Premier League Picks Of The Week 38

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 38

The 38th week of the Premier League action saw:

31 goals - most by Tottenham = 5

247 shots - most by Swansea = 26

93 on target - most by Liverpool & Swansea = 11 each

98 corners - most by Man City = 12

193 fouls - most by Burnley = 14

22 yellow cards - most by Man United = 4.

0 red cards

1 penalty - 0 scored

What a game! Leicester and Tottenham could just not stop scoring. The two sides shared NINE GOALS between each other!!! What a comeback it was by the London side, trailing three times, 3-1 down at the break to lead 4-3, see Gazza dancing, the Foxes equalising and Harry Kane netting his second and the match winner - not enough to clinch the Golden Boot though. With Erik Lamela’s double and Christian Fuchs’ own goal, it ended 5-4 at a very entertained Wembley and with a very happy Mauricio Pochettino seeing his side end up third. Jamie Vardy’s brace, together with Riyad Mahrez and Kelechi Iheanacho all on the scoreboard, was still not enough and just another defeat at the end of a disappointing season for the 2016 champions. Claude Puel called the match crazy, which it was, but it cannot hide the fact that finishing 9th after their 15th defeat is just not good enough and it remains to be seen who will be the boss and stay part of the team at the King Power Stadium next season.

What a team! Newcastle took Chelsea apart with the great help of Ayoze Pérez’s brace, two goals in four minutes, after Dwight Gayle’s header from close range gave the home side the lead at St James’ Park. The little chance the Blues had of sneaking into the top four was blown away by the Magpies, manager Antonio Conte taking the blame for such a disappointing campaign. The Londoners still have the FA Cup final to play next weekend, but either way, no matter how that ends, I would be very surprised to see the Italian still at the Stamford Bridge helm next season, given their Russian owner's managerial record, not exactly the patient one... Newcastle on the other hand would love for their boss Rafa Benítez to stay after the Spaniard guided their side back up into the PL and up to 10th, but his relationship with the hierarchy puts doubt on that as well...

The miracle of a 10-goal swing was not to be for Swansea, no matter how much they tried at the Liberty Stadium (26 shots!). After taking the lead early on thanks to Andy King, the Welsh side fell behind Stoke after Badou Ndiaye's equaliser and Peter Crouch's winner turned the game around within ten minutes, all in the first half. And it could have been worse, the visitors missing a penalty in Wales, Martin Olsson penalised for handball, Xherdan Shaqiri’s spot kick saved by Łukasz Fabiański in the bottom left corner. Just like their run under Carlos Carvalhal, 17 points from the first 9 games, to only three from the last 8, the Swans’ run went from top to flop, just not good and consistent enough to stay up.

What a man! Will the 3-1 defeat and plenty of bubbles for Everton at West Ham put another nail in Big Sam’s coffin? The Hammers moved up two places to finish 13th after this fine win, inspired by Manuel Lanzini once again with two goals and Marko Arnautović adding to the Toffees misery and making Oumar Niasse’s goal count for nothing. David Moyes’ men ended a very topsy turvy campaign on a high, finishing 13th after beating his former side who appointed Allardyce on a slide and fall of their own. The big boss will point out the blue side of Liverpool have finished in 8th, top half of the table, much better than expected after their nightmare start, but I will be very surprised to see him still in the same job in August.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang once again like in their last home game last weekend served Arsène Wenger with a perfect send-off, this time at Huddersfield, his goal completing the Gunners’ first away win in 2018. It was a nice touch by the Terriers to display "Merci Arsène" and join in the standing ovation after 22 minutes to celebrate the Frenchman’s 22 years at the London club, a reign of 1,235 matches (707 wins, 280 draws, 248 defeats). The John Smith’s Stadium was the 48th different ground Wenger has won at in the PL - a record (breaking Sir Alex Ferguson’s 47). Who will dare to fill those shoes I wonder...

