Premier League Notes - Week 5

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 5

The fifth week of the 2019-2020 Premier League season saw: 

32 goals - most by Chelsea = 5

267 shots - most by Watford = 31

98 on target - most by Watford = 10

116 corners - most by Man City = 16

200 fouls - most by Tottenham = 19

32 bookings - most by Tottenham and Everton = 4

2 red cards - Sharp for Sheff United and Masuaku for West Ham

2 penalties - 2 scored (Rashford for Man United, Pereyra for Watford)

#LIVNEW

Liverpool set a new club record of 22 consecutive Premier League matches unbeaten (W18, D4, L0), after coming back from behind at St. James' Park. This is also the Reds’ longest top-flight unbeaten streak since March to November 1990 (23). Newcastle’s shock lead came thanks to Jetro Willems’ (7’), the first goal for the Eintracht Frankfurt loanee. Jürgen Klopp’s men are the first team in PL history to win 14 consecutive matches while scoring more than once. Sadio Mané is the first player to play 50 PL games at Anfield without losing a single one. The Senegalese’s brace (28’, 40’) was helped by sub Roberto Firmino’s masterclass! Mohamed Salah was also part of the dance (72’) to make it 3-1 and a jolly front trio! Class, class and class, three goals and three points, helping LFC stay at the top with five wins out of five. In the last 16 months, the Reds have had more CL finals than PL defeats!!! BOOM!!!

#BRIBUR

Substitute Jeff Hendrick fired in an injury-time equaliser from 20 yards out to earn Burnley a point with their only shot on target, denying Brighton their first home win since 2 March and keeping the Clarets' unbeaten run down South going, not having lost in their last seven Premier League games on the South coast (W4 D3).

#MUNLEI

David de Gea made a great save against James Maddison early on! The penalty that was given after not even eight minutes, really? Marcus Rashford ran across and fell, the Leicester defender Çağlar Söyüncü didn’t have much say or play in it! Pf! The early goal spoilt the encounter straight away. De Gea saved and Maddison was close again after the break. Manchester United held on and scraped through, ending Leicester's unbeaten start to the season and bagging three points for the first time since the opening day. Ole Gunnar Solskjær's men have had 40% of the penalties in the Premier League so far this season. The Foxes have lost nine of their last ten league matches at Old Trafford (W0 D1 L9). Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has conceded more goals from penalties (16) in the Premier League in 176 appearances than his dad former United stopper Peter Schmeichel conceded in 310 appearances (15).

#SHUSOU

Southampton’s summer signing Moussa Djenepo scored the deciding goal beating Sheffield United’s defence with a brilliant move and take (66’). The Blades had a goal ruled out for offside by the VAR when Oliver McBurnie thought he had put them in front shortly after the break. Chris Wilder was not happy with a handball decision given against his side, who have now won just one of their opening five games on their Premier League return. Tough luck.

#TOTCRY

Son Heung-Min has scored in all four of his Premier League home games against Crystal Palace (four goals), with Tottenham going on to win each of the previous three. The South Korean's brace (10’, 23’) helped Mauricio Pochettino’s men thrash Crystal Palace 4-0 and take them back into the top four. It’s their biggest league victory over the Eagles, as well as their joint-biggest against them across all competitions (also 4-0 in January 1987 in the FA Cup fourth round).

#WOLCHE

Stunning skill from Tammy Abraham on the edge of the box, to drive the ball in past Rui Patrício for a superb hat-trick (34', 41', 55'). The 21-year-old England striker is now the Premier League‘s leading goalscorer, the youngest ever Chelsea player to score a PL hat-trick, and the youngest Englishman to do so in the competition since Raheem Sterling (v Bournemouth) in October 2015. He joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Dele Alli in becoming only the third PL player aged 21 or younger to score two or more goals in three consecutive appearances. Outstanding, oh, and he is the first player in PL history to score a hat-trick and an own goal in the same game. It ended Wolves 2-5 Chelsea btw. Goals and action galore in the Wanderers' boss Nuno Espírito Santo's 300th match as a manager.

