It was all round action in the world's most competitive football
league, the English Premier League. Drama, a last gasp equaliser,
tension, it had it all. Here EconSport dives in on the major talking points.
WHEN WILL THOSE HANDBRAKES BE CAST OFF FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?
Result: Chelsea 2 vs 2 Manchester
United
Goals (Chelsea, Antonio
Rudiger 21’, Ross Barkley 90'. Manchester United; Anthony Martial 55',
73')
Over the course of the last two games, United have shown in
clawing their way back from losing positions that this team is capable of
playing on the front foot. Sixteen goals conceded in just nine games certainly
does not bring assurance that a defensive approach is yielding results anyway.
Too much meaning might not be read into hammering three past Newcastle, but
even Maurizio’s Sarri’s Chelsea could not torpedo United’s attacking
explosiveness when it was unleashed in the second half. The chasm in the first
and second half displays from those in red could not have been wider. The sight
of a significant number in red stacked behind the ball was a regular theme in
the early stages. United were seemingly content to sit back, with Martial and
Rashford playing as pseudo-full backs to stifle Chelsea’s attacking strength.
Not where you want two of your most creative attackers to be.
Stat: Manchester United are the lowest scorers (15 goals) of last
season’s top six, while also conceding the most goals (16 goals) after nine
games.
The Blues’ fluid use of the ball caused panic in the
United ranks. Eden Hazard proving a handful. His trickery left Nemanja Matic
little choice but to concede a dangerous free-kick on the edge of the box
nine minutes in. Wiliian’s set-piece failed to match the Belgian's skill.
However that set the tone for the rest of the first half. Pogba was
caught on his heels in allowing Antonio Rudiger to run free and meet Willian's
out swinging delivery. At half time, it was difficult to see any way back for
United. Chelsea’s 63 percent possession in the first half and over twice
as many passes might not have had Mourinho bothered, but he would have been
bothered by his team's passiveness, incoherence and blunt attacking display. No
shot in target in the first half was emblematic of the pathetic showing
To win games, it is imperative to feed the attacking
players. And feed them United did in the second half. The only period of
sustained pressure from the away side had Chelsea’s defence cracking, as
Anthony Martial’s quick-fire double –a fortuitous first and a lovely second
after Mata and Rashford had combined brilliantly –turned the game on its head. Had
promising situations on the counter been properly utilised, the men in red
might well have been out of sight. As it were, a dramatic end to proceedings
saw Chelsea equalize, deservedly on the balance of play, deep into six minutes
of added time. There are huge question marks as to why United failed to get
going till the second half. For Chelsea, their belief and character shown in
pushing for that late, late equalizer was admirable. And talking about
character, how about, that bullet header from David Luiz?
CAN REJUVENATED MARTIAL AND BARKLEY KICK-ON?
The aftermath of Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United at
Stamford Bridge was dominated by dramatic scenes off the pitch – and
on it – with both sets of technical crew involved in a coming together
after Chelsea assistant coach Marco Lanni (who might face retrospective action
from the FA), irked Mourinho with his provocative celebrations in front of the
United boss, upon Ross Barkley’s 96th minute equalizer. Amidst
all of that though, the imprints of two precociously talented players was
stamped all over this game. Anthony Martial and Ross Barkley, at different
stages of their club careers, have a common theme – winning the trust of their
managers. Mourinho famously said in April 2017, “Do I think Martial
is s player with great potential? Yes I think. Do I think he can play
successfully for me? Yes I think. But he needs to give me things I like very
much”. One of such things was definitely not the Frenchman's failure to return after leaving United’s pre-season camp in the US to be by his wife for the birth of their
child, relationship between manager and player seemed to be at an all time low.
Martial’s body language sometimes come across as passive, but there is no
denying that there is a rare gem of a player in there waiting to be harnessed.
Stat: Anthony Martial scored in consecutive EPL games for the
first time since January 2018.
