Premier League Picks Of The Week 24

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 24

The 24th week of the Premier League action saw:

25 goals - most by Chelsea & Arsenal = 4 each
233 shots - most by Man City & Liverpool = 21 each
90 on target - most by Arsenal & Chelsea = 10 each
99 corners - most by Man City = 18
194 fouls - most by Stoke City = 18
26 yellow cards - most by Brighton, Burnley, Man United, West Ham & Tottenham = 3 each
0 red cards
2 penalties - 2 scored (Agüero for Man City, Vardy for Leicester)

What a game! Arsenal proved like Liverpool did last week, it's all about the team, not the player, life goes on without them. With Alexis Sánchez omitted and Manchester United bound, the Gunners hit four goals in the opening 22 minutes, absolutely stunning and thrashing Crystal Palace 4-1 at the Emirates. A free Nacho Monreal headed in the opener (6') and provided the next two, Alex Iwobi doubling the lead (10') and Laurent Koscielny tapping in the third (13'). Alexandre Lacazette made it four with a beautiful team goal and finish (22') to complete an abysmal start for Roy Hodgson's side. Luka Milivojević did pull one back late on with a nice turn and shot, denying Petr Čech his 200th clean sheet, keeping the stopper stuck on 199. It was Palace's only defeat in the last 12 league games against the Gunners. Arsène Wenger couldn't have been happier with his team's blistering display, but they won't have it that easy every week!

What a team! Manchester City recovered from their first league defeat of the season against Liverpool with a dominant 3-1 win against Newcastle at the Etihad, Sergio Agüero starring with a hat-trick, his 11th for Pep Guardiola's side. Jacob Murphy did cause a little scare when he made it 2-1 with his first goal for the club in his 19th appearance. Rafael Benítez praised his side's reaction and effort, but after only six goals in the last eight games, the Magpies are 15th in the table, just one point away from 18th-placed Southampton. With the takeover talks halted and off the table, the chances of adding to the squad are close to none. At the top of the table meanwhile, City's lead remains 12 points, which takes me to this interesting stat I read, which irritated me at the same time... City aren't Newcastle and United are nowhere near Fergie's greats, I dare say!!!
Here are my match notes of a very frustrating display and rare defeat for Liverpool, suffering against stubborn Swansea, losing 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Monday night, ending the Reds' unbeaten run after 18 games. It was such a disappointment after their breathtaking performance against the league leaders last week, but somewhat expected as the Reds like to let it slip against the lower sides, especially the Welsh side as past results show: Their German boss Jürgen Klopp seems to dislike the Swans, having lost three Premier League games against them, more than against any other opponent in the competition.

What a man! New Stoke City manager Paul Lambert started his reign with a win, his side beating Huddersfield 2-0 thanks to Joe Allen (53') and Mame Biram Diouf (69'), taking them out of the relegation zone, a step in the right direction. The new boss enjoyed and celebrated both goals full-heartedly and made sure all players stayed back to thank the fans for their support. The Terriers meanwhile are winless in the last six league games, having lost three in a row, David Wagner accepting their dire form and position and conceding they have to do more to get out of it, just one point separating them from the drop zone.
Leicester's Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez impressed with startling displays, the prior's penalty and the latter's smooth goal were enough to beat Watford, Marco Silva's side continuing their slump with just one win in the last 11 league matches. The dire run saw the Portuguese sacked on Sunday, the board blaming Everton's approach in November for it! Harsh!!! They quickly appointed a new boss later that day, Spaniard Javi Gracia, the 10th manager to work under the Pozzo family at Vicarage Road since 2012! Something tells me the 18-month contract won't be seen through at this rate! 7 of the bottom 12 have sacked their managers this season and I've got the feeling it's not gonna stay at that...
Both David Moyes and Sam Allardyce drew more frustrated figures this week, not happy men, both West Ham and Everton dropping two points drawing 1-1 against Bournemouth and West Brom respectively, home games they should have or were expected to win. None of the sides will be happy with dropping points. Again. But for the Hammers it continued their unbeaten run in the league (DWDWD), whilst the blue Merseysiders have been sliding a bit longer without a win (DDLLLD). It could have been worse for the Toffees if it would not have been for super-sub's Oumar Niasse's equaliser just 56 seconds after coming on. More to that game below. And the Hammers had Javier Hernández to thank for the point equalising 65 seconds after falling behind, their manager crying out for the former United man to stay. It was Eddie Howe's 100th league game in charge, the third youngest English manager to achieve this, at the age of 40 years and 52 days, the draw extending the Cherries' unbeaten run to five games (DWDWD).

