The Premier League just continues to deliver. Manchester City no longer lead the way, Chelsea were humbled after a positive display prior to the international break and Luton Town continue to pull off shock results at home. Here’s your round-up for matchday 13
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
All square at the Etihad
Manchester City kicked off the weekend with a home match against Liverpool. Pep Guardiola’s men knew a win would keep them in top spot, regardless of what happened elsewhere.
They started off well but needed a huge slice of luck for the opener. Alisson easily dealt with a Phil Foden effort and then looked to spring a counter attack with Mohamed Salah breaking into the City half. However, the Liverpool No. 1 slipped while looking to play the pass and the hosts picked up possession. Nathan Aké slalomed past Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai before threading a pass into Erling Haaland who fired a low effort past the Brazilian.
Jérémy Doku threatened down the City left and though the champions huffed and puffed, they weren’t able to add a second.
In the end, it came back to haunt them. Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up the ball on the edge of the area and rifled it past Ederson with just 10 minutes left on the clock.
City will feel like they missed an opportunity to make the most of their on-ball dominance. Liverpool will feel this result showcases their resilience this season.
Magpies run riot at St James’ Park
A severely depleted Newcastle United side welcomed Chelsea to St James’ Park looking to get back to winning ways following back-to-back losses in the Champions League and the Premier League.
Chelsea arrived having gone toe-to-toe with Manchester City in their last outing. Mauricio Pochettino was able to field a fairly strong starting XI.
Alexander Isak put the hosts ahead after just 13 minutes before Raheem Sterling equalised with 23 minutes on the clock.
It was a fairly even first half with both teams carving out two big chances. The second half was a different story though. Eddie Howe’s side limited the visitors to just one shot while racking up an Expected Goals total of 1.34 on their way to scoring three goals to complete an emphatic 4-1 win.
The Blues could well end the weekend in the bottom half of the table if Wolves win on Monday night. It extends Chelsea’s inconsistent form this term with pressure mounting on the former Spurs manager.
Luton win at home
Luton finally have a Premier League win at Kenilworth Road. The Hatters almost pulled off a coup a couple of weeks back when they led Liverpool until stoppage time. This time around, they held on to defeat Crystal Palace.
The game sparked into life in the final 20 minutes. Luton took the lead through Teden Mengi before Michael Olise equalised two minutes later. Jacob Brown scored what turned out to be the winner with 83 minutes on the clock.
In truth, it was a fortunate three points for Rob Edwards’ men. They didn’t really create many chances while Palace had an xG of 1.67 and finished the game with two big chances to their name. The hosts won’t care though. They’re now four points clear of the relegation zone.
The Gunners leave it late
Arsenal reclaimed top spot with a dramatic late winner over Brentford. Mikel Arteta’s side had all of the ball but struggled to really create, finishing with an xG of 1.65 despite having 15 shots. By comparison, the Bees had nine shots and finished with an xG total of 1.19. So, fewer shots but more higher value attempts.
The Gunners kept going though and eventually found their way past Mark Flekken in the 89th minute. Kai Havertz, who started on the bench, scored just his second goal of the season following his big money money from Chelsea.
Brentford have now lost consecutive matches in the Premier League and find themselves in 11th position.
Another loss for Spurs
For a third successive game, Spurs took the lead but failed to even pick up a point. This time, Aston Villa took full advantage of a Tottenham Hotspur side lacking in confidence.
To be fair to Ange Postecoglou and his players, it was a depleted XI. The Australian boss was forced into naming Emerson Royal and Ben Davies as a centre-back pairing. Despite this, Spurs started well and Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring after 22 minutes.
Aston Villa thought they’d immediately equalised but, after a VAR check, it was clear Ollie Watkins was offside moments before heading the ball into the back of the net.
Unai Emery’s men did find their way back into the game just before halftime when Pau Torres powered a header past Guglielmo Vicario.
Watkins did get his goal though, scoring the eventual winner just after the hour mark. It is his seventh of the season and only four players have more than him in the English top-flight this term.
Sticky situation for the Toffees
The Goodison Park faithful expected a performance from Everton. The Toffees were docked 10 points during the international break and a reaction was expected as they welcomed Manchester United to Merseyside on Sunday afternoon.
However, the players didn’t get the memo. Well, that might be a little harsh. The Toffees did cause André Onana a number of issues and created chances worth 2.73 Expected Goals while finishing with 50% possession. United finished with an xG of 2.18 and this included a penalty.
The Red Devils had a ruthless streak on the day. Alejandro Garnacho scored a goal of the season contender with a stunning overhead kick. Marcus Rashford scored from the spot and Anthony Martial finished in style to really add an exclamation point to proceedings.
Erik Ten Hag’s side are now just four points outside of the top four. Everton remain joint-bottom.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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