#NORMCI

ELEVEN players out injured vs ONE, newly promoted against defending champions, it ended 3-2! How many millions of pounds worth of difference between the two as well?! Good old footy won! Daniel Farke’s men kept marking, pressure on the ball, running, surrounding, pushing non-stop, both ends of the pitch and match! Thrilling win! Shocker for Manchester City! Especially playing from the back, the Citizens were absolute shambles! Hopefully everyone watched and learned! The rare defeat, their first since January, leaves Pep Guardiola's side five points behind Liverpool. The Canaries registered only their second win in their last 15 Premier League meetings with the reigning champions (W2 D1 L12) - their other win was also against the Citizens in May 2013.

#BOUEVE

It was too easy for Bournemouth, defensive shambles by Everton, no discrediting Callum Wilson’s brace (23’, 72’), his first Premier League goals since January. Having lost their previous two league home games, against Leicester and Manchester City, the Cherries kick-started their campaign with a thoroughly deserved first home league win, lifting them to eighth in the table. The Toffees meanwhile, were left reeling, having conceded seven goals in their past three league games, as many as they had in their previous 13 Premier League fixtures, and dropping down to 11th. 

#WATARS

It was a game of two halves at Vicarage Road. All started so well for Arsenal with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace (21’, 32’), but bottom-side Watford took over after the break, Tom Cleverley (53’) and Roberto Pereyra (pen 81’) hitting back to make it 2-2. The Gunners faced 31 shots, a club record for the home side and the most their opponents have ever faced in a Premier League fixture since Opta began collecting such data in the division in 2003-04. Unai Emery’s men also hold the record of most errors leading to goals since the start of last season = 14, and failed to win seven of the last ten league games across two seasons. This was the first time in 22 meetings across all competitions that the Hornets and Arsenal have drawn against each other, having last done so in December 1984 (1-1). New Watford manager Quique Sánchez Flores has only lost one of his eight managerial meetings with Emery in all competitions (W3 D4 L1).

#ASTWHU

Eight of the 41 Premier League meetings between Aston Villa and West Ham have ended goalless, the highest proportion (19.5%) of any fixture in the competition that's been played 30-plus times. So what did we expect? It was a physical but disappointing encounter, the final touch missing, so bad, that even team mates clashed in frustration.

My Predictions - Actual Results 

Liverpool 3:0 Newcastle - 3:1

Brighton 1:1 Burnley - 1:1

Man United 1:1 Leicester - 1:0

Sheff United 1:2 Southampton - 0:1

Tottenham 1:0 Crystal Palace - 4:0

Wolves 1:2 Chelsea - 2:5

Norwich 1:4 Man City - 3:2

Bournemouth 1:1 Everton - 3:1

Watford 0:2 Arsenal - 2:2

Aston Villa 1:2 West Ham - 0:0

Click here for last week's Premier League Notes.

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

Premier League Notes - Week 4

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 4

The fourth week of the 2019-2020 Premier League season saw.

31 goals - most by Man City = 4

264 shots - most by Arsenal = 26

96 on target - most by Tottenham = 9

107 corners - most by Crystal Palace = 13

232 fouls - most by Tottenham = 19

37 bookings - most by Tottenham = 5

3 red cards - Danso for Southampton, Trézéguet for Aston Villa, Boly for Wolves

1 penalty - 1 scored (Kane for Tottenham)

#SOUMUN

Again: Man Who?! New boy Daniel James gave the visitors the lead within ten minutes at Southampton with a banger. David De Gea made a fine save off a corner, however, eventually Jannik Vestergaard headed in the equaliser, Red Devils’ defence unable to cope and clear the ball. The red card was fully deserved, it was a stupid tackle by Saints centre-back Kevin Danso, second yellow, scissor-type, clumsy! Second-choice keeper Angus Gunn made some superb late saves to make sure the match ended one goal and one point each. Ole’s at the wheel... Although, however and whoever's at the wheel, in the past three Premier League meetings between the two sides, the team scoring first has failed to win each time (D2 L1).

