Premier League Picks Of The Week 27

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 27

The 27th week of the Premier League action saw:

29 goals - most by Watford = 5

243 shots - most by Newcastle = 29

84 on target - most by Newcastle = 12

110 corners - most by West Ham and Newcastle = 12 each

213 fouls - most by Liverpool = 17

29 bookings - most by Wolves = 5

1 red card - Smith for Huddersfield 

3 penalties - 2 scored (King for Bournemouth, Jiménez for Wolves)

What a game! The Super Sunday clash between arch rivals Manchester United and Liverpool ended goalless, quite disappointing after all the hype and buildup, but not a big surprise. The Red Devils defended well, held solid against all the Red pressing, whilst the visitors were unable to get the breakthrough at Old Trafford and had their keeper Alisson and defender Virgil van Dijk to thank for a breathtaking save against sub Jesse Lingard and a masterclass in stopping, blocking and denying Paul Pogba any look into the game. United stopper David de Gea kept his 100th clean sheet, which wasn't too difficult on the day, having just faced one shot on target, his side just producing three of their own at the other end as well. Mohamed Salah looked very clumsy, losing the ball too easily and too often, and it was no surprise when the

Egyptian was subbed off as well. Not much action, but plenty of injuries saw Ole Gunnar Solskjær forced to use up all his substitutions in the first half! 
And to add frustration to injuries, his men dropped two points and one place down to fifth after Arsenal’s comfortable 2-0 win against Southampton. That victory saw the Gunners overtake the Red Devils. Jürgen Klopp’s side meanwhile, returned to the top, one point ahead of the Citizens. Pep Guardiola's men won the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on the same day after some penalty drama, having played and won the scheduled Premier League fixture of this weekend a couple of weeks ago, ending up 0-2 winners at Everton on the 6th February.*(See the note in brackets at the bottom of this blog.)

What a team! Leicester have lost four consecutive home Premier League games for the first time since January 2000. The oldest ever manager in the Premier League with 71 years and 198 days = Roy Hodgson and Crystal Palace meanwhile, are in dreamland after thrashing the Foxes 1-4 in their own backyard on Saturday evening. Claude Puel was sent packing not even 24 hours later, no surprise there, sad but true. The home side had over four times the attempts (27-7), but just the same on target (5-5), the scoreboard reflecting the sour and fruitless times. The more surprising his replacement is: Brendan Rodgers, surprising everyone including his Celtic players with the news of his departure.

Huddersfield are down and out. Nothing new there, they have been rock bottom for months now, but the way they lost at Newcastle, there was just no chance, no way, not even half a penny of hope, outdone and outplayed in every way, especially after (but not because of) the sending off. Good result for Rafael Benítez’s men, taking them up to 15th. The Magpies have recorded a league double over the Terriers for the first time since 1964-65 with their third successive Premier League win at St James’ Park for the first time since April.

What a man! Watford’s Gerard Deulofeu is only the third player to score a Premier League hat-trick on a Friday, after Dean Windass for Bradford (April 2000) and Thierry Henry for Arsenal (two in April 2004). The Spaniard did not just score three (18’, 61’, 63’), but also set up Troy Deeney (73’), who finished off with a brace of his own (91’), taking Cardiff apart. Sol Bamba was on the score-sheet (82’), a mere consolation, as 1-5 was the full-time score in Wales. It was the Hornets’ first top-flight hat-trick since Mark Falco v Aston Villa in October 1986, and the first time the side scored five in a top-division encounter since winning 5-1 against Leicester in November 1986. History.