Roy Hodgson meanwhile was celebrated at Crystal Palace after a comfy 2-0 win against already relegated West Brom, pulling the side out of trouble and much higher than anyone would have expected after their pointless and goalless start to the season, losing their opening seven games. But the ex-England boss was still sad to see his former side Albion go down, especially after their impressive resurgence under caretaker manager Darren Moore, this being their only defeat in his six matches in charge. The Baggies still finished bottom, for a record 10th season in the top flight and second time in the Premier League era (also 2008-09).

What a goal! Dominic Solanke finally opened his account for Liverpool with a smacking finish and thanks to an unselfish Mohamed Salah setting him up with his pass in the box after he had scored the opener - his record 32nd goal of the season, most by any player in a 38-game PL season. Much-criticised defender Dejan Lovren rose to head in the third, his celebration showing how much it meant to him. And Andrew Robertson scored his first for the Reds as well to make it 4-0. It was the great Egyptian of course who collected all the records and awards after the match, but it was an exemplary team display. Brighton were left watching in awe, Jürgen Klopp’s men all over them, just what the Merseyside’s doctor ordered before their Champions League final in 13 days.

Marcus Rashford showed how to tap it in and win it for Manchester United against Watford, there was not much else notable that happened in the match. Like the rest of the season, the Red Devils weren’t much to watch but still got the points, typical José Mourinho - who had made nine changes for this match. United ended the season in second place on 81 points, their highest finish since Fergie retired in 2013. I’m sure their current Portuguese boss will underline, frame and point that out to anyone who dares to criticise him and his less-entertaining style.

What the hell?! If that was not typical Manchester City, Gabriel Jesus whacking in the winner Agüero-style in the dying seconds of added time (94’) at Southampton as the commentators were already lauding the point and draw. But it ended 0-1 at St Mary’s, three points and the full century of points for Pep Guardiola’s men, a record 100 points from 38 games, 50 at home, 50 away, muchas gracias!!! What an achievement! And the Saints were still happy too, nice and safe after the Swans’ defeat, mentioned above.

And Jermain Defoe set up Bournemouth’s last-second winner in injury time as well, unselfishly serving Callum Wilson the goal to make it 1-2 at Burnley after Joshua King’s delicious curling equaliser levelled Chris Wood’s opener. Sean Dyche can still be happy with his side’s best league finish since 1973-74 and Europa League qualification in 7th place, returning to European football for the first time in 51 years.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Burnley 1:1 Bournemouth - 1:2

Crystal Palace 2:1 West Brom - 2:0

Huddersfield 1:0 Arsenal - 0:1

Liverpool 3:0 Brighton - 4:0

Man United 1:0 Watford - 1:0

Newcastle 1:1 Chelsea - 3:0

Southampton 2:4 Man City - 0:1

Swansea 2:1 Stoke City - 1:2

Tottenham 3:1 Leicester - 5:4

West Ham 1:2 Everton - 3:1

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 36

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 36

The 36th week of the Premier League action saw:

22 goals - most by Crystal Palace = 5

229 shots - most by Liverpool & Man City = 19 each

70 on target - most by Palace = 9

77 corners - most by Liverpool & Man United = 9 each

202 fouls - most by Brighton = 17

23 yellow cards - most by Southampton = 5

1 red card - Albrighton for Leicester

1 penalty - 1 scored (Benteke for Palace)

What a game! Arsenal have not won at Old Trafford in the league for a decade and José Mourinho has never lost a home league game against Arsène Wenger. No surprise then when the Gunners suffered their sixth away defeat in a row for the first time since January 1966 losing 2-1 late on against United on Sunday afternoon. That means the Londoners are the only side left in the top four divisions in England without a single point on the road in 2018 (P6 W0 D0 L6). The French boss lined up the youngest starting eleven (average age 24y 67d) in the league since August 2011 - when they were thrashed 8-2 at the same ground. The match was not much of a contest, unlike the rivalry battles from the past as recounted in the previews and buildup, more like a training game, not much speed nor physicality. Paul Pogba fired the home side ahead after 16 minutes before former Red Devil Henrikh Mkhitaryan levelled the score soon after the interval and it looked like the visitors were able to get something out of the game. But Maroune Fellaini smashed in the winner in injury time seconds after Marcus Rashford had a goal disallowed, serving Wenger a bitter final farewell. “We want you to stay!” was the chant from the home fans. OUCH!

