player recovers from a broken jaw. Chelsea fans are a bit unnerved by Aubameyang being assigned shirt number 9, a “cursed jersey” worn by unsuccessful Chelsea strikers ranging from Fernando Torres to Alvaro Morata to Romelu Lukaku. Hopefully, Aubameyang can break the curse and provided the missing goals at the heart of Chelsea’s attack. Southampton got a deserved result after showing steady improvement leading up to the Chelsea match. The Saints are undergoing a youth movement exemplified by Tuesday’s first Southampton goal being scored by 18-year-old Romeo Lavia, acquired from Manchester City.

The winning goal for the Saints was struck by the comparatively veteran Adam Armstrong. The 25-year-old Armstrong was acquired from Blackburn Rovers one year ago. Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s young Saints squad has responded well after a resounding opening weekend defeat to Spurs.

Manchester United rose to fifth in the table with a 1-0 win at Leicester. A second consecutive 1-0 victory was the Red Devils’ third consecutive win after their disastrous start to the season. Jordan Sancho delivered the winner, his second goal for United in his last three matches. The attack is still inconsistent, but the defense seems far more solid with the additions of current transfer signings Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia to the starting line-up alongside a now healthy Raphael Varane. Leicester is a sad situation right now with ownership not investing in the squad as the club battles financial difficulties. Promising young defender Wesley Fofana completed his move to Chelsea this week with the Foxes scrambling to replace him with the relatively inexpensive Wout Faes from Reims. Faes was the only outfield player added by Leicester this window, much to the consternation of Manager Brendan Rodgers who saw his squad lose a fourth consecutive match in a winless season.

Fulham rebounded from its first loss of the season to post a 2-1 victory over previously undefeated Brighton. The Cottagers’ magic man Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring with his 100th goal for the club before an own goal by the Seagulls’ Lewis Dunk handed the three points to the Cottagers. Brighton lost for a first time this season.

Leeds grabbed a point at home versus Everton when Luis Sinisterra scored his first Premier League goal. The Colombian winger was procured by Leeds to help fill the void left by the departure of Rafinha to Barcelona and the former Feyenoord player is now fit after a preseason injury. Sinisterra statistically fared better in the Dutch Eredivisie than high priced Manchester United acquisition Antony. Only time will tell how each fares in the more physical Premier League but Sinisterra has now placed his early marker. Everton drew by a 1-1 score for a third consecutive match with Anthony Gordon providing the goal in each of the last two matches for the Toffees. The Everton defense with new center backs James Tarkowski and Conor Coady in front of England keeper Jordan Pickford is improved this season. Now the Toffees need some goals.

Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha was vocal in criticizing his club for being too defensive in a 1-1 draw with Brentford. Zaha claims the club lost its edge as it receded into a defensive shell after he scored the opening goal. Brentford substitute Yoane Wissa scored the equalizer in the 88th minute. An increasingly visible for the issue is Eagles is a lack of quality midfield depth. Luka Milivojevic, once an important player for the Eagles in his prime, is now being regularly caught out when substituted into matches as was the case on Tuesday. Brentford drew with a goal in the final 10 minutes of play for a second consecutive week.

The Wolverhampton attack reached a new low when the toothless Wolves were unable to score a goal against a Bournemouth defense which had conceded nine goals to Liverpool in its previous match. The goalless draw between the clubs enabled both to remain tied for the joint lowest number of goals scored in the league this season.

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Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Match 5 Week Preview

The young Premier League season sees its first scheduled midweek fixtures with games Tuesday through Thursday. Crystal Palace welcomes Brentford to the Eagles’ Selhurst Park Tuesday.

Rumors early this week indicated Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha could be a target of Chelsea, particularly if the Blues are unable to procure Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Zaha was absent from the Manchester City clash due to a minor injury and remains a question versus Brentford.

Another London derby takes place on Wednesday when Spurs take on West Ham at the Hammers’ London Stadium. West Ham will hope to build on its initial win of the season over the weekend but faces a stiff challenge from third place Spurs and an in-form Harry Kane.

Arsenal will try to maintain its table leadership when the Gunners host struggling Aston Villa on Wednesday. Heat will build further on Villa Manager Steven Gerrard if his squad is outclassed by the streaking Gunners.