What a goal! Was is really a corner in the buildup to the first Burnley goal or should it have been a goal kick? Chris Wood headed in the set-piece to open the scoring for the Clarets against Tottenham (57’). It doesn’t really matter, as the home side scored another one and you can’t say they didn’t deserve it. Ashley Barnes' tap-in (83’) won it for Sean Dyche’s men after Harry Kane, back from injury, had equalised and given the visitors hope of a comeback (65’). That equaliser was off a dodgy throw as well, but I’m sure Mauricio Pochettino didn’t mention that to referee Mike Dean when he stormed, shouted and pointed at the official after the full-time whistle. The boss was in the man's face! As it turned out, the temperamental Argentine accepted all charges and apologised. Meanwhile, Burnley are on their best = longest unbeaten top-flight run since 1966, unbeaten in eight (W5, D3), picking up 18 points in the last 8 games after just gaining 14 from their previous 24! This glorious run takes them up to 14th on 30 points, six clear from the drop zone. More controversial goals and decisions below...

What the hell?! The last time Fulham won an away game in the Premier League, David Moyes was still the manager of Manchester United. And the London side have still no clean sheet - even lovely Claudio Ranieri was outraged and having a go at the fourth official after West Ham’s Javier Hernández had bundled the ball over the line with his hand but the goal was still given to make it 1-1 (29’). The visitors had opened the scoring at the London Stadium just a couple of minutes into the match (3’), Ryan Babel’s first Premier League goal since 6 December 2010, exactly 3000 days ago. After the handled equaliser, Issa Diop put the Hammers ahead before the break (40’), and Michail Antonio made it 3-1, sealing the win and points in injury time (90’+1’). Any kind of confidence the Cottagers had was shattered after clear incompetence, ignorance, sheer blindness by the referees! VAR would have undoubtedly cleared that decision within seconds! 
More dubious calls were made at Bournemouth by referee Roger East, handing out penalties here, there and everywhere, leaving Wolves boss Nuno Espírito Santo scratching his head. But the Spaniard refused to blame the ref, pointing out the lying, diving, whining, cheating players (no exact quote, he was too nice about it in my opinion!). It ended 1-1, Joshua King hitting and missing one (pen 14’ and pen 85’ respectively), and Raúl Jiménez levelling from the spot (pen 83’), consistency not being in the officials' dictionary whatsoever! The first one was soft, the last one not even in the box! The other one was soft as well, whilst a clear handball was overlooked. Ridiculous! I could go on and on... As always! Every week it's the same shambles! Argh!

My Predictions - Actual Results

Cardiff 1:2 Watford - 1:5

West Ham 3:0 Fulham - 3:1

Burnley 1:2 Tottenham - 2:1

Bournemouth 2:2 Wolves - 1:1

Newcastle 3:0 Huddersfield - 2:0

Leicester 1:2 Crystal Palace - 1:4

Arsenal 2:0 Southampton - 2:0

Man United 2:3 Liverpool - 0:0

*(Everton 0:2 Man City was rearranged to the 6th February due to the League Cup final on Sunday; Chelsea 3:0 Brighton to the 3rd April, see PL week 33; both match stats have been to this week they were scheduled for)*

Clicker here for the previous Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 22

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 22

The 22nd week of the Premier League action saw:

20 goals - most by Man City = 3

252 shots - most by Man City = 24

77 on target - most by Tottenham = 11

118 corners - most by Man City = 12

186 fouls - most by Everton = 17

28 bookings - most by Everton = 5

2 red cards - Valery for Southampton, Boly for Wolves

3 penalties - 3 scored (Ward-Prowse for Southampton, Salah for Liverpool, Jesus for Man City)

What a game! There was no real cracker this weekend, there were not many goals, action nor controversies, few and far between... Tottenham had loads of chances against Manchester United on Sunday, but blew them all, so did Leicester against Southampton on Saturday, more to both clashes below. 
Man City had it too easy on Monday night after Wolves had Willy Boly sent off after just 19 minutes. It was just one-way traffic after that at the Etihad, the visitors failing to land a single shot on target in a Premier League game for the first time since May 2012 against Everton. Man of the match Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring after just ten minutes, sliding in Leroy Sané's fine pass, and doubled the Citizens' lead from the spot at the end of the first half (39'), making it seven goals in the last three games for the Brazilian. It was just damage limitation after that for Nuno Espírito Santo's men. Skipper Conor Coady could only deflect Kevin De Bruyne's wicked cross into the back of his own net to add to the travelling fans' misery and make it 3-0 and three points to the champions (78'). With this win, Pep Guardiola's side kept up with Liverpool, maintaining the four-point gap to the Reds at the top. Wolves meanwhile, drop down to eleventh, one point behind Everton in tenth.

