Premier League Picks Of The Week 28

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 28

The 28th week of the Premier League action saw:

29 goals - most by Liverpool & Brighton = 4 each
233 shots - most by Liverpool = 21
92 on target - most by Liverpool = 12
98 corners - most by Leicester & Tottenham = 13 each
205 fouls - most by Brighton = 17
24 yellow cards - most by Newcastle = 4
0 red cards
2 penalties - 1 scored (Murray for Brighton)

What a game! A late comeback by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium broke Newcastle's hearts after they started so brill! Dwight Gayle's double had given the visitors a two-goal cushion at the break. But Adam Smith's smacker off the crossbar and Dan Gosling's side-footed last-minute equaliser nicked a point for the Cherries, leaving them in 11th after Watford's win later on against Everton, whilst the Magpies dropped to 15th.
And what a crucial win it was for Brighton in the relegation battle, thrashing the sorry Swans 4-1. Star man Glenn Murray scored twice, Anthony Knockaert and Jürgen Locadia added to the Welsh side's misery later on after they saw Tammy Abraham's effort deflected in by Lewis Dunk for his fourth own goal of the season - the only shot on target for the visitors! The result takes Chris Hughton's side up to 12th whilst Carlos Carvalhal's men dropped to 18th.

What a team! West Brom's misery continued as Huddersfield held off their fightback to win 1-2 at The Hawthorns. The Terriers took the lead shortly after the break thanks to Rajiv van la Parra and it was doubled by Steve Mounié with under an hour gone. Craig Dawson headed one back for the home side minutes later, and went close from another set-piece in the dying moments. But the visitors recorded their second consecutive win, taking David Wagner's side three points safe from the drop zone in 14th. Alan Pardew on the other hand, has only seen one win in his 14 games as Albion boss, keeping his side rock bottom, seven points from safety. Surely they can't escape from that far down with ten games to go!

What a man! Liverpool's front trio were at it again as they thrashed West Ham 4-1 at Anfield on Saturday afternoon to bring the Reds' goal total to 103 in all competitions this season. Simply the best (well, behind City). Click here for my LFC match report with all the facts, stats and details.
Manchester United had sub Jesse Lingard to thank for their three points on Sunday, his header downing Chelsea after Romelu Lukaku had levelled out Willian's opener. It wasn't a clash of the top titans, more like a bash of the flop divers! But it was enough for the Red Devils to keep them second, their bitter red Merseyside rivals two points behind them, the two sides' meeting in a couple of weeks is going to be interesting.

What a goal! Stoke stopper Jack Butland went from zero to hero within seconds. After gloving in the equaliser for Leicester, a blooper-and-a-half own goal to level Xherdan Shaqiri's opener, the keeper made some great saves moments later denying Riyad Mahrez and Harry Maguire off the rebound against the post. It stayed 1-1 and a point each, leaving the Potters in the bottom three whilst the Foxes moved up to eighth.
Substitute Manolo Gabbiadini's 90th-minute equaliser at Burnley dragged the Saints out of the relegation zone, keeping the Clarets' 2018 winless run going. Troy Deeney showed how it's done, whacking Watford ahead from the middle of the box, enough to beat a poor Everton side in the late kickoff on Saturday. Crucial goals all round in and around the relegation zone.

What the hell?! Dele Alli's diving was so annoying to watch on Sunday! Even more annoying was that he didn't get cautioned for his theatrics! Crystal Palace did well to frustrate the hell out of Tottenham, until Harry Kane headed in the winner in the final minute of normal time, his 35th goal in 36 matches. Double argh! The result leaves Palace in 17th, level on points with Swansea in 18th, whilst Tottenham moved up to 4th, two points ahead of Chelsea in 5th.
After being well and truly thrashed by the league leaders Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final last Sunday, Arsenal didn't expect much in their postponed league meeting on Thursday night... And rightly so, they were once again totally outclassed and -played by the Citizens and well beaten 0-3 at the Emirates, their joint-heaviest home Premier League defeat, having lost by three-goal margins to Coventry (1993), Middlesbrough (2001) and Chelsea (twice in 2009). The Gunners started quicker and more on the ball than in the cup thrash, but Pep Guardiola's men were just too good in their 100th match under the Spaniard, recording his 69th win thanks to Bernardo Silva, David Silva and Leroy Sané and their clinical play and finishes, all in a sublime first half. To add to the home side's misery Ederson saved their second-half spot-kick denying Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and any kind of comeback for the hosts. Arsène Wenger meanwhile, well, I'm lost for words how the Frenchman is still in his job!!! The stadium was half-empty and it such a big clash, that is a big statement by the fans!!! It must be the end! Putain!!!