Liverpool will try to continue its momentum form the weekend when the Reds host a stubborn Newcastle side at Anfield.

Striker Darwin Nunez remains out on suspension but there was no shortage of attack options as Liverpool humiliated Bournemouth.

Bournemouth limps home to face Wolverhampton Wednesday. Only West Ham has scored fewer goals than Wolves this season, but Bournemouth has allowed a ridiculous 16 balls into its net after four matches. Scott Parker will not be on the touchline for Wednesday’s match after the Bournemouth manager was sacked on Tuesday. Parker’s team was pummeled by nine Liverpool goals and was on a three-match losing run though the schedule was not kind for a newly promoted club with the three losses coming against Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool. Parker likely sealed his fate with post-match remarks after the Liverpool debacle which intimated that the Cherries’ cause was hopeless without further investment by ownership. Parker will be an attractive candidate for jobs at the second level of English football after taking both Fulham and Bournemouth to the topflight in recent years.

Manchester City will be looking to leapfrog or at least stay on the heels of table leading Arsenal when the Citizens host Nottingham Forest Wednesday. The letdown by City in the first half versus Crystal Palace is unlikely to be repeated by Pepp Guardiola’s men against newly promoted Forest.

Fourth place Brighton heads to London Tuesday to face Fulham. Newly promoted Fulham has played well this season, but Brighton is a deeper club and tactically astute under Manager Graham Potter.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will head out of London for a south coast matchup with Southampton Tuesday. The sixth place Blues are a difficult club to gauge until the transfer window closes as new ownership led by Todd Boehly continues to pursue several targets as the window winds down towards its Thursday deadline.

Manchester United seeks a third straight win when the Red Devils visit struggling Leicester in the only Thursday game. Casemiro could play a bigger part for United after his debut as a substitute last weekend. The Red Devils continue to be active in the transfer window with Ajax winger Antony announced on Monday as the club most expensive signing since Paul Pogba. The outlay for Antony raises eyebrows as the Brazilian has yet to score as many as 10 goals in a league season for Ajax and former club Sao Paulo. Bottom of the table Leicester will be trying to avoid a fourth consecutive loss. Leicester Manager Brendan Rodgers could be nearing the end of his reign for the Foxes. A sacking, however, would be expensive for seemingly cash strapped Leicester. Rodgers may thus hit the door of his own accord should other sackings create an opening of interest for the former Liverpool and Celtic manager.

Leeds are home to relegation bound Everton Tuesday. The Whites are looking to register a third consecutive home win in the topflight for the first time since 1973-74 while Everton are off to their worst start in 12 topflight seasons. Leeds have surprised this season in generating the joint third highest point total in the league after four matches. Everton’s attack has been anemic at best with winger Anthony Gordon responsible for 11 of the club’s 23 shots on target to date. Striker Neal Maupay, acquired from Brighton, could be in line for his first appearance with the Toffees.

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Match Week 4 Results: Arsenal Stay Perfect; Liverpool Smashes Cherries; Haaland Hat Trick Down Eagles; Sterling Performance for Chelsea; Brighton Defeats Leeds to Stay Top Four; Kane Double Lifts Spurs; Manchester United Slips By Saints; West Ham Exits Basement

Arsenal remained top of the table as the Gunners remained perfect after a 2-1 defeat of Fulham. After dominating its first three opponents, Arsenal was tested at the Emirates where they trailed against the Cottagers in the second half before securing the win with an 86th minute goal from defender Gabriel Magalhaes. The winner proved redemption for Gabriel who had gifted a goal to Fulham when Aleksandar Mitrovic dispossessed the Arsenal center back leading to the match’s opening goal. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard knotted matters with his third goal of the season. Fulham provided a challenge for the Gunners but relied heavily on Mitrovic who now has four of Fulham’s six goals this season.

Manchester City also mounted a comeback on the weekend after falling behind by two goals in the first half against Crystal Palace. Erling Haaland scored his first Premier League hat trick to trigger the second half barrage of goals by the Citizens.