What a team! As mentioned above, Liverpool stayed top, winning even if and when they were not impressing at Brighton, thanks to Mohamed Salah's penalty (50'). Of the last 10 Premier League penalties taken by left-footed players, six have failed to score - the other four have all been scored by the great Egyptian. The Reds dominated throughout the match with over 70% possession at the Amex Stadium, manager Jürgen Klopp insisting his side deserved the win and mean the real deal this season. The German has more than a point: Only four sides in English top-flight history have ever had more than the 57 points Liverpool have accumulated at this stage of the season (if league tables are adjusted to three points for a win). And only Chelsea's 2004-05 side have leaked fewer goals (8) than the Reds' 10 after 22 games. Boom..

What a man! Ben Foster starred for Watford and David de Gea for Manchester United, gloving, punching, blocking and kicking away chance after chance at Crystal Palace and Tottenham respectively, keeping their sides ahead to bag the three points in the end. It was ridiculous at Wembley on Sunday, the home side seeing 21 shots, 11 on target, but none of them going in thanks to the Spanish keeper's string of saves. It could have been a very different afternoon and result otherwise. To add to the home side's misery, star striker Harry Kane got injured and looks like he's going to be out for weeks. With yet another win, Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær has equalled Sir Matt Busby's all-time record of winning his first five league games in charge of Manchester United. They still remain in sixth, but are now level on points with Arsenal in fifth after their shocking defeat in the early kick-off on Saturday. The Gunners failed miserably at West Ham, but Hammer youngster Declan Rice will never forget that winner two days before his 20th birthday, banging the ball in being in the right place at the right time inside the box (48')!

What a goal! There were not many goals on Saturday, but plenty of own goals! Burnley beat Fulham without recording a single shot on target, Sean Dyche couldn’t believe his luck! A stunning André Schürrle volley had seen the visitors take the lead early on (2') before defenders Joe Bryan (20') and Denis Odoi (23') both diverted the ball into their own net, two goals in three minutes turning the game on its head. The Cottagers are the first side to score at least two own goals in the first half of a Premier League match since Everton did so against Southampton back in April 2014. Craig Cathcart also scored an own goal (38') for Watford at Palace in the clash mentioned above, but made up for it equalising in the second half (67'), before Tom Cleverly's stunning volley won it later on (74'). 

Shane Long’s first goal in nine months earned Southampton a hard-fought win at Leicester despite playing the second half with only ten men. Ralph Hasenhüttl continues his wonders.
Willian's curler (57') spared Chelsea any blushes/dropped points against Newcastle, the disappointing (but not surprising) result seeing the Magpies drop into the bottom three.

What the hell?! Huddersfield were frustrated as well in their goalless draw at Cardiff. The visitors thought they got a penalty after Bluebird Joe Bennett brought down Terrier Florent Hadergjonaj with 14 minutes to go, for assistant referee Stuart Burt to intervene and change referee Lee Mason's mind, saying it was vice versa, the latter fouled the prior. If this was a clash at the top of the table, all hell would have broken loose!!! The officials have to give more explanations, to the players and the watching public, please!!! It was very unclear and confusing watching the situation and decision unravel. The news of David Wagner's departure on Monday night was no real surprise, the side rock bottom, eight points from safety, after nine successive defeats, but it's such a shame after what the German-American had achieved at the club in the four years he was manager.

Leicester boss Claude Puel’s post-match reaction following the boos all round at the King Power Stadium after his side's defeat against Southampton mentioned above was gob-smacking! It's not his business (the boos, the pressure, the results)?! It's not his concern?! What is then?! I think the Frenchman is walking on very slippery and super-thin ice there, the Foxes dropping down to eighth.