What a team! It was not Leicester’s day on Saturday afternoon at Selhurst Park. Crystal Palace led comfortably in the first half thanks to man of the match Wilfried Zaha and James McArthur. Marc Albrighton’s last-man tackle earned him a straight red and added to his side’s misery shortly after the break. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Patrick van Aanholt sealed the deal 4-0 later on, Christian Benteke topped it 5-0 from the spot, their joint-biggest win in the top-flight since December 1972 (when they thrashed Manchester United 5-0), thank you very much, leaving Roy Hodgson and co all smiles after going up to 11th with this win, 99.9% safe. What relegation worries?! Who would have thought a couple of months ago?! Claude Puel meanwhile, after his side's third defeat in the last four games, is under hotter than hot fire walking on super-thin melting ice...

Newcastle didn’t have much to cheer about either on Saturday afternoon losing 0-1 to West Brom thanks to Matt Phillips, the season trickling away for the Toons with their second defeat on the trot, whilst the bottom side are experiencing a remarkable upturn in form since Darren Moore has taken over as caretaker, four games unbeaten. Shame it has all come a bit too late for the Baggies, needing a miracle to survive, five points from safety with two games left to play and some other teams with a game in hand.

What a man! Dušan Tadić was outstanding for Southampton in their crucial 2-1 win against Bournemouth on Saturday. The Serb’s brace made the difference, the first a low finish after a counter attack, the second a superb run and drilled-in winner after Joshua King had fired in an equaliser for the visitors. Mark Hughes seems to be making a difference for the Saints, this win being vital in their fight for safety, taking them to just one point behind the Swans in 17th.

Huddersfield were pulled closer to the relegation zone after Everton beat them too comfortably at home, Cenk Tosun and Idrissa Gueye sealing the 0-2 win for the Toffees. What was all the negative fuss around Big Sam when he took over at Goodison Park?! The Toffees went up to eighth with this win, totalling 14 points from the last seven games as the boss himself pointed out as he departed from the post-match interview. Point. Made. David Wagner and his Terriers meanwhile are dangling in 16th, just three points from the drop with Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal left to play. TRIPLE OUCH!!!

What a goal! Most of the goals at the London Stadium were just comical, Manchester City all over West Ham. First Leroy Sané’s cross/shot was deflected in by former Red Devil Patrice Evra’s head, then Declan Rice and Pablo Zabaleta ping ponged Kevin De Bruyne’s low cross into the back of their own net. The Hammers did hit one back, Aaron Cresswell curling a free kick in nicely around the ball (which should have actually been a penalty as the foul was committed inside the box), but crumbled to bits after that. Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho were too quick and netted two more from close range after the restart, th-r-ash - and the Citizens could have had a penalty in between as well, Raheem Sterling chopped to ground. It ended 1-4, taking Pep’s men’s total to 102 goals in the PL and leaving no question who’s on top, all sorts of records tumbling (goals, points, away and in total). But the only downer was that it seemed like the ref didn’t know any rules - what’s offside? And what are the lines and box for?! Pf. More to the flopping refereeing standards below.

It was a scrappy one at Wembley on Monday night, Watford keeper Orestis Karnezis handing Dele Alli the opener before Harry Kane doubled Tottenham’s lead and secured the three points to the home side, moving them one step closer to Champions League qualification, 4th placed, five points ahead of Chelsea in 5th and just one point behind Liverpool in 3rd with a game in hand on the Reds. The Hornets meanwhile are still not completely safe, in 13th, six points clear from the drop zone, but other teams with games in hand. Next week will be crunch time for a lot of teams, top and bottom four/five/six/seven/eight/you get my drift...