Crystal Palace, playing without star Wilfried Zaha, were denied a third first half goal which could have changed  the outcome but were called for interference with Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson.

Raheem Sterling posted his first Premier League goals in a Chelsea shirt as the former Manchester City star had a brace in a 2-1 defeat of Leicester. Chelsea played more than an hour with just 10 men after Conor Gallagher received his second yellow card for Chelsea after just 28 minutes. Both Sterling goals occurred after Gallagher’s banishment as Chelsea were able to dominate proceedings despite their manning deficit. A goal by Leicester’s Harvey Barnes reduced Chelsea’s margin to a single goal but the Foxes fell for a third straight league match in their winless season. Young defender Wesley Fofana sat out the match amid hopes for a transfer this week to Chelsea.

Harry Kane scored twice to bring his goal tally to four from his last three league matches as Spurs won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest to remain undefeated and third in the Premier League table. Kane’s 81st minute second goal sealed the win against a Forest club which will only get better as their many transfer players acclimate to the club. Goalkeeper Dean Hendersen impressed in a second half where he came under fire while teammates pressed for a tying score before Kane finalized matters. Nottingham Forest managed 17 shots in the match, only one less than Spurs, but unfortunately were able to put only one shot on target.

Brighton rounds out the top four in the league table behind Arsenal, Manchester City and Spurs. The Seagulls nipped Leeds 1-0 on Pascal Gross’s third goal of the season. The victory extended Brighton’s unbeaten run in the league to nine consecutive matches, a club topflight record. Leeds went down to defeat for the first time this season.

Liverpool tasted victory for the first time this season as the Reds demolished Bournemouth by a 9-0 final. Luis Diaz and Bobby Firmino had braces but ironically Mohamed Salah was scoreless against Bournemouth for the first time in his career. Bournemouth look in deep trouble and have invested little to try to maintain their top-level status.

Manchester United, left for dead just two weeks ago, climbed to eighth in the table after a second straight win. Bruno Fernandes delivered the winner in a 1-0 defeat of Southampton.

The Red Devils ground out the victory with their revitalized defense. Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane again teamed well at center back as Harry Maguire was a non-participant for a second consecutive week. Former Real Madrid defensive midfielder Casemiro made his debut for Manchester United in the 80th minute. An exceedingly young Southampton club acquitted itself well in defeat and were warmly applauded by supporters at match end.

Aston Villa supporters, meanwhile, showered their players and especially Manger Steven Gerrard with catcalls after a 1-0 home defeat to previously pointless and goalless West Ham. The Hammers captured their first result of the season when Pablo Fornals scored in the 74th minute. Despite some flashes from Philipe Coutinho in the first half, Villa’s other attacking players failed to create opportunities and criticism is mounting of Manager Gerrards’s narrow formational setup. Coutinho left the match injured and his absence could prove lethal for Gerrard as the Villans enter a difficult part of their schedule. West Ham was buoyed by both its first win of the season but also an indication from Manager David Moyes that Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta from Lyon was close to joining the Hammers from Lyon. The club later confirmed the signing of the Brazilian international on Monday. Paqueta is a coup for the Hammers as Arsenal and Tottenham were also reported to be in hot pursuit of the starter for the Brazilian national team. Sunday’s win moved previously basement bound West Ham out of the relegation zone and up to 16th place in the table.

The relegation zone still claims Everton as an occupant despite the Toffees picking up a point on Saturday at Brentford. Everton got a first half goal from Anthony Gordon and held on against the swarming Bees attack until Vitaly Janelt equalized in the 84th minute. Brentford holds onto 10th in the table despite the dropped home points. Everton faces more difficult times, particularly if a rumored transfer of Gordon to Chelsea comes to fruition.

Wolverhampton share the relegation zone with Everton and Leicester after a 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Sunday. Wolves held a lead for 52 regulation minutes after a goal by Ruben Neves. Manager Bruno Lage’s men were then victimized by a tying goal from the Magpies’ Allan Saint-Maximin goal in the 90th minute.

Unbeaten Newcastle, seventh in the table, drew for a third consecutive match. Saint-Maximin’s first goal of the season ensured Newcastle remained undefeated after four matches for the first time in a decade. 

 

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