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

Click here for my previous Premier League Picks.

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

FT Match Notes: Saints 0-2 Reds

Sports - Football - Premier League - SOULIV

Saints kick off the action in red and white stripes, Liverpool all glowing orange.

2' First LFC corner, cleared.

3' Firmino goes down, edge of the box, pushed by Hoedt, nothing given, would have been harsh.

5' First corner for the home side, fist punch by Højbjerg, blocked and stopped first hurdle.

6' FIRMINOOOOO NETS IT, left-footer into the bottom right, thanks to Salah's pass back from the right, counter was too quick for the Saints' defenders to make it back in time to cover, 0-1. Boom.

8' Bertrand free kick on the left, headed away and cleared, first hurdle/defender again, Liverpool counter quick again, the Ox with a low deflected shot, McCarthy saves/collects comfortably.

9' Liverpool fans nice & loud MO SALAH MO SALAH MO SALAH! BOBBY FIRMINO!

10' Alexander-Arnold's cross from the right goes too far, out of reach, goal kick.

12' Captain Bertrand with a brilliant run to catch the ball before it went out and win a throw on the left. Commitment.

Southampton have now made nine errors leading to goals, only Arsenal have made more.

15' Tadic clear on the left, flag goes up.

18' Karius blocks and clears Højbjerg chance, face-to-face, head-to-head, just a couple of yards between them in the box, close one!

22' Firmino tries to follow the ball out for a corner, instead accidentally tips and trips it out for a goal kick, sarcastic cheers around St Mary's. Threat cleared, lol.

Halfway through, 2-2 shots, 1-2 on target, advantage Liverpool thanks to Firmino. 66% possession to the home side though! Matip slices and messes up a clearance for a throw as I write that.

25' Firmino goes down in the box way too overdramatic there, Stephens behind him, arm(s) on shoulder, but ref ignores it rightly.

26' Mané shot wide. The Reds keep pushing and pressing on the counter.

29' CARRILLO HEADER bounces straight into Karius' gloves, attempt on target though.

30' Karius gloves Ward-Prowse's header over for a corner, close again. The flag is up against the Saints.

32' Mané not happy with goal kick given, thinks Soares coming across him got the last touch.

34' Robertson with a ball across the box from the left, no one there to connect with it, shame.

36' Third Southampton corner, Liverpool unable to clear the bouncy ball, flag goes up eventually anyways, and breath. Chaotic and nervous stuff there by the Reds.

37' Matip is the first one in the ref's book for hugging and bringing down Tadic.

38' Saints free kick is collected by Karius, just one bounce, no real threat there.

40' Bertrand puts the ball out for a goal kick and they replay the LFC goal, Hoedt the guilty one giving the ball away in the buildup, before Salah passes from the right.

41' Karius collects the ball again, neither side are really in control here.

42' AND SALAH MAKES IT TWOOOOO!!! What a move! Right through the heart of the Saints defense, the Egyptian passes to Firmino, who flicks it back to him with a cheeky back-footer through into the box, for Salah to slash it in with his left foot into the left corner. 0-2. World class. Boom boom.

1 minute added on. Liverpool fans cheering, singing, echoing those names again. Firmino trips and tumbles and loses the force of the break and chance in the box and the ball with it. And that's HT 0-2, Southampton have nothing to show for all their dominance, Liverpool lethal on the counter, Firmino and Salah on the scoresheet.

HT Stats: SOU 0-2 LIV
Possession: 54%-46%
Shots: 5-5
On target: 4-3
Corners: 3-1
Fouls: 2-3
Yellow cards: 0-1

Liverpool kick off the second half, no changes made by either team.

46' Free kick given against Can, even though the Red skipper looked more hurt when Højbjerg tripped and fell over him, clumsy yellow.

47' Saints waste that chance, flag goes up once again. Play is stopped, Lemina doesn't look well...

50' SALAH SHOT high and out for a goal kick after Mané's acrobatic take was blocked off Firmino's cross from the left.

