Premier League Picks Of The Week 26

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 26

The 26th week of the Premier League action saw:

205 shots - most by Tottenham = 21
22 goals - most by Tottenham = 4
187 fouls - most by Watford = 19
26 bookings - most by Watford = 4
2 red cards - Barnes for Burnley, Antonio for West Ham
3 penalties - 3 scored (Huddlestone for Hull City, King for Bournemouth, Deeney for Watford)

What a game! West Brom's comeback against Bournemouth was an entertaining encounter at The Hawthorns. But champions Leicester stole the show, returning to their stunning best we all enjoyed last season, beating Liverpool 3-1 at the King Power thanks to Jamie Vardy and Danny Drinkwater being back on fire. One goal especially wins my vote, see below...

What a team! Everton stretched their unbeaten league run to nine games after beating bottom side Sunderland 2-0 at Goodison Park thanks to Idrissa Gueye and Romelu Lukaku, the latter registering his 60th Premier League goal in 119 games for the Blues, equalling the club record with current first-team coach Duncan Ferguson (60 in 239 matches).

What a man! Harry Kane has scored the most Premier League goals since start of last season = 42, three hat-tricks in the last nine games, fourth in the Premier League for Tottenham, a club record, taking him past 100 goals in his club career (102, 86 of those for Tottenham). Cesc Fàbregas marked his 300th Premier League appearance as the man of the match, opening the score for Chelsea against Swansea, Pedro and Diego Costa also on the scoreboard once again, stretching the Blues' lead at the top to 11 points. Utter dominance.

What a goal! Drinkwater's goal for the Foxes against the Reds was a breathtaking smacker to make it 2-0 before the break. Vardy was back with a double-bang, scoring his first and second Premier League goal of the year, pouncing on Jürgen Klopp's mens' weakness at the back. A convincing win, or as the German boss of the losing side put it, it was a bad start, bad middle and bad finish for the Reds. Click here to read my LFC match summary.

What the hell?! Crystal Palace's win against Middlesbrough, served Big Sam only his second win since taking over at Selhurst Park in December. The victory was priceless for the Eagles, devastating for Leicester, dropping into the relegation zone in the process (temporarily). I would have been sad about that, if it weren't for the Foxes' sacking of the title winning boss Claudio Ranieri. But their misery didn't last long as mentioned above, much to Craig Shakespeare's advantage in his bid to take over the job permanently. #hm #suspicious

My Predictions - Actual Results
Chelsea 3:1 Swansea - 3:1
Crystal Palace 0:0 Middlesbrough - 1:0
Everton 2:0 Sunderland - 2:0
Hull City 1:0 Burnley - 1:1
West Brom 2:1 Bournemouth - 2:1
Watford 1:2 West Ham - 1:1
Tottenham 4:1 Stoke City - 4:0
Leicester 2:2 Liverpool - 3:1 or click here for my LFC match summary
Man City P:P Man United*
Southampton P:P Arsenal*
*P = postponed because of the EFL Cup Final (Man United 3:2 Southampton)

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

Pictures and stats taken from the BBC match reports.

FT Summary LCFC 3-1 LFC

Sports - Football - PL - LCFC 3:1 LFC

Craig Shakespeare in temporary charge after Claudio Ranieri's dismissal, looking for Leicester's first league win since Boxing Day, Jamie Vardy not on the scoreboard since 10th December.

Liverpool wanting to build on their first win of the year against Tottenham, 16 days ago, Philippe Coutinho having not scored nor provided in the last seven games since his return from injury.

The opening 20ish minutes were all Leicester, 4-0 attempts, 2-0 on target, Vardy coming the closest, one-on-one versus Simon Mignolet, the Belgian stopper's legs denying the striker.

But the 30-year-old forward pounced on Georginio Wijnaldum's giveaway, with enough time and space off Marc Albrighton to compose himself and put the Foxes ahead with his right foot, nice and comfy after 28 minutes, the champions' first league goal since New Year's Eve!

Kasper Schmeichel denied Coutinho just over a minute later after a lovely buildup, first real chance for the Reds.

Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi fed off Vardy to be denied by Mignolet with just over half an hour gone.

Liverpool producing some quality, but Leicester comfortably on top...

And what a strike it was that doubled the lead for the Foxes, Danny Drinkwater whacking it in with his right foot from distance after James Milner thought he had cleared the danger, no chance for the keeper.

Two minutes added on, The King Power sounding loud and proud, a bit mocking. What crises?!?!?! Nicht gut for Red boss Jürgen Klopp.