In United’s last two games, that player has come to the fore when
the manager needed him most. His equaliser two weeks ago against Newcastle
United, paved the way for a thrilling comeback win. At Stamford Bridge, two
goals from those same boots had United on their way for a crucial three points,
but for the intervention of Barkley. He has scored in back-to-back EPL games
for the first time since January. Is it mere coincidence that run
has come at a time when he has been in the team in the place of Sanchez? The
Chileans arrival in January marked a sharp slump in Martial’s form. Make of
that what you will. Martial possesses the skill set to trouble many a defender
on his day. The onus lies on manager and player to unleash that unique talent
who burst onto the Old Trafford scene three years ago.
For someone in the blue corner though, what a difference twelve months can make. Out from the shadows,
and into the sunshine, Ross Barkley is shining in blue. Under Conte, the former
Evertonian display nosedived; he was barely recognisable from the young brave
talent who wowed many on Merseyside with his twinkling toes. Losing his place in Gareth Southgate’s
England set up was further evidence of a career heading in the wrong direction.
To his credit though, he has steered it back on track. In Maurizio Sarri’s
attacking built side, Barkley’s off-the cuff style of play offers something
few in the squad possess. His display at Southampton two weeks ago spoke
volumes of a player regaining his touch. In the right place at the right time
on Saturday, he preserved Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season. A good way to
rebuild his club career after spending the best part of twelve months in the
shadows.
NOT JUST BLISTERING FOOTBALL BUT THE HARD YARDS AS WELL–KLOPP’S REDS SHOW GRIT IN SLENDER WIN AT HUDDERSFIELD
Result: Huddersfield Town 0 vs 1 Liverpool
Goals (Mohammed Salah 24’)
Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp expressed his displeasure at his side’s display after
this nervy win at Huddersfield. If he was left scratching his head at the
nature of the performance, he would surely have been nodding it at the
points tally his side have garnered this season–23 from nine games– second only
to Manchester City and two clear of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. Not bad
for a side who are yet to hit their stride this season. Some say that is the
stuff of title challengers, winning even when not at their
best. Perhaps Klopp is being more pragmatic in mixing the
energy-sapping “heavy metal football” with a more balanced approach
in order to preserve legs over the course of what is sure to be a grueling
domestic campaign which promises to be highly competitive. Four of Liverpool’s
seven wins this season has been by a one-goal margin. There is now a tendency to
stay in shape and hit opponents on the counter with the pacy threat of Salah,
Firmino and Mane, than the erstwhile hell-for-leather approach when in the
lead.
Stat: Liverpool have kept six clean sheets from nine games. Only
Manchester City have conceded fewer goals than the Reds.
In his ability to slightly alter his tactics to get the best
out of side, Klopp has shown a willingness to adapt in a bid to delivering a
sustained title challenge, and who knows, probably a first league triumph in 28 years. Wins such as these, having more grit than panache, are the building
blocks for title contenders. Against David Wagner’s Huddersfield side, Klopp
was shorn of his two best attacking front men in Firmino and Sadio Mane– the
latter suffering a broken thumb on international duty with Senegal but should
be back soon– Midfielder Naby Keita was also sidelined, and might be for some
time, meaning Klopp had to shuffle his side for a difficult away trip. It was a
mixed bag for those tasked with stepping up to fill those spaces. Daniel
Sturridge, after his superb winner against Chelsea some weeks back, drifted in
and out of the game, while Lallana occasionally showed glimpses of his immense
potenmtial. Of those who came in, Xherdan Shaqiri shone the brightest, assisting
Salah’s first half goal with Joe Gomez’s raking pass to the Swiss international
setting the motion for a fine goal. The Shaq, as Klopp fondly calls him, gave
his manager one or two things to think about, seizing his opportunity after
being largely on the fringes so far. But this win owed much to Liverpool’s
newly found steel and defensive resolve, against a home side buoyed by a vociferous home support. There might have been a late twist had Huddersfield
striker Steve Mounie not fluffed his lines with just over eight minutes left,
and goalkeeper Allison looking assured in between the sticks. Liverpool
left-back Andy Robertson said after the game, “it’s important to come to
these places and you win the game”. Last season, games like this might have led
to dropped points. But Klopp set about in plugging the holes in his squad.