What the hell?! The refereeing was below par once again as mentioned above, at Anfield as well, not excusing Liverpool’s tired display against Stoke City, but just pointing out how crucial the officials’ decisions can be and are. Click here for my full LFC match report of the frustrating goalless lunchtime kickoff on Saturday. ARGH!!!

Burnley had a couple of penalty appeals waved away as well, both clear handballs, Brighton grabbing a point from them at Turf Moor, the prior needing just one more point to secure their place in the Europa League, whilst the latter slip to 14th, five points clear of the relegation places.

Chelsea’s Gary Cahill was a very lucky man not to concede a spot kick for his tackle on Swansea’s Nathan Dyer in Wales in the Saturday evening kickoff. The Blues ended up 0-1 winners thanks to Cesc Fàbregas’ early goal and bad refereeing, leaving the Swans dangling just one point above the drop zone, all the questionable decisions keeping the battle to safety wide open, as detailed above.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Liverpool 3:1 Stoke City - 0:0 or my match report

Burnley 1:1 Brighton - 0:0

Crystal Palace 2:1 Leicester - 5:0

Huddersfield 1:1 Everton - 0:2

Newcastle 1:0 West Brom - 0:1

Southampton 2:1 Bournemouth - 2:1

Swansea 1:3 Chelsea - 0:1

West Ham 2:3 Man City - 1:4

Man United 2:1 Arsenal - 2:1

Tottenham 2:0 Watford - 2:0

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 25

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 25

The 25th week of the Premier League action saw:

24 goals - most by Swansea, Liverpool & Bournemouth = 3 each
256 shots - most by Tottenham = 22
68 on target - most by Man City = 10
82 corners - most by Man City = 9
181 fouls - most by Crystal Palace, Newcastle & Burnley = 15 each
22 yellow cards - most by Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Southampton & West Brom = 3 each
0 red cards
5 penalties - 4 scored (Noble for West Ham, Salah for Liverpool, Murray for Brighton, Vardy for Leicester)

What a game! A lot of my predictions went out of the window once again, more to Arsenal's and Manchester United's embarrassing shockers below. Stamford Bridge witnessed a surprise-and-a-half too. Defending champions Chelsea didn't record a single shot on target in the first half. Man of the match Callum Wilson was a constant threat and woke the home side up when the former Coventry striker gave Bournemouth the lead six minutes after the break. Two goals in three minutes by former Hammer Junior Stanislas and former Chelsea centre back Nathan Aké totally downed the Blue ship, where was the defence?! Antonio Conte wasn't a happy man, having a dig at the fact his side had to play on transfer deadline day. I don't think the display nor result cheered the fiery Italian man up... Eddie Howe on the other hand and much in contrast was a very happy and proud man and rightly so, the Cherries unbeaten in six league games and scoring three goals at a top six side in the Premier League for the first time.

What a team! Swansea are flying high, climbing out of the relegation zone for the first time since November (at least for the night, they are still off the bottom after Wednesday's matches) after recording another shock win, this time against Arsenal, 3-1 at the Liberty Stadium. More to that match below.
Manchester City beat West Brom nice and comfortably at the Etihad, widening the gap at the top to 15 points thanks to Fernandinho, an excellent Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Agüero of course and their utter dominance, no surprise there. Pep Guardiola was still shouting and gesturing till the end but surely couldn't have been happier, especially with everyone else around them crashing and crumbling. 15 POINTS!!! FIFTEEN!!!

What a man! Carlos Carvalhal is working wonders at Swansea after seeing the Welsh side record back-to-back wins for the first time this season, shocking Liverpool last week and Arsenal this week, and I believe the Portuguese when he said the win tasted "like honey". Sweet. Arsène Wenger on the other hand is not winning over any fans with this kind of display and only three wins in 13 away league games this season. A top four finish is looking less and less likely for the Gunners. Merde! Ex-Arsenal man Theo Walcott's double that helped Everton beat Leicester on his debut after the January transfer must have added salt to the wound... Putain!

