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The second week of the Premier League continued to impress and stimulate the buzzing football world. Encapsulated by thrillers, goals, upsets and heartbreaks, the world's most entertaining league left us all open-mouthed. It hinted a lot that is going to follow for the rest of the season.
On the Saturday goal rush, Spurs began their week with a 3-1 victory at home against the Cottagers. Oh yes, Harry Kane was on the scoresheet in August. Meanwhile, the Cherries came back from a goal behind to beat West Ham by 2-1. Leicester City handed a reality check to the optimistic Wolves, whereas Everton pipped Southampton by 2-1.
The game of the weekend, Chelsea versus Arsenal, was probably the craziest in terms of defensive frailties, as both teams registered 39 attempts in total. However, Sarri and co. came out on top and piled more misery on Emery, who is still without a point in this arduous league.
The focus then turned to Manchester on Sunday. While the blue half of it notched 6 past a hapless Huddersfield, the red part succumbed to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion. Elsewhere, Burnley were stunned at home by Watford.
Here, we point out those who unambiguously let their sides down with abysmal displays on the pitch. Here are the 5 worst players from the second round of fixtures.
#5 Charlie Austin
When Ings came out of his lines to buy time for the wingers and build an attack, Austin didn't have the basics to go and occupy the box. He also picked the wrong passes more often than not. These simple rules are meant to be followed by a striker who has excelled in the Premier League so far.
Danny Ings put his injuries and hurdles behind him when he took on Everton this weekend. The striker who guided Burnley to the Premier League looked sharp with his passing, hold up play and finishing. In the box, he was a force to reckon with.
On the other hand was his partner Charlie Austin, who made it seem like there were 10 men on the field. Austin struggled to keep hold of the ball, play out his fellow striker and create a partnership that Mark Hughes was aiming for. He looked more static and unproductive than any other player on the day.
#4 Mesut Ozil
No one on the pitch lost the ball as many times as Mesut Ozil in the Chelsea vs. Arsenal fixture. It almost seemed as though Ozil was a holding midfielder who was deployed to play safe and straightforward passes.
There was absolutely no creativity from his side. Apart from feeding the wingers on a handful of occasions, the playmaker had nothing to show. He also killed the pace and tempo of the game. The same was illustrated when he picked the ball up to initiate a counter-attack.
Also to add, he did not work hard enough to provide defensive cover or win the ball back. In the first half, everybody on the field had more touches on the ball than Ozil.
#3 Ben Hamer
Despite making the most number of saves over the weekend, Ben Hamer conceded six. Manchester City looked terrifying as they brutally knocked the Huddersfield defence off their perch.
They ate up loads of possession, played a high line, committed bodies forward and played with intelligence and conviction.
Ederson provided an assist, but the former Leicester shot-stopper's positioning is questionable. He was way further down the pitch than he should have been, and that position left him in no man's land as he didn't know his next move. Unfortunately, you don't give Aguero that much space.
Next, he spilt a cross from Mendy that fell kindly to Aguero, who scored another. One will argue why he is preferred over Jonathan Lossl in goal.
#2 Eric Bailly
Eric Bailly, tipped by many as the most solid defender in the Manchester United side, provided a freakish performance. One would wonder, "how did he concede just three goals with that sort of a display?"
He was at fault for two of the three goals scored by Brighton. In the Seagulls' second, he was totally out of position. Neither did he stick to his marker, nor did he marshal the defence. Their third goal was a penalty dispatched by Pascal Gross, gifted to them by none other than Bailly, who lunged into a needless tackle.
Apart from these visible shockers, Bailly never looked comfortable at the back. He wasn't good with his passing or positioning. More often than not, he looked clueless handling crosses and counter-attacks, which is definitely not expected from a defender of his grade.
After such a disheartening show, he will have to fight for his place in the side.
#1 Kenedy
Kenedy did everything that could be remembered for the wrong reasons. Firstly, there was no involvement from his side in the build-up play. The winger only completed 8 out of 14 attempted passes in the entirety of the match. His overambitious attitude meant that he lost the ball a staggering 18 times.
What was he doing in the 33rd minute? Well, Kenedy attempted a fancy 360-spin to get past a couple of blue shirts but ended up losing possession. Instead of fighting for it, he peevishly kicked Victor Camarasa. Luckily, the referee who sent Isaac Hayden off the pitch didn't notice it.
A 10-man Newcastle side saw themselves in a remarkable position in stoppage time when they were awarded a penalty. The Brazilian stepped up to take it and Etheridge came up with the answer. The penalty was just what a goalkeeper prays for - tame, predictable and shot at a comfortable height.