Leicester continued on top after the break, Liverpool just curving out but messing up half chances, Coutinho and Sadio Mané looking desperate at the front.

With an hour gone, Vardy headed in his second off a Christian Fuchs cross, the Foxes' third. Oh, just like in the good old days (= last season).

Shortly after Liverpool made a double-change, and Ranieri's name rang around the stadium, the Reds ripped the home side open for the first time, Coutinho pouncing and netting the chance to make it 3-1, his sixth league goal of the season.

Drinkwater put one chance wide not long before conceding a corner which was headed wide eventually by Lucas Leiva.

Vardy received treatment after a clash of heads with Wijnaldum, just under ten minutes left on the clock, Klopp bringing on youngster Ben Woodburn to replace Lucas.

Schmeichel spilled Coutinho's shot out for a corner, which Liverpool could not make much of, keeping the score at 3-1 in the final minutes.

Nathaniel Clyne won another corner for the Reds, blocked out, for Leicester to counter, losing out possession eventually.

Feisty challenges left, right and centre late on, the referee Michael Oliver let the play flow.

Five minutes added on after the Foxes made their final change, tired legs out there.

A free kick given away by Milner in the final minute, Fuchs tried to beat Mignolet cheekily high from distance, sending the ball out, just.

Seconds later, the whistle went, cheers rang through the King Power celebrating their first win of the year.

Man of the match Vardy back how and where he belongs, on the scoreboard, with two goals, Drinkwater adding to that with a beauty.

Possession may have been dominated by the visitors, but they never took over any control, the hosts bossing it from start to finish.

Or as Klopp put and summarised it for the Reds in the post-match interview, it was a bad start, bad middle, bad end.

The win takes Leicester out of the relegation zone, up to 15th, Liverpool stay in 5th with just one point between them and bitter rivals Manchester United in 6th with a game in hand.

Leicester Pre-Match Form: LLWLLL

Liverpool Pre-Match Form: LLLDLW

Leicester Team: 1 Schmeichel; 28 Fuchs, 6 Huth, 5 Morgan (c), 17 Simpson; 25 Ndidi, 4 Drinkwater; 11 Albrighton (3 Chilwell 90'), 20 Okazaki (13 Amartey 69'), 26 Mahrez (22 Gray 80'); 9 Vardy. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 10 King, 19 Slimani, 21 Zieler, 23 Ulloa.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 7 Milner (c), 21 Lucas (58 Woodburn 84'), 32 Matip, 2 Clyne; 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can, 20 Lallana (27 Origi 66'); 10 Coutinho, 11 Firmino, 19 Mané (18 Moreno 66'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 17 Klavan, 35 Stewart, 66 Alex-Arnold.

Leicester Goals: Vardy 28' & 60, Drinkwater 39'.

Liverpool Goal: Coutinho 68'.

HT & FT stats: LCFC-LFC
Score: 2-0 & 3-1
Possession: 38.6%-62.2% & 30.9%-69.1%
Attempts: 9-6 & 13-17
On target: 5-3 & 7-7
Offside: 2-1 & 3-2
Corners: 5-6 & 5-12
Free kicks: 6-4 & 8-5
Yellow cards: 0-0 & 0-0
Red cards: 0-0 & 0-0

Referee: Michael Oliver
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy
Ground: The King Power Stadium
Attendance: 32,034

Click here my HT Summary LCFC 2-0 LFC.

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

Pictures taken from the BBC match report, stats and facts taken from the Sky Sports app and live coverage.

HT Summary LCFC 2:0 LFC

Sports - Football - PL - LCFC 2:0 LFC

Craig Shakespeare in temporary charge after Claudio Ranieri's dismissal, looking for Leicester's first league win since Boxing Day, Jamie Vardy not on the scoreboard since 10th December.

Liverpool wanting to build on their first win of the year against Tottenham, 16 days ago, Philippe Coutinho having not scored nor provided in the last seven games since his return from injury.

The opening 20ish minutes were all Leicester, 4-0 attempts, 2-0 on target, Vardy coming the closest, one-on-one versus Simon Mignolet, the Belgian stopper's legs denying the striker.

But the 30-year-old forward pounced on Georginio Wijnaldum's giveaway, with enough time and space off Marc Albrighton to compose himself and put the Foxes ahead with his right foot, nice and comfy after 28 minutes, the champions' first league goal since New Year's Eve!