What a goal! Taxi for Petr Čech! What a giveaway it was by the Arsenal keeper to hand Jordan Ayew a tap-in which gave the Swans the lead. Sam Clucas' double either side of that blooper levelled the score just about a minute after Nacho Monreal had given the Gunners the lead and then sealed the win for the Welsh side.
It was a smacker-and-a-half by Emre Can that gave Liverpool the lead at Huddersfield and calmed the nerves. Roberto Firmino doubled the lead from a tight angle before Mohamed Salah made it three goals and three points from the spot for the Reds. Click here for all my match notes.
It was a massive goal for Newcastle against Burnley, especially after their penalty miss, scored by captain Jamaal Lascelles, set up by new signing Kenedy's corner. Clarets keeper Nick Pope saved Joselu's tame spot kick denying the Magpies a breakthrough earlier on. Rafael Benítez's men are the 18th team to win a penalty in the PL this season, Sean Dyche's side and Swansea the only clubs yet to be given one in 2017-18. But the visitors had the last laugh at St James' Park, Sam Vokes levelling the score late on thanks to an evil bounce coming off keeper Karl Darlow, an own goal in the end. More misery on Tyneside. Loved Kevin Keegan's quote in the crowd (see pic). All over the crowd. Wow.

What the hell?! Christian Eriksen put Tottenham ahead against Manchester United with only the sixth touch of the match, 10.44 seconds in! David de Who? The Red Devils (tried to) hit back from the restart, but Spurs held solid, what a start it was at Wembley! But, as it turned out and replays showed, Harry Kane was in the opposition's half on kick-off, the goal shouldn't have stood. VAR anyone? The England top striker kept mocking, beating and running United's defense into bits. Defender Phil Jones' own goal off Kieran Trippier's cross doubled Mauricio Pochettino's side's lead, United boss José Mourinho fuming on the sideline. Not so fuming I bet you when seconds later Antonio Valencia fouled Dele Alli in the box but nothing was given. That's what the English midfielder gets from all his diving... Who wants to be a ref, ey?! It could have been 7 or 8 for Spurs after that, if it weren't for the Spanish stopper that has saved United so many times. It stayed 2-0, three big points for the London side in the race for the top four, their opponents nowhere near them on Sunday, chasing shadows. Mourinwho?

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

Click here for my previous Premier League Picks.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 20

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 20

The 20th week of the Premier League action saw:

35 goals - most by Tottenham & Liverpool = 5 each
295 shots - most by Bournemouth & Chelsea = 25 each
103 on target - most by Bournemouth = 10
117 corners - most by Chelsea = 13
206 fouls - most by Southampton = 15
38 yellow cards - most by Burnley = 7
0 red cards
0 penalties

What a game! It didn't even take two minutes for Burnley to take the lead at Old Trafford, Ashley Barnes poking home the ball after a bit of ping pong in the box, messy, Manchester United shocked. Steven Defour doubled the Clarets' lead with a lovely curled unstoppable free-kick over the wall and into the top corner. Mourinwho?! Jesse Lingard pulled one back with a cheeky back-footer shortly after Nick Pope denied the substitute tipping the ball over excellently. But not long after the visitors had a goal disallowed, Fergie Time came, as the same sub netted the equaliser for the Red Devils in the 91st minute, sparing José's side from their first home defeat on Boxing Day in 39 years. Cruel. Lucky. Or both. Still doesn't hide all the negativity around a certain Portuguese...
Arsène Wenger's 810th Premier League match as Arsenal manager equalled Sir Alex Ferguson's total of games at Manchester United and was sweetened by Alexis Sánchez's double to secure three points at hard-fighting Crystal Palace. It was an entertaining derby on Thursday night at Selhurst Park, end-to-end stuff, both sides at each other. Shkodran Mustafi opened the scoring in the first half before Andros Townsend levelled the score shortly after the break. The Chilean Gunner scored two goals in four minutes with just over an hour gone, but James Tomkins' late header set up a tense finish to the game, Roy Hodgson's men not going down easily. The win pushes Arsenal within a point of fourth-placed Liverpool, level with Tottenham in fifth, whilst the Eagles drop to 16th, just one point separating them from the drop zone.