#CHESHU

A howler by keeper Dean Henderson gave away Chelsea’s opener (19’), Tammy Abraham pounced and capitalised on the rebound before banging in his brace to make it 2-0 a couple of minutes before the break at Stamford Bridge. Instant response by Sheffield United after the interval came with a sweet right-footed finish by Callum Robinson. A super save by the stopper made up for the howler. The late leveller was scored seconds/minutes after substitute Lys Mousset came on, the Blues leaving too much space, playing too comfy? Kurt Zouma ended up heading Robinson’s cross towards the sub into the back of his own net to make it 2-2 in the final minute of normal time, undoing all the Blues’ good and hard work. Chris Wilder’s side have won five points from their four Premier League games this season - only in 1993-94 (6) have they had a better start in the competition.

#CRYAVL

Trézéguet was sent off, second yellow for a late challenge on Wilfried Zaha, crucial at 0-0, not helping Aston Villa after the restart (54'). It was a lovely creation and finish by Jordan Ayew, the Ghana international could have gone down, but made and scored the chance instead, getting Crystal Palace the win and three points. Roy Hodgson's thanks can go to the VAR as well, disallowing Henri Lansbury’s injury-time equaliser, deeming Jack Grealish was diving in the buildup. Harsh.

#LEIBOU

It was good old Leicester at their best, feisty start, 12 minutes gone, WHAT A GOAL! Cross, one touch, two touches, Jamie Vardy, BOOM! 1-0! But Bournemouth got back in it a couple of minutes later, Kasper Schmeichel beaten from the tightest of tight angles by Callum Wilson, 1-1. But that wasn't it. 2-1 tight again, reflex goal by Youri Tielemans (41’). And when Wilson went down, OUCH! It looked like a career-ending challenge by Tielemans! Ankle gone! How was that not red?! WTF?! VAR?! Vardy made it 3-1 from inside the box (73'), natural, glorious for the Foxes, battering the poor Cherries.

#MCIBRI

The champions were ahead just after 68 seconds, Kevin De Bruyne with the quickest goal so far this season. Sergio Agüero doubled the lead before the break. Too easy. Acceleration. Top quality finish. Again and again = 3-0 after 55 minutes. The great Argentine is leading the Premier League top scorers list with six already after just four games, 29 in the last 23 appearances! From scorer to provider = Bernardo Silva making it 4-0 in the 79th minute. Ruthless Citizens. Only downer for Pep Guardiola and co: Aymeric Laporte was taken off on the carrier, injured, didn’t look good.

#NEWWAT

Will Hughes slotted the opener in from distance for the visitors after not even two minutes at St James’ Park, Watford's second quickest goal in the Premier League. Fabian Schär banged in the equaliser just before the break (41'), under Ben Foster from inside the box, his first of the season. The Hornets remain bottom despite gaining their first point of the season. *Breaking news Saturday evening end of the first half of the England Euro qualifier against Bulgaria, Javi Gracia was sacked by the bottom club. Surprised?! Na. Sad but true. Half an hour later, the new boss Quique Sánchez Flores was announced. Not new really, the Spaniard has been here before, in 2015-16. That was a surprise. How long will he be given, this month? Will he make Christmas?

#WHUNOR

First home goal for striker Sébastien Haller, the record signing got off the mark at home halfway through the first half against Norwich (24'). Andriy Yarmolenko made it two after the break, doubling the hosts’ lead with a beautiful goal (56')! Happy Hammers move up to fifth. Daniel Farke was not happy with a couple of things VAR missed. Same old problem, with or without new technology, the officials are just not up to scratch. 

#BURLIV

Only Agüero (18) has more Premier League goals in 2019 than Sadio Mané (16), who has scored four in his last three league games against Burnley, making it 0-2 (37’) after Chris Wood opened the scoring with an own goal off Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross (33’). Roberto Firmino became the first Brazilian to score 50 Premier League goals, making it 0-3 ten minutes from time. However, not everything's fine and dandy with the Reds, as Mané was pissed off with Mohamed Salah as the prior was subbed off at the end of the match, after twice the Egyptian wasted chances rather than passing and providing for the Senegalese. Nobody’s perfect. In the last two weeks Jürgen Klopp has set two new club records. One set by Sir Kenny Dalglish by reaching 300 points in the least amount of games (146) as Liverpool manager, and the smiley German has guided the Reds to 13 consecutive league victories for the first time ever. Close enough to perfect.

