This Past Weekend - Premier League Matchday 9 Recap
The winners and losers this weekend’s matches.
Arsenal vs. Aston Villa (3-1)
Arsenal bounced back from their draw against Crystal Palace last weekend, claiming all three points against Aston Villa at the Emirates. Thomas Partey claimed his first goal for Arsenal following a corner kick delivered by Emile Smith Rowe. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled the lead after rebounding a saved penalty kick right before time. Smith Rowe found the back of the net in the second half, and Villa were left with a single consolation goal scored by Jacob Ramsey. Aston Villa suffer their third straight defeat, and Arsenal move up to 9th in the table, level on points with Manchester United.
MOTM: Thomas Partey
Source: Getty Images
Chelsea vs. Norwich City (7-0)
Mason Mount scored a hatrick, and Chelsea were absolutely rampant against a weak Norwich City side, scoring seven goals and keeping a clean sheet in the process. Mount opened the scoreline early in the 8th minute, and Callum Hudson Odoi and Reece James both found the back of the net before half-time. In fine form, Ben Chilwell scored Chelsea’s fourth, and defender Max Aarons scored an own goal in the 62nd minute with Norwich’s defense in complete disarray. Things went from bad to worse for the newly promoted team when Ben Gibson was sent off for a second yellow card offense. Tim Krul saved a Mason Mount penalty, but VAR showed he was off of his line, and Mount scored on the retake. The young Englishman capped off a fine performance with a tap-in right before the whistle to make it seven for the Blues.
MOTM: Mason Mount
Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle United (1-1)
A dominant Crystal Palace team will be disappointed in having only come away with a point on Saturday. Benteke put the Eagles 1-0 up before Callum Wilson scored a stunning overhead kick to level the game. Palace continued to dominate, but failed to find the back of the net. Christian Benteke had a goal ruled out in stoppage time by VAR, and both teams had to settle for a point. Palace will rue their missed chances, and Newcastle will be hoping for better performances moving forward, as their problems with disorganization and sloppiness.
MOTM: Marc Guehi
Source: Getty Images
Leeds United vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (1-1)
A bright start for the home side was nullified after Hwang Hee-Chan who scored into a half-empty goal after a blocked shot by Raul Jimenez. Leeds continued to dominate possession in the first half but failed to create any real chances. The second half played out similarly, with Leeds continuing to control the game, subbing in many youngster who excelled. The deadlock was finally broken in stoppage time when Nelson Semedo fouled Joe Gelhardt from behind. Rodrigo took, and scored the penalty to tie the game a rescue a point for Leeds.
MOTM: Joe Gelhardt
Everton vs. Watford (2-5)
A seven goal thriller shook up Goodison Park as Everton completely collapsed in the second half against a chaotic Watford side. Tom Davies grabbed an early goal, but Joshua King tied the game up ten minutes later, and the two teams were level heading into half-time. Richarlison found the back of the net in the second half, but Everton completely collapsed after Juraj Kucka’s equalizer in the 78th minute. Watford scored again through King two minutes later, and scored two more before the final whistle to make it 5-2. Rafa Benitez will surely go back to the drawing board, as his team’s inability to defend set pieces and mental fragility throughout games has been their Achilles’ heel this season.
MOTM: Joshua King
Southampton vs. Burnley (2-2)
In an unpredictable, end-to-end match, both teams shared a point at St. Mary’s. Maxwell Cornet gave Burnley the lead early on, but Saints youngsters Tino Livramento and Armando Broja both scored to swing the momentum back in Southampton’s favor. Cornet scored a fantastic goal again to level the game at 2-2, and while both team had a myriad of chances in the second-half, neither team managed to find the back of the net. Southampton sit in 16th, and Burnley in 18th, who will be looking to claim their first win of the season.
MOTM: Maxwell Cornet
Brighton vs. Manchester City (1-4)
Manchester City continued their winning streak with a dominant performance against a high-flying Brighton team. Ilkay Gundogan scored early on before Phil Foden doubled the lead, finishing off a brilliant counterattack. The Englishman scored again three minutes later, firing home a deflected shot from Gabriel Jesus. Brighton started the second half with much greater intensity and controlled the game for the most part, pulling a goal back through an Alexis Mac Allister penalty. Despite Brighton’s efforts, Riyad Mahrez scored City’s fourth in stoppage time to claim all three points for his team.
MOTM: Phil Foden
West Ham vs. Tottenham (1-0)
West Ham propelled themselves into the top 4 with an important win over a struggling Tottenham Hotspur, and now have 9 of their opening 13 games. The game was fairly even for the most part, and both Harry Kane and Heung-min Son had chances to convert for Spurs but failed to do so. West Ham were dominant in the second half and scored the lone goal of the game coming through a Michail Antonio volley, assisted by Aaron Cresswell.
MOTM: Declan Rice
Source: Yahoo Images
Brentford vs. Leicester City (1-2)
Leicester City claimed all three points on the road against a high-flying Brentford side. Brentford performed well throughout the game, but two moments of individual brilliance was the deciding factor in the match. Youri Tielemans opened the scoring with a stunning strike from outside the box, but Mathias Jorgensen leveled the game in the second half. Brentford continued to control possession, but conceded from a Leicester counterattack that was finished off by James Maddison. Leicester move into 9th, and and Brentford slip down into 12th following the match.
MOTM: Youri Tielemans
Manchester United vs. Liverpool (0-5)
It was a historic day for the Reds as they completely dismantled a shockingly poor Manchester United on Sunday evening. Liverpool easily could have scored six or even seven, but eased off in the last half hour. Naby Keita finished off Mohamed Salah’s pass to score Liverpool’s first, and Diogo Jota doubled the lead only a few minutes later, stunning United. The Reds continued to dominate in the first half, with Mohamed Salah finding the back of the net twice before the break. The second half was not much better for United, and Salah completed his hat-trick after a brilliant Jordan Henderson through ball. Paul Pogba was sent off soon after for a two-footed tackle on Naby Keita, who had to be carried off on a stretcher. The stands soon began to empty, and United fans were left in complete shock. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be under serious pressure after this historic United collapse.
MOTM: Mohamed Salah
Source: Getty Images