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The Premier League produced plenty of thrills and spills over the weekend for the 20 teams involved in the competition. After the second round of fixtures, as many as five teams are tied at the summit of the points table with six points. Similarly, at the other end of the Premier League table, five teams have yet to score, succumbing to defeats in both their games.
Premier League results from Gameweek 2
Liverpool kicked-off the action in Gameweek 2 on Saturday against Burnley, who lost 2-0 at Anfield. Both Brighton and Aston Villa also secured 2-0 wins over Watford and Newcastle United respectively.
Crystal Palace and Brentford played out a goalless draw at Selhurst Park, while Leeds United secured a 2-2 draw at home against Everton. Additionally, reigning Premier League champions Manchester City returned to winning ways with a thumping 5-0 win over Norwich City.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur maintained their winning start to the Premier League season with victories against Arsenal and Wolves respectively on Sunday. However, Manchester United were unable to do the same and had to come from behind to secure a point at Southampton.
Although Chelsea were on top of the Premier League table by the end of Sunday, West Ham's 4-1 win over Leicester City propelled them to the summit on Monday night.
Without further delay, let's delve straight into the five major talking points to have emerged from the recently-concluded Gameweek 2 of the Premier League season:
#1 Lukaku channels inner Drogba to bully fragile Arsenal
There have always been comparisons, but the striking similarities between Romelu Lukaku and Didier Drogba were easy to notice on Sunday against Arsenal. In what proved to be a memorable return to the Premier League with Chelsea, Lukaku tormented Arsenal by imposing himself physically on the Gunners' defenders.
It was reminiscent of how Drogba used to bully Arsenal whenever he had the opportunity. Chelsea fans cannot be blamed for thinking Lukaku has returned as the heir to Drogba's throne at Stamford Bridge. There was every evidence of it becoming a reality during the 2-0 Premier League win over Arsenal.
The hosts simply could not deal with Lukaku, who held the ball up well and acted as the focal point in attack for Chelsea. The Blues will be extremely pleased with their performance, aided by the new dimension in attack offered by the arrival of Lukaku.
In the build-up to the opening goal, Lukaku shielded the ball from Pablo Mari and nudged it towards Mateo Kovacic, who sprayed it out wide for Reece James. The Chelsea full-back had space to run into the penalty area and squared the ball across goal for Lukaku. The Belgian then shrugged Mari off him like sand on the beach to attack the six-yard area.
It was a simple finish for Lukaku in the end as he marked his return to the Premier League with a goal inside 15 minutes at the Emirates. Lukaku's 'shush' celebration irked the Arsenal faithful but Chelsea fans raised their decibel levels to welcome the opening goal.
The second goal came just 20 minutes later after a clever pass from Kai Havertz released Marcos Alonso on the left flank. Although Granit Xhaka desperately lunged in on Lukaku to prevent the Belgian from getting on the end of the cut-back, the ball slid behind towards Mason Mount.
The midfielder then picked out James, who again slipped in behind on the right before firing his shot into the back of the net. Chelsea were on cloud nine as Arsenal crumbled for the second week in a row in the Premier League. Lukaku could have added a third but his excellent header was lifted onto the cross-bar by Bernd Leno to ensure the scoreline remained the same.
The traveling fans did not shy away from singing the name of Lukaku, who was quick to raise his hand and acknowledge the love he received on his second debut. In stark contrast, Arsenal fans were disgruntled, with some even leaving the stadium early.
Mikel Arteta's problems have been compounded by the defeat to Chelsea. His counterpart Thomas Tuchel will feel Chelsea can beat anyone in the Premier League if Lukaku can show more of what he did on Sunday. The Blues are up against Liverpool at Anfield next, with Lukaku set to come up against Virgil van Dijk. What a battle we have on our hands!
#2 Tsimikas raises the bar as Liverpool exact revenge
In the recent past, Anfield has been a happy hunting ground for Burnley in the Premier League. The Clarets ended Liverpool's 68-game unbeaten home record last season and their 100 per cent winning streak at home from the 2019-20 Premier League season as well.
But with Anfield opening its doors to a capacity crowd on Saturday, it was always going to be difficult for the visitors. Burnley did start bright though, with Dwight McNeil causing Liverpool some early problems. The 21-year-old had an attempt cleared off the line by Trent Alexander-Arnold before Chris Wood's header from his cross was pushed away by Alisson.
Liverpool instantly replied to the pressure and found the opening goal. Naby Keita nudged the ball into space for Konstantinos Tsimikas, who whipped in an excellent cross from the left flank. Diogo Jota sneaked in behind Ben Mee to connect with the cross and planted his powerful header past Nick Pope to break the deadlock for the hosts.
Jurgen Klopp's men doubled their advantage in the second half as the other full-back Alexander-Arnold turned provider for Sadio Mane. But Tsimikas' performance would surely have been the bigger statement considering how Alexander-Arnold is always expected to perform anyway.
The Greek full-back was entrusted with the starting role due to the absence of Andy Robertson, who returned to the bench on Saturday. Klopp has a serious decision to make ahead of the Premier League clash against Chelsea, with both left-backs in contention to start.