54' Cross goes out for a throw, Saints unable to keep the ball for long, Reds keeping the pressure up and going, but not top-quality flowing nor glowing.

55' Firmino gives the ball away, Matip wins it back, Højbjerg concedes a free kick, it goes out for a goal kick.

57' Ball goes out for a throw, first change of the game is made by the home side, unwell Lemina is replaced by Boufal.

59' Free kick to the Saints on the left, Ward-Prowse takes, Hoedt puts it just wide from close range. Chance. Gone.

60' Klopp brings on Milner for Oxlade-Chamberlain, first Red/orange change, like for like, or more defensive? Takes the captain's armband off Can.

62' Liverpool get pulled back to retake the free kick, way too quick there, Romeu booked, he looked the one in pain chasing the Reds. Wijnaldum kicks high and out for a goal kick, he has never scored away from home.

64' Mané to Firmino, Hoedt clears.

65' Van Dijk stops Saints' move forward, Liverpool with much more of the ball this half.

66' Can whacks the ball way high from distance after another charge, Milner on the right, Mané and Firmino threats were cleared from the box.

67' Flag is up against the Saints again. After four shots on target in the first half, nothing so far since the restart. Disappointing. For them.

71' FIRMINO SHOT saved by McCarthy, after Højbjerg's error, Salah puts the rebound into the side netting. Point blank stuff.

72' Long comes on for Ward-Prowse, second change for the home side, Saints fans shouting "you don't know what ye doing".

75' Mané and Robertson shots blocked, they are all lining up for Liverpool!

76' MANEEEEE denied AGAIN, actually, slipped it well wide himself, no one else to blame. Chance.

77' Van Dijk is beaten on the left (attacking that is), Saints fans cheer, throw to the Reds/orange.

79' Firmino is replaced by former Saint Lallana, second change made by Klopp. Free kick given against Liverpool, another attack stopped, Mané the culprit.

80' Last change made by Pellegrino, Davis on for Romeu, again "you don't know what ye doing" echoing around. Too little too late?

82' Karius punches away a rare Southampton chance, some chanting "when the Saints go marching in", which there hasn't been too much of this afternoon, chants nor marches.

85' LALLANAAAAA puts a chance across goal and wide of the far post, set up by Salah of course. 6-16 shots, 4-4 on target, all Red/orange this half!

89' Last change for the Reds, Salah applauded off, former Saint Lovren on, more boos by the Southampton fans, surprised they have any breath/voice/nerve left.

4 minutes added on, kick about for the visitors. YNWA echoes in the background, St Mary's emptying.

Van Dijk heads away the ball, Saints with the ball, backed into their own half, can't get into the red/orange box, and the full time whistle finally blows.

It couldn't have been easier for Klopp's men, the bit of competition there was in the first half was totally gone after the break, it could have been four or five for the Reds, Mané missing and wasting most.

0-2 at the end thanks to Firmino and Salah, their pressing and pushing and wonderful football enough to flatten and beat the Saints.

The Reds go up to third thanks to the win, two points behind United in second after their defeat at Newcastle, whilst Southampton drop into the relegation zone, 18th, one point behind Huddersfield in 17th.

FT Stats: SOU 0-2 LIV
Possession: 51%-49%
Shots: 6-16
On target: 4-4
Corners: 3-1
Fouls: 5-8
Yellow cards: 1-2

Liverpool Goals: Firmino 6', Salah 42'.

Southampton Team: 13 McCarthy; 21 Bertrand (c), 6 Hoedt, 5 Stephens, 2 Soares; 18 Lemina (19 Boufal 57'), 14 Romeu (booked 62') (8 Davis 80'); 11 Tadic, 23 Højbjerg, 16 Ward-Prowse (7 Long 72'); 9 Carrillo. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 3 Yoshida, 20 Gabbiadini, 22 Redmond, 44 Forster.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius; 26 Robertson, 4 van Dijk, 32 Matip (booked 37'), 66 Alexander-Arnold; 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can (c) (booked 46'), 21 Oxlade-Chamberlain (7 Milner 60'); 19 Mané (6 Lovren 89'), 9 Firmino (20 Lallana 79'), 11 Salah. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 18 Moreno, 22 Mignolet, 28 Ings, 29 Solanke.

Referee: Martin Atkinson
Man of the match: Mohamed Salah
Ground: St Mary's
Attendance: 31,915

Click here for my last LFC match report.

