Premier League Picks Of The Week 3

Sports - Football - Premier League Week 3

In the third week of the Premier League action we saw:

20 goals - most by Liverpool = 4
270 shots - most by Tottenham = 26
78 on target - most by Liverpool = 10
103 corners - most by Tottenham = 10
201 fouls - most by Brighton = 18
38 yellow cards - most by Man City & Bournemouth = 5 each
2 red cards - Raheem Sterling for Man City, Miguel Britos for Watford
1 penalty - 0 scored (first miss of the season goes to United's Romelu Lukaku, saved by Kasper Schmeichel, see below for more details)

What a game! Liverpool were totally in charge at Anfield and could have scored more against Arsenal in the Super Sunday clash. The first goal was great, a nice header from Roberto Firmino.  The second was a superb counter attack with Sadio Mané finishing off nicely with a curled effort after a quick run on the left. The Reds were dictating nearly everything and Arsène Wenger had to make changes after the break. Shambolic stuff followed after the interval, Hector Bellerin giving the ball away off an Arsenal corner for Mohamed Salah to pounce on it, with a clear run on goal, and slot it home to make it 3-0, a cool finish past Petr Cech. No one was left back by the Gunners. The Reds were left free to dance and prance all over them, sub Daniel Sturridge making it 4-0 with just under a quarter of an hour to go, heading the ball in with plenty of time and space. Cech has conceded 30 goals against Liverpool, more than any other side in the Premier League. It was 10-0 in shots on target. It was the first time since 2014 Arsenal didn't get any attempts towards the goal. Embarrassing. Wenger in? Wenger out? Definitely shaking all about! Click here for my full LFC match report. Meanwhile, it was a comfy win for Chelsea in the earlier kick-off at Stamford Bridge, 2-0 against Everton, dominating and downing their opponents as well, it could have been a much worse score too. Disappointing as a better competition was expected by the big spending Toffees.

What a team! Huddersfield went top at least for a couple of hours remaining unbeaten and recording another clean sheet and point after a goalless draw at home against Southampton. It's the first time since 1965-6 the Yorkshire side have kept a clean sheet in each of their opening three games to a league season. The Red Devils soon took the Terriers' place though, more to their cruel win against Leicester below. At the other end of the table, Crystal Palace served Swansea their first win of the season, an easy 0-2 at Selhurst Park. That means the Eagles have now lost their opening three matches of the Premier League season under new boss Frank de Boer. They have failed to score a single goal, conceding five in two home matches. True misery. West Ham are also struggling, losing the third game in a row, thrashed 3-0 at Newcastle. The last time they did this was 2010-11, they finished bottom.

What a man! Kasper Schmeichel made some brilliant saves in the first half to keep Leicester in the game at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. Peter Schmeichel's son also denied Romelu Lukaku from the spot not long after the interval, the former Red Devil will have been gutted but oh so proud at the same time, seeing his son break his record of penalty saves at Old Trafford (father 0-1 son). But the deadlock was eventually broken by substitute Marcus Rashford converting a corner, in off the Danish keeper, with 20 minutes to go. It was stoppable. Such a shame. The 30-year-old stopper deserved a clean sheet! Substitute Marouane Fellaini added to that misery in the 83rd minute, knocking the ball in from close range, which looked like an offside position, to double the home side's lead and keep United's 100% start to the season on track and going. Their unbeaten run at home has stretched to 31 games. Four goals have come off the bench already for José Mourinho's men this season, compared to six in the whole of last season. Progress. Harsh result on the Foxes though.

What a goal! Bournemouth's opener was stunning in the early kick-off on Saturday! From the tightest of tight angles, former Leyton Orient defender Charlie Daniels whacked the ball bouncing off the top and side netting and in! Just to be heartbroken by Man City's later than late winner by Raheem Sterling (97') after Gabriel Jesus had levelled the score before the interval and Joshua King hit the bar. The former Liverpool man was then sent off for his celebrations with the City fans (99'). What a comeback and late drama! Cherries boss Eddie Howe was understandably gutted, his counterpart Pep Guardiola a very relieved man! For the first time since 1994-95, Bournemouth have lost their first three league games in a campaign, that was in the third tier. They have never beaten City in 11 meetings (2D, 9L). Burnley's club-record signing Chris Wood shocked Tottenham with a last-minute equaliser, calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner from close range in the 92nd minute to make it 1-1. It was a deserved leveller for the Clarets, despite Spurs' dominance, the home side were very wobbly at Wembley, once again.

