The Premier League is back for match-week 11, and leading into the international break there were crucial ties across the 10 games this weekend. Developments at both the top and the bottom of the table mean the resumption of the league in two weeks is more exciting and important than ever.
(Image Credit- Mike Hewitt- Getty Images)
Brighton 2-1 Manchester City
Brighton continued their brilliant run of form whilst condemning City to uncharted lows on Saturday evening. The champions were expected to hit the ground running following their mid-week thumping, and they did so with flurries of chances in the first half for Savinho and Haaland. It was the Norwegian who managed to convert first, however, in the 23rd minute the striker picked up the ball and rattled the crossbar, but was first to it between him and Van Hecke to smash it home for 1-0. Shortly after, Haaland nearly had his second as 3 minutes later he forced Verbruggen into a save that was tipped onto the post with his feet and out. It was City who went into halftime with the lead, and deservedly so racking up chances that kept the Seagulls relatively out of it.
Some could argue that City’s recent troubles have been due to their second-half attitudes, and this was only backed up on the South coast with the Brighton team that walked out for the second half. From the get-go Brighton’s attacking intent showed, as Hinshelwood tested Ederson with a towering header as well as Joao Pedro forcing Walker to recover. The Seagulls finally capitalised on City’s fragility in the 78th minute, when Joao Pedro picked the ball up off Welbeck following a goal-mouth scramble and fired into the far corner to equalise. Only 5 minutes later the turnaround was complete when Joao Pedro set the debutant Matt O’Riley through and he poked past Ederson to send the Amex berserk. City had a few meek attempts to rejuvenate themselves from here, but ultimately the whistle blew for their 4th straight defeat for the first time since 2006. The result sees Hurzeler’s brilliant Brighton soar up to third place on 19 points, whereas keeping Pep’s calamitous Cityzens in second place on 23 points. MOTM- Joao Pedro
Wolves 2-0 Southampton
Wolves finally managed to get themselves off the mark on Saturday afternoon after sinking a dismal Southampton side at Molineux. The match began in perfect fashion for Wolves, after star man Matheus Cunha drove the ball through the heart of the midfield and picked out Sarabia with a great pass who rounded Ramsdale and slotted home in only the 2nd minute. The Saints thought they had drawn level in the 14th minute after Ryan Manning scored a wonderful strike into the top corner, but VAR deemed there was a foul on Semedo in the build-up. The half time whistle was called on a half where Wolves scarcely deserved their lead, as the Saints were the better team, but it was only the one goal that separated the teams.
Wolves knew they needed a better performance than the one they left the field with, and they did just that only 6 minutes into the half. It was the Brazilian Cunha who picked up the ball in the final third and unleashed a stormer of a shot from distance, well beyond Ramsdale’s reach, doubling the home side’s lead. The hope seemed to leave the Saints from the second goal, and this showed throughout the rest of the match with plentiful chances for Wolves, as Bellegarde attempted an unbelievable lob that wasn’t far off. The full time whistle blew and the celebrations began for O’Neil’s side as they recorded their first win of the season. The result shoots O’Neil’s Wolves up to 18th place on 6 points, whereas Martin’s Saints side remains rock bottom in 20th on 4 points. MOTM- Matheus Cunha
Brentford 3-2 Bournemouth
Brentford managed to come-from-behind twice after playing out another thriller at the G-Tech stadium against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon. It was Bournemouth who had the brightest start to the game, and this paid off for the away team in the 17th minute after the inform Brazilian Evanilson stole in from a back pass and slotted home to make it 1-0. The tensions flared following the goal, but so did the Bees’ chances, and soon enough the game was level after the forward Yoanna Wissa nodded in from a long throw-in , needing VAR to clear it. The referee blew the whistle on a hotly contested half, seeing each team cancel each other out.
Bournemouth were arguably the strongest team in the first 45, and Iraola’s men capitalised on some Brentford sloppiness early on in the second half. The ball was taken off the Bees only 4 minutes after the restart, and the experienced Lewis Cook calmly rolled the ball to Justin Kluivert who comfortably slotted home to put the Cherries ahead for the first time. Bournemouth’s smiles were wiped out in an instant, as not even 60 seconds had passed and the scores were level after Bryan Mbeumo spotted the run of Mikkel Damsgaard who somehow slotted home from a marginal angle. The electric nature of the game carried on, as only 8 minutes later the Bees had forged ahead once again, as Wissa scored his second of the game sending a chip over Kepa. The game was a feisty back-and-forth from here, with yellow cards flying all over, but ultimately the score stayed the same with the home side taking all 3 points. The result leaves Frank’s Bees in 11th on 16 points, whereas dropping Iraola’s Bournemouth down to 12th on 15 points. MOTM- Yoanne Wissa
Ipswich 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Ipswich secured a first Premier League win of the season in dramatic circumstances after pulling off a shock win against in-form Spurs on Sunday afternoon. The match began as a cagey affair, with half-chances being made from both Johnson and Davis, but the real danger was struck in the 31st minute for the away side. Ipswich managed to get numbers up front and the ball fell to Liam Delap, who played a stunning cross into the box for Sammie Szmodics to finish in acrobatic fashion as the Irishman performed an overhead kick past Vicario to make it 1-0. Ipswich’s fine attack was compensated again though, as 12 minutes later the away side doubled their lead after Liam Delap smashed home following a mix-up between Dragusin and Vicario, sending the away end absolutely wild. It was a 2-0 lead that the visitors held in London, and deservedly so after a wonderfully sharp offensive display.
