Premier League Picks Of The Week 21

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 21

The 21st week of the Premier League action saw:

226 shots - most by Tottenham = 21
29 goals - most by Arsenal, Tottenham & Everton = 4 each
247 fouls - most by Everton & Man United = 17 each
31 bookings - most by West Ham = 4
0 red cards - lucky escape for Pogba once again, read below...
2 penalties - 2 scored (Stanislas for Bournemouth & Milner for Liverpool)

Video evidence of:

Pep in shock

Pogba wrestling

Andy's stunner

What a game! Merseyside v Manchester as Sky billed it... The Scousers won! Big time! More at Goodison Park than at Old Trafford, but the reactions showed who was on top and expected more! Everton made their chances count and totally outshone and stunned City, leaving Pep Guardiola in shock suffering his biggest defeat ever. Liverpool lead thanks to consistent and reliable penalty taker James Milner (10/10 for him, 6/6 for LFC), and were in control for most of the match, until Zlatan Ibrahimovic spoilt Jürgen Klopp's show with a late leveller, more to that one below... And in my match report.

What a team! Tottenham were the most convincing contenders if anything or anyone can compete or catch up with Chelsea. The Blues moved seven points clear at the top thanks to Marcos Alonso's double, downing champions Leicester 3-0. But Harry Kane stole the show at White Hart Lane, with a convincing hat-trick, contributing to Spurs' total dominance and 4-0 thrashing of West Brom, which takes Slaven Bilic's men up to second place, level on points with Liverpool in third.

What a man! Chelsea forward Diego Costa and West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet should both be banned/fined/punished for their their disgusting, unprofessional and greedy behaviour! Do contracts mean anything nowadays?! Or is it all just pounds/euros/dollars/whatever the Chinese currency is?! You either love the game or just yourself!!! Both were dropped because of their spoilt-brat antiques leaving both their managers fuming. The bigger point was made and proved with both sides winning, it is not all just about you!!!

What a goal! This weekend saw another awesome, brilliant, beautiful scissor kick, this time starring Andy Carroll for the Hammers, heels over head, as they thrashed Crystal Palace 3-0 at the Olympic Stadium. This season is turning into football porn with stunners like this becoming a weekly feature! See link above to see for yourself.

What the hell?! Ok, I'm maybe not the most neutral reporter, but how the hell did Paul Pogba stay on the pitch after head-locking/choke-slamming Jordan Henderson to the ground?! Oh, and how convenient for United as well, that the linesman did not see a clear offside in the buildup to Ibrahimovic's equaliser, mentioned above! Funny José Mourinho did not mention nor moan nor pick on the referee after the match on this occasion... Click here to see for youself what drives me so mad about United's luck!!! And in my match report.

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

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

Pictures taken from the BBC match reports.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 19

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 19

The 19th week of the Premier League action saw:

270 shots - most by Man United = 32!
33 goals - most by Burnley, Chelsea & Spurs = 4 each
216 fouls - most by West Brom = 17
37 bookings - most by Leicester = 5
1 red card - van Dijk 2nd yellow for Saints
1 penalty - 1 scored (Barnes for Burnley)

Their boss José Mourinho was sad.

Usain Bolt was much happier with his side's win.

Whilst Jürgen Klopp doesn't care.

What a game! Stoke proved a tough test for league leaders Chelsea in the six-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge, five of which were scored in the second half. The Potters threw everything at the Blues, they were up for it, but a classy Diego Costa and Willian double proved too much for Mark Hughes' men. Antonio Conte's side stay six points clear at the top after their 13th consecutive league win, equalling Arsenal's record of most consecutive wins in a season consisting of 38 games from 2001-2. Can anything or anyone stop them?!

What a team! Manchester United rolled back the years, scoring two goals within seconds, turning the game on its head in the final minutes. Middlesbrough had taken a shock lead in the second half thanks to midfielder Grant Leadbitter (67') after the hosts had hit the post twice. But Aitor Karanka's men grew tired and the Red Devils pounced on that, Anthony Martial (85') and Paul Pogba (86') making the most of it and taking their unbeaten league run to ten games, winning all five in December, moving them to just one point behind Arsenal in fourth place.

What a man! Man of the match Harry Kane (27' & 33') and Dele Alli (41' & 46') sealed an easy 1-4 win for Tottenham at Watford with a double each. The England striker must love New Year's Day, matching Thierry Henry's record with his 59th goal in 100 Premier League games. After thrashing Southampton 1-4 last week as well, it was the first time since October 1960 Spurs scored four goals in two consecutive away games - the season they did the Double. Promising. Andre Gray more than deserves a shoutout too after being the first Burnley player to score a Premier League hat-trick, downing Sunderland 4-1 at Turf Moor.