What a goal! Chelsea stunned Brighton with two splendid goals in the opening six minutes at the Falmer Stadium. Eden Hazard opened the scoring with a neat finish from inside the box (3') and Willian doubled the score after some beautiful team and one-touch play in the buildup (6'). The Seagulls did fight back, Ezequiel Schelotto was denied a penalty after being brought down by keeper Willy Caballero who kept out former Citizen Tomer Hemed before Davy Pröpper headed against the post. Hazard sealed the win eventually (77') and Victor Moses added to the total late on to make it 0-4 and three points for the Blues (89'), their first league win in 2018. But as manager Antonio Conte pointed out, his side are unbeaten in 12 games now. Brighton boss Chris Hughton was right, the scoreline was harsh, but the visitors did make it very difficult.
In the only Super Sunday match Davinson Sánchez's awesome own goal put Southampton ahead at St Mary's, sliding and turning in Ryan Bertrand's low cross, before non-other than Harry Kane levelled the score for Tottenham, easy 99th Premier League goal for the England striker. Despite continuing their longest winless streak in nearly two decades, Saints will be happy with the point, the fans were great, Mauricio Pellegrino grateful but realistic (loved his electric chair metaphor about his position), whilst Spurs will be gutted to have dropped two points in the race for the top four.

What the hell?! All the best wishes went to Toffee James McCarthy of course after manager Big Sam confirmed his very nasty injury, a double-fracture! Albion Salomón Rondón was in tears after waving frantically for the referee to stop play and get the medical assistance. No one likes to see anything like that... #goosebumps
Manchester United extended their unbeaten run to eight games in the league, Anthony Martial's second-half strike enough to beat Burnley. But the Red Devils didn't give their fans much to cheer and watch, keeper David de Gea mainly to thank with his 14th clean sheet, more than any other in Europe's big five leagues this season. Sean Dyche's side fought hard, but were condemned to their fourth defeat on the trot for the first time since May 2015. The manager was understandably gutted as they were the only side making a real game out of it, no matter how José Mourinho tried to put it, having a clear dig at them after the match, complimenting the referee. Yep, you read right. The Portuguese was all positive, especially about the officials, of course, looking at the scoreline, but nothing else. Pf.

My Predictions - Actual Results
Brighton 1:1 Chelsea - 0:4
Arsenal 1:1 Crystal Palace - 4:1
Burnley 1:2 Man United - 0:1
Everton 2:1 West Brom - 1:1
Leicester 3:0 Watford - 2:0
Stoke City 2:2 Huddersfield - 2:0
West Ham 3:2 Bournemouth - 1:1
Man City 4:1 Newcastle - 3:1
Southampton 1:3 Tottenham - 1:1
Swansea 1:5 Liverpool - 1:0 or my match report

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 13

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 13

The 13th week of the Premier League action saw:

22 goals - most by Southampton = 4
221 shots - most by Tottenham = 24
62 on target - most by Palace, Bournemouth, Tottenham, Man City & Everton = 5 each
92 corners - most by Tottenham & Chelsea = 8 each
199 fouls - most by Swansea = 18
27 yellow cards - Swansea & West Brom = 4 each
1 red card - van La Parra for Huddersfield
2 penalties - 2 scored (Sánchez for Arsenal, Agüero for Man City)

What a game! David Moyes claimed his first point as Hammers boss thanks to Cheikhou Kouyaté's headed equaliser off a corner after Marc Albrighton's early opener for the Foxes. Claude Puel has a win, two draws and one defeat in his four City games. The Friday night draw showed both sides' weaknesses, West Ham staying in the bottom three whilst Leicester remain in the bottom half. More below.
Jürgen Klopp surprised everyone with the Liverpool line-up against Chelsea in the late kick-off on Saturday. But it was less of a surprise seeing the full-time scoreboard, Mohamed Salah giving the Reds the lead with his 15th goal of the season and Willian grabbing a late equaliser that was definitely an intended cross that fluked its way in over Simon Mignolet and nicked a point for the Blues. Both sides created and gave away a lot of chances. Deja vue for the home side to throw away a lead, click here to read my full LFC match report. But with this draw, Liverpool have only lost two of their last 34 home games in the Premier League. Boom.

