By: Tagdh McGinty
Manchester United Vs. Newcastle
Manchester United’s manager, Jose Mourinho watched his side fight back from two goals down to earn a dramatic 3-2 win against Newcastle at Old Trafford Saturday Oct. 6. Substitute Alexis Sanchez scored the winner with a 90th-minute header, giving the Reds what had seemed like an unlikely victory and sending Old Trafford wild.
Before the match, all the talk was about Mourinho getting sacked, but Manchester United insisted on remaining calm with their manager, ignoring media reports saying he would be fired after the game. The media got worse as Mourinho’s side got off to the worst possible start allowing Newcastle to race into a two-goal lead.
Nemanja Matic missed an easy chance early in the second half, but substitute Juan Mata managed to score a fine free-kick to give Manchester United hope. Shortly after, the Reds managed to level up the game after Anthony Martial’s finish around the 70th minute before Sanchez’s winner.
The result leaves Manchester United sitting in eighth place, four points off the top four, while Newcastle is 19th with just two points from eight games this season.
Tottenham Vs. Cardiff
The winning goal came after just eight minutes when Dier side-footed into the corner from close range after Davinson Sanchez’s header had deflected into his path. Cardiff had their chances to equalize, particularly through Josh Murphy whose goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by a Tottenham defender.
This result means that Spurs have moved into third place in the Premier League table while Cardiff has slipped to the bottom following Huddersfield’s draw against Burnley.
Fresh from their disappointing defeat to Barcelona in midweek, Spurs started the game on the front foot and raced into an early lead. Kieran Trippier’s cross into the box was met by the head of Sanchez, and although the Colombian’s effort was blocked by Sol Bamba, the ball dropped perfectly to Dier inside the six-yard-box to finish the rebound.
Cardiff struggled to deal with Spurs’ set-pieces early on, and Sanchez almost doubled the home side’s lead after a quarter of an hour when his shot was blocked. After responding slowly to going behind, Cardiff had a great opportunity to equalize. Josh Murphy showed remarkable pace to breeze past Danny Rose and latched onto a Calum Paterson flick-on although he was able to lift the ball over Hugo Lloris.
Either side of the break, Spurs had numerous chances to finish off the visitors. Lucas missed two opportunities to settle the contest before the halftime whistle. First, he missed a header from a Trippier cross, while Harry Kane and Lucas again were denied by a shot by Etheridge and Sean Morrison just after the restart.
Just before the hour-mark, Cardiff’s hopes of getting something from the game were dealt a huge blow when Ralls was given a straight red for a cynical lunge on Lucas by the halfway line. After the Brazilian had knocked the ball past him, Ralls hacked him down with a dangerous challenge that caught him by the knee. Kane was booked for his angry reaction to the foul.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, it was Cardiff who had the best opportunity to score in the final half hour when Morrison’s header from a Victor Camarasa free-kick forced Lloris into a smart save down to his right with the ball ricocheting off the post before being cleared by Alderweireld.
Liverpool Vs. Man City
The Algerian international had the chance to snatch all three points for the champions after Virgil van Dijk tripped Leroy Sane in the area on 85 minutes, but he smashed the ball over from 12 yards as the much-anticipated top-of-the-table clash ended level. Liverpool looked to have City’s number in a blistering opening 10-minute spell, but Pep Guardiola’s men settled, limiting the Reds to few chances as both sides’ flawless starts to the season remained intact.
The draw puts City at the top and Liverpool up to third in the Premier League on goal difference. Liverpool flew out of the blocks when Mohamed Salah had the first opening inside four minutes as he connected with a Joe Gomez header and skipped inside a defender, but he fired wide of the near post.
Sadio Mane looked to have set up Salah for the opener with an inch-perfect cross three minutes later, after bursting past Bernardo Silva to get into the area, but the outstretched leg of Benjamin Mendy saved City, ballooning the ball to safety.
Liverpool’s powerful start was their ability to win the ball back high up the field – the first time City managed to replicate that, they created their first chance as Fernandinho connected with Raheem Sterling down the right channel, and his shot was blocked behind for a corner.