All info, stats and facts were taken from the Sky Sports app, 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 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 32

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 32

The 32nd week of the Premier League action saw:
243 shots - most by Man City = 23
29 goals - most by Tottenham & Everton = 4 each
221 fouls - most by Man United = 20
34 bookings - most by West Ham & Man United = 5 each
1 red card - Sebastian Larsson for Sunderland
1 penalty - 1 scored (Milivojevic for Palace)

What a game! From the first minute, it was all bang boom bang, comeback versus comeback, game on at Goodison Park! Everton took the lead in the first minute thanks to Tom Davies poking in the joint fastest goal in the Premier League. But champions Leicester came back hitting two in six minutes, Islam Slimani in the fourth and Marc Albrighton in the tenth minute. The Toffees showed more stubbornness and hunger though, Romelu Lukaku's double taking his tally to 13 in the last eight home games and turning the game on its head yet again. The Belgian striker served Craig Shakespeare his first defeat, making it a club record of seven out of seven home wins for Ronald Koeman's men. Great entertainment, which saw the home side in seventh move level on points with Arsenal in sixth, whilst the Foxes stay in 11th.

What a team! Liverpool did what Arsenal were not able to - both played absolute shambles, the Reds making much needed changes at the break to turn the game around at Stoke, whilst the Gunners kept firing blanks and looked nowhere near anything at Crystal Palace. Jürgen Klopp started with the youngsters, but after seeing his side being chopped to bits and falling behind thanks to boyhood Evertonian Jonathan Walters, the German brought on Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino who both banged in a goal each to take and turn the game around 1-2 and make a statement, even though the boss was adamant they didn't start due to lack of fitness... Arsène Wenger meanwhile looked clueless and helpless at Selhurst Park, his team mirroring that in their way of play, or lack of, the Eagles bossing it from start to finish, winning convincingly 3-0. If the games reveal or reflect anything, then it's the contrasting trend/spiral each side is finding themselves in!

What a man! This weekend my vote goes to the keepers, so many superb saves! Wow! Simon Mignolet kept Liverpool in the game with some great quick-reaction, reflex-type stops, putting his body on the line till the final whistle, very much appreciated by his team mates and manager and fully deserved to be crowned man of the match. Both Ben Foster and Fraser Forster served tung twisters for the commentators with their super saves at the Hawthorns, Jordy Clasie the only one to find a way through with a perfect strike, bang into the right side of the net to make it 0-1 to Southampton. And it was thanks to Forster it stayed that way late on, denying West Brom a late equaliser. Darren Randolph also starred keeping West Ham ahead after Cheikhou Kouyaté had given the Hammers the lead at the Olympic Stadium, with some astonishing stretching and diving, denying Swansea any way back into the game and point with it. Show stoppers and stealers with it, well and truly!

What a goal! Dele Alli's right-foot curler into the top right corner that opened the scoring for Tottenham against Watford gets my vote. It was a beauty that just started what ended up being a thrashing onslaught that downed the Hornets 4-0 with Eric Dier and Son Heung-min also on the scoreboard. The double for the latter saw Spurs complete their 11th straight home win, their best run since 1987. Table-toppers Chelsea also eased to a win at Bournemouth, Marcos Alonso making it 1-3 with a perfect unstoppable free-kick, left-foot curler into the top-right corner. It just finished off a top class win, the Cherries just could not compete with the likes of Eden Hazard, who scored the second goal and is outrunning and -scoring anyone and everyone at the moment it seems. Top class.

What the hell?! The refs were so hypocritically useless once again this weekend. On the one hand, Firmino and Kouyate got booked for celebrating their goals for Liverpool and West Ham respectively, but then Burnley's Ashley Barnes got away with elbowing his opponent in the face and then giving him a blow in the nuts just to top it off. Oh, and the last defender Michael Keane incident bringing down Patrick Bamford also at the Riverside, shouldn't that have been red rather than yellow? It ended up goalless between Boro and Clarets, the bottom three remaining winless in the last six, and deservedly so looking at this less impressive encounter. And then seeing Sunderland's Sebastian Larsson sent off for the first time in his 278 Premier League appearances the next day in the Super Sunday clash against Manchester United... It just crushed any kind of chance the Black Cats had against the Red Devils, destroying any kind of competition there was. And it was harsh. Very harsh. And very inconsistent.