What a team! Huddersfield and Burnley were up for it on Sunday, unlucky to lose against Manchester City and Arsenal respectively. Sergio Agüero and Raheem Sterling completed the comeback for the league leaders after the Terriers were ahead thanks to a Nicolás Otamendi own goal to make it eleven consecutive wins for Pep Guardiola's men and take them eight points clear at the top. Clarets boss Sean Dyche was left fuming after Alexis Sánchez netted a very soft injury-time penalty at Turf Moor. It was the third consecutive time the Gunners had grabbed a stoppage time winner against Burnley, this one taking them back into the top four.
At the other end of the table, Everton continued their poor form after being taken apart 4-1 at Southampton. Caretaker manager David Unsworth took responsibility saying "things have to change quickly", the Toffees having won just once in seven under him, staying stuck in 16th, just two points clear of the relegation zone.

What a man! Former Derby midfielder Will Hughes has scored in back-to-back league games for the first time in his career giving Watford the lead at Newcastle with a lovely finish. B(l)oom! DeAndre Yedlin diverted the ball into his own net to add to the Magpies' misery before the break. And Andre Gray sealed the deal making it 0-3 with just under half an hour to go. It could have been 5 or 6 or 7 by then. Rafael Benítez's men were well and truly beaten, broken, too open at the back, suffering their fourth successive defeat. No discrediting Marco Silva's side, just wow! They have won more away league points in their seven matches this season (13) than they did in all 19 games on the road last season (12). Impressive.
A great double-save by Brighton keeper Mathew Ryan at Old Trafford denied Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku just before the break and kept his side in the game and United disappointed and frustrated. The Seagulls impressed at the back and front, fighting and surprising the Red Devils. It took an evil deflection off Lewis Dunk to see Ashley Young's powerful shot from just outside the box into the top right corner to break the stubborn deadlock. Lucky. Harsh on Brighton who did so well, even José Mourinho conceded that much in the post-match interview. But that's football. It takes United's unbeaten run at home to 39 games in all competitions, the last defeat being against Man City in September 2017, 441 days ago!!!

What a goal! Swansea's Wilfried Bony was not a happy man seeing his low curler into the bottom corner disallowed just before the break as referee Stuart Attwell felt Jordan Ayew fouled Bournemouth defender Nathan Aké in the build-up. Harsh. Softer than soft. It stayed goalless and luckless for the Swans. More to that match below.
West Brom's opener at Tottenham was an odd one, Salomón Rondón taking advantage rolling the ball into the far corner, beating a sleepy defence early on in the game (4'). The managerless side defended well, keeping Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen oh so quiet in the first half. A penny for Tony Pulis' thoughts at half time... Kane spoilt the upset equalising with a simple touch through Ben Foster's legs. With that leveller, the striker has scored 40 goals for Spurs in 2017 and been involved in 100 Premier League goals in his 128 league games - 87 goals, 13 assists. Wow. Still, a point is a point, not bad for the visitors at Wembley, Mauricio Pochettino going as far as saying the draw took his side out of the title race. Ouch.
And Crystal Palace were made to rue Christian Benteke's miss, Xherdan Shaqiri powering past three defenders before firing the ball in to give Stoke the lead at Selhurst Park. But not for long as 2:31 minutes later, Ruben Loftus-Cheek tapped in the equaliser at the far post as the Potters forgot how to defend. An action-packed couple of minutes in not the most entertaining nor top-quality game... Mamadou Sakho nicked a last-minute winner for Roy Hodgson's hard-working men, only their second win of the season, closing the gap from the bottom to safety. It's Palace's first 90th minute winner at home in the PL since Clinton Morrison against Sheffield Wednesday in May 1998. Rare. But deserved.

What the hell?! How did Ryan Shawcross miss that sitter to make it 1-2 for Stoke, a yard or two away from the goal-line?! His defending was just as miserable as his side ended up losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, as mentioned above.
Swan Ki Sung-yueng got a lucky to escape with just a yellow card after some daft pushing and fighting, including the referee!!! Manager Paul Clement was more than right to criticise the referee as mentioned above, but his side benefited from the bad refereeing in this incident, evening out the errors going for and against them.
And André Ayew's penalty appeal was an absolute waste for West Ham, if he would have stayed up he would have had a golden chance to get the Hammers ahead. But no, dive and whine instead. Waste. I hope the FA will have a look at it and punish him.