What the hell?! Uruguayan defender Miguel Britos was rightly shown a first-half straight red card for his high and reckless challenge nowhere near the ball on Brighton's Anthony Knockaert, who was very lucky to escape injury. The Seagulls recored their first ever Premier League point after the goalless draw at Vicarage Road, but were left gutted not to have taken advantage and downed 10-man Watford, and still waiting for their first Premier League goal since their promotion. West Brom's 100% winning start to the season came to an embarrassing end when a defensive mix-up between Ahmed Hegazy and Ben Foster gifted Peter Crouch an equaliser and Stoke a point at the Hawthorns.

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

Click here for my previous Premier League Picks Of The Week.

All pictures, stats and facts are taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, SFR and Twitter match coverage.

Liverpool Thrash Sorry Arsenal 4-0

Sports - Football - Premier League - LFC 4:0 AFC

Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield, no competition, full stop.

The Reds were in total control from kick-off to the final whistle and could have scored more against the Gunners in the Super Sunday clash.

The first goal was great, a nice header from Roberto Firmino with 17 minutes gone, off a cross by Joe Gomez, who did well down the right.

The second was a superb counter attack, Sadio Mané finishing off nicely with a curled effort after a quick run on the left and Firmino picked him out spot-on.

Jürgen Klopp's men were dictating nearly everything and Arsène Wenger had to make changes after the break.

But neither Francis Coquelin nor Olivier Giroud or Alexandre Lacazette made any difference, the first brought on at the start of the second half, the other two just past the hour.

Shambolic stuff followed after the interval, just before the double-change was made by the visitors.

Hector Bellerin gave the ball away off an Arsenal corner for Mohamed Salah to pounce on it, with a clear run on goal, and slot it home to make it 3-0, a cool finish past Petr Cech.

No one was left back by the Gunners. And it didn't get any better, they just didn't wake up.

The Reds were left free to dance and prance all over them, sub Daniel Sturridge making it 4-0 with just under a quarter of an hour to go, heading the ball in with plenty of time and space.

Cech has conceded 30 goals against Liverpool, more than any other side in the Premier League.

It was 10-0 in shots on target. It was the first time since 2014 Arsenal didn't get any attempts towards the goal.

This no-show performance by Arsenal was even worse than the 5-1 thrashing I attended with my boyfriend (who is an Arsenal fan) back in February 2014.

Liverpool were just hungrier, more organised, sharper and quicker, pressing, squeezing and squashing anything and everything out of their opponents, not giving them any breathing space or chance whatsoever.

Klopp had raised eyebrows by letting out-of-favour number one Loris Karius start ahead of in-form-ish keeper Simon Mignolet for a clash that is not exactly known and remembered for its lack of goals. Quite the opposite.

But apart from the odd shaky reaction to pass backs and not the best kicks, the German stopper didn't get anything to deal with or worry about.

Arsenal were just embarrassing. They didn't offer or form any kind of counter, opposition, cover, defence, form or even will!

Wenger in? Wenger out? Definitely shaking all about!

Meanwhile, this very convincing win will take Liverpool into the international break and transfer deadline day very confident and comfortable up to second place in the league table, two points behind high-flying rivals Manchester United.

Liverpool Goals: Firmino 17', Mané 40', Salah 57', Sturridge 77'.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius, 12 Gomez, (booked), 32 Matip, 6 Lovren (booked), 18 Moreno, 23 Can (16 Grujic 83'), 14 Henderson, 5 Wijnaldum, 11 Salah, 9 Firmino (7 Milner 80'), 19 Mané (15 Sturridge 73').
Subs not used: 52 Ward, 17 Klavan, 29 Solanke, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

Arsenal Team: 33 Cech, 16 Holding (booked), 6 Koscielny, 18 Monreal, 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain (9 Lacazette 62'), 8 Ramsey (34 Coquelin 46'), 29 Xhaka (booked), 24 Bellerin, 11 Özil (booked), 7 Sánchez (12 Giroud 62'), 23 Welbeck (booked).
Subs not used: 13 Ospina, 14 Walcott, 20 Mustafi, 31 Kolasinac.