What a goal! Olivier Giroud's elastic "scorpion" goal, looped in off Alexis Sánchez, that gave Arsenal the lead against Crystal Palace, was a beauty. The piece of magic resembled Henrikh Mkhitaryan's stunner from last week, with the main difference being, it was not offside! It was the Frenchman's second goal in as many games, keeping the Gunners in the title race with a shout, in third place, three points behind Liverpool in second, nine behind Chelsea at the top. Hal Robson Kanu's stunner as West Brom beat Saints 1-2 at St Mary's deserves a mention, too, in the Welshman's first Premier League start since May 2013.

What the hell?! Liverpool recorded just five shots in their win against Manchester City, man of the match Georginio Wijnaldum (8') on the scoreboard with the one and only goal. It was a rare defensive performance by the Reds, keeping back and even wasting time at the end. Very unlike Jürgen Klopp and his teams, but the German manager didn't care, the main thing was the clean sheet and three points. City meanwhile looked very laboured, the defeat taking them out of the top four, down to fifth, level on points with Spurs in fourth, Pep Guardiola not happy. Click here for my match report.

My Predictions - Actual Results
(Forgot to make predictions, hence, auto-allocation = 1:0)
Hull City 1:0 Everton - 2:2
Burnley 1:0 Sunderland - 4:1
Chelsea 1:0 Stoke City - 4:2
Leicester 1:0 West Ham - 1:0
Man United 1:0 Middlesbrough- 2:1
Southampton 1:0 West Brom - 1:2
Swansea 1:0 Bournemouth - 0:3
Liverpool 1:0 Man City - 1:0 or click here for my match report
Watford 1:0 Tottenham - 1:4
Arsenal 1:0 Crystal Palace - 2:0

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

Pictures taken from the BBC match reports. 

Premier League Picks Of The Week 12

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 12

The 12th week of Premier League action saw:

205 shots - most by Hull City = 17

24 goals - most by West Brom = 4

226 fouls - most by Leicester = 18

44 bookings - most by Everton = 5

2 red cards - Djilobodji for Sunderland, Reid for West Ham

5 penalties - 4 scored (Sigurdsson for Swansea, Mahrez for Leicester, Kane for Spurs, Lanzini for West Ham), 1 missed (Krkic for Stoke)

What a game! The London derby was a juicy one, it had everything in it. The Hammers were 2-1 up thanks to Michail Antonio's first-half header and Manuel Lanzini's penalty and looked on course for only their fourth league win of the season. But Harry Kane had a different idea and turned the game on its head with two late strikes, first from close range off a nice buildup by substitute Son Heung-Min, second from the spot after the South Korean was brought down in the box by Havard Nordtveit. The perfect comeback saw Spurs extend their unbeaten run to 12 games, the last time they managed that in 1960-61, the North Londoners won the league and cup double!

What a team! Antonio Conte's master 3-4-3 stroke prevailed again, serving the Blues their sixth win on the trot, beating Middlesbrough 0-1 at the Riverside Stadium. Diego Costa's strong drill and 10th goal of the season decided a quite even contest, disappointing for Boro, rewarding for Roman Abramovich's side as they move top of the table, one point ahead of Liverpool after their less inspiring goalless draw at Southampton. Tony Pulis' West Brom impressed smashing Burnley 4-0 and David Moyes' Sunderland are starting a run with their second successive win beating a dire Hull City 3-0.

What a man! Yaya Touré marked his shock return for Man City with two decisive goals, grabbing a dramatic late win for the Blues at Crystal Palace. The Ivory Coast midfielder made his first Premier League appearance for Pep Guardiola's side after a long-ongoing dispute with his agent, combining well with Nolito to fire City ahead at the end of the first half. Palace were level thanks to substitute Connor Wickham's smash second half equaliser. But Touré spoilt the show for the home side, heading home a late winner off Kevin De Bruyne's corner from close range, moving City up to third in the table, level on points with Liverpool. And Jermain Defoe deserves a shoutout after netting his 150th Premier League goal in the Black Cats' comfortable 3-0 home win against the Tigers.

What a goal! You were not allowed to blink at Vicarage Road! It took Etienne Capoue only 33 seconds to give Watford the lead against falling champions Leicester, their fastest Premier League goal. Roberto Pereyra curled in a second before the Foxes pulled one back from the spot. The champions weren't able to turn it around, the 2-1 result making them only the third reigning champions, after Leeds in 1992 and Blackburn in 1995, to start the Premier League season without a win from their opening six away games.

What the hell?! Arsenal's late equaliser at Old Trafford was their first goal against José Mourinho in nearly a decade (since May 2007 to be exact)! Arsène Wenger's smirky grin sealed the Red Devil's misery, who were especially frustrated after being denied a spot kick by referee Andre Marriner when Nacho Monreal's arm crossed and brought down Antonio Valencia on the edge of the box. However, Mourinho's protests were over-the-top and cannot cover up the fact that this match was nowhere near as mouthwateringly bombastic, top quality nor title-decisive as it has been in the past, United rusting in 6th on 19 points and the Gunners losing pace to the top in 4th on 25 points, the gap growing to five points between the top five and the rest.