Kasper Schmeichel denied Philippe Coutinho just over a minute later after a lovely buildup, first real chance for the Reds.

Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi fed off Vardy to be denied by Mignolet with just over half an hour gone.

Liverpool producing some quality, but Leicester comfortably on top...

And what a strike it was that doubled the lead for the Foxes, Danny Drinkwater whacking it in with his right foot from distance after James Milner thought he had cleared the danger, no chance for the keeper.

Two minutes added on, The King Power sounding loud and proud, a bit mocking. What crises?!?!?! Nicht gut for Jürgen Klopp.

Leicester Pre-Match Form: LLWLLL

Liverpool Pre-Match Form: LLLDLW

Leicester Team: 1 Schmeichel; 28 Fuchs, 6 Huth, 5 Morgan (c), 17 Simpson; 25 Ndidi, 4 Drinkwater; 11 Albrighton, 20 Okazaki, 26 Mahrez; 9 Vardy. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 3 Chilwell, 10 King, 13 Amartey, 19 Slimani, 21 Zieler, 22 Gray, 23 Ulloa.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 7 Milner (c), 21 Lucas, 32 Matip, 2 Clyne; 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can, 20 Lallana; 10 Coutinho, 11 Firmino, 19 Mané. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 17 Klavan, 18 Moreno, 27 Origi, 35 Stewart, 58 Woodburn, 66 Alex-Arnold.

Leicester Goals: Vardy 28', Drinkwater 39'.

HT stats: LCFC-LFC
Score: 2-0
Possession: 38.6%-62.2%
Attempts: 9-6
On target: 5-3
Offside: 2-1
Corners: 5-6
Free kicks: 6-4
Yellow cards: 0-0
Red cards: 0-0

Referee: Michael Oliver
Ground: The King Power Stadium

Click here for my previous LFC match report

Pictures taken from the BBC match report, stats and facts taken from Sky Sports app and coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 25

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 25

The 25th week of the Premier League action saw:

217 shots - most by Man United = 22
21 goals - most by Southampton = 4
229 fouls - most by Southampton = 15
40 bookings - most by Tottenham = 5
1 red card - Clucas for Hull City
1 penalty - 1 scored (Sanchez for Arsenal)

What a game! Man of the match Sadio Mané's double helped Liverpool to their much missed winning selves to beat Tottenham 2-0 at Anfield. The Senegal forward's return served the Reds their first win of the year, injecting much missed energy, speed and determination. Mauricio Pochettino's men don't like the top six as form shows (recording just 1 win in the last 17 games), whilst Jürgen Klopp can be a very relieved man. Click here to read my full LFC match report.

What a team! Everton extended their unbeaten run to eight games whilst Middlesbrough are still looking for their first win of the year as the teams shared a goalless draw at the Riverside, both their keepers Joel Robles and Víctor Valdés starring with some eye-catching saves for their sides respectively. Burnley proved strong home form with a resilient draw against Chelsea who missed the chance of going 12 points clear at the top. Man City moved up to second after their hard-fought win at Bournemouth.

What a man! Anthony Martial marked his return for Manchester United with an assist and a goal, securing a nice 2-0 home win for the Red Devils against Watford, taking them up to fifth briefly before Liverpool's 2-0 win against Tottenham. United are on their longest unbeaten run in the top-flight since March 2013 under Sir Alex Ferguson, pushing them up, just one point adrift of the top four.

What a goal! Alexis Sánchez's handball goal opener on 34 minutes and last-minute penalty and sending off conceded by Sam Clucas handed a lucky 2-0 win to the Gunners against Hull City. Referee Mark Clattenburg had to apologise to Tigers' boss Marco Silva for costing them the game, Arsène Wenger conceding it was an undeserved win. Gareth McAuley's last-minute equaliser earned West Brom a dramatic draw at West Ham after Manuel Lanzini's late goal looked to have won it for the hosts. Cruel and crucial both alike.

What the hell?! Big Sam's woes at Palace continue, not much better for David Moyes at Sunderland - thrashed 0-4 by Saints after winning 0-4 at Palace?! Who would want to swap with them?! Leicester are slipping closer and closer to them in the relegation zone after yet another defeat, 2-0 at Swansea, their fifth consecutive top flight defeat (a record run of reigning champions since Chelsea in 1956). Woes, woes and more woes...