Match Stats: LFC-AFC
Possession: 49%-51%
Shots: 18-8
On target: 10-0
Corners: 4-3
Fouls: 6-9
Yellow cards: 2-4

Referee: Craig Pawson
Man of the match: Sadio Mané
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 53,206

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, stats and facts are taken from the BBC match report, SFR & Twitter match coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 2

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 2

The second week of the Premier League action saw:

22 goals - most by Man United = 4
254 shots - most by Liverpool = 23
89 on target - most by Liverpool = 13
100 corners - most by Tottenham = 14
227 fouls - most by Chelsea = 21
33 yellow cards - most by Newcastle & Spurs = 4
4 red cards - Marko Arnautovic for West Ham, Hal Robson-Kanu for West Brom, Kyle Walker for Man City, Morgan Schneiderlin for Everton.
2 penalties - 2 scored (Duran Tadic & Charlie Austin for Southampton, see below for more details)

What a game! Referee Lee Mason was very busy at St Mary's as Southampton ended up on top beating 10-man West Ham 3-2, but the game just had everything! We saw two penalties, a red card, chances galore, the bar hit twice, the Hammers ending up very unhappy conceding all of that whilst being denied a handball appeal against Jack Stephens. However, Mark Noble was lucky to escape any further punishment after his dangerous challenge on Mario Lemina. Hammer boss Slaven Bilic was surprisingly positive despite all that, no comment on the penalty incident and keeping it inside the dressing room whatever was said about the red card. Mauricio Pellegrino wants to learn from the difficult win. It ended their nine-hour wait for a Premier League goal at St Mary's ( = 9:15h) with a bang! City and Everton also didn't hold back... More below... ⚽👊😱👊⚽

What a team! Huddersfield, Manchester United and Chelsea all impressed with convincing wins. The newly promoted team are living in dreamland after recording their first home win beating Newcastle 1-0 to make it two out of two wins. Awesome! Meanwhile, the Reds Devils are already being crowned champions after they thrashed the great Swansea 0-4 in Wales. And seeing as their big boss José Mourinho always wins the title in his second season... So, cancel the next 36 games, we're done... Back to reality: The Blues have never lost a game where they scored first under Antonio Conte. The feisty Italian ditched the unlucky tracksuit from last weekend's hapless home loss to Burnley and was wearing his trademark dark suit again. And his team got back into gear and winning ways with it, despite Tottenham's utter dominance! And Watford! They were overlooked recording a great 0-2 away win at Bournemouth. And after frustrating Liverpool to a 3-3 draw last week, I think no one should underestimate Marco Silva's side! Well organised, well deserved! 👏👊⚽👊👍

What a man! It's now eight goals in 33 Premier League appearances for Chelsea's Marcos Alonso following his double against Tottenham. Not bad for a wing-back. Sub Hal Robson-Kanu went from hero to zero for West Brom, scoring the winner and then being sent off 71' and 83' respectively. It was a brilliant low right-footed strike that brightened up an otherwise dull match - it was the only shot on target! But Tony Pulis won't be too hard on the 28-year-old Wales forward, thanks to him, they recorded back-to-back wins at the start of the season for the first time since 1978! Joining the super-duper-early title race? Liverpool debutant left-back Andrew Robertson deserves a mention as well after a great performance, creating a lot and combining well with Sadio Mané when the striker scored the winner for the Reds. The former Hull man fully deserved the MOTM award! Keep your eyes on this one! ⚽👏👀👍⚽

What a goal! Alonso's first, the free kick curl through the wall into the right corner of the net was gobsmacking! It silenced Wembley as Chelsea took the lead against the run of play, shocking Tottenham. The opener for Huddersfield was lovely, too. The build-up into the box and shot by number 10 Aussie Aaron Mooy was just beautiful! It made John Smith's just that much noisier! If it wasn't loud enough already! Huddersfield for the league?! Definitely in the race with United atm! 👊👌😂👍👊
Talking about the devils, former Red Devil Wayne Rooney made it two in two for Everton scoring his 200th goal, totally against the run of play at Man City, where he also scored his 50th and 150th. He likes them! 😝😜😉😜😝 What a comeback it has been for the Evertonian! But Raheem Sterling's smacking equaliser made sure Man City fought out a point after a frustrating clash at home against the Toffees which saw Kyle Walker sent off and loads of chances missed and wasted. Morgan Schneiderlin was sent off late on, too, to add to all the action and drama, but Ronald Koeman can definitely be more confident and satisfied than Pep Guardiola after that away display, frustrating the hell out of the home side. Nice one. 👊👏⚽👍👊

