What a weekend of Premier League football that was then. We have new league leaders, winless runs came to an end while a certain side extended their impressive home record. Here’s a round up of the biggest talking points.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
However, a few honourable mentions to begin with.
Sheffield United claimed their first win under returning manager Chris Wilder while Fulham hit five goals for a second successive match.
Liverpool claim top spot
The Reds haven’t been at their best over recent weeks but, somehow, they find themselves one point clear at the top of the Premier League.
Liverpool, again, had to come from behind to claim all three points, this time away to Crystal Palace.
The Eagles thought they had a first half penalty before VAR intervened. The hosts were then awarded a spot kick after the break, with VAR getting involved to alert the referee to a foul that occurred two minutes before.
Jean-Philippe Mateta converted from the spot to give Palace a deserved lead. Liverpool struggled to create anything of real note before scoring with their first effort on target. The equaliser came just minutes after Jordan Ayew was sent off, with Mohamed Salah’s deflected effort finding the bottom corner. It was his 200th goal for the Reds.
With the game ticking over into stoppage time, Harvey Elliott unleashed a fierce effort from distance that caught the keeper out. And that was enough for Liverpool to claim the win.
Old Trafford stunned
Manchester United lost at home, again. This time it was Bournemouth leaving Old Trafford with all three points following a 3-0 win. The in-form Dominic Solanke scored his eighth of the season to get the away side off to a flyer inside of five minutes.
Bournemouth are now up to 14th after their first ever win at Old Trafford.
United dominated the ball with 69% possession but struggled to do anything with it. The Cherries had a higher xG and created more big chances. Bournemouth are now unbeaten in five Premier League matches and things seem to be clicking under Andoni Iraola after a difficult start.
The Red Devils have now lost seven of their 16 Premier League matches this season. For context, they lost just nine last season. Erik Ten Hag is under pressure ahead of the trip to Anfield next weekend.
Fortress Villa Park
Another Aston Villa home match, another Aston Villa victory. In the space of a week, Unai Emery’s men have beaten Manchester City and Arsenal at Villa Park. In both games, the Villans have kept a clean sheet.
They limited Manchester City whereas they needed Emiliano Martínez to come to the rescue against the Gunners. The former Arsenal shot stopper made three saves and finished with a FotMob rating of 8.9.
There was controversy at the end of the match when Mikel Arteta’s side had a goal ruled out following a Kai Havertz handball. Some feel it was a harsh decision, though, by the letter of the law, it was correct.
Villa are now just a point behind Arsenal and just two points off the top with fairly favourable fixtures to come.
The champions win a game
Manchester City finally won a Premier League game. The 2-1 win over Luton Town was their first in the English top-flight since the 6-1 demolition of Bournemouth during the first week of November.
City, without Erling Haaland, fell behind in first half stoppage time when Elijah Adebayo scored for the second successive match. Kenilworth Road was rocking but, for a second successive match, the hosts couldn’t hold onto a lead against one of the title favourites.
Bernardo Silva equalised in the 62nd minute before Jack Grealish netted what turned out to be the winner in the 65th minute.
Pep Guardiola’s side have now cut the gap at the top to four points.
The Toffees no longer in a sticky situation
It is now three wins on the spin for Everton and the Toffees are now four points clear of the relegation zone. Without the 10 point deduction, they would be ahead of Chelsea, the team they beat 2-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.
Since their impressive 4-4 draw with Manchester City, Chelsea have lost three of their four Premier League matches. They have conceded eight goals in the process and found the back of the net on just five occasions.
It was a deserved loss at Goodison Park too. They may have controlled the possession (72%) but they weren’t able to do anything with it. Their 16 shots had a collective Expected Goals value of just 0.95.
Spurs run riot against Newcastle
Heading into the game against Newcastle, Tottenham hadn’t won a Premier League game since October.
They welcomed an inconsistent Newcastle side who, in their previous two matches, had beaten Manchester United but then lost to Everton.
As is becoming the norm now, Spurs took the lead. This time, however, they managed to extend the lead. In the end, Ange Postecoglou’s men ran out 4-1 winners.
Richarlison netted twice but it was very much the Heung-Min Son show on Sunday evening. The Spurs captain set up two goals and scored the fourth with the hosts running riot.
Tottenham created six big chances and finished with an xG haul of over 3.2 in one of the most one-sided games of the weekend. Spurs are now just three points off of a top four place while Newcastle linger in seventh on goal difference.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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