LFC Unable To Cope With PSG

Sports - Football - Champions League - PSG 2:1 LFC

Paris St Germain ended up easy 2-1 winners at the Parc des Princes, beating and frustrating the hell out of Liverpool, in their crucial Champions League group clash on Wednesday night.

The result means the Reds drop down to third in group C and will have to beat group-topping Napoli 1-0 or by two goals if they concede in the final and decisive group match on 11th December.

The French league leaders could not have asked for a better atmosphere and start to the match, Juan Bernat giving the hosts the lead, capitalising at the near post after Virgil van Dijk was unable to clear Kylian Mbappé’s cross into the box (13’).

Record-signing Neymar doubled the lead, slotting home from close range after Edinson Cavani’s attempt was saved by Alisson (37’).

James Milner pulled a goal back for the visitors after Sadio Mané was fouled in the box by Ángel Di María just before the break.

Referee Szymon Marciniak had originally given a corner before the linesman made him overturn his decision and point to the spot.

The Polish official was very inconsistent with his calls throughout the night, giving the hosts free kicks for every little touch and turn and dramatic fall, whilst the visitors were left wondering.

Marco Verratti was only cautioned when he lunged in with studs up onto Joe Gomez’s shin (24’) and got away with plenty more challenges after that, whilst one Liverpool player after another got booked (six in total).

Like Jürgen Klopp said after the match, the Reds were definitely not good enough, but the referee made it much worse:

“It looked like we were butchers when you look at the yellow cards we had. It was clever of PSG.”

Clever indeed, cause it frustrated the hell out of the visitors and they were unable to cope with the antiques and calculated overall control by Thomas Tuchel’s men.

The second half was interrupted again and again by someone rolling around, chances were hard to come by either end, any momentum impossible.

The Red front trio were covered well, surrounded whenever the ball came near them, any danger controlled and cleared quickly.

Marquinhos saw a goal disallowed for offside (47’) and his header from the centre of the box was kept out well by Brazilian compatriot Alisson (70’).

Gianluigi Buffon had nothing to do or even worry about on the other side of the pitch, the penalty being the only shot on target from the opposition.

In 16 years, Milner had never lost a game in which he scored, but records are there to be broken, and that one was shattered last night in Paris.

As painful as it was to watch, the Reds know they can do it, the kings of comebacks, just like they did in 2005. Again. And again. 

Klopp just has to look at and question his lineup and formation as it is just not working.

Jordan Henderson and Milner didn’t work too well together in the middle, Van Dijk and Gomez were disturbed by Dejan Lovren and at the front it’s still not clicking.

And it was harsh on Trent Alexander-Arnold and Xherdan Shaqiri, after their brill goals and displays in the league, not to give them a look into this crucial game.

Last season, the Reds were on fire, but leaked too much. This season, it seems like there is more stability but also a weird hesitance, odd caution, annoying softness, worrying weakness to the side, making it difficult for themselves to ignite that flame and take over and find that BOOM again.

When will it finally all click???

PSG Goals: Bernat 13’ and Neymar 37’.

LFC Goals: Milner pen 45’+1’.

Match Stats: PSG 2-1 LFC

Possession: 44%-56%

Shots: 12-8

On target: 8-1

Corners: 5-5

Fouls: 12-20

Bookings: 2-6

PSG Team: 1 Buffon; 14 Bernat, 3 Kimpembe, 2 Thiago Silva (c), 4 Kehrer; 10 Neymar (booked 90’+4’), 6 Verratti (booked 24’), 5 Marquinhos, 11 di María (13 da Silva 65’); 7 Mbappé (25 Rabiot 85’), 9 Cavani (17 Choupo-Mouting 65’). 4-4-2

Subs not used: 16 Areola, 23 Draxler, 27 Diaby, 34 N’Soki.