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

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 11

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 11

The 11th week of the Premier League action saw:
24 goals - most by Liverpool = 4
213 shots - most by Chelsea = 18
74 on target - most by Chelsea = 8
118 corners - most by Newcastle = 11
226 fouls - most by Man United = 20
30 yellow cards - most by Arsenal = 6
1 red card - Christopher Schindler for Huddersfield
3 penalties - 2 scored (Sergio Agüero for Man City, Leighton Baines for Everton, Tom Cleverley missed for Watford)

What a game! All the buildup to the Super Duper Sunday was bound to disappoint. Tottenham just about scrambled through to a win over bottom side Crystal Palace. Manchester City had some help from the officials to down the fighting Gunners and don't get me started on the refs at Stamford Bridge! Chelsea number 9 Álvaro Morata had all the space in the world to head the home side ahead after Manchester United were lucky to still be in the game. More to all that below. All eyes were on Antonio Conte and José Mourinho and their Blue history, pre-match, during the match and post-match. But in the end the top game was Everton's comeback against Watford from two goals down at Goodison Park, would you believe it!!! Or top half should I say, as all goals came after the break. Leighton Baines scored a club-record 24th penalty for the Toffees and won the game in injury time, 90 + 1!  That wasn't all though. Ten minutes later, the Hornets got the chance to draw level from the spot, yep, in the 101st minute, and Tom Cleverley missed it, putting the penalty wide. Yes, you read right, it stayed 3-2, handing David Unsworth his first win as Everton's caretaker. And the temp boss can take a lot of credit as all the changes he made ended up crucial in all goals and completing the perfect unbelievable turnaround. Oh, and by the way, that was the only game on Sunday that was NOT live on telly. FFS.

What a team! Burnley shot up to sixth in the table (at least temporarily) after substitute Sam Vokes' late header was enough to beat Southampton at St Mary's. Sean Dyche's side withstood all of the pressure and Saints chances, their keeper Nick Pope making some excellent stops. Liverpool snatched that sixth spot back in the table in the late kick-off on Saturday, after beating West Ham 1-4 at the London Stadium thanks to Mohamed Salah's double on Sadio Mané's return. You can read all my match notes here. Or my full LFC match report here. Has Jürgen Klopp handed Slaven Bilić his final notice? With the Hammers dropping into the relegation zone after Sunday's results and the international break coming up, I will be very surprised to see the Croat again... Plus David Moyes being interested in the job... And as I was editing this blog, both got confirmed, the prior's sacking and the latter's interest and likely appointment. Surprise surprise.

What a man! Huddersfield keeper Jonas Lössl was hugged and kissed by everyone after some acrobatic saves late on in the match and win against West Brom! Dutchman Rajiv van La Parra produced the stunning 20-yard winner, curled into the top corner just before the break, increasing calls against Tony Pulis. The Yorkshire side were down to ten men after defender Christopher Schindler received a second yellow card with just under an hour gone but fought on hard to hang on to the win which took the promoted side into the top half of the table. Glenn Murray gave Brighton victory at Swansea, eleven of his 15 Premier League goals coming in away fixtures. It was a gift though as Federico Fernández ducked out of the way of a cross, condemning the Swans to their fifth defeat from six home league games this season and seeing them slip into the relegation zone. The Seagulls meanwhile are up to ninth after back-to-back away wins in the top flight for the first time since 1981 and only the second time in their history.

What a goal! Peter Crouch headed home Xherdan Shaquiri's corner to make it 2-2 for Stoke and grab a point from Leicester. It's the 36-year old's Premier League record 52nd netted header and 15th goal coming off the bench - only Jermain Defoe (23), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (17) and Nwankwo Kanu (17) have scored more as a sub in the PL. Both sides had more chances, both keepers were busy, so, faire result in the end, a thrilling draw. The late Bournemouth winner headed in by defender Steve Cook was fully deserved after all the chances and pressure they produced at Newcastle. Rafael Benítez's men wasted a lot of chances and then ran out of steam, the visitors pouncing and bouncing out of the relegation zone with the win at St James' Park.