#EVEWOL

This is the first time there have been three goals inside the first 12 minutes of a Premier League game since Leicester were thrashed 4-2 by Everton in April 2017. This clash against Wolves ended 3-2 to the Toffees, Richarlison’s brace (5’, 80’) starting and deciding the encounter at Goodison Park. Since the start of last season, no side has gained more points from losing positions in the Premier League than Wolves, but it was just not to be this time. Nuno Espírito Santo’s winless men remain 17th, having gone on to be relegated the last four times they have failed to win any of their four opening top-flight games (1964-65, 1975-76, 1984-85 and 2003-04). 

#ARSTOT 

Arsenal have recorded 13 errors leading to goals in the Premier League since the start of last season, the most of any club in the competition. In fact, Bernd Leno has made the most of any player in this period (6). Christian Eriksen reached his Premier League half century (10’), most by any Danish player. Harry Kane's penalty (40’) was the 19th scored in games between the two bitter rivals in the Premier League, the most in a single fixture actually. Spurs were in total control. The second half changed that. Gunner Alexandre Lacazette pulled one back just before the break (45’+1’). Hugo Lloris made some fine saves after the restart, the home side laying into the visitors, total onslaught, no remorse or rest for the wicked. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s equaliser in the 70th minute takes his scoring run to seven successive Premier League starts at the Emirates. Only Thierry Henry in October 2000 went on a longer run at home for the Gunners in the competition (nine at Highbury). The fiery derby ended 2-2 btw. Spurs are winless in eight consecutive Premier League away matches for the first time since December 2011 to April 2012 under Harry Redknapp, gaining just two points from those eight games.

My Predictions - Actual Results
Southampton 1:2 Man United - 1:1

Chelsea 2:1 Sheff United - 2:2

Crystal Palace 1:0 Aston Villa - 1:0

Leicester 1:1 Bournemouth - 3:1

Man City 3:1 Brighton - 4:0

Newcastle 2:1 Watford - 1:1

West Ham 2:2 Norwich - 2:0

Burnley 1:3 Liverpool - 0:3

Everton 1:1 Wolves - 3:2

Arsenal 1:1 Tottenham - 2:2

Click here for last week’s Premier League Notes.

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

Let’s Talk About Six Baby

Sports - Football - CL Final - THFC 0:2 LFC 

LFC Make It Six

XxXXxX 

A week to go till the UEFA Super Cup in good old Istanbul (oh yes, we LOVE Istanbul), I thought I would go through my notes to recap and relive the night we became European Champions for the SIXth time:

That Saturday night, Madrid turned red, the whole of Europe and the football world was covered in red, cheers, songs and fire works.

After last year’s heart break against Real Madrid in Kiev, Liverpool came to the Spanish capital to make sure it will all be rectified, by beating Tottenham 0-2.

It took just over 22 seconds for the Reds to get a breakthrough. Handball given against Moussa Sissoko, blocking Sadio Mané’s take, penalty! VAR confirmed the arm moved towards the ball after it bounced off the player’s chest.

Mohamed Salah banged the spot kick in, leaving Hugo Lloris uselessly blank, 0-1 (2’). 

Jürgen Klopp’s men were in control from then on, but had Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker to thank for keeping their cool and very solid on a handful of occasions.

Spurs dominated possession and chances, Christian Erikson’s late free kick was the top pick of the saves, full-stretch (85’). Gulp.

The more relieving and satisfying it was to see sub Divock Origi double the Reds’ lead (87’) and get the party started. Boom!

This encounter was maybe less thrilling, shocking, unbelievable than the semi-finals and THAT 2005 final  (the last time LFC won the CL in case you needed reminding, in Istanbul, I thought maybe just to mention), but still unforgettable. 

The stories leading up to the night, fans and players, of both sides, made this night oh so sweet! That's why we love football! :-D And that YNWA at the end, goosebumps! #YNWA

XxXXxX 

I enjoyed the night in a casino in the South-West of France, I was not the only Red full of joy (and my Gunner husband was happy as well).