LFC Team: 13 Alisson; 26 Robertson (booked 90’+3’), 4 van Dijk (booked 90’+1’), 6 Lovren, 12 Gomez (booked 34’); 7 Milner (23 Shaqiri 77’), 14 Henderson (c), 5 Wijnaldum (booked 17’) (8 Keita 66’, booked 90’+5’); 10 Mané, 9 Firmino (15 Sturridge 71’, booked 84’), 11 Salah. 4-3-3

Subs not used: 3 Fabinho, 22 Mignolet, 32 Matip, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)

Man of the match: Marquinhos 

Ground: Parc des Princes

Attendance: 46,880

Click here for my last LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, post-match reaction and Sky Sports app.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 13

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 13

These are the Premier League Picks Of The Week 13:

27 goals - most by Man City = 4

251 shots - most by Arsenal = 20

86 on target - most by Tottenham = 9

95 corners - most by Man United = 10

197 fouls - most by Tottenham = 19

25 bookings - most by Brighton, Cardiff, Southampton & Chelsea = 3 each

2 red cards - Maddison for Leicester, Henderson for Liverpool

1 penalty - 1 scored (Vardy for Leicester)

What a game! Claudio Ranieri’s first match as Fulham boss after replacing first sacking of the season Slaviša Jokanović had everything in it, the best and worst, the ups and downs, leaving Southampton reeling and losing 3-2, their manager Mark Hughes on very thin ice wondering what the hell his side have to do to get a win. Stuart Armstrong had given the Saints the lead (18’), but Aleksandar Mitrović’s brace (33’, 63’) ended his six-game league goal drought and completed the perfect comeback with André Schürrle (43’), nullifying Armstrong’s equaliser in-between all of that (53’). It was an eventful encounter between the two struggling sides, Craven Cottage a very relieved and much happier and more hopeful place with their new boss, reducing the climb to safety to barely a point.

What a team! Liverpool are nowhere near their best (yet) but are still unbeaten after ending 0-3 winners at Watford, thanks to Mohamed Salah’s opener (67’), Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stunning free-kick (76’) and Roberto Firmino’s tap-in (89’). It was far from comfortable for Jürgen Klopp’s men though, with captain Jordan Henderson sent off for two daft yellows (82’) and Andy Robertson escaping a penalty shout after fouling Will Hughes as the score was still level. But the records keep tumbling for the Merseyside club, unbeaten after 13 league games with 33 points, only five goals conceded, just two points behind leaders Manchester City, the only other unbeaten side left in the league and country, who thrashed a sorry West Ham side 0-4 at the London Stadium. Chelsea meanwhile, totally derailed and crashed against Tottenham, just 3-1 at Wembley, it could and should have been 7 or 8-1 to Mauricio Pochettino’s side. The result sees Spurs replace the Blues in third, two points ahead of their London rivals, three points behind the Reds.

What a man! Man of the match Jamie Vardy was a game changer at the Amex Stadium. Leicester were second best for most of the first hour, not least thanks to James Maddison’s early sending off after two quick consecutive yellows for a foul and a stupid dive (28’). Glenn Murray had put Brighton ahead early on with his 101st goal for the club on his 100th Premier League appearance (15’). But Vardy injected some energy into the Foxes and life into the game after coming on 11 minutes into the second half. His equaliser from the spot, his first goal since September ending a run of 468 league minutes without a goal, earned his side a point on the road, keeping Claude Puel’s men in 10th place, three points clear of the Seagulls in 12th.

What a goal! Gylfi Sigurðsson’s crucial winner for Everton against Cardiff (59’) made it four home league wins in a row for his side and saw them move into the top six, whilst the Welsh side remain in the bottom three.

Bournemouth Jefferson Lerma’s own goal was gob-smacking (30’), banged in, no chance for anyone to stop it, and with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s eighth strike of the season (67’) secured Arsenal’s fourth league away win of the season, stretching their unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions, but still leaving Unai Emery expecting more. Eddie Howe felt rightly hard done by after seeing David Brooks' strike disallowed and Lerma hit the post (the correct side of the pitch this time), his side not sinking easily after their winning start to the season, but momentum has stalled a bit. After losing just two of their opening 10 league games (W6 D2), the Cherries have lost their last three in a row, dragging them down to 8th, whilst the Gunners sit strong in 5th, five points ahead of Everton in 6th and just one point behind Chelsea in 4th.