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

Click her for last week's Premier League Picks.

All stats and pictures are taken from MOTD and BBC match reports.

Saints Outclass Reds To Reach Cup Final

Sports - Football - EFL Cup - LFC 0:1 SFC

Southampton reached their first final in 38 years beating Liverpool 1-0 in the EFL Cup semi final second leg at Anfield, 2-0 on aggregate, confidently, convincingly and deservedly so over the two legs.

Jürgen Klopp's side did not come out all guns blazing as expected being 1-0 down from the first leg.

The Saints, without key defender Virgil van Dijk due to injury, looked solid at the back and threatening on counters, the scorer of the first-leg goal Nathan Redmond breaking and bossing from the left.

Dusan Tadic came closest in the first half, spurning a chance at point blank, Loris Karius blocking and holding on gratefully.

The under-fire German keeper also denied skipper Steven Davis, who fired another good chance high and over.

The Reds missed Sadio Mané, youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold the only one pressuring, covering and creating anything on the right flank for the home side.

Not much changed after the interval, the home side enjoying more possession, pushing and pressing, but not creating much threat.

The closest Liverpool came was when Fraser Forster punched away Emre Can's attempt, to watch it bounce over him, sending him scrambling back to stop it from crossing the line.

It was a good recovery from what could have ended up very embarrassing for the English stopper.

Apart from that, the evening grew more and more frustrating for the hosts, Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana wasting chances and giving away the ball again and again.

Klopp left the changes late, bringing on Divock Origi the Kop were chanting for, replacing Can with just over ten minutes to go.

And why Georginio Wijnaldum came on for Philippe Coutinho with only a couple of minutes remaining and not earlier, only the German manager knows.

Anfield was just as furious as their boss, watching Southampton wasting time and a handball appeal against substitute Shane Long denied by referee Ben Atkinson.

Replays showed it was a close call, the ball coming off the top of the arm/shoulder, a 50/50 call, the officials staying consistent as in not giving much.

It was too little, too late for the Reds, and when Origi went down in the box challenged by Jack Stephens in injury time, it just looked desperate.

The corner that followed taken by James Milner was dire and led up to another Southampton counter, started by substitute Josh Sims with a great run and pass, finished off nicely by Long.

This win means Saints manager Claude Puel is unbeaten in six against Liverpool (W3, D3), whilst it's Klopp's first semi-final defeat in seven as a manager.

The result drags down Liverpool's form so far this year, the only win coming against League Two side Plymouth Argyle in their FA Cup third round replay, losing three and drawing three of the seven games played so far this year.

Southampton will be going to the final at Wembley on the 26th February to meet either Manchester United or Hull City, having not conceded a single goal in the competition.

They are looking to win their second major trophy since beating the Red Devils in the 1976 FA Cup final. History in the making?

Southampton Goal: Long 90:44min.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius; 7 Milner, 6 Lovren, 32 Matip, 66 Alexander-Arnold; 20 Lallana, 14 Henderson (c), 23 Can (27 Origi 78'); 10 Coutinho (5 Wijnaldum 87'), 15 Sturridge, 11 Firmino. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 17 Klavan, 18 Moreno, 21 Lucas, 22 Mignolet, 58 Woodburn.

Southampton Team: 1 Forster; 21 Bertrand, 3 Yoshida, 24 Stephens, 2 Soares; 8 Davis, 14 Romeu, 16 Ward-Prowse (23 Hojbjerg 59'); 11 Tadic, 9 Rodriguez (7 Long 45'), 22 Redmond (39 Sims 81'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 4 Clasie, 15 Martina, 38 McQueen, 41 Lewis.

Match Stats: HT & FT Liverpool-Southampton
Possession: 72%-28% & 73%-27%
Attempts: 4-5 & 13-7
On target: 2-1 & 3-2
Corners: 1-2 & 8-4
Fouls: 5-2 & 8-2
Bookings: 0-0 & 0-0

Referee: Ben Atkinson
Man of the match: Oriel Romeu
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 52,238

Pictures and stats taken from BBC match report and Sky Sports live coverage.

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

Saints Outplay Liverpool In Semi First Leg

Sports - Football - EFL Cup - SFC 1:0 LFC

Southampton outshone and -played record winners Liverpool in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final, beating the Reds 1-0 at St Mary's.

It could and should have been a much worse score for the Reds, under-fire and second-choice keeper Loris Karius making some crucial saves, especially in the first half.