What the hell?! Oh Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal... Arsène Wenger was not a happy man after being denied a penalty when Héctor Bellerín fell under a clumsy challenge by Mame Biram Diouf and Alexandre Lacazette's rifled-in equaliser was disallowed for offside. They were both 50%-50% decisions, but not refereeing howlers like I have bemoaned often enough in my weekly blog! The Frenchman needs to wake up! Stoke capitalised where his side just fell to pieces and just watched. They seem to be his bogey team having lost just once in their past eight home Premier League games against the Gunners, winning four, drawing three. Oh putain! 💩🙈😝🙈💩
On a completely separate note: Where has the players' discipline gone?! Or have the referees upped their game for more control? Seven red cards in the first two weeks! Last season it took till week eight to reach that total, two months rather than two weeks! WTF?! ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

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

Click here for my previous Premier League Picks Of The Week.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter and SFR coverage.

FT Notes: Hoffenheim 1-2 Liverpool

Sports - Football - Champions League - Qualifier

PRE-MATCH NOTES

The venue: the 30,000-capacity Rhein-Neckar Arena. Sold out within 17 minutes for this tie.

Hoffenheim won 11 and drew six of their 17 games there last season.

Their dangerman is former Leicester striker Andrej Kramaric, who scored 18 goals for them last season. Sandro Wagner, who starts alongside him in attack, bagged 12.

One person who certainly knows all about Hoffenheim is Roberto Firmino.

The Liverpool forward spent four years at the German club, scoring 49 goals in 153 appearances, before moving to the Reds in 2015.

Liverpool will look to Firminio to provide creativity in the absence of Coutinho.

ZDF: 1st European Cup tie for Hoffenheim, 333rd for Liverpool. #YNWA
BBC: While this is Hoffenheim's very first game in Europe it is Liverpool's 364th and 182nd in the Champions League/European Cup. Hm... Who's counting...

Hoffenheim were the only side Klopp's Borussia Dortmund failed to beat in the league in his first title winning season of 2010-11!

ZDF point finger at "Wackelkandidat" Simon Mignolet and same old defensive problems for draw at Watford. And transfer fiasco.

Klopp: "We need more players than money!" Clear dig at Coutinho! And owners!

MATCH NOTES - THE MAIN BITS:

3' SALAH GOAL - OFFSIDE FLAG WAS UP!!! Pfff...

10' PENALTY given by the assistant not the referee! Dejan Lovren v Serge Gnabry, eventhough it looked offside, tumbled down & got the penalty! Clumsy but OH SO SOFT!

11' Nr 27 Andrej Kramaric takes, SIMON MIGNOLET SAVES!!! Too easy to the keeper's left, but curling towards him! #TFFT

15' Mohamed Salah breaks on his own, shoots wide! Skipper Kevin Vogt was catching up trying to make up for his error, but it was one-to-one with keeper Baumann... #waste

26' Kaderabek sends a shot high from the right edge of the box. Closest either side has come for a while...

28' Hoffenheim free kick, Gnabry takes from about 25 yards out, into the box, cleared.

34' First European booking goes to Hoffenheim's number 4 Ermin Bicakcic after bringing down Salah about six yards outside the box.

35' WHAT A FREE KICK!!! FIRST EUROPEAN GAME, FIRST EUROPEAN GOAL FOR RED YOUNGSTER TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD! Right foot, over the wall, into the right corner of the net! Nice one! #YEAH #TAA 👊⚽👊 #BOOM #DANKE

40' That goal has calmed some nerves! More possession for the Reds now & settled play, less frantic & all over the place!

43' GNABRYYY denied by Simon Mignolet & Sandro Wagner puts the rebound just wide! The German commentator got loud there!

1 minute added on. Hoffenheim with the ball. Pressing. Pushing. But lose out the ball.

Liverpool counter, Mané v Vogt, the latter does well to kick the ball out for a corner.

LOVREN HEADS THE CORNER WIDE!!!

That was the last action before the break. HT Hoffenheim 0-1 Liverpool. AND BREATH!!!

HT Stats:
Possession: 61%-39%
Shots: 6-6
On target: 2-3
Corners: 0-2
Fouls: 6-8
Yellow cards: 1-0

The home side did well & dominated most of the game, only behind thanks to a TAA cracker!

Klopp will be happier with the away goal, but still worried with the shaky defence! At least Mignolet has kept strong! #sofarsogood #fingerscrossed

46' Hoffenheim kick off the second half & break & push straight away, but Wagner is flagged offside. No changes made by either side during the interval.