The drive back up North was good fun, sharing the motorway with happy Red and not so happy Spurs vans and busses. Again, unforgettable.

I followed the victory parade on my phone, couldn't get the smile off my face and still can't. #LetsTalkAboutSixBaby

And what makes this even better, I am so sure it is just the start, the first, just the opening chapter of an even more glorious, joyous, and oh so happy story. #WalkOn #WithHopeInYourHeart #YNWA

Lots of fans are worried because of the lack of summer transfer activity at the club. WHY? Have you already forgotten what Klopp and co have done?! Why chop and change the record-breaking kings of Europe?! #WeAreTheChampions #WeWillKeepOnFighting

Click here for my last post.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC live match and parade coverage and report.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 38

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 38

The 38th and last week of the Premier League action saw:

36 goals - most by Crystal Palace = 5

281 shots - most by Man United = 26

109 on target - most by Man United = 10

89 corners - most by Man United = 11

170 fouls - most by Everton = 13

23 bookings - most by Burnley = 5

1 red card - Holebas for Watford

2 penalties - 2 scored (Mendez-Laing for Cardiff, Noble for West Ham)

What a game! Whoever thought the last day wouldn’t bring much action or no surprises, think again! The Premier League served plenty of belters and OMGs yet again. And for 83 seconds it looked like there could and would be a major twist at the top as well. But it was not to be. After Glenn Murray’s opener for Brighton (27’), Sergio Agüero didn’t take long to equalise for Manchester City (28’). Aymeric Laporte put the Citizens back in the lead and to the top of the table before the break (38’). There was no looking back after that. Riyad Mahrez (63’) and İlkay Gündoğan (72’) made sure the Blue party could get started at the Falmer Stadium, Pep Guardiola becoming the first boss since Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United in 2008-09 to see his side lift the Premier League title for a second consecutive season. 

Liverpool stayed second on a record 97 points after beating Wolves 2-0 thanks to Sadio Mané’s brace (17’, 81’). The Reds were top for 21 first-half minutes... It was nice for them whilst it lasted! :-P Anfield still stayed loud and proud of their record-achievement and with a Champions League final to look forward to. With more points than the Invincibles and better than Sir Alex in all his years at the top, Jürgen Klopp will be wondering how the hell his side didn’t end up on top and what else he has to do to change and improve on that. The Reds have made the biggest leap up, 22 points better off than last season, see the Premier League comparison table at the bottom of this post, under the results.

Selhurst Park witnessed a football feast, eight goals off 33 shots, 12 attempts on target, Crystal Palace leading by three, then Bournemouth fighting back to 3-2, but the home side made sure they ended the season on a high, 5-3 winners and with a dizzy Roy Hodgson. The Eagles had only scored 14 goals at home before this game and had only taken 17 points from 18 home games, the second-worst record in the league. As Eddie Howe put it, it summarises the Cherries’ season, scoring plenty (= 56, most outside the top six), but conceding too many (= 70, third most after the bottom two).

What a team! Huddersfield scored a goal and nicked a point at Southampton, a little high and nice farewell from the Premier League after a drag of a season, where they have been bottom most of the weeks (24 match weeks out of 38, relegated for the last 7) and lost most of the points compared to last season (-21), see the Premier League comparison table at the bottom of this post, under the results. Main gainers are Liverpool (+22), West Ham (+10) and of course Wolves, the promoted side finishing 7th on 57 points, Nuno Espírito Santo and his side not getting a fraction of the attention and praise they deserve, as the picture of the post-match press conference shows! Burnley will warn them not to party too hard though, the main gainers from last season, also promoted, also ended 7th, got hit hard this season, 14 points and 8 positions worse off in 15th, only relegated Huddersfield (-21) and Manchester United made a worse drop (-15). More to the Red Devils’ misery below.

The draw against Everton was enough for Tottenham to secure their fourth consecutive top-four finish in the top-flight, their best run since a run of five between 1959-60 and 1963-64.

What a man! Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace helped Arsenal beat Burnley at Turf Moor (52, 63’), and put the Gabonese at the top of the Premier League scorers list with Mohamed Salah and Mané on 22 goals each, sharing the Golden Boot between the three of them! The Gunners failed to finish in the top four for the third successive season, the Europa League final against Chelsea on the 29th May being their last chance to grab Champions League qualification. The Golden Glove went to Red stopper Alisson Becker with 21 clean sheets. 