The Saints had taken the lead thanks to Nathan Redmond's fine finish off Jay Rodriguez just 20 minutes into the clash.

The English midfielder could have had a hat-trick if it weren't for the 23-year-old German stopper denying him again and again, keeping the visitors in the tie.

Jürgen Klopp conceded defeat after the match and that it should have been 3-0, leaving Saints boss Claude Puel happy with the display but a bit disappointed with the result.

It was by far the worst performance under the German boss, the Reds dominating possession but recording less shots and only two on target, leaving Fraser Forster with not much to do.

Man of the match  Virgil van Dijk bossed the show from the back, frustrating the visitors, Roberto Firmino the only Red to get an attempt on target.

Southampton will be desperate to keep hold of the popular centre-half throughout and beyond the January transfer window.

Liverpool will be desperate to come back from this dire defeat, lucky to have just one goal between the two when they meet again at Anfield in just over two weeks.

(The game was so bad, there is not more to write about. No discrediting Southampton, it was a great win for them!)

Southampton Goal: Redmond (20').

Southampton Team: 1 Forster; 2 Soares, 3 Yoshida, 17 van Dijk (c), 21 Bertrand; 14 Romeu, 4 Clasie (23 Hojbjerg 73'), 8 Davis (16 Ward-Prowse 82'); 9 Rodriguez (booked 81') (7 Long 82'), 22 Redmond, 11 Tadic (booked 65'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 24 Stephens, 38 McQueen, 39 Sims, 41 Lewis.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius; 2 Clyne, 6 Lovren, 17 Klavan, 7 Milner (c); 21 Lucas, 5 Wijnaldum (10 Coutinho 61'), 23 Can; 15 Sturridge, 20 Lallana, 11 Firmino (27 Origi 83'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 12 Gomez, 18 Moreno, 22 Mignolet, 35 Stewart, 58 Woodburn.

Match Stats: SFC-LFC
Attempts: 11-9
On target: 5-2
Corners: 2-5
Fouls: 11-5
Bookings: 2-0

Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Ground: St Mary's Stadium
Attendance: 31,480

Pictures and stats taken from the BBC match report.

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 18

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 18

The 18th week of the Premier League actions saw:

239 shots - most by Arsenal & Man United = 26 each
31 goals - most by Liverpool, Tottenham & West Ham = 4 each
236 fouls - most by Watford & Middlesbrough = 18 each
36 bookings - most by Burnley = 6
1 red card - Redmond for Saints
5 penalties - 3 scored (Deeney for Watford, Hazard for Chelsea, Yaya Touré for Man City)

What a game! It was very annoying to watch injury-hit Watford against dominant Crystal Palace. The competitive London derby encounter was spoiled by too many dives and whines, it was pathetic! Palace had taken the lead nice and comfortable thanks to Yohan Cabaye's low strike and should have been two up, but for Christian Benteke to screw up his spot kick. Then to fit the cringeworthy mess, Troy Deeney's soft penalty made it 1-1, no discrediting him becoming the 5th centurion in goals for the hosts. This one was a game to watch if you want to teach young players how not to play and what not to do!!! 💩🙈💩🙈💩

What a team! And Chelsea keep on going, recording their 12th consecutive league win, a club record. Even without Diego Costa and N'Golo Kanté, the Blues were unstoppable, downing Bournemouth 3-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to Pedro and man of the match Eden Hazard with a goal each and Steve Cook's own goal deflection off the prior's strike. Liverpool are staying on their trail in second place with an impressive 4-1 home win against Stoke, keeping their unbeaten home record up and going, but still six points between the two sides at the top. ⚽️👊🏻⚽️👊🏻⚽️

What a man! Antonio Conte is the first manager to win 15 of his first 18 Premier League games. Jürgen Klopp stole some of that limelight on Tuesday when Liverpool thrashed Stoke 4-1 recording the 100th league goal under the German, a gift for Daniel Sturridge seconds after he came on as a substitute. Adam Lallana starred again for the Reds, click here for my match report. Cesc Fàbregas proved he's still got it, scoring or assisting in each of his last three Premier League starts for top dogs Chelsea. And last but not least, Man City's Yaya Touré kept his 100% penalty record in the Premier League, converting 10/10. ⚽️👊🏻⚽️👊🏻⚽️

What a goal! Henrikh Mkhitaryan's goal for United was phenomenal, goal of the season (so far), no question about it. The replays, the stunned crowd and commentators, in total awe, drooling over it again and again, proved that. Only catch: It was offside! Not just one player, but two or three red shirts! How the refs missed that, I don't know. Or maybe they were just as shocked by the goal's brilliance that they forgot what/where/who/why/how they were doing... It helped the Red Devils to their fourth successive Premier League win, boss José Mourinho certainly didn't have any complaints, for a change!