What a team! Liverpool thrashed managerless bottom side Swansea 5-0 at Anfield in the late kick-off on Boxing Day, a dominant home victory that consolidated their place in the top four. Click here for my full LFC match report.
Manchester City less than impressed at Newcastle on Wednesday, the one time I put money on them, Sergio Agüero and co dominated but struggled and just about scraped out a 0-1 win thanks to Raheem Sterling's scruffy goal. Rafael Benítez's tactics showed but didn't bare any fruit, tight tight tight, cover cover cover, but no points to show for it. That's what champions are made of, not always nice, but wins wins wins, their 18th consecutive league win to be exact, moving them 15 points clear at the top, whilst the Magpies are moving closer and closer to the drop zone after recording their fifth consecutive home defeat for the first time since October 1953.

What a man! Harry Kane made it eight hat-tricks and 39 Premier League goals in 2017, a new record, smashing Alan Shearer's 1995 tally, helping Spurs smash aside a poor Southampton side 5-2 at Wembley in the early kick-off on Boxing Day. The Tottenham striker is the first player to score six Premier League hat-tricks in a calendar year, bringing his goals total in all competitions in 2017 to 56, surpassing Lionel Messi (54), Cristiano Ronaldo (53), Edinson Cavani (53) and Robert Lewandowski (53). And it won't get any easier for Mauricio Pellegrino's men with Manchester United next on the fixture list at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. Who needs Virgil van Dijk, ey?!

What a goal! It was all about the misses (and howlers) on Boxing Day afternoon. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting missed from two yards for Stoke at Huddersfield. Jamie Vardy tried to be too clever for Leicester at Watford, through on goal, but his cheeky chip went wide. Kasper Schmeichel will not have liked the one he let squirm through under him to make it 2-1, his own goal handing Watford their first win in six games even though the Hornets only got one shot on target themselves.
Salomón Rondón was through on goal but slipped for West Brom against Everton, stretching his side's winless run to 18 league games. And Asmir Begović's slip whilst trying to clear handed Marko Arnautović an easy equaliser for West Ham at Bournemouth before the Austrian forward netted a late winn... Nope. Bournemouth nicked a point with an injury time equaliser. But was it handball?! And/or offside?! It looked like both...

What the hell?! ... Hammers boss David Moyes was certainly not happy with the controversial equaliser for the Cherries in the 93rd minute, Callum Wilson diverting in Nathan Aké's header, which was disallowed before referee Bobby Madley gave it after speaking to the linesman. Confused? Me too!!! Replays showed it was a close call, a hint of handball and offside. And the linesman did raise his flag, but the referee overruled it. Either way, Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe was very happy with his side's spirit, not giving up and scoring for the first time in four league outings despite missing Jermain Defoe due to his ankle injury. The draw still keeps the Cherries in the drop zone and without a win in eight (D4, L4), one point behind West Ham in 17th. Tight.

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

Click here for my previous Picks Of The Week.

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

Crazy Six-Goal Draw At Arsenal

Sports - Football - Premier League - AFC 3:3 LFC

Three goals in 388 crazy second-half seconds saw Arsenal come back from two goals down, but Liverpool grabbed a third to make it 3-3 and a point each in a gob-smacking encounter at the Emirates on Friday Night Football.

The Reds bossed the Gunners around in the first half and could have been three or four goals up at the break.

Despite losing captain Jordan Henderson early on due to a suspected hamstring injury, James Milner replacing him, the visitors dominated.

But only Philippe Coutinho's first headed goal for the club separated the two sides at half time, both Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah missing a couple of sitters.