Three goals conceded so far in nine games shows Liverpool are not just
beautiful football, but defensive resolve as well.
GARCIA’S WATFORD RETURN TO WINNING WAYS AS NUNO SANTO’S WOLVES ARE
CAGED AT HOME
Result: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 vs 2 Watford
Goals (Etienne Capoue 20’, Roberto Pereyra 21’)
Watford’s 2-0 away win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the
Molineux was a timely return to winning ways after their recent bad run of
form. Four wins out of four in the opening weeks of the season was
unprecedented and had them in dreamland, but they have been given a reality
check ever since. Winless in four games –just one point gathered from
those fixtures– including a 4-nil walloping at Bournemouth last time out, Javi
Garcia needed his big men to stand up and be counted, especially in the injury
enforced absence of Troy Deeney, and Andre Gray being dropped from the starting XI. That
meant a start up top for Nigerian Isaac Success, flanked by Deulofeu and
Pereyra with Will Hughes in the number 10 role. Watford’s opener on 20 minutes
was a nicely worked goal, Pereyra feeding Doucoure who laid the ball off to Etienne
Capoue. A sledge hammer of a shot from the Frenchman had the Hornets in the
driving seat. Wolves had not woken from that setback, before they found
themselves two goals down all thanks to Roberto Pereyra’s fifth goal of the
season. Troy Deeney once said earlier this season in an interview, that the
ex-Juventus man “has got that extra quality and for a team like us you
need little sprinkles of magic” . Pereyra waived that magic wand at the
Molineux on Saturday. After sprinting clear of Wolves’ back line, his flick
over Rui Patricio in goal was sublime, giving Garcia's men much needed breathing
space. Wolves fight to get back into the game, was repelled by
the away side. Five wins from the first nine games of the season is certainly a
healthy return for Javi Garcia, his side leapfrogging their opponents into
seventh spot. The bright performances of Pereyra in attack, Will Hughes
knitting play together, ably supported by the shield provided in midfield from
Etienne Capoue and Abdoulaye Doucoure –they have a huge fight
on their hands to ward off suitors in the winter and summer transfer windows– would have been a welcome relief. For Nuno Santo and Wolves who named the same
starting eleven for the ninth successive league game, it might be time to freshen
up things a bit. His high intensity and front-foot style of play is sure to
take its toll on his players. Perhaps the infusion of fresh legs might provide
the spark which was sorely missing on Saturday against Watford.
IN THE DANGER ZONE, BUT FIRST WIN ON THE BOARD WAS A MIGHTY RELIEF
FOR CARDIFF CITY.
Result: Cardiff City 4 vs 2 Fulham
Goals (Cardiff; Josh Murphy 15’, Bobby Reid 20’, Callum Paterson
65’, Kadeem Harris 87’. Fulham: Andre Schurlle 11’, Ryan Sessegnon
34’)
In the weeks leading up to this relegation six-pointer, Cardiff
Manager, Neil Warnock, would surely have sounded the importance of grabbing
three points at home. Two draws from their opening eight games saw the newly
promoted side swimming in the relegation waters, amid mounting pressure from the
terraces. In a pulsating encounter against Fulham, Warnock’s side displayed
great character in recovering from Andre Schurlle’s opener for Fulham with 11
minutes played. Two goals in five minutes from Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid had
them in front, but Ryan Sessegnon’s 34th minute equalizer
pegged the scores at 2-2 heading into the interval. Goals from Callum Paterson
and Kadeem Harris however rubber stamped a first home win of the season,
leaving the team from Wales on 5 points after nine games, same as their
opponents Fulham. After a daunting trip to Liverpool next weekend, Cardiff’s
next games before the international break are at home to Leicester city and
Brighton & Hove Albion. After the break, they face Everton away, Wolves at
home, West Ham, Southampton, and Watford heading into the Christmas period. The
outcome of those upcoming fixtures will go a long way in determining their
status come May. A first win though would have done them a whole world of good.