My Predictions-Actual Results
Arsenal 3:1 Hull City - 2:0
Man United 2:1 Watford - 2:0
Middlesbrough 0:2 Everton - 0:0
Stoke City 2:1 Crystal Palace - 1:0
Sunderland 1:0 Southampton - 0:4
West Ham 1:0 West Brom - 2:2
Liverpool 1:2 Tottenham - 2:0 or my LFC match report 
Burnley 1:2 Chelsea - 1:1
Swansea 2:0 Leicester - 2:0
Bournemouth 2:4 Man City - 0:2

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks

Pictures and stats taken from the BBC match reports 

Mané Double Downs Spurs

Sports - Football - Premier League - LFC 2:0 THFC

Man of the match Sadio Mané's double helped Liverpool to their much missed winning selves to beat Tottenham 2-0 at Anfield.

The Senegal forward's return from the Africa Cup of Nations served the Reds their first win of the year, injecting much missed energy, speed and determination.

Mauricio Pochettino's men don't like the top six as form shows (recording just 1 win in the last 17 games), whilst Jürgen Klopp can be a very relieved man.

Most of the action happened in the first half, the Reds dominating the show, making Spurs look clumsy and all over the place.

Mané fired the home side ahead after 16 minutes, beating left-back Ben Davies to Georginio Wijnaldum's pass.

138 seconds later, the £34m former Saints man doubled the lead from close range after a fine double save by Hugo Lloris denying Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino.

If it weren't for the French stopper, the score could have been much worse at the interval, Liverpool recording 13 attempts, 8 on target, keeping him very busy.

At the other end, Simon Mignolet didn't have much to do, but was alert enough to deny Son Heung-min one-on-one shortly after Mané's double.

The second half was less eventful, the Reds happy and comfortable with the lead, Spurs not threatening nor creating much.

The win takes Liverpool back up to fourth, whilst second-placed Tottenham see the gap to the top widen to nine points, with both Chelsea and Man City still to play on Sunday and Monday respectively.

Liverpool Goals: Mané 16' & 18'.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 2 Clyne, 33 Matip (booked 56'), 21 Lucas (17 Klavan 82'), 7 Milner (booked 68'); 20 Lallana, 14 Henderson (c) (booked 53'), 5 Wijnaldum; 19 Mané (66 Alex-Arnold 90'+2'), 11 Firmino, 10 Coutinho (23 Can 77'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 15 Sturridge,  18 Moreno,  27 Origi.

Tottenham Team: 1 Lloris (c); 2 Walker, 4 Alderweireld (booked 83'), 15 Dier (booked 78'), 33 Davies; 19 Dembele (17 Sissoko 77'), 12 Wanyama; 23 Eriksen (29 Winks 68' (booked 71')), 20 Alli, 7 Son (booked 28') (9 Janssen 82'); 10 Kane (booked 67'). 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 13 Vorm, 14 Nkoudou, 16 Trippier,  27 Wimmer.

HT & FT stats: LFC-THFC
Possession: 54%-46% & 51%-49%
Attempts: 13-5 & 17-7
On target: 8-2 & 9-2
Offsides: 0-0 & 2-1
Corners: 8-2 & 10-3
Fouls: 5-5 & 14-14
Yellow cards: 0-1 & 3-5
Red cards: 0-0 & 0-0

Referee: Anthony Taylor
Man of the match: Sadio Mané
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 53,159

Pictures and stats taken from the BBC match report and Sky Sports match report and live coverage.

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 24

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 24

The 24th week of the Premier League saw:

268 shots - most by Liverpool = 22
34 goals - most by Everton = 6!
211 fouls - most by West Ham = 15
39 bookings - most by Watford = 5
1 red card - Hendrick for Burnley
2 penalties - 2 scored (Kane for Spurs & Barnes for Burnley)

What a game! NINE GOALS! Yes, there were nine goals in one game, which saw Everton beat Bournemouth 6-3 at Goodison Park, leaving the visitors still winless in 2017 and reporters and fans struggling to keep track and count. Crystal Palace were shocked by Sunderland, conceding three goals in six minutes, ending up being thrashed 0-4 at Selhurst Park, all goals falling in the first half, stunning their former boss Big Sam, much to David Moyes' relief.

What a team! It's all about form! For the first time since 1954, Liverpool haven't won in the opening five league games of the calendar year after losing 2-0 at Hull, having only recorded one win in ten games in all competitions (5L, 4D). Bitter rivals United on the other hand are unbeaten in the last 15 after a comfortable 0-3 win at Leicester, their longest unbeaten run since 2013, their last title winning year, when they went 18 games without losing. But too many draws still sees them dropping too many points to keep up with the top.