What the hell?! Manchester United’s goalless draw against Crystal Palace was hard to watch and takes their run to just three wins out of their nine games at home this season. Roy Hodgson’s men had several chances to make it even worse for the Red Devils, coming close to secure not just their first league point but also win at Old Trafford since 1989. José Mourinho was left moaning about his players’ heart and desire, or more the lack of it. Has he ever wondered why? Has he ever looked at what the reason could be = in the mirror?!?!?!

There were loads of #WTF and #ZZZ moans on social media about the Super Sunday match between Wolves and Huddersfield and not much to be expected from it. Same with the Monday Night Football fixture, Burnley against Newcastle. Fool all of them, both matches were cracking to watch, competitive and entertaining, lots happening. Aaron Mooy’s double (6', 74') helped the Terriers off the bottom of the table, whilst Nuno Espírito Santo has watched his side collect just one point from the last 15, their worst run under the Portuguese. The Magpies secured their third successive league win, Sean Dyche left absolutely fuming about his side’s frailty, having won just one of their past nine league home games (D2 L6) after gifting the goals and result, which takes the sides to 13th and 17th respectively.

My Predictions - Actual Results
Brighton 1:2 Leicester - 1:1

Everton 3:1 Cardiff - 1:0

Fulham 2:1 Southampton - 3:2

Man United 1:0 Crystal Palace - 0:0

Watford 1:2 Liverpool - 0:3

West Ham 1:1 Man City - 0:4

Tottenham 1:1 Chelsea - 3:1

Bournemouth 1:2 Arsenal - 1:2

Wolves 1:1 Huddersfield - 0:2

Burnley 0:0 Newcastle - 1:2

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports and RMC sports coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 12

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 12

The 12th week of the Premier League action saw:

19 goals - most by Man City = 3

247 shots - most by Leicester = 22

83 on target - most by Huddersfield & Liverpool = 7 each

113 corners - most by Leicester = 12

222 fouls - most by Brighton = 21

30 bookings - most by Chelsea = 4

1 red card - Stephens for Brighton

1 penalty - 1 scored (Martial for United)

What a game! When Manchester City took the lead against United thanks to David Silva in the 12th minute, the Red Devils had attempted only 11 passes in that time and only five of those had been successful. The champions had made 104 with 92% accuracy in the same period. Worlds apart! Sergio Agüero doubled the home side’s lead with a smacker shortly after the restart (48’). Anthony Martial got the visitors’ hopes up for a comeback from the spot (58’) after Romelu Lukaku won a penalty seconds after coming on. But José Mourinho’s men were just outplayed. A massive 44 passes in the buildup formed an awesome move which sub İlkay Gündoğan netted from to make it 3-1 and three points to Pep Guardiola’s side. The result takes the champions to the top, past Liverpool, leading by two points and 13 goals! More to the Reds’ win in the early Super Sunday kick-off, which took them to the top temporarily, below. Chelsea meanwhile dropped two points in a scrappy goalless draw against Everton, squeezed in-between the other top two’s wins on Sunday.

What a team! Newcastle are on a roll after recording consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since April, beating Bournemouth 2-1 at St James' Park thanks to Salomón Rondón’s brace (7’, 40’), Jefferson Lerma with the only reply (45’+6’). It's only the second time this season the Magpies have scored more than one goal in a league match and the three points give Rafa Benítez's men a massive boost, taking them up to 14th, one point clear of the drop zone. Meanwhile the other strugglers Huddersfield fought out a goal and point each against West Ham, putting and keeping the sides into 18th and 13th respectively, Alex Pritchard being the first Terrier to score at home in 726 minutes of action! The relegation battle is on with just four points separating the bottom seven!

