Premier League: Five talking points from the week gone by
Liverpool and Manchester City sealed big wins on the weekend, while Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all dropped points and are now out of top six.
Published : Sep 23, 2019 11:07 IST
Liverpool beat Chelsea to preserve its perfect record and Manchester City romped to a record-breaking win but elsewhere it was far from business as usual during a dramatic Premier League weekend. Here are five talking points:
1) Liverpool makes it six in six
Liverpool made it six wins from six with a 2-1 triumph at Chelsea, which is still without a home win in the Premier League this season.
Liverpool's winning run now stands at 15 consecutive victories in the Premier League with the European champion showing remarkable consistency as it bids to unseat Manchester City.
Liverpool was grateful to VAR, though, with the use of video technology chalking off a Cesar Azpilicueta goal for an offside against Mason Mount that would have levelled the scores at 1-1.
Chelsea lost defensive duo Emerson Palmieri and Andreas Christensen to injuries in the first half but still gave itself hope of a fight-back thanks to N'Golo Kante's screamer.
Liverpool held firm, though, and while it has only kept one clean sheet in all competitions this season, this was a welcome victory after a 2-0 Champions League loss to Napoli in midweek.
2) Devastating City back to its best
City's defeat against Norwich at Carrow Road had been its first since January, but any concerns it was anything more than a minor blip were pointedly answered by Guardiola's men against Watford.
The swagger with which City brushed aside Watford to take a 5-0 lead inside 18 minutes was a reminder of the defending Premier League champion's quality and ruthlessness.
David Silva opened the scoring in the first minute of the game and that was followed by a Sergio Aguero penalty six minutes later – his 100th league goal at the Etihad Stadium.
Watford's defenders were left in a daze by City's slick interchanges as three goals – scored by Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo and Nicolas Otamendi – blew the visitors away.
The second half could have been something of an anti-climax, but Bernardo notched his hat-trick before the sensational Kevin De Bruyne rounded off the scoring.
3) More woes for Solskjaer and United
After a good week that saw United earn narrow wins over Leicester City and Astana, it was back down to earth with a bump for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side at London Stadium.
Marcus Rashford went off injured and goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Aaron Cresswell earned the Hammers a deserved win, leaving United on eight points from six games.
United is winless in its past nine away matches in all competitions now, while the potential absence of Rashford could leave them reliant on 17-year-old striker Mason Greenwood after the departures of Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku to Inter.
4) Aubamyeng saves the day for Gunners
Arsenal produced a stunning comeback to down Villa despite Ainsley Maitland-Niles' first-half red card at Emirates Stadium, the Gunners moving up to fourth in the league.
Nicolas Pepe converted a penalty for his first Arsenal goal and while Wesley rapidly restored the Villa lead, the Gunners produced a rapid double to take the points.
Substitute Calum Chambers drew Arsenal level with a clever finish and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rode to the rescue with a free-kick, although Sokratis Papastathopoulos was fortunate not to concede a late penalty for an apparent handball in the box.
5) Leicester, West Ham break into top six
With victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, Leicester City and West Ham pulled off an upset and also proved their credentials as they broke into the league's top six.
Brendan Rodgers's Leicester has now faced Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs in its opening six games and has more than held its own.
The stuttering form of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal has helped the two sides move up the league standings.
United has now won just one of its past five league games, Tottenham have not won away in the Premier League since January and Chelsea is yet to taste victory at home under Frank Lampard.
Leicester and West Ham are three points above Spurs and United and are level with Arsenal.
(With inputs from Omnisport)