The Premier League returned with a bang after the international break with plenty happening at both ends of the table.
Victories for Manchester City and Liverpool edged them two points clear of Chelsea at the top of the standings, while Newcastle United’s miserable start to the season continued with their seventh defeat of the campaign against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Sportslens takes a look at the main talking points from the latest round of games.
Pogba makes himself look silly
Narcissists are eager to take credit when things go right, but refuse to accept responsibility when things go wrong.
That description pretty much sums up Paul Pogba’s reaction to Chelsea’s first goal against Manchester United on Saturday.
A momentary lack of concentration saw Pogba lose Antonio Rudiger, allowing the Blues defender to guide a fine header past David de Gea. For some reason Pogba threw a strop and tried to shift the blame into Victor Lindelof. Narcissism at its finest. Shameful.
Chelsea a striker short of a title-winning team
Chelsea’s failure to bring in a top-class striker during the summer could be the one thing that prevents them from claiming silverware this season.
Alvaro Morata has only scored twice in the Premier League this term, while Olivier Giroud is yet to get off the mark and their struggles in front of goal could hurt the Blues as the campaign progresses.
It will be a difficult problem to address during the January transfer window, but it is an issue that manager Maurizio Sarri needs to find a way to resolve.
Benitez confidence looks misplaced
Rafa Benitez insisted that Newcastle United will stay up despite seeing his side lose for the seventh time this season at home to Brighton on Saturday.
The Magpies are now bottom of the table with just two points from nine matches and Benitez’s confidence looks misplaced.
The lack of investment in the playing squad has inevitably impacted on the quality Benitez has at his disposal and odds of 15/8 to be relegated looks great value. Fill your boots.
Klopp’s Lovren infatuation is baffling
Dejan Lovren’s inclusion in Liverpool’s defence for Saturday’s visit to Huddersfield Town certainly raised a few eyebrows amongst the club’s fans.
Virgil van Dijk’s partnership with Joe Gomez had given the Reds a much more solid look, so it was puzzling to see the latter pushed to right-back to accomodate Lovren at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Loren rates himself as “one of the best defenders in the world”, but he remains an accident waiting to happen and his inclusion in the starting XI will bite Liverpool in the backside at some point if Klopp persists in playing him.
Pickford stop key to Everton win
Jordan Pickford’s brilliant save to deny Crystal Palace’s Luka Milivojevic from the spot during the Premier League clash at Goodison Park was the crucial moment in Everton’s victory.
Milivojevic tried to deceive Pickford by firing straight down the middle, but the England goalkeeper saved with his feet to keep the scores level.
Late goals by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun sealed the win for the Toffees, but Pickford’s save was undoubtedly the key to their success.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