Arsenal were oh so lucky to stretch their unbeaten run to 16 matches in all competitions thanks to sub Henrikh Mkhitaryan who found a late leveller (86’) against Wolves to deny Nuno Espírito Santo's side a famous win at the Emirates after Ivan Cavaleiro’s close-range finish had given the visitors a shock lead.

What a man! Leicester remembered their owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabhain before their first home game since the helicopter crash. The goalless draw against Burnley followed after a two-minutes silence at the King Power stadium. Maybe the Foxes deserved more after all their chances and dominance, but for once it mattered less. It is understandable Fulham left their managerial change till the international break. The news broke on Wednesday, former LCFC boss Claudio Ranieri replacing Slaviša Jokanović with the Cottagers rock-bottom in the league table. It was an interesting read and quite a surprise about the PL and dismissals, this is the first sacking of the season,  much in contrast to the last few campaigns where there had already been up to five or six p45s handed out at this stage already!

Defender Juan Foyth turned from the zero last week, conceding two penalties, to the hero this week, scoring the one and only and winning goal for Tottenham (66’) at Crystal Palace on Saturday evening. A career first.

What a goal! Sol Bamba’s last-minute ping-pong winner for Cardiff against 10-man Brighton is massive! Their second win of the season pulled the Welsh side out of the relegation zone in Neil Warnock’s 100th game in charge. More to that goal below...

Southampton were not happy to see Charlie Austin’s goal disallowed (66’)- incorrectly! José Holebas’ late equaliser (82’) rescued a point for Watford, levelling after Manolo Gabbiadini had given the home side the lead from close range (20’). More to the officials’ incompetence below.

There were just 14 seconds between Aleksandar Mitrović’s disallowed header for Fulham and Mohamed Salah’s opener on the counter for Liverpool (41’), the Egyptian’s sixth league goal of the season. Another questionable decision by the officials... Xherdan Shaqiri doubled the Reds' lead with a lovely individual finish from inside the box not long after the break (53’). Jürgen Klopp’s men dominated and had chance after chance but still couldn’t fully capitalise, the final click and boom still missing with some sloppy takes/misses and clumsy connections. But it was still enough to sink the London club to their sixth consecutive league defeat and to the rock bottom of the Premier League. No real surprise about the managerial change mentioned above.

What the hell?! Brighton’s Dale Stephens' sending off at Cardiff was harsh, but his tackle on Greg Cunningham was reckless and dangerous, yes, so, red was correct. If only the officials could be more consistent and make correct decisions like that more often! Oh, and talking about decisions, Bamba did look offside in the buildup to the match-winning goal for the Welsh side, and took his shirt off celebrating without any further consequences... Lucky bugger! Like I said last week, and lots of other weeks, EVERY GOAL IS OH SO CRUCIAL. And consistency is oh so missed! Poor refs, ey?! Austin’s extraordinary post-match outburst at St Mary’s reflects and summarises my feelings about that topic = refs and VAR very well!

AND THE NEWS BROKE TODAY: IT WILL FINALLY BE INTRODUCED HALLELUJAH!!! WE WILL HAVE VAR IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE FROM NEXT SEASON!!! 🎉👊⚽️👊🎉

My Predictions - Actual Results

Cardiff 0:0 Brighton - 2:1

Huddersfield 0:1 West Ham - 1:1

Leicester 2:1 Burnley - 0:0

Newcastle 1:3 Bournemouth - 2:1

Southampton 0:0 Watford - 1:1

Crystal Palace 0:2 Tottenham - 0:1

Liverpool 4:0 Fulham - 2:0

Chelsea 2:2 Everton - 0:0

Arsenal 2:0 Wolves - 1:1

Man City 3:1 Man United - 3:1

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, Twitter, Sky and RMC Sports coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 11

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 11

The 11th week of the Premier League action saw:

34 goals - most by Man City = 6

255 shots - most by West Ham = 22

92 on target - most by West Ham = 10

115 corners - most by Leicester = 12

208 fouls - most by Brighton = 17

34 bookings - most by Watford = 5

0 red cards

3 penalties - 3 scored (Nevez and Jiménez for Wolves, Ings for Southampton)

What a game! West Ham were on fire! Burnley had Joe Hart to thank it only ended 4-2 to the Hammers and just a brace for man of the match Felipe Anderson. The win was fully deserved and takes Manuel Pellegrini’s side up to 13th in the table, two places above the struggling Clarets.

Arsenal and Liverpool fought out a draw, Alexandre Lacazette’s late equaliser (82’) nullifying James Milner’s powerful strike (61’), both sides keeping their unbeaten runs going, the prior's 13 matches in all competitions and the latter's 11 in the league. Not bad at all. It was a thrilling encounter, even the Emirates was loud and lively, but it could have ended very differently had the referee got all calls right, more to the Reds’ frustrations below.

What a team! It was a very emotional day and game for Leicester at Cardiff on Saturday, the club still grieving and remembering their owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and the other four people who lost their lives in the helicopter crash on 27 October. The Foxes stuck together, played their hearts out and when Demarai Gray scored the winner, his shirt off revealing Vichai's name underneath, everyone came together, tears all round. Even the referee showed he didn’t like to book the offender in this case, but I don’t think anyone cared. The Welsh side, ground and fans did well sharing and caring, commemorating in silence before the match and showing lots of respect during and after the game as well. #RIP XxXxX #YNWA

What a man! Richarlison has already scored more goals this season for Everton than he did in the whole of 2017-18, the Brazilian’s brace helping the Toffees to a 3-1 win against Brighton, ending the Seagulls’ three game winning run.

It wasn’t Tottenham defender Juan Foyth’s day, conceding two penalties and making it a nervous finish in the super-late kick-off on Saturday night at Wolves. Spurs still ended up 2-3 winners, Mauricio Pochettino defending Dávinson Sánchez’s replacement and resting the Colombian defender ahead of their crucial Champions League group match.

What a goal! Marcus Rashford’s 92nd-minute winner for Manchester United at Bournemouth was his second injury-time winning goal in the Premier League for the club - no player has more for the Red Devils, equalling Paul Scholes and Robin van Persie.

Ayoze Pérez’s goal was enough for Newcastle to record their first win of the season, beating Watford 1-0 after suffering numerous injuries and riding their luck at times, it finally swung their way, the three points dragging the Magpies out of the drop zone.

Fulham’s Timothy Fosu-Mensah’s headed own goal handed Huddersfield their first win of the season and their first home goal in 659 minutes, Tom Ince’s injury-time winner against Watford on 14 April being the last time the Terriers found the net at the John Smith’s stadium. The result lifted David Wagner’s men off the bottom.

What the hell?! I really think the officials need to Google the offside rule! Sadio Mané’s goal against the Gunners should have stood! The draw was a fair result in the end, but still... There were plenty more incidents over the weekend where the officials' decisions were questionable, especially offside calls and fouls, but it would be too much and long and too repetitive to list and moan on and on... And start that argument about video refs again... ARGH!!!

Manchester City meanwhile crushed Southampton to pieces 6-1, and Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 3-1 thanks to Álvaro Morata’s brace, both sides leaping past and above Jürgen Klopp’s side, the Citizens with a two-points lead at the top, whilst the Blues are level on points. Goals will be the main difference, Pep Guardiola’s team on +29 difference, Maurizio Sarri’s men with +19, the Reds on +16, showing EVERY SINGLE GOAL will be very crucial in the title race!!!

