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Matchweek 11 went down interestingly, the highlight was at Emirates where Arsenal were up against Liverpool. Manchester United were up against formidable opponents in AFC Bournemouth. Leicester City were playing their first match since the demise of their former chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. Chelsea and Watford were set up against helpless opponents in Crystal Palace and Newcastle United respectively. Tottenham were away to Wolves while Manchester City were at home against struggling Southampton. Were Newcastle United really that helpless against Watford?
Read on to see how the games turned out.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Tottenham Hotspurs (2-3)
Wolverhampton Wanderers were at home to meet a Tottenham side that were eager to get back to winning ways after losing last weekend to league leaders Manchester City.
Tottenham were pretty much in charge of the game and it only took 27 minutes for them to get ahead thanks to an Erik Lamela goal. Three minutes later, Lucas Moura headed in Tottenham’s second goal.
16 minutes into the second half, Harry Kane made it 3-0. Then the game got interesting. It started in the 68th minute when Rúben Neves scored Wolves’ first goal from the penalty spot thanks to a Juan Foyth foul. In the 79th minute, Juan Foyth was at it again as his foul handed Wolves another chance and Raúl Jiménez scored their second goal from the spot. Tottenham managed to hold off what would have been a major blow to their top four contention. The game ended 3-2 in Tottenham’s favour.
The loss saw Wolves record their third consecutive loss and they consequently slipped into 11th place after Leicester City’s 1-0 victory over Cardiff saw them leap into 10th place.
Tottenham got what they came for and the win was much welcome given the 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Liverpool. As a result of the draw at Emirates, Tottenham were able to leapfrog Arsenal into 4th place as well as they gain ground on Liverpool who dropped two points at the Emirates. Consequently, Liverpool sit third in the table but are only three points ahead of Tottenham.
Harry Kane’s goal was his sixth of the campaign and that puts him in the race for the golden boot.
Arsenal vs Liverpool (1-1)
Undoubtedly the weekend’s highlight, as two of the best performing teams locked horns at the Emirates. The first half got to a fiery start as Henrikh Mkhitaryan almost put Arsenal ahead only for him to head the ball wide while the impressive Virgil van Dijk almost got on the scoresheet twice.
It was James Milner who broke the deadlock in the 61st minute as he drilled the ball into the net after it came his way as Bern Leno palmed away Sadio Mane’s cross. Both teams continued pressing forth, in what proved to be one of the most entertaining games of the season so far. Eight minutes from time, Lacazette beat Alisson to the ball to find the corner of the net and bring the Gunners back into the game.
The draw saw both teams share the spoils. Arsenal continued their unbeaten form and are now unbeaten in 9 consecutive league matches. The draw cost the Gunners the fourth position on the league table as Tottenham’s 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers saw them leapfrog Arsenal into 4th place and the Gunners consequently slipped to 5th place.
At Emirates, Liverpool extended their unbeaten start. However, the draw proved to be costly as the two points lost were enough to see Manchester City break into pole position. Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace saw them catch up with Liverpool. Even though level on points with Chelsea, Liverpool slipped to 3rd place on goal difference.
Lacazette has now netted 5 league goals and he is increasingly showing that he is indeed a vital member of Unai Emery’s attack.
Leicester City vs Cardiff City (1-0)
It has been an emotional week for Leicester City following the demise of their chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha whose helicopter crashed killing him and four other people. The wolves were on the road to face Cardiff City and they needed a win to cap off what has been a tough week for them.
Before the game kicked off, a moment of silence was observed and during that time Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, couldn’t hold back his tears.
The game got underway and Bobby Reid was about to break the deadlock for Cardiff but Schmeichel managed to deny him. In the 30th minute, Victor Camarasa’s free-kick hit the woodwork and Cardiff seemed really determined to get ahead.
The second half seemed to belong to Leicester City and they were duly rewarded in the 55th minute when Demarai Gray converted Ben Chilwell’s cross into the net. James Maddison and Jamie Vardy nearly doubled the visitor’s lead but they were both kept out.
A loss for Cardiff City sees them drop into the relegation zone. They currently lie 19th in the table.
Leicester’s first win in four outings was much welcome as they were able to move two positions up the table. They currently sit 10th on the league table.
Newcastle United vs Watford (1-0)
19th placed Newcastle were meeting with 7th placed Watford in what many expected to be an easy Watford win.
The game got underway and the first real threat was from Watford as Gerard Deloufeu’s strike ended up hitting the side netting. Roberto Pereyra almost got on the scoresheet but his effort crashed off the woodwork. As the first half came to a close it was clear Watford were the serious contenders in this fixture.
Newcastle shocked pundits when they got ahead in the 65th minute. Ki Sung-Yueng's free-kick was met by Perez’s glancing header to slot the ball home. Stefano Okaka came close to drawing level for Watford in added time but his shot went wide.