What the hell?! As mentioned above, so many refereeing decisions were not just questionable, but blatantly wrong! From dives, free kicks, penalties, goals... To red cards! Nathan Redmond's sending off in the second half, when the score was just 1-2, was harsh to say the least and a game changer for the Saints against Spurs. It turned a competition into a thrash. Shame. Farce. Costly. Oh so crucial. Why replays cannot be used like in tennis, cricket, rugby... I keep on asking and shaking my head again and again... 💩🙈💩🙈💩

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

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

Pictures taken from the BBC match reports.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 8

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 8

The 8th week of Premier League action saw:

256 shots - most by Southampton = 34!

27 goals - most by Bournemouth = 6!

200 fouls - most by Man United = 20

30 bookings - most by Middlesbrough = 5

2 red cards - Xhaka for Arsenal and Creswell for West Ham - both harsh!

6 penalties - 2 saved, 4 scored

Danny Murphy did not get it quite right, but still an interesting read ahead of LFC v MUFC

The clash ended up disappointingly goalless, but looking back at some memorable moments will definitely keep you more entertained!

Despite all mind games and point gained apparently, Mourinwho?

What a game! Saturday had everything in it! In contrast to Super Sunday/Red Monday, it did not disappoint! All games had chances, goals, controversies and heroics left, right and centre! Although, Southampton top the list of chances with 34 shots, which is a record this season so far! They will be disappointed they beat Burnley only 3-1! But all games were smashing and MOTD was epic on Saturday. And the top scorers of the day came first in the highlights show...

What a team! Bournemouth absolutely smothered Hull City, it could have been even worse than 6-1! Eddie Howe's men made it three home wins in a row with that thrash, taking them up to ninth, whilst the Tigers' defensive woes continue, dragging Mike Phelan's side down to 16th the week after he was finally made permanent. Not a good start.
Liverpool could not often say this in the past, but they were disappointed to leave Anfield with just a point against bitter rivals Man United thanks to a great couple of saves by David de Gea. It just shows how much progress they have made under Jürgen Klopp and the more promising the future looks for the Reds.

What a man! Maarten Stekelenburg deserves the knighthood as far as Everton are concerned (or whatever the Dutch equivalent is)! Stopping two spot kicks and making crucial and breathtaking saves during the match, the keeper denied Man City three crucial points in the title race and made Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Agüero look amateur. The Dutch stopper did not help neither's men confidence with penalties, much to team mate Phil Jagielka's relief after he conceded both spot kicks. Legendary performance!

What a goal! Romelu Lukaku's opener for the Toffees against Pep Guardiola's side was a great finish to a counter, some poor defending helped along the way. Mesut Özil's magnificent volley into the roof of the net gets my vote too, completing a lovely team goal off a deliciously chipped cross by Alexis Sanchez to make it 3-1 to the Gunners against Swansea.

What the hell?! How the hell Granit Xhaka and Aaron Creswell can be sent off when Antonio Barragan stayed on the pitch for Middlesbrough?! Already on a yellow, the defender kept bullying and fouling the opposition without any further consequences, much to Watford's dismay, but Isaac Success and co stayed and ended on top, bagging the three points. The inconsistencies of the officials are gob-smacking! And if the FA let managers like José Mourinho get away with the pre-match comments and then the gestures the Portuguese made on the sideline during the match, how can they expect less pressure and more respect for the referees?! Ridiculous!

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

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks

All pictures takes from the BBC match reports 

Premier League Picks Of The Week 4

Sports - Football - Premier League- Week 4

The fourth week of the Premier League action saw:

294 shots - most by Chelsea = 28

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

206 fouls - most by Tottenham = 18

43 bookings - most by Southampton = 5

0 red cards

2 penalties - 2 scored

Stoke manager Mark Hughes seeing red and being honest about it

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks

Images taken from BBC match reports and Google search