My Predictions - Actual Results

Bournemouth 2:1 Man United - 1:2

Cardiff 1:2 Leicester - 0:1

Everton 2:0 Brighton - 3:1

Newcastle 1:3 Watford - 1:0

West Ham 1:0 Burnley - 4:2

Arsenal 1:1 Liverpool - 1:1

Wolves 2:2 Tottenham - 2:3

Man City 4:1 Southampton - 6:1

Chelsea 3:1 Crystal Palace - 3:1

Huddersfield 0:0 Fulham - 1:0

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, Twitter, Sky and RMC Sports coverage.

Premier League Picks Of Weeks 9&10

Sports - Football - Premier League - Weeks 9&10

It's been a while since my last football blog and I need to catch up, with my 500th blog as I just spotted. A lot has been going on and happening over the last few weeks, at home and at work, and in the footballing world. These last two weekends have put everything into perspective, for me personally and professionally, and all football fans. Honestly, without football and sports in general, I would not be here, where and who I am!!! Thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved and if you don't have a clue what has been going on, here's a quick recap/summary of the last couple of weeks, Premier League Weeks 9 &10:

PL W9 & W10

26 & 26 goals - most by Man City = 5 & Liverpool & Chelsea = 4 each

260 & 261 shots - most by Newcastle = 27 & Wolves = 26

71 & 86 on target - most by Man City = 10 & Man United = 10

116 & 91 corners - most by Man City, Newcastle, West Ham & Everton = 10 each & Wolves = 10

247 & 216 fouls - most by Wolves = 23 & Leicester = 17

38 & 28 yellow cards - most by Man United = 5 & Burnley = 4

0 & 2 red cards - McDonald for Fulham & Noble for West Ham
0 & 5 penalties - 0 & 4 scored (Wilson for Bournemouth, Milivojević x2 for Crystal Palace, Sigurdsson for Everton)

What a game! (W9) Chelsea's late leveler against Manchester United led to plenty of bust ups and drama, more to that below. Cardiff's first league win of the season was a belter, 4-2 against Fulham, lifting the Welsh side off the bottom and out of the drop zone, whilst the London side slid into the relegation places having conceded 12 goals in their last three games.

(W10) Luka Milivojević scored twice from the spot to earn Crystal Palace a point in a dramatic draw against Arsenal at Selhurst Park, ending the Gunners' 11-game winning run. The Red Devils edged past Everton, boss José Mourinho unusually quiet, sitting most of the match, away from the sideline, keeping himself out of the limelight much in contrast to last week. More to that below.

What a team! (W9) Newcastle's struggle continued after losing at home against Brighton despite having 27 shots on goal, with six of them on target, even out-shooting the league leaders! (It says a lot when manager Rafael Benítez was happy with just a point at Southampton the week after, see W10 results below!) Liverpool kept going and winning thanks to Mohamed Salah's 50th goal in English football, the Reds not impressive but narrowly victorious at Huddersfield.

(W10) Fulham fell to their fourth consecutive defeat with 15 goals conceded, slammed 0-3 at home by Bournemouth with Kevin McDonald sent off for a second bookable offence to add to the Cottagers misery. Defense was just non-existent, falling, crumbling, failing at every turn, take and try for the only side to have conceded in every game this season. No discrediting Eddie Howe's men who stay sixth and have closed the gap above them just to one point.

What a man! (W9) Joe Hart made his first return to the Etihad after ending his 12-year stay at the club in the summer, bagging five goals against his former side. Manchester City outplayed and -scored Burnley convincingly and spectacularly, 24-5 shots, 10-0 on target! Much in contrast to that, Tottenham had their stopper Hugo Lloris to thank for their win after the France keeper made some outstanding saves in their 0-1 win at West Ham. And last but definitely not least, Mesut Özil was the star man for Arsenal in their 10th successive win in all competitions, starting the Gunners' comeback from behind to beat Leicester 3-1 at the Emirates.