My Predictions - Actual Results 

West Ham 3:3 Arsenal - 1:0

Brighton 1:3 Liverpool - 0:1

Burnley 2:1 Fulham - 2:1

Cardiff 1:0 Huddersfield - 0:0

Crystal Palace 1:1 Watford - 1:2

Leicester 2:0 Southampton - 1:2

Chelsea 2:0 Newcastle - 2:1

Everton 2:1 Bournemouth - 2:0

Tottenham 3:1 Man United - 0:1

Man City 3:1 Wolves - 3:0

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

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

Reds Grind Out Win At Leicester

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

Liverpool held on to their lead against Leicester to make it four wins out of the first four league games for the first time in 28 years, despite Alisson Becker's howler (63') and struggling against the Foxes after Sadio Mané (10') and Roberto Firmino (45') had put the Reds ahead at the King Power stadium.

Jürgen Klopp will have been a very relieved manager to have banked the three points despite the dominance by the home side and his team's flaws and errors after the restart in today's lunchtime kick-off.

Claude Puel will have been the more frustrated, having paid for their mistakes in the first half but not being able to make all their chances and breaks count to make a comeback in the second half, especially after Rachid Ghezzal pulled one back in such embarrassing and devastating fashion against the visitors.

Hence, it was a game of two very different halves.

Here are my live match notes as it all unfolded:

Vardy's still suspended for Leicester, Henderson's in for Keita, Lovren's still out for Liverpool. See the full line-up at the bottom of this post.

The King Power Stadium's louddddd!

KICK-OFF

5' Salah puts the rebound off Firmino's attempt wide, good save by Schmeichel against Bobby, Liverpool on top early on.

09:30 MANÉ GOAL! Robertson on the left side of the box, passes back to Mané in the box, through the heart of the Foxes' back defence to give the Reds the lead, easy finish for the Senegalese, his fourth goal, what a gap, too easy, BOOM! 0-1

15' All Liverpool, 66.1% possession to be exact.

20' Robertson again, putting Leicester under pressure, pushing, crossing and passing into the box from the left, but defended and cleared this time.

24' Best chance for Leicester so far, Gray runs clear of van Dijk, shoots, Alisson punches the ball away.

25' First corner for the home side, Alisson catches and throws clear, no pressure.

30' Gomez clears more Leicester pressure after Maddison set up Gray but he couldn't quite get to it.

32' Both sides give and take the ball, Albrighton takes a shot from distance, nowhere near.

33' Another shot from distance, Maddison this time, they are fuming to the ref about something, don't have a clue what they're on about...

34' Leicester free kick, flag is up, that's a waste.

36' Firmino concedes a free kick in the centre circle, trying to be flashy but handling the ball instead.

38' Milner is down, holding his head after clashing with Pereira on the rub. Play is stopped, but not for long, Leicester take their throw seconds later.

40' Another Leicester free kick, headed away. Missing all the fouls... ?! Soft one against Firmino I think this call was...

43' Mané with loads of space on the left, pulls the ball back, Liverpool trying to stretch the Foxes, Salah with a shot eventually, from the edge of the box, Schmeichel saves, out for a Red corner.

44' Milner takes, skipper Morgan heads it away for another Red corner.

45' Milner takes again, FIRMINO HEADS IT IN! The ball somehow bounces or just gets away from full-stretched Schmeichel's left glove and in. 0-2

Just one minute added on, Klopp couldn't have asked for a better start, Puel's birthday cake will taste very sour if it stays this way (he's gonna be 57 tomorrow).

Under Klopp, Firmino has been directly involved in 60 Premier League goals (37 goals, 23 assists), 15 more than any other Liverpool player. BOOM!

RESTART

48' Leicester chance wide, Ghezzal from the right, Alisson thought of going for it but then watched the ball go out for a goal kick.

50' Maddison shot from outside the box, nice curl, too much space, Alisson reads and catches it, easy, both gloves.

52' Maddison took and totally wasted Leicester's first corner of this half, wide. Liverpool throw. The home side keep the pressure up and going though, grabbing the ball back straight away, Maddison in the box again, CHANCE, wide. The Foxes are getting closer and closer, dominating this half so far.

