Premier League Picks Of The Week 13

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 13

These are the Premier League Picks Of The Week 13:

27 goals - most by Man City = 4

251 shots - most by Arsenal = 20

86 on target - most by Tottenham = 9

95 corners - most by Man United = 10

197 fouls - most by Tottenham = 19

25 bookings - most by Brighton, Cardiff, Southampton & Chelsea = 3 each

2 red cards - Maddison for Leicester, Henderson for Liverpool

1 penalty - 1 scored (Vardy for Leicester)

What a game! Claudio Ranieri’s first match as Fulham boss after replacing first sacking of the season Slaviša Jokanović had everything in it, the best and worst, the ups and downs, leaving Southampton reeling and losing 3-2, their manager Mark Hughes on very thin ice wondering what the hell his side have to do to get a win. Stuart Armstrong had given the Saints the lead (18’), but Aleksandar Mitrović’s brace (33’, 63’) ended his six-game league goal drought and completed the perfect comeback with André Schürrle (43’), nullifying Armstrong’s equaliser in-between all of that (53’). It was an eventful encounter between the two struggling sides, Craven Cottage a very relieved and much happier and more hopeful place with their new boss, reducing the climb to safety to barely a point.

What a team! Liverpool are nowhere near their best (yet) but are still unbeaten after ending 0-3 winners at Watford, thanks to Mohamed Salah’s opener (67’), Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stunning free-kick (76’) and Roberto Firmino’s tap-in (89’). It was far from comfortable for Jürgen Klopp’s men though, with captain Jordan Henderson sent off for two daft yellows (82’) and Andy Robertson escaping a penalty shout after fouling Will Hughes as the score was still level. But the records keep tumbling for the Merseyside club, unbeaten after 13 league games with 33 points, only five goals conceded, just two points behind leaders Manchester City, the only other unbeaten side left in the league and country, who thrashed a sorry West Ham side 0-4 at the London Stadium. Chelsea meanwhile, totally derailed and crashed against Tottenham, just 3-1 at Wembley, it could and should have been 7 or 8-1 to Mauricio Pochettino’s side. The result sees Spurs replace the Blues in third, two points ahead of their London rivals, three points behind the Reds.

What a man! Man of the match Jamie Vardy was a game changer at the Amex Stadium. Leicester were second best for most of the first hour, not least thanks to James Maddison’s early sending off after two quick consecutive yellows for a foul and a stupid dive (28’). Glenn Murray had put Brighton ahead early on with his 101st goal for the club on his 100th Premier League appearance (15’). But Vardy injected some energy into the Foxes and life into the game after coming on 11 minutes into the second half. His equaliser from the spot, his first goal since September ending a run of 468 league minutes without a goal, earned his side a point on the road, keeping Claude Puel’s men in 10th place, three points clear of the Seagulls in 12th.

What a goal! Gylfi Sigurðsson’s crucial winner for Everton against Cardiff (59’) made it four home league wins in a row for his side and saw them move into the top six, whilst the Welsh side remain in the bottom three.

Bournemouth Jefferson Lerma’s own goal was gob-smacking (30’), banged in, no chance for anyone to stop it, and with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s eighth strike of the season (67’) secured Arsenal’s fourth league away win of the season, stretching their unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions, but still leaving Unai Emery expecting more. Eddie Howe felt rightly hard done by after seeing David Brooks' strike disallowed and Lerma hit the post (the correct side of the pitch this time), his side not sinking easily after their winning start to the season, but momentum has stalled a bit. After losing just two of their opening 10 league games (W6 D2), the Cherries have lost their last three in a row, dragging them down to 8th, whilst the Gunners sit strong in 5th, five points ahead of Everton in 6th and just one point behind Chelsea in 4th.

What the hell?! Manchester United’s goalless draw against Crystal Palace was hard to watch and takes their run to just three wins out of their nine games at home this season. Roy Hodgson’s men had several chances to make it even worse for the Red Devils, coming close to secure not just their first league point but also win at Old Trafford since 1989. José Mourinho was left moaning about his players’ heart and desire, or more the lack of it. Has he ever wondered why? Has he ever looked at what the reason could be = in the mirror?!?!?!

There were loads of #WTF and #ZZZ moans on social media about the Super Sunday match between Wolves and Huddersfield and not much to be expected from it. Same with the Monday Night Football fixture, Burnley against Newcastle. Fool all of them, both matches were cracking to watch, competitive and entertaining, lots happening. Aaron Mooy’s double (6', 74') helped the Terriers off the bottom of the table, whilst Nuno Espírito Santo has watched his side collect just one point from the last 15, their worst run under the Portuguese. The Magpies secured their third successive league win, Sean Dyche left absolutely fuming about his side’s frailty, having won just one of their past nine league home games (D2 L6) after gifting the goals and result, which takes the sides to 13th and 17th respectively.