The great Egyptian doubled the visitors' lead after the interval with a deflected strike after another one of his great individual runs, recording his 15th league goal of the season.

It looked like Jürgen Klopp's side were going to crush the home side, such was their command.

But suddenly Arsène Wenger's men woke up!

Alexis Sánchez headed in Hector Bellerin's cross from close range before Simon Mignolet failed to save Granit Xhaka's powerful strike from 25 yards.

A couple of minutes later Mesut Özil clipped the ball over Mignolet off Alexandre Lacazette's cheeky back heel to make it 3-2 and turn the game on its head.

Liverpool were gob-smacked. Frozen, zoned-out defence + slow, insecure keeper = three goals conceded in 388 seconds, their confident two-goal lead out the window.

It was end-to-end stuff after that goal-rush, both sides looking to add more to the scoreboard.

The Reds had the final say thanks to man of the match Roberto Firmino's powerful finish, Arsenal keeper Petr Cech could only slow it down but not stop it from bouncing over the line.

So, 3-3 it ended, the point keeping Liverpool in fourth and Arsenal in fifth, a point between the two.

Under Klopp, the Reds have lost 43 points in the league from winning positions, the most of any team in Europe.

There is no doubt in their strike force, the "Fab Four", but it's the back that crumbled and leaked too much once again.

But hey, we're used to goals galore between these two sides!

There have been 27 goals scored in the past five Premier League meetings (10 for Arsenal, 17 for Liverpool), an average of 5.4 goals per game!

Liverpool have scored 54 away goals in all competitions in 2017, their most in a calendar year since 1982 (66).

And since Klopp's first Premier League game in October 2015, the Reds have seen 279 goals in their games (174 scored, 105 conceded), more than any other side.

I don't know whether to cheer or cry or both, because we're so awesome and useless at the same time (front and back respectively, contrast).

Something/someone has to change in January to make sure these insecurities don't end up costing and make us drop out of the top four!

Arsenal Goals: Sánchez 53', Xhaka 56', Özil 58'.

Liverpool Goals: Coutinho 26', Salah 52', Firmino 71'.

Arsenal Team: 33 Cech; 24 Bellerin, 6 Koscielny (c), 18 Monreal (20 Mustafi 45'), 30 Maitland-Niles; 10 Wilshere, 29 Xhaka; 17 Iwobi (booked 58') (23 Welbeck 78'), 11 Özil, 7 Sánchez (14 Walcott 89'); 9 Lacazette. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 13 Ospina, 31 Kolasinac, 34 Coquelin, 35 Elneny.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 12 Gomez, 6 Lovren, 17 Klavan, 26 Robertson; 14 Henderson (c) (7 Milner 13'), 23 Can; 11 Salah, 10 Coutinho (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 84'), 19 Mané (5 Wijnaldum 80'); 9 Firmino. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 20 Lallana, 29 Solanke, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

HT Stats: AFC 0-1 LFC
Possession: 52%-48%
Shots: 4-8
On target: 0-4
Corners: 3-3
Fouls: 4-4

FT Stats: AFC 3-3 LFC
Possession: 54%-46%
Shots: 11-14
On target: 4-9
Corners: 7-8
Fouls: 9-11
Yellow cards: 1-0

Referee: Martin Atkinson
Man of the match: Roberto Firmino
Ground: Emirates
Attendance: 59,409

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

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

Premier League Picks Of The Week 7

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 7

The 7th week of the Premier League action saw:

22 goals - most by Tottenham & Man United = 4
256 shots - most by Arsenal & Everton = 23
75 on target - most by Arsenal = 11
92 corners - most by Everton = 9
188 fouls - most by West Ham = 15
24 yellow cards - most by West Brom & West Ham = 3 each
0 red cards
1 penalty - 0 scored (Berahino denied by Forster for Stoke)

I'm going sober for October - please click here to help and sponsor me and Macmillan Cancer Support!