It wouldn't be a surprise if Robertson is not rushed back in from injury, especially since Tsimikas has already proven he belongs at Premier League level.
#3 Reinvented Jesus piles misery on Norwich City
Premier League champions Manchester City were in desperate need of a reaction after their opening day defeat at Tottenham. Obviously, the fact that they faced Norwich City helped their cause, but Pep Guardiola and his men were determined to prove a point from the get-go.
Gabriel Jesus, in particular, stood out as a star turn in the Manchester City side that romped to a 5-0 win at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The Brazilian, who started out wide on the right flank in an unnatural position, picked Norwich apart with his crosses.
Tim Krul's own goal that opened the scoring as early as the sixth minute came after Jesus' cross. Although City were fortunate to break the deadlock in that fashion, the Premier League champions grew in confidence after the goal. It was then Jack Grealish's turn to get lucky as the record-signing opened his Manchester City account.
The goal was quite uncharacteristic considering Grealish's flair though. Jesus sent in a cross from the right and the ball ricocheted off the Englishman's knee and into the back of the net. Despite the manner in which his first Premier League goal for City arrived, Grealish did look a relieved man as he wheeled away in celebration.
Jesus' third assist was sandwiched between second-half goals from Aymeric Laporte and substitute Riyad Mahrez. The centre-forward drilled in a low cross for Raheem Sterling, another substitute, to tap-in from close range. Manchester City were ruthless and Jesus was involved in the heart of it all, despite not even playing his natural role.
Guardiola has a history of converting wingers into more prolific goal-scorers with the ability to play centrally. In the case of Jesus, it could be the exact opposite this season. If the Premier League champions do end up signing Harry Kane, Jesus will not feel left out. In fact, he may even thrive after reinventing himself in wide areas at the Etihad.
For Norwich, the omens have gone from bad to worse. It seemed as if they were prepared to stay up in the Premier League this time, but the two difficult games against Liverpool and Manchester City have exposed them. There is plenty of time left to get back on track though and Daniel Farke will be hoping his team can avoid relegation from the Premier League this term.
#4 Red Devils stutter but survive Southampton scare
In hindsight, it could have been worse for Manchester United. But the Red Devils have indeed stuttered, no doubt. After a 5-1 demolition of rivals Leeds United in their opening game of the Premier League season, this was Manchester United oscillating back into their inconsistencies.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not shy away from expressing his discontent with the referee's decision not to award a foul in favor of the visitors ahead of Southampton's opening goal. Jack Stephens robbed Bruno Fernandes off the ball and Manchester United felt it was a clear foul. However, referee Craig Pawson waved play on and Southampton took full advantage.
The hosts worked the ball to Che Adams, who unleashed a shot that found the back of the net with some help from a deflection off Fred. Everything about that goal summed up how Manchester United felt on the south coast on Sunday in their Premier League outing. It was tiring and uninspiring to say the least.
Southampton, on the other hand, were proactive and industrious. The home crowd at St. Mary's Stadium reveled in joy, with summer-recruit Tino Livramento justifying his big move from Chelsea in style.
Manchester United eventually got in on the act and restored parity through Mason Greenwood in the second half. But then the hosts gave them a scare towards the end, with Adam Armstrong failing to bury the game by squandering two gilt-edged chances.
In the end, Solskjaer might just feel lucky after walking away with a point and extending their unbeaten away record in the Premier League to 27 games. It is no secret now that there is plenty of work to be done at Manchester United, especially if they are to challenge for the Premier League title.
#5 Antonio enters West Ham folklore by hammering Leicester
Nobody would've predicted West Ham to have the kind of start they've had so far in the Premier League. The Hammers are the only Premier League side yet to make a permanent signing this summer and hence it was easy to think they would fall off the rails.
But David Moyes' men have exceeded expectations so far. West Ham have enjoyed a rollicking start to the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, scoring eight goals and winning each of their first two outings. As things stand, they sit comfortably at the summit of the Premier League table to reiterate the fact that last season was not a fluke by any means.
Similar to the win over Newcastle in the opening game, West Ham relied on the quality of Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma to pick Leicester City apart on Monday. Ayoze Perez receiving the marching orders in the first half did Leicester no good, but West Ham were head and shoulders above the visitors from the beginning.
Antonio was a menace to the Leicester centre-backs with his physical presence, while Benrahma proved to be a slick operator with the ball at his feet. Midfielders Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek were also tenacious and made life difficult for Leicester to settle into any sort of rhythm.
Pablo Fornals broke the deadlock for West Ham before Perez's sending off and the teams went into the break at 1-0. Benrahma, who turned provider for Fornals during the opening goal, then found the back of the net after Antonio pounced on a lackadaisical backpass from Soyuncu.
Although Youri Tielemans pulled a goal back for Leicester, Antonio netted two goals in the space of four minutes towards the end of regulation time.
After scoring his first of the night, Antonio surpassed Paolo Di Canio as West Ham's all-time top-scorer in the Premier League. The 31-year-old, who celebrated by lifting a cardboard cut-out of himself at the London Stadium, then added his 49th Premier League goal for West Ham to complete the rout.