55' Van Dijk is BOOKED for bringing down Maddison, free kick in dangerous territory outside the box for the Foxes. The wall does it's job and blocks any threat for the Reds.

57' Another Leicester corner, CHANCE, somehow Alisson gets the ball, there were three or four Leicester players clear on goal there! I can hear Klopp shouting his face off, no wonder! WTF?!

58' Liverpool counter, Salah mistimes his pass to Firmino, Leicester clear the threat.

59' Chilwell breaks on the left, his cross is headed away by Gomez.

60' LCFC 64%-36% LFC = 2nd half possession, home side coming and hitting back strongly...

61' SUB Iheanacho replaces Albrighton, first change made by Puel, can the home side make all their work pay and hit back?

62' Robertson chance wide, Red subs warming up as well.

62:21 ALISSON SCREWS UP, prances around the ball on the left side in the box, loses it to sub Iheanacho, runs back desperately, Ghezzal (who was booked earlier but I totally missed it) meets the fine pass and nets it, 1-2. WHAT A GOAL TO CONCEDE! OUCH! THAT'S WHY I HATE BACKPASSES!!!

67' The King Power stadium is super loud again now! Klopp is getting his subs ready...

69' Gray on the left, messes up the chance and/or pass, whatever it was supposed to be, Alisson collects. Sarcastic cheers all round.

71' SUBS Klopp rings in the changes, Salah's replaced by Shaqiri, Keita comes on for Henderson.

75' Leicester 5-1 Liverpool in chances this half! Puel is getting the next SUB ready... Gray is replaced by Okazaki.

78' Keita wins a free kick after being wrestled down, Liverpool play around the box, until Okazaki intercepts Shaqiri's pass.

79' Chilwell's down after Alexander-Arnold kicked the ball right into his best bits, OUCH!

80' Reds throw after the Fox recovered... Saying that, they are now waving for help, Chilwell goes off the pitch with his doc...

81' Liverpool try to waste time with the ball in the corner, Shaqiri is brought down and wins a free kick.

82' Milner takes, Mané heads it wide. Last change for the home side, Maddison comes off to be replaced by Amartey.

85' Mané on the left for Liverpool, the Foxes clear the threat, the Senegalese looks hurt in the process, nothing obvious... Seems okay after a few seconds...

86' Alexander-Arnold SHOT nowhere near, goal kick. Red fans are louder now.

87' Van Dijk kicks the ball clear, but Leicester keep pushing, Milner clears, not far, free kick to the home side, taken quickly, Keita blocks...

88' Mané down, free kick to the Reds, Mandy BOOKED for pushing the Senegalese down.

89' Last change for the Reds, Alexander-Arnold comes off for Matip. Free kick wasted, Schmeichel eventually collects the ball comfortably.

90' Shaqiri wins a corner on the right - FIVE MINUTES ADDED ON!!! Klopp doesn't look too happy about that. Milner takes the corner short with Shaqiri in front of him, Liverpool throw, they take their time, of course.

Gomez throw into the box, Leicester run clear, van Dijk puts the ball out for a throw, Klopp is loud and fuming. Liverpool fans singing YNWA... TENSE!!! Can the Reds hold on to the lead?

Milner is BOOKED for blocking and bringing down Pereira, another dangerous free kick, to Chilwell on the left, van Dijk whacks it out for a corner, Schmeichel comes up...

The ref has a word with Morgan and Matip... Van Dijk heads the corner away, Keita is down and free kick is given to the Reds eventually, Ndidi is BOOKED for his elbow/push, seconds to go.

Liverpool keep the ball well... AND HOLD ON TO THE LEAD TILL THE FINAL WHISTLE! THAT'S THREE POINTS - despite the embarrassing goal they conceded, the first of the season against Alisson.

Not a nice nor convincing win, but it's the points that count most and it's four wins out of four for the Reds! Boom!

Leicester Goal: Ghezzal 63'.

Liverpool Goals: Mané 10', Firmino 45'.

