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Following a never-ending international break, Premier League football returned with all its thrills and spills last weekend. The 12th matchday of the 2021-22 Premier League campaign gave us big scorelines, a career-altering defeat and plenty of brilliant individual performances.
To battle the Monday morning blues, we will take a quick look at the highlights of the last Premier League matchday and focus on the standouts.
Here are our five biggest takeaways from Premier League gameweek 12:
#5 Manchester City comfortably dispatch a hapless Everton side
Defending champions Manchester City welcomed Everton to the Etihad Stadium for their Premier League matchday 12 fixture on Sunday. Given Everton’s five-game winless run in the Premier League, home fans expected their team to bag maximum points from the weekend clash. The champions, as expected, did not disappoint.
Manchester City dominated Everton everywhere on the pitch. They had more possession, kept seven of their 17 shots on target, and restricted Everton from creating chances.
Raheem Sterling, Rodri and Bernardo Silva found the back of the net to bag a comfortable 3-0 win. The victory left Manchester City in second position, two points behind league leaders Chelsea.
Everton, on the other hand, slid down to 11th position, having picked up only 15 points after 12 rounds of Premier League football.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo fires another blank in the Premier League
Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed an exceptional career in Europe, plying his trade at some of the most prestigious clubs. He conquered it all with Manchester United, won three consecutive Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, and was phenomenal at Juventus.
When he decided to return to his old club Manchester United, expectations were outlandish and exorbitant. He was meant to be as influential as he was back in 2008. Unfortunately, the 36-year-old has not managed to be the messiah many Manchester United fans expected him to be.
Cristiano Ronaldo marked his Premier League return with three goals in his first two games, but came up empty-handed in the next four matches. He scored and assisted against Tottenham Hotspur and has once again become anonymous.
At Watford, Manchester United needed their talisman to lead from the front, to show that not all hope was lost. Sadly, without proper service, he cut a frustrating figure at the top of the United attack, failing to put pressure on the Watford defense.
The Portugal international did assist Donny van de Beek for United’s only goal, but it ultimately came to no avail.
#3 Chelsea return to winning ways in style against Leicester City
Premier League leaders Chelsea traveled to Leicester City to extend or at least maintain their two-point cushion at the top of the league table. Manchester City’s well-deserved win kept them from extending their lead, of course, but Chelsea did superbly to end the weekend as Premier League leaders.
Playing at home, Leicester City were expected to make the afternoon a little uncomfortable for Chelsea. Unfortunately for the home team, they were way out of their depth and were taken apart by the west Londoners.
First-half goals from Antonio Rudiger and N’Golo Kante gave Chelsea a well-deserved 2-0 lead at half-time. Christian Pulisic added the third in the 76th minute to cap off a perfect night for the Blues.
N’golo Kante, who arguably produced his most impressive performance of the season, was crowned Man of the Match.
#2 Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal still a long way behind Premier League elites
After enduring their worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign with three defeats in three games, Arsenal bounced back strongly, going eight matches unbeaten.
So when they made the trip to Liverpool on matchday 12, fans expected them to put on a respectable show at Anfield. Unfortunately, all the Gunners got was a harsh reality check.
The Reds, who were trying to bounce back from the defeat against West Ham United, scored the opener through Sadio Mane six minutes before half-time. Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Takumi Minamino joined the party in the second half, adding three more to the scoreline.
The 4-0 defeat highlighted the gulf in quality between Arsenal and the current Premier League heavyweights, such as Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.
The north London side can still manage a respectable finish in the Premier League. However, they do not seem to be equipped to beat or even scare the best teams in the English top-flight.
#1 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked following Manchester United’s humiliating 4-1 defeat against Watford
Hoping to bounce back from the derby defeat against Manchester City before the international break, Manchester United made the trip to Watford in gameweek 12. The visitors desperately needed a win to keep their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the hot seat but failed to live up to the billing.
Watford comfortably outplayed the Red Devils, condemning them to a 4-1 defeat in the Premier League. As anticipated, Solskjaer, who was walking on thin ice, was not spared after the humiliation and was relieved of his responsibilities as Manchester United manager.
Manchester United have not yet named his successor, but we expect an official announcement to arrive sooner rather than later. Michael Carrick, who was part of Solskjaer's backroom staff, will be in charge of the team for their Champions League clash against Villarreal on Tuesday.
United, who have only picked up 17 points in 12 games, are currently eighth in the Premier League table. They will take on Chelsea in the Premier League next Sunday.