What the hell?! How did Wilfried Zaha miss that chance?! The Palace forward cost his side three points as minutes after he put a sitter wide, Son Heung-min swept the one and only goal in from 20 yards. Tottenham will be very relieved after another win at Wembley from a less than convincing performance. And how the hell did the linesman not see goalscorer Gabriel Jesus AND David Silva were BOTH offside when the official was exactly on the same line as the players when the cross came in?! The error made it 3-1 to City at the Eithad and destroyed any kind of competition or chance of a late comeback by Arsenal, who enjoyed a much better second half after not offering much before the break. Although, Arsène Wenger's men were also unlucky to concede the penalty in the first half, Raheem Sterling making the most out of nothing, which gave Sergio Agüero his record 179th City goal from the spot and the home side a two-goal lead. Harsh. And seeing a spectacular Phil Jones own goal disallowed for an alleged push by Morata just added more crap creme on the horrendous refereeing cake of the weekend!!! Lucky Mancunian buggers!!!

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

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 5

Sports - Football - Premier League Week 5

The 5th week of the Premier League action saw:

21 goals - most by Manchester City = 6!!!
267 shots - most by Liverpool = 35!!!
73 on target - most by Manchester City = 10
100 corners - most by Liverpool = 12
206 fouls - most by West Brom, Arsenal & Manchester United = 15 each
30 yellow cards - most by Crystal Palace = 5
1 red card - David Luiz for Chelsea
1 penalty - 1 scored (Anthony Martial for Manchester United)

What a game! Laurent Depoitre woke everyone up with the opening goal at the John Smith's Stadium, but Jamie Vardy levelled the score from the spot minutes later, Huddersfield 1-1 Leicester, Andy King making the most of nothing by Chris Löwe to get the penalty. It was end-to-end stuff after that, the home side dominating but unable to take advantage in the end. Swansea's back five frustrated the hell out of Tottenham and earned the clean sheet and well-deserved point at Wembley. Spurs are still waiting for a league win at the NW London ground, having already dropped more points there this season than at White Hart Lane the whole of last season. Arch rivals Arsenal performed so much better, fighting out a point at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's first league draw at home in 16 months. Both sides came close, creating a lot, but the Blues looked that bit more sloppy, giving the ball away too many times, whilst the Gunners stayed on top, covering and tackling well. David Luiz' stupid sending off late on added to the home side's clumsy and frustrating display and they will be relieved to have squeezed out a point. Antonio Conte's men have had as many red cards in their last five PL games as they had in their previous 73 games combined (3). Arsène Wenger meanwhile will just have felt that hint of disappointment his side couldn't capitalise and walk away with all the points after a het-up, intense, entertaining derby! 👊🏻👏🏻👊🏻👍🏻👊🏻

What a team! Crystal Palace are breaking all records - the Eagles suffered their fifth consecutive opening league defeat without having scored a goal! That's a first in top-flight history! And the longest run without scoring was broken after the 78th minute - a dry run of 439 minutes beating Newcastle's 438 minutes set in 2005-6. The rainy weather fit the mood at Selhurst Park on Roy Hodgson's return after 51 years. Next on the former Liverpool and England boss' fixture list: Man City away, United away, Chelsea at home. Will the 70-year-old still have a job end of next month? Frank de Boer's record shows that should and most probably will not be the case. Will Sam Allardyce be back in October? 💩🙈💩🙈💩

What a man! West Brom's Gareth Barry made a record-equaling 632nd Premier League appearance (Ryan Giggs the former king, now having to share the crown, surely to be beaten next week). How his keeper Ben Foster didn't see red for his full-on sliding tackle on Javier Hernández, I don't know. I think West Ham boss Slaven Bilić is still shaking his head now as I type. There's nothing more to write about the goalless draw. 😴😑😴😑😴
Wayne Rooney's return to Old Trafford was the most discussed topic this weekend, replays of his many top goals shown again and again. The Evertonian had a couple of chances but did not have much to shout about before he was substituted under great applause from both ends of the ground and even a handshake from United boss José Mourinho. The striker has never beaten the Red Devils in the Premier League. 🙈👏🏻⚽️👍🏻🙈