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini was a proud man after watching his side thrash FA Cup finalists Watford 1-4 at Vicarage Road, the Hammers finishing in the top-half of the table for the first time since 2016, 10 points and 3 places better off than last season. Despite their defeat today, the Hornets recorded their highest season finish (11th) in the top-flight of English football since 1986-87 (9th place), not bad at all, including their first cup final in 35 years, their second in the club's history, Javi Gracia has not done too bad in his first season in charge.

What a goal! Jonjo Shelvey’s opener for Newcastle (9’) was a cracker from just inside the box, ending his year-long wait for a goal and contributing to a very comfortable 4-0 win at relegated Fulham. The Magpies end the season on high, but questions still remain about Rafael Benítez’s future at the club. Fans made their feelings clear against owner Mike Ashley in attendance at Craven Cottage, wanting the Spaniard to stay.

Christian Eriksen's equaliser for Spurs, that made it two goals and a point each against the Toffees, was the 1,067th Premier League goal this season, beating the total from any previous 38-game season in the competition.

What the hell?! Cardiff's victory thanks to Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s brace (pen 23’, 54’) was their first win over Manchester United since 3rd April 1954, when manager Neil Warnock was just five years old. The relegated side’s keeper Neil Etheridge made save after save against the Red Devils, keeping a clean sheet after facing 26 shots and 10 on target, denying Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s men and fans anything to celebrate at Old Trafford. United have finished 32 points behind the champions this season - more than they finished behind the top-flight winners when they were relegated in 1973-74 (30 points). The reaction of the fans, especially towards the title race between their two arch rival teams and towards their most expensive player and French world champion Paul Pogba when he joined them after the match, summarises their flop and frustration. And Ole's quote says it all: "The only positive from today is that the season is over."

Chris Hughton’s sacking seems a bit harsh after seeing Brighton through promotion, a record cup run and avoiding relegation. This tweet lists the 60-year-old's achievements, we will see next season if Albion chairman Tony Bloom's decision is too much of a gamble or it will pay off...

My Predictions - Actual Results

Brighton 1:1 Man City - 1:4

Burnley 1:1 Arsenal - 1:3

Crystal Palace 1:3 Bournemouth - 5:3

Fulham 2:1 Newcastle - 0:4

Leicester 2:1 Chelsea - 0:0

Liverpool 4:1 Wolves - 2:0

Man United 2:1 Cardiff - 0:2

Southampton 2:0 Huddersfield - 1:1

Tottenham 2:1 Everton - 2:2

Watford 1:1 West Ham - 1:4

The Premier League Table compared to last season
1) Man City 98 points = -2 points, same position = 1st
2) Liverpool 97 points = +22 points, up 2 places from 4th
3) Chelsea 72 points = +2 points, up 2 places from 5th
4) Tottenham 71 points = -6 points, down 1 place from 3rd
5) Arsenal 70 points = +7 points, up 1 place from 6th
6) Man United 66 points = -15 points, down 4 places from 2nd
7) Wolves 57 points = not bad at all for a promoted side!!!
8) Everton 54 points = +5 points, same position = 8th
9) Leicester 52 points = +5 points, same position = 9th
10) West Ham 52 points = +10 points, up 3 places from 13th
11) Watford 50 points = +9 points, up 3 places from 14th
12) Crystal Palace 49 points = +5 points, down 1 place from 11th
13) Newcastle 45 points = +1 point, down 3 places from 10th
14) Bournemouth 45 points = +1 point, down 2 places from 12th
15) Burnley 40 points = -14 points, down 8 places from 7th 
16) Southampton 39 points = +3 points, up 1 place from 17th
17) Brighton 36 points = -4 points, down 2 places from 15th
18) Cardiff 34 points = promoted and relegated in consecutive seasons.
19) Fulham 26 points = promoted and relegated in consecutive seasons.
20) Huddersfield 16 points = -21 points, down 4 places from 16th.

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

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