HOW NEWCASTLE MANAGER, RAFAEL BENITEZ WOULD DO WITH A WIN OF HIS
OWN RIGHT NOW.
Result: Newcastle United 0 vs 1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Goals (Beram Kayal 29’)
Some weeks back, I touched on the precarious position Newcastle United found
themselves in, a position which has only worsened since then, as they lie
rock-bottom on the standings. In the aftermath of this one-nil defeat at home
against Brighton– you do not lose such in the battle for survival– Benitez
reckoned they would have to find three teams worse than them in the quest to
beat the drop-zone. Well on current form, good-luck with that Rafa. It is
difficult to see just where the fight shown last season, recovering
brilliantly to finish 10th on the log, will come from. There is
disarray off the pitch every bit as the team’s disjointed look on it.
In-fighting among fans, ever growing resentment towards owner Mike Ashley on
match-days from the vocal support—at odds with the management over a lack of
investment in the playing squad and poor management overall –St
James’ Park is a toxic atmosphere these days. It’s not all doom and gloom,
but Benitez will need to pull one out of the hat to bring his side out of this
slump. The playing squad is certainly not as bad as results will suggest. But
looking at the other teams around them, Newcastle just seem to fall short in
the relevant stakes. Huddersfield with no win in nine games, might just be
a point above them, but David Wagner’s side have got spirit, pulling in the
same direction, same cannot be said of Benitez’s. Fulham in 18th have
a more talented squad on the back of massive investment over the summer, and as
new faces are still being eased in, they should gel soon. Cardiff city have got
a manager who has been here before on several occasions, taking teams up and
down the tiers. Benitez is not used to relegation dog fights. Southampton,
Crystal Palace, Brighton and West Ham all have better squads. Even if Benitez
pulls off an unlikely escape, even by a wide margin, his continued stay over
the summer is surely in the balance.
Speaking of Margins, how about Everton’s 2-0 win against Crystal
Palace at Goodison Park, courtesy of goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk
Tosun. The Merseyside blues struggled to break down a typically resolute Roy
Hodgson’s Crystal Palace side, with Richarlison, Bernard, Walcott, Sigurdsson
struggling to assert any meaningful influence on the game. Were it not for
Jordan Pickford’s impressive penalty save on 60 minutes from Luka Milivojevic,
after Seamus Coleman brought down Wilfred Zaha, a point never mind three would
have been a daunting task. Inspired substitutions though from Marco Silva
changed the game for the home side with Ademola Lookman and Calvert-Lewin
combining for the first goal just five minutes after entering the fray. Cenk
Tosun sealed the win barely 58 seconds later with a goal on the counter attack.
Talk of smash-and-grab wins.
In other results, Manchester City spanked Burnley
5-0 at the Etihad Stadium in a relentless display of attacking cruelty,
Bournemouth and Southampton played out a goalless draw at the Vitality stadium.
Erik Lamela’s goal secured a 1-0 victory for Tottenham Hotspur away against West Ham
United. Arsenal made it seven straight wins in the league defeating Leicester
City 3-1, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang helping himself to a brace off the bench.
With Champions League action in midweek, match day 10 continues next weekend.
MATCH DAY 10 FIXTURES
27th October: Liverpool vs Cardiff City
27th October: Brighton & Hove Albion vs
Wolverhampton Wanderers
27th October: Watford vs Huddersfirld Town
27th October: Fulham vs Bournemouth
27th October: Leicester City vs West Ham United
27th October: Southampton vs Newcastle United
28th October: Crystal Palace vs Arsenal
28th October: Burnley vs Chelsea
28th October: Manchester United vs Everton
29th October: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City
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