47' Mané crossed into the box from the left to FIRMINOOOO, what a chance from close range but it is blocked/deflected out for a corner, well done by keeper Oliver Baumann.

49' Salah from the right, defended nicely by Zuber winning the ball back.

50' GNABRYYY GOAL - OFFSIDE, cruel, I know, not the best play by Wagner, under pressure by the Reds this time. Makes a change! 😝

51' Emre Can booked for pushing down Demirbay.

52' First Hoffenheim change: 6 Håvard Nordtveit replaces 4 Ermine Bicakcic.

53' First Hoffenheim corner, the commentator reels down the negative stats the Reds have with set pieces. Nothing comes from it, out wide.

53' Second change made by young boss Nagelsmann, who likes to reshape his side after the break according to the commentator. 18 Nadiem Amiri comes on for 7 Lukas Rupp.

55' Second Hoffenheim corner, blocked and cleared.

55' TAA gets his first booking too, free kick on the left for the home side, cleared again.

62' James Milner getting ready to replace Jordan Henderson.

63' Change made & the captain's armband is handed over in the process.

64' Hoffenheim free kick out for a throw-in on the left. Possession & pressure all Hoffenheim... The home side win another corner. #gulp

65' Demirbay takes, Matip defends it out for another corner on the other side. Demirbay again, headed away this time. Clear. Breath.

66' GNABRY AGAIN unmarked in the box, smacks it high.

67' A Liverpool corner for a change! TAA takes it, Lovren, ball eventually goes out for a goal kick. TAA appealed for a free kick outside the box there, but, it wasn't much. A bit like the penalty...

70' SALAH SHOT soft, easily kept out by Baumann, corner for Liverpool. Last Hoffenheim substitution: 19 Uth replaces 29 Gnabry, who was MOTM for me! Great performance for the German side, created a lot, dominated the pitch! 

Keeper holds onto the ball off the corner.

74' MILNER NETS FROM THE LEFT, nice curl, deflected in by Nordtveit, 0-2, thank you very much, vielen Dank! ⚽👊⚽

76' Benjamin Hübner booked for bringing down Firmino. Salah eventually loses the ball at the edge of the box.

80' The German commentator points out how quickly Liverpool took the free kick after Mané was brought down, repeating again & again that the ball didn't stop moving... Advantage attacking team, no? Nein?

82' NICE SAVE BY MIGNOLET denying sub Amiri from close range, what a chance! Where is the marking?!?!?!

84' MANÉÉÉ wide, another chance wasted from close range. Solanke makes his Red debut in Europe replacing Firmino, strong performance by the number 9. Even the German commentator is full of laud.

86' First fans leaving the stadium. Nicht gut.

87' GOAL FOR THE HOME SIDE sub Uth finds the breakthrough, nice left-footer into the right corner of the net. TAA failed to cover there & Matip runs in to cover way too late... Reminds me of Saturday... 💩🙈💩🙈💩 1-2

89' Last substitution for Reds, Grujic on for Mané. Whilst I write this Hoffenheim come close again, pushing it late on... Liverpool flagged offside...

4 MINUTES ADDED ON!!! Hoffenheim free kick, headed high by Hübner. The German commentator got really loud then! What a chance! Tense finish... 🙈😱🙈😱🙈

All Hoffenheim...

Demirbay down injured... After Grujic's challenge... Nagelsmann not happy...

Last minute... Liverpool with the ball... GRUJIC SHOT gloved away by Baumann.

Hoffenheim want another free kick... Didn't see anything... YNWA echoes in the background... FT whistle blows, Hoffenheim 1-2 Liverpool.

Confident, strong & dominant performance by the home side, but not clinical enough in front of goal.

Under-fire Mignolet kept the Reds ahead thanks to a couple of good stops, including a spot kick denying Kramaric! MOTM?

TAA's goal was a cracking free kick, congratulations! Experienced Milner doubled the lead off the bench. And I've just seen it's been listed as a Nordtveit own goal. Harsh.

We had to leak one at the end, sub Uth netting late on to make the last minutes tense. But Hoffenheim deserved at least something.