This was far from the recent Spurs performances of late, and Ange’s side needed a hasty response. The home side thought they had managed to get a lifeline only 5 minutes in, after Dominic Solanke swept in a goal however the VAR deemed there to be a handball against the inform striker. Despite the occasional Ipswich chance, it was Spurs who were majorly on top, and the lifeline did appear in the 69th minute following a pinpoint header from Rodrigo Bentancur from a corner. The game continued with a flurry of missed chances for Spurs, and as the game ebbed on Werner and Solanke saw efforts be denied time and again. The referee blew for full time to send the away end into bedlam, with a first Premier League win for the Tractor Boys. The result leaves Postecoglou’s Spurs in 10th place on 16 points, whereas shooting McKenna’s Ipswich up to 17th place on 8 points. MOTM- Liam Delap
Nottingham Forest 1-3 Newcastle
Newcastle managed to steal all three points in a comeback win against a formidable Forest side on Sunday afternoon. The match began with Forest as the main threat, as they were expected to be, and it paid off for the home team in the 22nd minute after the Brazilian Murillo rose highest to score his first senior goal and to give them a deserved lead. Newcastle managed to create some half-chances before the break, but Sels and Milenkovic were well up to stopping Guimaraes. It finished just the one goal going into the half, which Nottingham Forest generally deserved.
Forest’s rigid defence held up in the first half, but the Newcastle side that came out in the second half did so swinging and thirsty. Almost immediately after Pope denied Dominguez, Newcastle raced down the other end in the 54th minute and it was the Swedish star-man Aleksander Isak who scored following some questionable defending from Forest to make it 1-1. The match had clearly shifted in tone from here, with the Magpies determined to steal the game here, and they did just that in the 72nd minute when the striker-turned-midfielder Joelinton curled a beauty into Sels’s far corner to put Howe’s side ahead. Only eight minutes later and the game was all but sealed, as Harvey Barnes broke forward on the left wing and took his time to slot past Sels making it 3-1 to the Geordies. Whilst Forest managed to muster some fight back in the last 10 minutes, it was Newcastle who held on for all 3 points, and the result drops Nuno’s Forest down to 5th place on 19 points, whilst moving Howe’s Magpies up to 8th place on 18 points. MOTM- Aleksander Isak
Manchester United 3-0 Leicester City
Manchester United wrapped up Van Nistelrooy’s tenure at the top with a convincing display against a shallow Leicester side. The match took no time to begin strongly, as United were already ahead only eight-minutes-in after Bruno Fernandes picked up the ball on the edge of the box and curled a wonderful shot past Hermansen to put the Red Devils ahead quickly. Leicester had a chance to equalise with an Ndidi one-on-one that was saved, but they were inevitably punished as in the 38th minute Victor Kristiansen turned into his own net after Fernandes headed down onto him, making it 2-0. The half time whistle was called on a comfortable half for the home team.
Leicester looked dejected in the first half, but Steve Cooper’s men looked to be stronger going into the second half. The best chance came for the Foxes when Jordan Ayew picked up the ball inside of the box and drilled a tricky shot at Onana who had to help it behind. As the half progressed, United looked comfortable and composed, but no man was more composed than Alejandro Garnacho who curled a wonderful shot from outside of the box past Hermansen in the 82nd minute to give United another deserved goal, and capping off a great afternoon in Manchester. The full-time whistle sounded to the joy of the departing Van Nistelrooy, as his United side shoot up to 13th on 15 points, whilst Cooper’s dejected Foxes remain in 15th on 10 points. MOTM- Bruno Fernandes
Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal
Chelsea fought back from a goal down in a fiercely contested London derby against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea were on red-hot form before this game, and the chances came thick and fast for the home side in the first half after Palmer tested Raya from distance very early. The home side missed a golden chance after Gusto headed over just yards out, but Arsenal thought they took the lead in the 32nd minute after Kai Havertz stabbed home yet the VAR deemed him to be offside- a moment that Stamford Bridge relished after his celebration. It was tightly contested, but it was still 0-0 going into halftime at Stamford Bridge.
