Premier League Picks Of The Week 8

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 8

The 8th week of Premier League action saw:

256 shots - most by Southampton = 34!

27 goals - most by Bournemouth = 6!

200 fouls - most by Man United = 20

30 bookings - most by Middlesbrough = 5

2 red cards - Xhaka for Arsenal and Creswell for West Ham - both harsh!

6 penalties - 2 saved, 4 scored

Danny Murphy did not get it quite right, but still an interesting read ahead of LFC v MUFC

The clash ended up disappointingly goalless, but looking back at some memorable moments will definitely keep you more entertained!

Despite all mind games and point gained apparently, Mourinwho?

What a game! Saturday had everything in it! In contrast to Super Sunday/Red Monday, it did not disappoint! All games had chances, goals, controversies and heroics left, right and centre! Although, Southampton top the list of chances with 34 shots, which is a record this season so far! They will be disappointed they beat Burnley only 3-1! But all games were smashing and MOTD was epic on Saturday. And the top scorers of the day came first in the highlights show...

What a team! Bournemouth absolutely smothered Hull City, it could have been even worse than 6-1! Eddie Howe's men made it three home wins in a row with that thrash, taking them up to ninth, whilst the Tigers' defensive woes continue, dragging Mike Phelan's side down to 16th the week after he was finally made permanent. Not a good start.
Liverpool could not often say this in the past, but they were disappointed to leave Anfield with just a point against bitter rivals Man United thanks to a great couple of saves by David de Gea. It just shows how much progress they have made under Jürgen Klopp and the more promising the future looks for the Reds.

What a man! Maarten Stekelenburg deserves the knighthood as far as Everton are concerned (or whatever the Dutch equivalent is)! Stopping two spot kicks and making crucial and breathtaking saves during the match, the keeper denied Man City three crucial points in the title race and made Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Agüero look amateur. The Dutch stopper did not help neither's men confidence with penalties, much to team mate Phil Jagielka's relief after he conceded both spot kicks. Legendary performance!

What a goal! Romelu Lukaku's opener for the Toffees against Pep Guardiola's side was a great finish to a counter, some poor defending helped along the way. Mesut Özil's magnificent volley into the roof of the net gets my vote too, completing a lovely team goal off a deliciously chipped cross by Alexis Sanchez to make it 3-1 to the Gunners against Swansea.

What the hell?! How the hell Granit Xhaka and Aaron Creswell can be sent off when Antonio Barragan stayed on the pitch for Middlesbrough?! Already on a yellow, the defender kept bullying and fouling the opposition without any further consequences, much to Watford's dismay, but Isaac Success and co stayed and ended on top, bagging the three points. The inconsistencies of the officials are gob-smacking! And if the FA let managers like José Mourinho get away with the pre-match comments and then the gestures the Portuguese made on the sideline during the match, how can they expect less pressure and more respect for the referees?! Ridiculous!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Chelsea 2:1 Leicester - 3:0
Arsenal 1:1 Swansea - 3:2
Bournemouth 3:1 Hull City - 6:1
Man City 3:1 Everton - 1:1
Stoke 1:1 Sunderland - 2:0
West Brom 2:2 Tottenham - 1:1
Crystal Palace 3:2 West Ham - 0:1
Middlesbrough 1:1 Watford - 0:1
Southampton 1:0 Burnley - 3:1
Liverpool 1:1 Man United - 0:0

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks

All pictures takes from the BBC match reports