What a match! It was a routine win for Arsenal beating Brighton 2-0 on Sunday at the Emirates, a nice 21st anniversary present for their boss Arsène Wenger. The second goal was sweet, Alexis Sánchez's back-heel pass finding Alex Iwobi nicely to make it 2-0 and three points for the Gunners, taking them up to fifth in the table, just three goals behind the champions. The French manager has now won Premier League matches against 45 different clubs - a record! Man City totally outplayed Chelsea, beating the Blues 0-1 at Stamford Bridge, which keeps them in fourth place on goal difference. It was disappointing to watch, no competition at all, the result not quite reflecting the Citizens dominance, staying top of the league on goal difference.

What a team! Crystal Palace lost again, surprise surprise. Just like their local rivals, it was too easy for United as well, winning comfortably 4-0 and it could have been more. The thrash took the Red Devils just one goal behind the top. Watford showed strength and stubbornness once again, grinding out a result, a late late late equaliser, 2-2 at West Brom. In contrast to that, Bournemouth and Leicester shared their miserable form, no goals, a point each. And why Everton don't like Sundays: They lost their last five Premier League matches on this day by an aggregate score of 1-13! Burnley meanwhile remain unbeaten away from home after beating the Toffees convincingly 0-1 at Goodison Park, the win taking them up to sixth on 12 points from seven games with more away points than in the whole of last season. Ronald Koeman's side meanwhile are down in 16th on seven points. Contrast.

What a man! Harry Kane can't stop scoring! The star striker made it 0-3 to Tottenham within 23 minutes at Huddersfield, in style! Floating and bossing it! The 24-year-old Spurs forward has 13 goals in September, equalling the record in a single month by Lionel Messi (March 2012) and Cristiano Ronaldo (October 2010). Romelu Lukaku continued his top run too, adding a late goal to make it 4-0 to United and keeping his scoring streak going. Daniel Sturridge got a rare start for Liverpool and had scored five goals in the four previous league starts at St James Park, seven in total against Newcastle, making them his favourite opponent. But the out-of-form striker did not impress on Sunday, wasting chance after chance. Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring with a smacker from outside the box, the Reds seemingly in total control. Until the defence mucked it all up again, Joel Matip desperately running back after leaving a big gap between him and Dejan Lovren, kicking the ball against Joselu, for it to roll over the line oh so slowly to make it 1-1. So so so agonising for Jürgen Klopp's men once again, here is my full match report. The only positive stat: The Reds haven't lost a Premier League game in October for the last seven years according to Martin Tyler. Yay?

What a goal! Richarlison's last-breath equaliser for Watford, completing the comeback from two goals down to save a point at West Brom, in the 95th minute, was his second consecutive 90+th minute goal. Peter Crouch scored a late winner as well for Stoke City, three goals in seven appearances for the 36-year-old striker, two of those as a sub, prove he has still got it. Diafra Sakho's last-minute winner for West Ham against Swansea relieved the London Stadium and manager Slaven Bilić of all tension and despair. For now. Marcus Rashford's top-quality free kick, made it too easy for Marouane Fellaini to net, putting United on top, temporary at least. Kevin De Bruyne's finish for City against a less-impressive Chelsea, the build-up and conversion, was just top-quality! Boom!

What the hell?! Dele Alli was rightly booked for his diving antiques in Tottenham's comfortable win at Huddersfield. After his England middle-finger ban, you would think he would try to stay out of trouble. Manager Mauricio Pocchetino rightly came out strong saying the 21-year-old has to learn and work on his attitude. Do these players forget they are being watched?!?!?! It made a change to the officials act and react correctly. Bournemouth were denied an obvious handball by Leicester's Danny Simpson! And Lovren had his shirt pulled to bits, again, nothing given. The refs are just blind, ignorant and/or oblivious. When will the FA introduce something called VI-DE-O that will show the officials within seconds whether their decision can stand or not. And how many times do I rant about it!!! FFS!!!

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

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

Pictures, stats and facts taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter, Sky Sports and SFR match coverage.