The first half lacked all action but goals in this blockbuster tie, and the second 45 minutes would definitely improve upon that. The breakthrough came in the 60th minute, and it belonged to the away side as the returning Martin Odegaard played a lovely ball into the back post where it was met by Gabriel Martinelli, who controlled the ball down and smashed past Sanchez at his near post to put the Gunners in the lead. Chelsea aren’t a team who give up easily, and this happened to be the case only 10 minutes after the first goal when Pedro Neto picked the ball up on the edge of the box and released a pinpoint strike into Raya’s left-hand corner for his first Chelsea goal, levelling the tie. The game continued on strongly in Arsenal’s favour, as chances came and went for Trossard and Havertz, but ultimately the full-time whistle was called on a tight but entertaining 1-1 draw. The result shoots Maresca’s fickle Blues up to 3rd place on 19 points, whereas also upping Arteta’s Gunners up to 4th place also on 19 points. MOTM- Pedro Neto
Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa
Liverpool expanded their gap at the top of the table after fending off Aston Villa on Saturday evening. The Reds were favourites to win the game beforehand, and they proved exactly why 20 minutes in after Darwin Nunez carried the ball on after Salah was brought down, and emphatically finished the ball over Martinez to make it 1-0 to the home team. Villa nearly drew level before half-time following a corner parried away by the Irishman Kelleher from Onana, who also managed to keep out Diego Carlos’s effort that nearly brought the away side level. Despite a spirited fightback from the away team, it was the home side who maintained a well-earnt lead going intot half time.
Liverpool were generally quite firm in the first half, but their defence was shaken soon into the second half after Pau Torres was brought down by Van Dijk inside of the box, but both David Coote and the VAR did not agree it was a penalty. The game seemed to swing mostly in Liverpool’s favour after that, and this pressure came to fruition after Mohamed Salah raced down the right hand wing and slotted a cool finish past Martinez to seal the three points for the Reds. The referee blew for full time to a jubilant Anfield and another win for the Reds. The result leaves Slot’s soaring Reds in 1st place on 28 points, whilst dropping Emery’s Villains down to 9th place on 18 points. MOTM- Mohamed Salah
Crystal Palace 0-2 Fulham
Fulham managed to continue their impressive form with a strong away win against a lacklustre Palace side. The away side started strongest at Selhurst Park, with Reiss Nelson coming closest being denied by Henderson, but Crystal Palace also hit back after Guehi nearly headed home after beating Jimenez in the air. Fulham managed to hit the front in the 2nd minute of injury time however, just after Andersen denied Sarr off the line, Jimenez played Smith-Rowe through the middle and he curled past Henderson who nearly saved it, but ultimately putting the away side ahead. It was a cagey half with chances going back and forth, but Fulham were the ones leading as the half time whistle went in London.
Fulham arguably deserved the lead in the first half, and they came out after halftime with all guns blazing. Only eight minutes after the restart the Cottagers thought they had managed to double their lead after Emile Smith-Rowe tapped home following an Iwobi cross, yet the VAR disallowed for being offside. Crystal Palace managed to get somewhat back into the game, after Mateta was denied in a 1-on-1, but their chances at a comeback were immediately put into doubt after Daichi Kamada was sent off straight away in the 76th minute following an awful challenge on Kenny Tete. The red card had an impact on Palace’s goalscoring threat, and it turned against them in the 83rd minute after the on fire man Harry Wilson took a touch and slotted past Henderson to make it 2-0. The second half came to an end with the away side in complete control, and the result leaves Glasner’s Eagles in 18th place, whereas Silva’s Cottagers soar up to 7th place. MOTM- Emile Smith Rowe
West Ham 0-0 Everton
West Ham shared a point with Everton in an overwhelmingly uneventful match on Saturday afternoon in London. The away side came closest to a goal in the first half after Doucoure ran through on the right wing and was only denied a shot on goal after some good tracking back from Summerville. The Hammers came closest in the first half after some strong play by Antonio saw Bowen have a shot on goal, only to be saved well by Pickford. The half time whistle went on what could only be described as a dull, goalless first half.
More action was expected in the second half, but to the disappointment of the fans in attendance, nothing came of it. West Ham came somewhat close after Bowen nicked the ball off Branthwaite and struck a shot against Tarkowski that bobbled just wide of the post, but the luck didn’t improve after Summerville struck the post mid way into the half. Everton managed to come very close on the other end, after a floated ball into Lindstrom was headed against Fabianski who tipped over the bar. The full time whistle blew on an ultimately dismal afternoon in East London, with Lopetegui’s side staying in 14th place on 12 points, and Dyches Hammers staying in 16th place on 10 points. MOTM- Jordan Pickford