What a man! Romelu Lukaku was unstoppable at Goodison Park! The way the Belgian striker created and converted was like an art exhibition on football and how to beat your opponent! Jermain Defoe and Gabriel Jesus also bossed their shows for Sunderland and City respectively, with a couple of goals each. It was a good day to be a striker, goals galore!

What a goal! As mentioned, plenty of goals were scored this weekend, most by Everton. Local rivals Liverpool recorded most shots, but all in vain, see above, manager Jürgen Klopp left really angry. No discrediting Hull though! Great work rate, well earned and deserved win and a great debut goal for Alfred N'Diaye, unforgettable for the youngster!

What the hell?! After their impressive win against champions Leicester last week, Burnley's strong home form was like a distant memory or dream watching them this week. They were unrecognisable losing 2-1 down to ten men at Watford. Their miserable away form has not seen them win on the road since May last year! Schizophrenic or what?!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Chelsea 2:1 Arsenal - 3:1
Crystal Palace 0:0 Sunderland - 0:4
Everton 2:1 Bournemouth - 6:3
Hull City 2:1 Liverpool - 2:0
Southampton 0:0 West Ham - 1:3
Watford 0:1 Burnley - 2:1
West Brom 0:1 Stoke City - 1:0
Tottenham 3:1 Middlesbrough - 1:0
Man City 4:1 Swansea - 2:1
Leicester 1:1 Man United - 0:3

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks 

Pictures and stats taken from the BBC match reports 

Premier League Picks Of The Week 23

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 23

The 23rd week of the Premier League saw:

236 shots - most by Burnley = 24
19 goals - most by Man City = 4
267 fouls - most by Palace = 23
33 bookings - most by Palace & Hull = 4 each
0 red cards
3 penalties - 2 scored (Negredo for Boro & Yaya Touré for City)

Mourinho storms out

Big Sam celebrating groovy style

Crouch dances to his 100th goal

What a game! It was not a good day to be an East-Londoner! Arsenal were shocked 1-2 by Watford for the first time at the Emirates (the Hornets' first league win against the Gunners since 1988), Tottenham frustrated in a goalless draw at Sunderland and West Ham absolutely taken to bits and thrashed 0-4 by Man City at the Olympic Stadium. And there was me thinking Chelsea might be worried after dropping points at Anfield... Pfff...

What a team! Burnley were and are on fire! Ok, they beat champions Leicester just 1-0, but the way they pushed and dominated the game, chance after chance was enthralling. And even more impressive is their home form, having recorded a club record of five consecutive home wins in the top league, last done in 1966. The Foxes in total contrast now have the worst record after 23 games by defending champions, beating Ipswich's miserable form of 1962-63.

What a man! It was a good weekend for goalkeepers, especially spot king Simon Mignolet and rock-solid Eldin Jakupovic. The prior stopper has saved 6 out of 12 spot kicks for Liverpool, an impressive 50%-record, denying Chelsea the three points at Anfield. The latter kept a rare clean sheet for Hull City, frustrating the hell out of United and their boss at Old Trafford and bagging a point as a hard earned and well deserved reward.

What a goal! Gylfi Sigurdsson's winner for Swansea was a beauty, in the build-up, counter and sprint as well as conversion, the striker set up nicely by debutant Luciano Narsingh, condemning Southampton to yet another defeat. This win makes it three wins out of four for the Welsh side, back-to-back wins keeping them out of the relegation zone in 17th, two points clear, from doom and gloom, to boom.

What the hell?! Claudio Ranieri was not happy - unlike some other managers, it was very unusual to see the charming Italian not smiling and complimenting. The champions' boss was complaining about referee Mike Dean not seeing a blatant hand ball. This blatant error - one of many, I am sick and tired of the video ref argument, but it cannot and does not cover up or excuse the Tigers' miserable form and season.

My Predictions - Actual Results
Arsenal 3:0 Watford - 1:2
Bournemouth 1:1 Crystal Palace - 0:2
Burnley 1:0 Leicester - 1:0
Middlesbrough 0:0 West Brom - 1:1
Sunderland 1:3 Tottenham - 0:0
Swansea 0:0 Southampton - 2:1
Liverpool 1:4 Chelsea - 1:1
West Ham 1:3 Man City - 0:4
Man United 3:1 Hull City - 0:0
Stoke City 1:1 Everton - 1:1

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks 

Pictures and stats taken from the BBC match reports