City’s first spell of pressure produced a strong demand for a penalty on 20 minutes. Gomez’s sliced clearance fell for Aguero in the area where he was clumsily brought to ground by a City defender, but the referee was not having any of his actions.
Liverpool suffered a blow just before the half-hour mark with the loss of James Milner to injury and that, coupled with the hosts’ inability to maintain their break-neck start, allowed City to get a foothold in the game.
City’s perseverance playing out from the back almost cost them nine minutes after the interval as Liverpool regained possession in opposition territory. Milner’s replacement, Naby Keita, and Mane both tried to get shots away in quick succession but some last stitch City defending scrambled the ball clear.
Chelsea Vs. Southampton
Barkley, who was recalled to the England squad in midweek, was handed his third start of the season and set up Eden Hazard for the opener before scoring himself from close range his first goal for the club. Alvaro Morata made it 3-0 as Southampton struggled to make the most of some clear openings, including a jaw-dropping miss from Danny Ings from three yards out. The victory keeps Chelsea unbeaten and moves them to the joint-top of the Premier League, level on points with Liverpool and Manchester City. Southampton has now taken just 15 points from their last 20 league games, which is the lowest amount of any team in the Premier League.
Southampton started like a team with only one win in their last 14 home games as Chelsea’s possession stats read 85 percent after 20 minutes. But it was the hosts that should have struck first when Danny Ings somehow fired over from inside the six-yard box after some great play down the left by Ryan Bertrand.
Olivier Giroud had a strong penalty shout turned down after being caught late by Wesley Hoedt, but they surged ahead minutes later. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was robbed in possession by Barkley, and he played through a perfect ball for Hazard, who smashed a shot past Alex McCarthy. Southampton switched to a 4-4-2 after the break and grabbed the initiative, but Bertrand volleyed over at the back post when well positioned. Chelsea, always a threat with Hazard, doubled the advantage on 57 minutes.
Fulham Vs. Arsenal
Fulham started brightly but was caught on the counter by Arsenal, with Lacazette finishing superbly in the 29th minute to break the deadlock before Andre Schurrle leveled things up on the stroke of half-time.
The in-form Lacazette restored Arsenal’s lead four minutes into the second half, before Ramsey nonchalantly finished off a flowing move to add a third in the 67th minute, 38 seconds after coming off the bench.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang then got in on the act 11 minutes from time to add a fourth, before he completed the rout in stoppage time as Arsenal moved level on points with Tottenham, while Fulham sits just above the relegation zone in 17th after a second successive league defeat.
Arsenal was sloppy in the opening exchanges, and gifted Fulham the first chance of the match, but Bernd Leno denied Luciano Vietto with a smart stop.
The visitors grew into the match and soon got themselves in front through Lacazette. Alex Iwobi fed Nacho Monreal down the left flank, Monreal was afforded far too much time to pick out his man, he fed Lacazette, whose brilliant first touch took him away from his marker before firing home.
Fulham responded well but was wasteful in front of goal until Schurrle stepped up with another fine finish. Vietto’s through pass was perfect, Schurrle still had plenty to do, but expertly lofted the ball over the onrushing Leno to restore parity.
After the break, however, Fulham had no answer to Arsenal’s array of attacking talent, with Lacazette netting the first of four second-half goals, beating Marcus Bettinelli, who had just pulled off a remarkable save to deny Hector Bellerin, with a fierce strike from a distance.
Arsenal’s third was a contender for goal of the season, and reminiscent of Arsenal of old. There were flicks, slick through passes and brilliantly-timed runs, culminating in substitute Ramsey flicking the ball into the bottom corner from Aubameyang’s center.
Aubameyang had quite the impact from the bench, as he then helped himself to a late double of his own. His first was a superb finish, as he swiveled sharply in the box and fired into the bottom corner before he slotted home a fifth after carving Fulham open once more in stoppage time to complete a fine afternoon’s work.