So, we can take a one-goal lead & two away goals to Anfield, that should do it, no? #COYR ⚽👊⚽ #BOOM

Klopp just calls it half-time in the post-match interview & lauds his keeper, keeper coach, the opposition & Nagelsmann. Both managers stay optimistic & are happy with their sides' performances. You can see how much it meant to the Germans. 🇩🇪😊🇬🇧

FT Stats:
Hoffenheim 1: Uth 87'.
Liverpool 2: Alexander-Arnold 35' & Nordtveit OG 74'.
Possession: 63%-37%
Shots: 13-14
On target: 4-8
Corners: 6-5
Fouls: 13-12
Yellow cards: 2-2

1899 Hoffenheim XI: 1 Baumann, 22 Vogt, 4 Bicakcic (booked 34') (6 Nordtveit 52'), 21 Hübner (booked 76'), 3 Kaderabek, 10 Demirbay, 7 Rupp (18 Amiri 53'), 17 Zuber, 29 Gnabry (19 Uth 70'), 14 Wagner, 27 Kramaric. 3-4-3
Substitutes not used: 15 Toljan, 28 Szalai, 32 Geiger, 36 Kobel.

Manager: Julian Nagelsmann = youngest Bundesliga manager with 30!

Liverpool XI: 22 Mignolet, 66 Alexander-Arnold (booked 55'), 6 Lovren, 32 Matip, 18 Moreno, 14 Henderson (7 Milner 63'), 23 Can (booked 51'), 5 Wijnaldum, 11 Salah, 19 Mané (16 Grujic 89'), 9 Firmino (29 Solanke 84'). 4-3-3
Substitutes not used: 1 Karius, 12 Gomez, 17 Klavan, 27 Origi.
Manager: Jürgen Klopp

Referee: Björn Kuipers

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

Notes, stats and facts taken from Twitter, BBC and ZDF coverage.

HT Notes: Hoffenheim 0-1 Liverpool

Sports - Football - Champions League - Qualifier

PRE-MATCH NOTES

The venue: the 30,000-capacity Rhein-Neckar Arena. Sold out within 17 minutes for this tie.

Hoffenheim won 11 and drew six of their 17 games there last season.

Their dangerman is former Leicester striker Andrej Kramaric, who scored 18 goals for them last season. Sandro Wagner, who starts alongside him in attack, bagged 12.

One person who certainly knows all about Hoffenheim is Roberto Firmino.

The Liverpool forward spent four years at the German club, scoring 49 goals in 153 appearances, before moving to the Reds in 2015.

Liverpool will look to Firminio to provide creativity in the absence of Coutinho.

ZDF: 1st European Cup tie for Hoffenheim, 333rd for Liverpool. #YNWA 

BBC: While this is Hoffenheim's very first game in Europe it is Liverpool's 364th and 182nd in the Champions League/European Cup. Hm... Who's counting...

Hoffenheim were the only side Klopp's Borussia Dortmund failed to beat in the league in his first title winning season of 2010-11!

ZDF point finger at "Wackelkandidat" Simon Mignolet and same old defensive problems for draw at Watford. And transfer fiasco.

Klopp: "We need more players than money!" Clear dig at Coutinho! And owners!

MATCH NOTES - THE MAIN BITS:

3' SALAH GOAL - OFFSIDE FLAG WAS UP!!! Pfff...

10' PENALTY given by the assistant not the referee! Dejan Lovren v Serge Gnabry, eventhough it looked offside, tumbled down & got the penalty! Clumsy but OH SO SOFT!

11' Nr 27 Andrej Kramaric takes, SIMON MIGNOLET SAVES!!! Too easy to the keeper's left, but curling towards him! #TFFT

15' Mohamed Salah breaks on his own, shoots wide! Skipper Kevin Vogt was catching up trying to make up for his error, but it was one-to-one with keeper Baumann... #waste

26' Kaderabek sends a shot high from the right edge of the box. Closest either side has come for a while...

28' Hoffenheim free kick, Gnabry takes from about 25 yards out, into the box, cleared.

34' First European booking goes to Hoffenheim's number 4 Ermin Bicakcic after bringing down Salah about six yards outside the box.

35' WHAT A FREE KICK!!! FIRST EUROPEAN GAME, FIRST EUROPEAN GOAL FOR RED YOUNGSTER TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD! Right foot, over the wall, into the right corner of the net! Nice one! #YEAH #TAA 👊⚽👊 #BOOM #DANKE

40' That goal has calmed some nerves! More possession for the Reds now & settled play, less frantic & all over the place!

43' GNABRYYY denied by Simon Mignolet & Sandro Wagner puts the rebound just wide! The German commentator got loud there!

1 minute added on. Hoffenheim with the ball. Pressing. Pushing. But lose out the ball. Liverpool counter, Mané v Vogt, the latter does well to kick the ball out for a corner.