Newcastle’s first win of the season was enough to lit them off the relegation zone. They are currently 17th on the league table.
Watford’s loss came at a price as the team slipped into 8th place as United’s 3-2 win over Bournemouth saw them leap into 7th place.
AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester United (1-2)
Vitality Stadium was where the Red Devils were coming to face off the home team. Bournemouth who had a high flying start to the season were hoping to maintain their good form and record their seventh consecutive unbeaten match run.
Bournemouth got off to a good start and they were able to tear through Man United’s defence a couple of times with good ball movements but they had to wait till the 11th minute for their main man, Callum Wilson to get on the scoresheet thanks to a Junior Stanislas cross. United got better with time and soon they were the team pressing forth and they finally got rewarded in the 35th minute when Sanchez delivered a wonderful pass for Anthony Martial to bring the Red Devils back into the game.
The second half got underway and both teams showed their eagerness to get ahead. Ashley Young’s free-kick hit the woodwork and Rashford’s follow-up shot was blocked by Nathan Ake and the ball was cleared off the line by David Brooks. Both teams continued pressing on and United finally got ahead in the second minute of extra time. Paul Pogba’s beautifully clipped cross fell to Rashford, who finished it from close range.
The loss saw the home team lose the three-point advantage they had over United. Though they maintained their sixth position they are level with United but are ahead on goal difference.
United’ is a sure sign of their resurgence of sorts. The team also capitalized on the 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Liverpool as the Gunners only sit three points clear of the Red Devils.
Callum Wilson’s strike was his sixth of the season, putting him in contention for the golden boot.
Anthony Martial scored his fourth consecutive league goal to take his season tally to five goals. He’s just 2 goals shy of the current crop of top scorers (Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang).
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (3-1)
Chelsea were at home against Crystal Palace. The Blues started this game knowing that Liverpool and Arsenal had played out a 1-1 draw and they were keen to capitalize on that draw. True to that, Alvaro Morata put Chelsea ahead in the 32nd minute thanks to a Pedro assist. The visitors got back in the game seven minutes later through Andros Townsend’s strike.
Morata was on the scoresheet again in the 65th minute as he capitalized on Eden Hazard’s free-kick. It was game over five minutes later as Pedro diverted Marcos Alonso’s cross into the net to seal a crucial win and maintain Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the campaign.
Morata’s brace could well be a pointer to his return to goalscoring form after a horrible form of only 2 goals in 20 league games, however, his four goals in his recent four league appearances is an indication that indeed he is back to scoring ways.
Following Chelsea’s 11-game unbeaten run, Maurizio Sarri equalled Frank Clark’s record for the longest undefeated start for a new manager. The record dates back to 1994 with Nottingham Forest
Manchester City vs Southampton (6-1)
Sunday evening was the best time for this fixture at the Etihad Stadium. All eyes were on Manchester City’s performance; Liverpool had dropped two points in their draw with Arsenal and Chelsea were about to kick off their fixture in an hour’s time. City needed a win to finally, break off their joint stay at the top of the table with Liverpool. Despite not winning any of their four recent league games, Southampton were also in need of a win to steer off the bottom three.
Six minutes into the game, Leroy Sane’s delivery was too much for Wesley Hoedt as the Southampton defender put the ball into his own net to hand City the lead early on in the game. Sergio Aguero added another in the 12th minute after Sterling cut the ball into him after tearing through the Southampton defence. David Silva added another goal as he drove the ball into the top corner. 30 minutes into the game, Danny Ings pulled one back for the Saints from the penalty spot. Sterling got on the score sheet in stoppage-time to make it 4-1 as the game went into halftime.
City were still in the demolition business even in the second half as they continued pressing on, creating chance after chance. They were rewarded in the 67th minute as Sterling scored his second in the night thanks to another Aguero assist. Sane was rewarded with an assist by Sterling and the German slotted the ball home in the dying minutes of the game to leave it at 6-1.
Sergio Aguero’s 12th-minute strike was his 150th premier league goal. Having scored 150 goals in 217 league appearances, Aguero became the second-fastest player to reach that milestone after Alan Shearer (212 games). Additionally, Aguero became the third player to reach the 150 goal mark with one club. Only Thierry Henry (175) for Arsenal and Wayne Rooney (183) for Manchester United have managed to do so. Additionally, having scored his seventh goal of the season, he is joint top scorers with Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.
Sterling’s brace saw him score his 50th goal for the Cityzens.
Danny Ings’ 30th-minute goal from the penalty spot put an end to Ederson’s six consecutive clean sheets.
Manchester City’s victory sees them break off their joint stay with Liverpool at the helm of the league table. The Cityzens are all by themselves at the helm and are two points clear of second-placed Liverpool. The win also sees City main their unbeaten start to the league.
Southampton’s defeat sees them maintain their 16th position but they aren’t safe from the relegation battle as they are only one point ahead of 18th placed Huddersfield Town.