HT stats: LCFC 0-2 LFC
Possession: 47.4%-52.6%
Shots: 6-7
On target: 2-4
Offside: 2-0
Corners: 1-3
Fouls: 1-5
Bookings: 0-0

FT stats: LCFC 1-2 LFC
Possession: 51.2%-48.8%
Shots: 12-10
On target: 5-4
Offside: 3-2
Corners: 4-4
Fouls: 9-12
Bookings: 3-2

Leicester Team: 1 Schmeichel; 3 Chilwell, 15 Maguire, 5 Morgan (c), 14 Pereira; 25 Ndidi (booked 95'), 24 Mendy (booked 88'); 11 Albrighton (8 Iheanacho 61'), 10 Maddison (18 Amartey 82'), 31 Ghezzal (booked 61'); 7 Gray (20 Okazaki 76'). 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 6 Evans, 12 Ward, 21 Iborra, 28 Fuchs.

Liverpool Team: 13 Alisson; 66 Alexander-Arnold (32 Matip 89'), 12 Gomez, 4 Van Dijk (booked 55'), 26 Robertson; 7 Milner (booked 93'), 5 Wijnaldum, 14 Henderson (c) (8 Keita 71'); 11 Salah (23 Shaqiri 71'), 10 Mané, 9 Firmino. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 15 Sturridge, 18 Moreno, 20 Lallana, 22 Mignolet.

Referee: Paul Tierney
Man of the match: Joe Gomez
Stadium: The King Power Stadium
Attendance: 32,149

Click here for my last LFC match report.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 10

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 10

The tenth week of the Premier League action saw:

23 goals - most by Liverpool & Man City = 3 each
114 shots - most by Crystal Palace = 19
68 on target - most by Crystal Palace = 9
92 corners - most by Crystal Palace = 11
195 fouls - most by Crystal Palace = 18
29 yellow cards - most by Watford & Stoke = 4 each
0 red cards
2 penalties - 1 scored (Mohamed Salah missed for Liverpool, Luka Milivojevic for Crystal Palace)

I've stayed SOBER FOR OCTOBER - you can still click here to help and sponsor me and MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT! Thanks a lot! Every little, every pound helps! #Cheers #ToHealth #ToLife

What a game! West Brom against Manchester City started with a flood of goals, three in under 15 minutes! Leroy Sané opened the scoring for the visitors with a vicious strike from 15 yards. Jay Rodriguez levelled the score for the hosts three minutes later lifting the ball past Ederson off Gareth Barry's cross. But seconds later Fernandinho restored the Citizens' lead, seeing the ball deflect off a couple of players and in off the post. Former LFC winger Raheem Sterling made it 1-3 with just over an hour gone after the game calmed down a bit. The home side pulled one back late on, what a massive mistake it was by Nicolás Otamendi, Matt Phillips capitalizing well on it, but it was too little too late for the Baggies. The blue league leaders keep flying high five points clear at the top even after not exactly their best performance.

What a team! Just when Arsenal looked to be on top of their game after taking Everton apart 5-2 last week, they were humbled by Swansea, in the first half. The Swans took the lead when Sam Clucas slotted one in against the run of play halfway through the opening half. And it could have been worse if it weren't for Petr Čech's stops, denying Jordan Ayew, who came closest to double the Welsh side's lead. But the Gunners hit back and completed a great turnaround after the break, thanks to two goals in seven minutes by Sead Kolašinac (51') and Aaron Ramsey (58'). It's the third successive game the Londoners have fought back from behind, ending manager Arsène Wenger's 800th Premier League game on top, remaining fifth in the league table, level on points with Chelsea in fourth.
Newcastle definitely don't like Mondays after losing their 10th consecutive top-flight match on this miserable opening day of the week. Burnley deserved the win thanks to Jeff Hendrick's second league goal of the season, sealing a nice fifth anniversary present for manager Sean Dyche, who has been linked with the vacant Everton job. I don't think he'd be that stupid: Burnley are sitting high and happy in seventh, whilst the Toffees are stuck in the bottom three, more to their defeat below.