LOVREN HEADS THE CORNER WIDE!!!

That was the last action before the break. HT Hoffenheim 0-1 Liverpool. AND BREATH!!!

HT Stats:
Possession: 61%-39%
Shots: 6-6
On target: 2-3
Corners: 0-2
Fouls: 6-8
Yellow cards: 1-0

The home side did well & dominated most of the game, only behind thanks to a TAA cracker!

Klopp will be happier with the away goal, but still worried with the shaky defence! At least Mignolet has kept strong! #sofarsogood #fingerscrossed

1899 Hoffenheim XI: 1 Baumann, 22 Vogt, 4 Bicakcic (booked 34'), 21 Hübner, 3 Kaderabek, 10 Demirbay, 7 Rupp, 17 Zuber, 29 Gnabry, 14 Wagner, 27 Kramaric. 3-4-3
Substitutes: 6 Nordtveit, 15 Toljan, 18 Amiri,  19 Uth, 28 Szalai, 32 Geiger, 36 Kobel.
Manager: Julian Nagelsmann = youngest Bundesliga manager with 30!

Liverpool XI: 22 Mignolet, 66 Alexander-Arnold, 6 Lovren, 32 Matip, 18 Moreno, 14 Henderson, 23 Can, 5 Wijnaldum, 11 Salah, 19 Mané, 9 Firmino. 4-3-3
Substitutes: 1 Karius, 7 Milner, 12 Gomez, 16 Grujic, 17 Klavan, 27 Origi, 29 Solanke.
Manager: Jürgen Klopp

Referee: Björn Kuipers

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

Notes, stats and facts taken from Twitter, BBC & ZDF coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 1

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 1

In the first week of the Premier League action we saw:

31 goals - most by Arsenal & Man United = 4 each
257 shots - most by Southampton = 29!!!
80 on target - most by Arsenal = 10
126 corners - most by Palace = 12
217 fouls - most by Huddersfield & Man United = 19 each
33 yellow cards - most by Chelsea = 4
3 red cards - 2 for Chelsea (Cahill & Fábregas) & Shelvey for Newcastle
1 penalty - 1 scored (Roberto Firmino for Liverpool, see my match report for more details)

What a game! Wow! It certainly returned with a bang! Welcome back to the Premier League! Yeah! We saw 13 goals in the opening two games alone, Arsenal coming back 4-3 against Leicester and Liverpool dropping points 3-3 at Watford! But another game gets my vote: Champions Chelsea shattered down to nine men after two red cards and shocked 2-3 at home by Burnley on Saturday! MOTD was just cracking, goals and action galore! MOTD2 less so but hey, you can't have everything! ⚽👊😜👊⚽

What a team! Newly promoted Huddersfield had a dream start thrashing Crystal Palace 0-3 at Selhurst Park! It was a miserable first game for Frank de Boer, seeing Danish centre-back Mathias Jørgensen's header fly in off his own player Joel Ward before Steve Mounie's double condemned his side to an opening day defeat. David Wagner and his side were celebrated and very happy after their first success on their return to the top flight after an absence of 45 years. But the pundits were quickly distracted and already hailing and crowning the Red Devils as the champs-to-be after their 0-4 thrashing of West Ham on Sunday. It was United's 17th opening day win in the Premier League era, a record. The Hammers have suffered most defeats on the first day = 11. But hold your horses and calm down! It was only day one!

What a man! It was certainly the debutants' day! New Gunner Alexandre Lacazette and Blue striker Alvaro Morata, Red Mohamed Salah, and Red Devil Romelu Lukaku were all on the scoreboard, the last one twice. Super subs Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud made the difference for Arsenal on Friday night with two goals in two minutes, 83' and 85' respectively! And good old Wayne Rooney of course was back on the scoreboard for Everton after 13 years away. He had to! On the other hand, all the red cards = red faces! Shame on Gary Cahill and Cesc Fábregas for Chelsea and Jonjo Shelvey for Newcastle! Needless, unprofessional, you would have thought they know better and it's only day one!!!

What a goal! There were so many of them to choose from, I'll go for the earliest smacker = Lacazette's header after just 100 seconds for Arsenal. Sadio Mané's opener and leveller for Liverpool was a fantastic finish! And Jamie Vardy impressed with a confident and strong double. Eventhough they ended up losers at the Emirates, they resembled the classy, flashy, entertaining Foxes we so loved to watch in the season before last.