What a goal! Jermain Defoe scored his first goal since arriving at Bournemouth to make it 2-1 and a fine turnaround-win against Brighton. The match-winner came after a nice turn in the box and drill home by the former Sunderland forward. Substitute Jordan Ibe had set up both the winner and leveller, the latter with a clever backheel to Andrew Surman, who tapped it in easy. Solly March had given the visitors the lead ten minutes into the second half after Dale Stephens headed against the cross bar, Shane Duffy saw his header cleared and Davy Pröpper his follow-up blocked off the line by Surman. All that action and the goals after the interval made up for a dismal first half. ⚽️👊🏻⚽️👊🏻⚽️
Each of Xherdan Shaqiri's last six Premier League goals have been from outside the box, including the whacker that levelled the score for Stoke at Newcastle, nice one! 👏🏻⚽️👌🏻⚽️👍🏻 And Jamaal Lascelles' header off Matt Richie's corner gave the home side the lead and winner as it ended 2-1, a proper hard-fought win for the Magpies! 👊🏻⚽️👊🏻⚽️👊🏻
Antonio Valencia's opener for United against Everton in the fourth minute was a smacker! Edge of the box, right foot, smash, boom, bang, left corner of the net, Jordan Pickford had no chance! Unstoppable beauty! The 4-0 result was very harsh as the Toffees did come back stronger after the break, but just buckled under the pressure in the final minutes. Romelu Lukaku's goal and celebration added insult to misery. Either way, there are very happy Red Devils in second place, level on points and goals with City at the top, just the alphabet separating the two rivals. ⚽️😵👌🏻😵⚽️

What the hell?! SEVEN CHANGES FOR LFC! 34 SHOTS ON GOAL! But Burnley remained unbeaten away in the Premier League, after winning at Chelsea and drawing at Tottenham, but haven't won at Anfield for 43 years, Liverpool having won all three previous home games against the Clarets. Man of the moment Mohamed Salah equalised three minutes after Scott Arfield had given the visitors the lead with a nice volley. Ben Mee came close to net a winner, Joël Matip clearing off the line. Clarets keeper Nick Pope kept well and strong to deny Jürgen Klopp's men. The Reds were frustrated once again, similar to the Sevilla game on Wednesday. Argh! Just ARGH for all Red fans! 🙈😡🙈😡🙈
Loved seeing Elton John and Pep Guardiola chatting before the game at Watford! Only in England... "1-0 to the referee" chant by the Hornets fans was a brilliant response to Sergio Agüero's goal that gave Man City the lead at Vicarage Road. It was so close, even the Argentine was looking back at the linesman to make sure the flag wasn't up... But the game was sealed soon after, the same striker doubling the score a couple of minutes later, making it eight consecutive away games he has started and scored in (only RvP has a longer run of 9). Gabriel Jesus made it 0-3 before the break, another dodgy offside- looking one. What was the flag there for again??? Nicolás Otamendi added to the home side's misery in the second half and Agüero completed his hat-trick to make it 0-5 (his sixth in the PL, the only guys left to beat are Alan Shearer with 11, Robbie Fowler 9, Michael Owen and Thierry Henry with 8). Add a Raheem Sterling penalty to seal the deal 0-6, it was all too easy and ended Watford's unbeaten run. Why couldn't Liverpool do that?!?!?! City fans' reaction: "We're taking the piss!" -  with 15 goals to nil in three games for the Citizens, yes, you are taking the piss! Lol! 😂👏🏻👊🏻👍🏻😂
Oh, and how could I forget the Super Sunday clash between the Red Devils and the Angry Birds! 😈 v 🕊 yep, you read right! LMAO! 😂😈😂🕊😂

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

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 4

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 4

The 4th week of the Premier League action saw:

28 goals - most by Manchester City = 5
237 shots - most by Crystal Palace = 23
87 on target - most by Manchester City = 10
118 corners - most by Crystal Palace = 13
212 fouls - most by Newcastle = 15
22 bookings - most by Everton & Newcastle = 3 each
1 red card - Sadio Mané for Liverpool
1 penalty - 1 scored (Jamie Vardy for Leicester)

What a game! Crucial/cruel results: Both Super Sunday games had the least goals, but hell they weren't missing chances nor action! Newcastle recorded their first win 0:1 at Swansea to Rafael Benitez's relief recovering in hospital from an operation, whilst Chris Wood made it two goals in two games for Burnley as they beat struggling Crystal Palace 1:0 at home, more to that below. West Ham recorded their first win of the season on Monday night, beating Huddersfield 2-0 at the London Stadium. Their first defeat brought the high-flying Terriers back down to earth, even-though it took a cruel deflection off Pedro Obiang to break the stubborn deadlock and concede their first goal since promotion to the top flight. It was a nice birthday present for Hammers boss Slaven Bilić, who would have been under even more scrutiny and fire, having lost all three opening games conceding 10 goals, making him odds-on one of the faves to be sacked first. It was Joe Hart's first league clean sheet in 23 games. The lead soon was doubled thanks to substitute André Ayew turning the ball in from close range, icing on the manager's birthday cake to bag the first three points this season. 🎂👌🏻😊👍🏻🎂

