EPL Game week 3 review
Last weekend we got plenty of goals and red cards, and we asked for more of the same this weekend. Blimey did we get them! Is it a worry that we have already seen almost a third of the red cards that were shown last season and we are only 3 games in? hopefully this stalls somewhat as red cards are a bit like those spontaneous drinks after work that turns into a big session! fun every now and then, but if it happens all the time, we have a problem! Such is the unpredictable nature of the EPL, we were pretty far off in a few of our results this weekend which shows how exciting the round was!
The first fixture of the weekend saw Chelsea host Luton town, which was notable for two reasons. Firstly, we saw Raheem Sterling show exactly why he has been one of England’s best players for a decade now, gliding through the Luton defence time and time again, with the reward being a fantastic brace. Secondly we got to see Jackson finally open his scoring account for Chelsea, which has been coming off the back of energetic lively performances in his previous 2 games, as a side note it is worth mentioning that his 1st goal comes in his third game against a newly promoted side. Long time Chelsea fans may note the symmetry with club legend Drogba…
Over in the south coast Maddison was given free licence to strut his stuff against a Bournemouth side who barely got going. Spurs are really finding their stride and although even they will admit they are early into the process, and there will certainly be blips in the road, the expectations of the season are skyrocketing in comparison to the day Kane left. One of the most surprising aspects of this new look Spurs side is the rebuild of the midfield, Maddison took the headlines with his big money move from Leicester but just as important as him, is the emergence of Sarr and the revitalised Bissouma forming a trio who both keep the ball and move the ball with such confidence that it is hard to match if you try to go toe to toe with them. I still think there is a slightly soft underbelly to this Tottenham side and against the very top teams that may be exposed, but they are proving people wrong week after week so we will know more as the season progresses!
The other half of North London didn’t quite have the same success this weekend, coming from behind only to throw away 2 points against 10 man Fulham. It’s equally worrying and borderline impressive that Arsenal have conceded within the first minute in 3 of their last 9 home games. A lot has been made about the tactical shift that Arteta has been experimenting with so far this season and although the team has definitely looked somewhat out of balance, it’s hard to deny that Arsenal dominated this game, and once their focal point Nketiah came on at half time you felt that they would score goal after goal. Frustratingly, as we have seen multiple times with Arsenal under Arteta, they seem to take their foot off the gas after they took the lead, even after Fulham went a man down they didn’t take a hold of the game like they truly should have and this will be a disappointing way to ruin their perfect start to the season and won’t be the ideal preparation for their game against Man Utd next weekend. One bright spark was the cameo of Vieira, the weight of that name is heavy under the Arsenal shirt, but such was the level of his performance we heard the crowd singing the famous chant. Arsenal fans have seen glimpses of his talent but have yet to see him make a difference to a game the way he did over the weekend, is this the kickstart to his career there or perhaps just a flash in the pan?
The other 3 o clock London derby saw Brentford and Palace go toe to toe before ending in a stalemate, with both sides having plenty of shots, but not many clear cut chances. In truth this was a pretty mundane game and both sides will be relatively happy with the point picked up, we predicted the home advantage would be too much for Palace so in hindsight a point is impressive, while Brentford maintain their unbeaten record in the league so far.
Man Utd got their season back to winning ways, but it wasn’t without plenty of drama, after finding themselves down by 2 goals within the opening 5 minutes many fans would have been forgiven for thinking they were about to experience their second loss in 2 weeks. Of course it wasnt without controversy, the red card and the penalty certainly helped aid the comeback, but it is still a credit to UTD that they walked away with all three points and truthfully they controlled the game and deserved the win. A special mention to Awoniyi who has now scored in 7 consecutive games for Forest including this one and Arsenal on the opening day which is a fantastic achievement and he will be invaluable to helping Forest beat the drop this season, which I believe they have enough quality to do so!
The Blue half of Merseyside have now endured 270 minutes of EPL football this season without seeing their side score a goal which is a worrying prospect in itself, only amplified by the fixtures they have faced. Wolves will be considered a team that they will be fighting against to beat the drop this season, so to not only drop points, but to lose all 3 is hard to take and a result that may be pointed to once the season ends. On a positive note, they have gone and signed the atypical Dyche style striker in Beto for Udinese which will hopefully offer them not only the goals they so badly need, but also a big outlet to help bring the rest of the side into the game.
In what may be the most surprising game of the weekend, we saw the bubble burst on the south coast, with West Ham notching another impressive 3-1 victory. The Hammers look to be back to their best of a couple of seasons ago, comfortably soaking up pressure, allowing Brighton to play in the final third, only to pounce on the break with speed and incision that sliced through the Seagull’s defence time and time again. Rumours of a busy last few days of the transfer market could mean we are only just scratching the surface of how good this West Ham side could actually be this season. Brighton themselves shouldnt be too downhearted by the result, Moyes managed to do the same to a rebuilt Chelsea side last week, and that was with 10 men. It is possible that Brighton are being held to a slightly unfair standard thanks to their impressive play style and their performances against top sides but you have to remember this is a side that has repeatedly had their best players plucked from them, we expect them to pick themselves up and dust themselves off.
The Blades came agonisingly close to the upset of the week when they managed to pull a goal back with ten minutes to go, only for Rodri to score late on (when have we seen that before…) Sheffield United clearly had a game plan to stifle the City attack with 10 men behind the ball and it was working relatively well until Haaland broke the deadlock but once they were forced to chase a goal and attack they actually looked fairly dangerous! Despite losing, lots of positives to take from the game, however it does seem that they are getting that eternal bad luck that plagues a team destined for relegation.
The table looks worse for Burnley than it may be fair to suggest, considering they played City in their opening game, and had their second game against Luton postponed, which is a game they really could have done with. So this game against a Villa side brimming with confidence was less than an ideal fixture for them and that proved to be the case with Emery ball in full motion for the Matty Cash goal that saw Villa effortlessly keep the ball, working round the whole team until finally waiting for the perfect moment to pounce! It was poetry in motion and a joy to watch!
The Final game, the game we earmarked as the one to watch this weekend, was hampered somewhat by the first half red card shown to Van Dijk, and although the 90 minutes suffered, it did add to the eventual drama when Nunez skipped through on that right hand side and finished beautifully passed Pope’s right hand side! With the early goal and the man advantage, you would be forgiven for thinking that Newcastle were going to have a grand day out at Liverpool’s expense, but to their credit, the red managed to stay firm at the back and contain the game while not offering too much in attack. As long as you can keep within 1 goal in this league, and you have the type of talent in your side that Liverpool do, you always have a chance at snatching something from the game, so full credit to them and Nunez who himself hasn’t been without some critics since signing last season.