What the hell?! Do the officials remember and understand the offside rule?!?!?! Although teams seem to have forgotten how to defend set pieces, Arsenal and Liverpool especially! But come on! It's only day one and the referees are already doing their best/worst to drive everyone mad! Giving or denying or ignoring decisions that look clear to everyone else! See my match report for details... Argh!

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

Click here for my previous Premier League Picks blog.

All stats, facts and pictures were taken from live SFR match coverage, MOTD and the BBC match reports.

Reds Drop 2 Points In PL Opener

Sports - Football - Premier League - WFC 3:3 LFC

Liverpool's all too familiar defensive frailties showed as they dropped two points in an entertaining 3-3 draw at Watford in the early kick-off on Saturday.

Manager Marco Silva will have been very happy seeing his side fight out a draw with some great stamina and character in his debut match at Vicarage Road.

The home side took an early lead after eight minutes thanks to Italian striker Stefano Okaka's header and the Reds' non-existent defence.

Red forward Sadio Mané levelled the score with just under half an hour gone, a moment of brilliance, a fantastic diagonal finish from inside the box into the top right corner of the net.

But not even three minutes later, youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold was unable to clear and French midfielder Abdoulaye Doucouré put the Hornets ahead again ruthlessly.

Man of the match Roberto Firmino's penalty kick levelled the score again shortly after the break, sending the keeper the wrong way to make it 2-2.

And it was debutant Mohamed Salah again, minutes after winning the penalty, who pounced and tapped one in to give Jürgen Klopp's men the lead for the first time, 2-3.

The visitors pushed and dominated from there, Joel Matip hit the bar and Dejan Lovren forced a good save out of Heurelho Gomes, before Simon Mignolet made a crucial save, conceding a corner late on.

And it was that set piece that broke Liverpool once again, headed over the line by Uruguayan defender Miguel Britos after the Red keeper had gloved it, making it 3-3 in the 93rd minute.

Thoughts: Clumsy, cringy goals, but they all count!

Some argued the latter two Watford goals should have been flagged and disallowed offside.

I feel it still doesn't cover how Liverpool were torn to bits at the back, Mignolet just left picking up the pieces.

The Reds have a great, hungry, dangerous attack at the front, but are all worthless and cracked to bits with the defence unable to do their job.

No one covered the opposition players, they were left free to roam.

By the time any one even just thought of intervening, it was too late.

Familiar failings by the Reds, even Klopp didn't show any reaction at the late enqualiser.

And of course Philippe Coutinho was the hot topic after his transfer request was rejected on Friday, not even 24 hours before kick-off.

Will he stay? Will he go? Yes or no, before or after, the Reds knew before and know after which positions need filling and strengthening... And the transfer window is open till end of the month... So... A lot can still happen...!!!

Anyhow, anyway, this was a faire result for Silva and Co, who worked hard and didn't deserve to lose, denying the Reds their fifth consecutive season opening win!

And there is not much rest for the Reds, as they face Hoffenheim in their Champions League qualifier on Tuesday.

Watford Goals: Okaka 8', Doucouré 32', Britos 90'+3.

Liverpool Goals: Mané 29', Firmino pen 55', Salah 57'.

Watford Team: 1 Gomes, 2 Janmaat (21 Femenía Far 18'), 4 Kaboul, 3 Britos, 25 Holebas, 8 Cleverley, 16 Doucouré, 14 Chalobah, 7 Amrabat, 33 Okaka (18 Gray 63'), 37 Pereyra (11 de Andrade 49').
Subs not used: 5 Prödl, 23 Watson, 29 Capoue, 30 Pantilimon.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet (booked 88'), 66 Alexander-Arnold (booked 61') (12 Gomez 90+1'), 32 Matip, 6 Lovren, 18 Moreno, 23 Can, 14 Henderson, 5 Wijnaldum, 11 Salah (7 Milner 86'), 9 Firmino (27 Origi 81'), 19 Mané (booked 37').
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 16 Grujic, 17 Klavan, 29 Solanke.

Match Stats: WFC 3-3 LFC
Possession: 46%-54%
Shots: 9-14
On target: 4-5
Corners: 3-3
Fouls: 14-8
Yellow cards: 0-3

Referee: Anthony Taylor
Man of the match: Roberto Firmino
Ground: Vicarage Road
Attendance: 20,407

Click here to read my previous LFC match report.

Pictures, facts and stats taken from the MOTD coverage and BBC match report.