What a team! Brighton secured their first ever Premier League goals and win in style, high-firing 3-1 at home against West Brom, their first top-flight victory for 34 years, thanks to two goals by Pascal Groß. Crystal Palace on the other hand suffered their fourth defeat in a row, as mentioned above. They went down fighting though, 1-0 at Burnley, recording 23 attempts! The last top-flight team to lose their opening four matches without scoring were Preston North End in 1924-25. And as ridiculous as it is, it was no surprise to then get the news of Frank de Boer's exit after just 77 days. Sad but true. There is no such thing as patience in football nowadays. They obviously didn't watch the match! The team fought and played well. Just one (very costly) error early on by Lee Chung-yong decided the match in the end... But they will say it is the results that count. Former England and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is set to take over the job at Selhurst Park. And oh, we all love him, don't we! 💩🙈💩🙈💩 Meanwhile, much in contrast to that, Watford have no such worries, going from strength to strength, up to fourth in the Premier League table after their impressive display, cracking goals and 0-2 win at Southampton. 👌🏻⚽️👏🏻⚽️👍🏻

What a man! And José Mourinho was at it again, distracting from his side's disappointing draw with his childish sideline and interview antiques. It was all about the post-match handshake-refusal after a tense draw and clashes with counterpart Mark Hughes as Stoke fought out a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at the Bet365 stadium. Man of the match Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's double for the Potters put an end to the Red Devils' 100% start to the season. And deservedly so! Their keeper Jack Butland starred with brilliant stops and breathtaking saves, whilst the whole back line kept stubborn and solid too, tackle after tackle, challenge after challenge, block after block, chance after chance. Impressive. No matter what the Portuguese boss says. ⚽️👊🏻👏🏻👍🏻⚽️

What a goal! Harry Kane's 100th Tottenham goal was more oops than woo, but they all count. It looked like an attempted cross from the right but looped over home keeper Jordan Pickford and in. Christian Eriksen doubled the score and Kane added his 101st to make it 0-3 and an easy away win for Spurs at Goodison Park. It could have been 0-6. For all the money they spent and players they signed, Everton are still cracking and crumbling. Worrying. Not a good day for either Merseysiders, see below for more details. N'Golo Kanté scored against his former side Leicester handing Chelsea an edgy away win. Wood scored on his full debut for Burnley thanks to Chung-yong's back-pass giveaway, as mentioned above, handing the Clarets the 1-0 win and heartbreak for the Eagles. Cruel, cruel, cruel. Bournemouth were downed to their fourth consecutive defeat as well, well beaten 3-0 at Arsenal thanks to Danny Welbeck's double. Can't see anyone calling for Eddie Howe's head though! Not even mentioning good old Arséne Wenger. They love him. Really. Right?! 😝😜😘😜😝

What the hell?! The red card at the Etihad divided opinions, both managers Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola mouthing their disapproval in their post-match interviews. WTF? It was a high, dangerous boot by Sadio Mané taking out keeper Edison Moraes. In. The. Face. By the book that is red, full stop. And it doesn't excuse such a pathetic performance. Liverpool got absolutely hammered 5-0 by Manchester City. The defence was non-existent! It ended up being a fun kick-about for the home side. Having their main striker sent off may explain why they didn't score. But too absolutely fold, collapse, give up, dramatically, completely, uncharacteristically as the Reds did - explain me that! Here is my full LFC match report. Rant over and out. ⚽️👊🏻🙈👎🏻⚽️

My Predictions - Actual Results
Man City 2:2 Liverpool - 5:0 or my full LFC match report
Arsenal 2:1 Bournemouth - 3:0
Brighton 1:1 West Brom - 3:1
Everton 2:2 Tottenham - 0:3
Leicester 2:2 Chelsea - 1:2
Southampton 2:1 Watford - 0:2
Stoke 1:2 Man United - 2:2
Burnley 3:3 Crystal Palace - 1:0
Swansea 1:1 Newcastle - 0:1
West Ham 0:0 Huddersfield - 2:0

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

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

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.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 25

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 25

The 25th week of the Premier League action saw:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks

Pictures and stats taken from the BBC match reports 

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.