My Predictions - Actual Results
Brighton 1:2 Leicester - 1:1

Everton 3:1 Cardiff - 1:0

Fulham 2:1 Southampton - 3:2

Man United 1:0 Crystal Palace - 0:0

Watford 1:2 Liverpool - 0:3

West Ham 1:1 Man City - 0:4

Tottenham 1:1 Chelsea - 3:1

Bournemouth 1:2 Arsenal - 1:2

Wolves 1:1 Huddersfield - 0:2

Burnley 0:0 Newcastle - 1:2

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 8

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 8

Here are my Premier League Picks Of The Week 8:

26 goals - most by Arsenal = 5

255 shots - most by Fulham and Chelsea = 21 each

96 on target - most by Man United = 10

114 corners - most by Chelsea = 12

214 fouls - most by United = 16

43 yellow cards - most by Southampton = 6

3 red cards - Morgan for Leicester, Ralls for Cardiff, Kabasele for Watford

2 penalties - 1 scored (King for Bournemouth)

What a game! Bournemouth’s 0-4 thrashing of ten-man Watford was their biggest away win in the Premier League and the victory took them up to fifth. The Cherries have now taken 16 points from their opening eight league games, last season it took Eddie Howe's men 16 matches to reach that tally. Vicarage Road will not remember its 100th Premier League fixture fondly.
Old Trafford meanwhile witnessed a Fergie-style comeback Saturday evening. Manchester United were 0-2 down at half-time, but hit back to beat Newcastle 3-2, sub Alexis Sánchez with the 90th minute winner that rang good old memories around the ground after it looked oh so bleak at the break! The Red Devils had David de Gea to thank they were not thrashed in the first half, Kenedy (7’) and Yoshinori Muto (10’) hitting two goals in three minutes and the Magpies creating plenty more threats and chances against a very poor home side. But under-fire José Mourinho said something right during the interval and made the right changes at just the right times to turn the game around, man of the match Juan Mata (70’) and sub Anthony Martial (76’) starting the comeback. Rafael Benítez’s men slip down to 19th remaining winless in their eight league games this season, only in 1898-99 have they gone longer without a victory from the start of a top-flight campaign (first ten matches).

What a team! Huddersfield's comeback has finally given David Wagner's side a glimmer of hope in all the darkness, taking them off the bottom of the table up to 18th. The Terriers are still looking for their first win of the season, but Christopher Schindler's equaliser (66'), the German defender's first goal in the Premier League, secured an important point at Burnley after Sam Vokes had given the home side the lead (20'). 
Wolves' unbeaten run continues after six matches, their best run in the top flight since 1979. Nuno Espírito Santo named an unchanged starting XI for an eighth consecutive opening fixture. Matt Doherty's goal (56') was enough to down Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Roy Hodgson's men still looking for their first home win.

Tottenham equalled their best start to a Premier League season having 18 points from eight games after beating Cardiff 1-0 thanks to Eric Dier's early goal (8'). The Welsh side were reduced to ten men after Joe Ralls was sent off with just under an hour gone, seeing them falling to the bottom of the table still remaining without a win.

At the other end of the table, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea remain unbeaten, the last three teams without a defeat. More to the meeting between the prior two below, whilst the Blues had it too easy, ending 0-3 winners at Southampton.

What a man! Glenn Murray’s 99th Albion goal and fifth of the season won it for Brighton against West Ham on Friday night (25’). The 35-year-old has been involved in 33 goals in 44 home appearances since the start of 2016-17. The Amex king ended the Seagulls’ five-game winless run in the league, whilst serving the Hammers their first league defeat in four league games. Only Chelsea forward Eden Hazard has scored more Premier League goals this season. The Belgian was essential in the Blues' win at Southampton with four key passes, 99 passes, 85.1% pass accuracy, five shots and the opening goal (30'). Ross Barkley assisted the opener and doubled his side's lead (57') before Alvaro Morata put the icing on the cake and made it 0-3 deep into injury time (93'). It's the first time an Englishman has assisted and scored for Roman Abramovich's side since Frank Lampard in December 2013.

What a goal! Gylfi Sigurðsson’s 50th Premier League goal was a stunning strike from 25 yards into the top corner (77’). That cracker gave Everton a 1-2 win at Leicester after Foxes captain Wes Morgan was sent off for the second time in three league games. It’s the Toffees first consecutive win this season and their first victory on the road which takes them up to eleventh, level on points with their opponents in tenth.

Arsenal were showing off on Sunday, thrashing Fulham 1-5 at Craven Cottage with some flashy finishes. It was all level at the break and looked very frustrating, but the Gunners shot the home side to pieces after the break. Alexandre Lacazette (29', 49') and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (79', 91') both starred with braces either side of Aaron Ramsey's star goal (67'). The Welsh midfielder scored within a minute of coming on as a substitute, starting and finishing a stunning team move. Manager Unai Emery can be a very happy man after seeing his side record their ninth consecutive win in all competitions, their best run since April 2015, taking them up to fourth.

What the hell?! United’s comeback win mentioned above confused everyone! Yay! Nay! No way! Half-time was the end of Mourinho, full-time the resurrection was complete. Some of the refereeing decisions were just wrong though, a goal kick was given when it should have been a corner, more like a penalty after a blatant handball! No discrediting the Red Devils and their fight back, but, it cannot hide the cracks and lacks of the team that have been oh so evident this season! Their next game will be at Chelsea after the international break, a real test of character and team play.

The one game you thought and expected the most of, had the least to show for, no goals at Anfield, just misses, and what a miss it was by Riyad Mahrez from the spot for City. Neither side recorded a single shot on target for over an hour! The goalless draw kept both clean sheets and unbeaten records in tact, as mentioned above, the top three locked on 20 points. Click here for my full match report.

My Predictions - Actual Results 

Brighton 2:2 West Ham - 1:0

Burnley 3:1 Huddersfield - 1:1

Crystal Palace 0:1 Wolves - 0:1

Leicester 2:1 Everton - 1:2

Tottenham 3:1 Cardiff - 1:0

Watford 2:1 Bournemouth - 0:4

Man United 1:1 Newcastle - 3:2

Fulham 1:2 Arsenal - 1:5

Southampton 0:3 Chelsea - 0:3

Liverpool 2:1 Man City - 0:0 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, Sky and RMC sports apps and coverage.