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

Click here to read last week's Premier League Picks

Pictures taken from the BBC match reports 

Spectacular Henderson strike downs Blues

Sports - Football - Premier League - CFC 1:2 LFC

Liverpool impressed, dominating and beating Chelsea 1-2 at Stamford Bridge, inflicting manager Antonio Conte with his first defeat as Blues boss and seeing the Reds move into the top four.

Merseyside manager Jürgen Klopp likes Stamford Bridge, winning there last season too, and can be very happy with his team's away display and form, adding this convincing victory to the thrashing of Arsenal on the opening weekend of the season and drawing at Spurs.

Not to forget, Liverpool thrashed champions Leicester at Anfield last weekend, so, the Reds were flying high going into this match, and you could see that.

The visitors out-ran and -played the home side, the hosts evidently and obviously missing their experienced skipper and defender John Terry as an organiser and controller due to injury.

With 17 minutes gone, Liverpool took the lead thanks to Dejan Lovren's fine finish from close range, given all the space in the world thanks to no marking whatsoever.

Reds captain Jordan Henderson put his side in total control with a 2-0 lead through a spectacular 25-yard smacker of a strike, unstoppable for keeper Thibaut Courtois, gobsmacking for manager Conte, nine minutes before the break.

The second half was less firey and dominant for the Reds, but the Blues still struggled to take any kind of control.

Just past the hour-mark, Diego Costa did pull one back, but it was to be to no avail after a laboured performance, a struggle basically.

Missing Roberto Firmino ended up being no worries for the visitors. Ruled out with a groin problem, the crucial forward's team mates made up for him. Sadio Mané added pace, Georgini Wijnaldum and James Milner were reliable and hard-working as always. Klopp and the Kop can be very happy and optimistic.

Chelsea Goal: Diego Costa 61'.

Liverpool Goals: Lovren 17' & Henderson 36'.

Chelsea Team: 13 Courtois; 28 Azpilicueta, 30 David Luiz, 24 Cahill, 2 Ivanovic; 22 Willian (booked 45'+1') (15 Moses 84'), 21 Matix (4 Fabregas 84'), 7 Kanté; 19 Diego Costa, 10 Hazard, 8 Oscar (11 Pedro 84'). 4-3-3 => 4-5-1
Subs not used: 1 Begovic, 3 Alonso, 23 Batshuayi, 34 Aina.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 7 Milner, 6 Lovren, 32 Matip, 2 Clyne; 5 Wijnaldum (35 Stewart 90'), 14 Henderson (c), 20 Lallana; 19 Mané, 15 Sturridge (27 Origi 57'), 10 Coutinho (21 Lucas 82' (booked 88')). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 16 Grujic, 18 Moreno, 53 Eraria.

Match Stats: Chelsea-Liverpool
Attempts: 12-13
On target: 4-5
Corners: 6-4
Fouls: 6-13
Bookings: 1-1
Possession: 53%-47%

Referee: Martin Atkinson
Man of the match: Dejan Lovren
Attendance: 41,514

Images taken from BBC match report

Click here for my previous LFC match report

Premier League Picks Of The Week 4

Sports - Football - Premier League- Week 4

The fourth week of the Premier League action saw:

294 shots - most by Chelsea = 28

34 goals - most by Liverpool, Tottenham and Watford = 4 each

206 fouls - most by Tottenham = 18

43 bookings - most by Southampton = 5

0 red cards

2 penalties - 2 scored

Stoke manager Mark Hughes seeing red and being honest about it

Happy birthday Laurent Koscielny! The fifth Arsenal player to score a PL goal on his anniversaire and what an acrobatic goal it was! 🎂😊🎂

Liverpool's first home game at revamped Anfield - fans happy with the result but very annoyed by the new camera angle

What a game! What a turnaround! Watford were nowhere when West Ham were 2-0 up thanks to Michael Antonio's double with just over half an hour gone. But Walter Mazzarri's side levelled the score before the break and turned the game on its head in the second half. Slaven Bilic was disgusted and rightly so. The Hammers were lost, nowhere, broken to bits and pieces, presenting the Hornets with their first win of the season in shocking style. Great for the neutral, mind blowing and worrying for the fans and teams concerned, depending which side you're on.

What a team! City v United, Guardiola v Mourinho, the derby of all derbies, the clash of all clashes. Well, that's what it's pitched and previewed as to make our mouths all watery and drooling, but it did not live up to it. The hosts outplayed the visitors in all aspects, the score could and should have been much worse. It's a reality check for the Special One whilst the Blue side of Manchester are in unbeaten heaven. The only nightmare headache for City goes to the debutant keeper and Joe Hart replacement Claudio Bravo. He's lucky the Red Devils weren't on the ball and couldn't take advantage of his nervous display and shaky performance.