(W10) Glenn Murray won the game for Brighton 1-0 against Wolves with his 100th goal for the club after being a doubt for the game with the concussion he suffered last weekend (W9). It was the only shot on target for the home side, the visitors left empty after throwing everything at them! Ross Barkley scored one and set up two as Chelsea thrashed Burnley 0-4 on Sunday. The win made Maurizio Sarri the first Blues boss unbeaten in the first ten Premier League matches in charge of the club. No Hazard? No problem.

What a goal! (W9) Barkley's 96th minute equaliser mentioned above, that grabbed a point for Chelsea against United and rescued the Blues' unbeaten record, was the latest the Red Devils have conceded a goal in the league since October 2009. André Schürrle's spectacular effort for Fulham was for nothing in the end, his side's defense leaking too much and many at Cardiff, as mentioned above. And Watford ended their five-match winless run with two goals in 58 seconds at Wolves. It was a rocket of a shot by Étienne Capoue (20') and a nice slick finish by Roberto Pereyra (21') that ended the hosts' six-game unbeaten run.

(W10) Liverpool conceded at home for the first time in yonks (918 PL minutes to be exact), Callum Paterson denying the Reds a tenth consecutive Premier League clean sheet at Anfield. But the Reds still smashed Cardiff in the end, thanks to Salah (10'), Sadio Mané's brace (66', 87') and sub Xherdan Shaqiri (84') who made a big difference after coming on. And the Hornets secured their best start to the top-flight season thanks to two fantastic individual goals by Pereyra again (10') and Gerard Deulofeu (19') sealing their 3-0 win against miserable Huddersfield. Great running, playing and finishing, something David Wagner's side is missing very dearly and desperately, failing and falling to the bottom of the table.

What the hell?! (W9) I do not know what game Mourinho was watching talking about an unfair result at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea scored a late leveller against United, as mentioned above. It all boiled over with the bust up between the Portuguese and a Blues assistant coach, so I was very surprised to see José say it was all sorted and not making a meal of it after the match. Credit to Sarri, he dealt with the situation very professionally, apologising and sorting it straight away, his counter part could and should learn a lot from the Italian!

(W10) The pitch at Wembley on Monday night was ridiculous, making the game very difficult to play and watch. So many mess ups and misses though, fitting to Tottenham's new stadium plan... Spurs struggling, City just about winning it 0-1 thanks to Riyad Mahrez - who put his hands up to the sky in memory of his former team's owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha who passed away with four others when his helicopter crashed after the Foxes' match on Saturday. Wilfred Ndidi's late equaliser grabbed a point for Leicester against West Ham (89'), but what followed after the match was just devastating... I was and still am lost for words... We all loved that season where the underdogs, black horses, new guys became the champions. Thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved. #RIP XxXxX #YNWA

And it's great to hear Tottenham and England legend Glenn Hoddle is doing better after being taken ill on Saturday, suffering a heart attack. At least some good news in all the goosebumps of the weekend. #WalkOn #WithHope #InYourHeart 

My Predictions - Actual Results:
Week 9:
Chelsea 2:1 Man United - 2:2

Bournemouth 2:0 Southampton - 0:0

Cardiff 2:2 Fulham - 4:2

Man City 2:0 Burnley - 5:0

Newcastle 1:0 Brighton - 0:1

West Ham 1:2 Tottenham - 0:1

Wolves 2:1 Watford - 0:2

Huddersfield 0:3 Liverpool - 0:1

Everton 1:2 Crystal Palace - 2:0

Arsenal 2:1 Leicester - 3:1
Week 10:

Brighton 1:1 Wolves - 1:0

Fulham 1:3 Bournemouth - 0:3

Liverpool 3:1 Cardiff - 4:1

Southampton 2:0 Newcastle - 0:0

Watford 2:1 Huddersfield - 3:0

Leicester 1:1 West Ham - 1:1

Burnley 1:2 Chelsea - 0:4

Crystal Palace 0:2 Arsenal - 2:2

Man United 2:1 Everton - 2:1

Tottenham 0:0 Man City - 0:1

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, Sky and RMC Sports coverage.