What a man! Super sub Anthony Martial won the early kick-off on Saturday for Manchester United, beating two Spurs defenders to slot the ball home off Romelu Lukaku's headed cross with 81 minutes on the clock, just over ten minutes after coming on. Too easy. With this victory, the hosts have won their last six league games at Old Trafford, conceding zero, keeping them second in the league table. The last time they recorded such a strong league run at home was March 2010 under Sir Alex Ferguson. The weather was just as dire as the entertainment value and quality of the match though. The first half saw the visitors on top, the home side were poor, but took more control after the interval, José Mourinho's substitution(s) proved to be crucial. Harry Kane and Victor Wanyama were ruled out due to injury and certainly missed, both scorers in Tottenham's win over the Red Devils the last time the two sides met in an emotional farewell at White Hart Lane. The result put an end to Mauricio Pochettino's men's unbeaten run on the road this season, recording their second defeat in the league, keeping them in third place, local rivals Chelsea and Arsenal closing the gap to just a point. The London side definitely don't like this ground, having lost 21 of their 26 Premier League trips to Old Trafford. (After this match, Manchester City will surely not be all too worried though, neither side looking half as threatening and lethal as the league leaders.)

What a goal! Both West Ham goals impressed, from nice team play to top quality individual effort! Javier Hernández broke the deadlock with a nice finish and André Ayew doubled the Hammers' lead with a stunner driven from 20 yards out. But a spot kick by Luka Milivojević and late late late late late Wilfried Zaha goal grabbed a point back for Crystal Palace (90'+7!!!), who had also hit the woodwork twice and pulled numerous saves from Joe Hart. It ended a point each for Roy Hodgson and Slaven Bilić, but very different feelings, the fourth point of the season for Palace, denying West Ham a first Premier League away win in six attempts.
Eden Hazard made it three in three for Chelsea, as many goals as in his previous 17 games, to beat Bournemouth 0-1 at the Vitality Stadium. Clinical. Asmir Begović was beaten from a tight angle on the side the Bosnian keeper should have had covered. The Cherries fought hard, but just could not find a breakthrough. Cruel.
And what a run and goal Leicester's opener was against Everton! Jamie Vardy banged the chance in from close range after the Foxes broke and ripped through the Toffees, Demarai Gray with the run past Tom Davies and two more Evertonians, followed by a Riyad Mahrez cross, top top top counter attack. Jonjoe Kenny's deflection added to the visitor's misery, awarded to Gray, who was on fire and involved again with a fine run and shot. The Claude Puel era is up and running, it was certainly a Super Sunday for he Frenchman. Not sure caretaker David Unsworth will get nor want the job at the Merseyside club permanently at this rate, watching his side nowhere near competing, moulding in 18th.

What the hell?! Only Jürgen Klopp knows why Mohamed Salah took the spot kick for Liverpool. James Milner and Roberto Firmino left watching as Huddersfield keeper Jonas Lössl denied the Egyptian from the spot. It just added to the frustrations, the last league win difficult to remember. It was over a month ago to be exact, 2-3 at Leicester, felt like years ago! A slice of luck saw Daniel Sturridge capitalize on Terriers captain Tommy Smith's misplaced header to give the Reds the lead and relieve them of a lot of pressure!!! Firmino doubled the lead with a strong header off a corner. Georginio Wijnaldum made it three with a rifle of a shot, past four defenders, the 150th PL goal under Klopp. What was I ranting about again? The Reds turned on the style at Anfield in the second half, finally!!! Something/someone finally clicked and turned the switch on, and keeping only their fourth clean sheet in ten league games will boost the confidence more, too. The win takes Klopp's men up to sixth, three points behind the top four. It was the first league meeting between the two sides since February 1972 and there was a lot covered in the buildup to the match about the close friendship between the two managers, Klopp and David Wagner. History. The last time the Terriers beat the Reds was 1959 under non-other than Bill Shankly before his LFC era! History-and-a-half.

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

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 live match coverage.