What a man! Romelu Lukaku scored his first club goal for Everton since March - and made three of it, scoring a hat-trick in just 11 minutes with two headers and a low finish, downing Sunderland in style at the Stadium of Light. The win takes the Toffees into third place, unbeaten with ten points from the first four games, a strong start for new manager Ronald Koeman, much in contrast to the Black Cats' new boss David Moyes, seeing his side just make one point, second from bottom.

What a goal! Arsenal are keeping their fans on their toes, that's for sure! After losing their first home game in spectacularly devastating fashion 3-4 against Liverpool on the opening day of the season, the Gunners were understandably worried and sour when they fell behind against the Saints thanks to Petr Cech's unfortunate own goal. But Laurent Koscielny's overhead beauty levelled the score and in the dying seconds, over 95 minutes gone, Santé Cazorla sealed the win from the spot for the home side.

What the hell?! Diego Costa AGAIN! It feels like I can tag his name under this category automatically every week before a ball is kicked or another word is written because he is always in the midst of it. The dives, the clashes, the antiques and he still gets away with it - to then score and settle the match for his side in controversial fashion. This time it was just a point for Chelsea at Swansea, the first points dropped this season for the Blues, but still. Lucky bugger(s)!!!

My predictions - Actual results
Man United 3:3 Man City - 1:2
Arsenal 2:1 Southampton - 2:1
Bournemouth 0:0 West Brom - 1:0
Burnley 0:2 Hull City - 1:1
Middlesbrough 2:1 Crystal Palace - 1:2
Stoke 1:2 Tottenham - 0:4
West Ham 2:0 Watford - 2:4
Liverpool 1:1 Leicester - 4:1 - click here for my match report
Swansea 1:4 Chelsea - 2:2
Sunderland 0:1 Everton - 0:3

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks

Images taken from BBC match reports and Google search

Premier League Picks Of The Week 1

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 1

The first week of Premier League action saw:

255 Shots - most by Saints = 24

28 Goals - most by Liverpool = 4

256 Fouls - most by Boro = 18

41 Bookings - most by Stoke = 5

1 Red Card - Watson for Watford

4 Penalties - 3 scored, 1 missed

Jürgen Klopp going mental and dropping his glasses (again)!

Gary Lineker in his underpants/shorts on MOTD!

Gary Neville back on Sky Sports with Jamie Carragher on his case, any chance, every chance, lol!
(And I saw this on Twitter the other day, omg!!! => What a prank!!! <= Unbelievable!!!)

What a game! Arsenal 3-4 Liverpool! Disappointing first half, surprising second half. Here is my full report... A lot of eyes and boos are on Arsène Wenger, again, in his 21st season at Arsenal, last year of his contract, more and more fans cannot wait to see the back of him. But there are still plenty who back him, too. It will be interesting to see how his final season (of his current contract) at the London club unfolds and turns out.

What a team! No one really jumped out and shone, all teams lacked and leaked somehow, somewhat, apart from Hull City, beating the champions, what a start for them in the top flight! Leicester just confirmed the doubts surrounding them repeating anything anywhere near last season's unique historical glory, but I would not read too much into it. It's only the first of many games (38 to be exact). Wait and see...

What a goal! Adama Diomande's spectacular overhead kick for Hull City! And Philippe Coutinho's free kick equaliser, sweet and crucial when his side looked like non-existent just before the break at Arsenal.

What a man! I love Jürgen Klopp and his antiques on the touchline! It's not just me as a Liverpool fan, right?! He's just hilarious! Although Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is competing very well for the Crazy Man On The Touchline title as well! Makes a certain Portuguese manager seem less special me thinks...

What the hell?! Diego Costa was a very lucky man to remain on the pitch for the full time and be able to grab a late winner for the Blues. The 27-year-old had already been booked for remonstrating with the referee when he caught West Ham keeper Adrián very late. And the diving antiques in general annoyed me again, especially by Chelsea! They're on camera for goodness sake! And I like the new rule to get booked for contesting against the ref, but then please enforce it, too! The players still got away with too much, I feel!

My predictions - Actual results

Hull City 0:1 Leicester City - 2:1

Burnley 0:1 Swansea - 0:1

Crystal Palace 1:2 West Brom - 0:1

Everton 1:2 Tottenham - 1:1

Middlesbrough 1:1 Stoke City - 1:1

Southampton 2:0 Watford - 1:1

Man City 3:1 Sunderland - 2:1

Bournemouth 2:2 Man United - 1:3

Arsenal 2:2 Liverpool - 3:4 - click here for my match report 

Chelsea 1:1 West Ham - 2:1

Click here for my season preview

Pictures taken from the BBC match reports