Premier League Roundup: Week 8
Following the conclusion of the international break, the Premier League season resumed this weekend and match day 8 was highlighted by the highly anticipated match up between bitter northwest England rivals Manchester United and Liverpool. Despite the fanfare and hype leading up to the match, neither team was able to find the back of the net and the 2 most successful clubs in English soccer history ended with an anticlimactic 0-0 draw. The Reds outplayed the Red Devils, controlling 65% of the possession and out shot their Mancunian rivals 9 to 7. United keeper David De Gea once again showed why he is one of the world's best as his performance was the ultimate reason why Jose Mourinho's side left Anfield with a point instead of a loss. De Gea stood tall with 3 big saves to shut out the extremely potent Liverpool attack for only the second time this season. The tie snapped Liverpool's 4 game league winning streak, but extended their unbeaten streak to 6. The Reds remain in 4th place in the league table with 17 points from their first 8 matches and welcome West Brom to Merseyside on Saturday. After beginning their Premier League campaign with 3 straight wins, United have now earned just one victory from their previous 5 league matches. Jose Mourinho and co. are desperately searching for answers as the 7th place Red Devils travel to London to face Chelsea on Sunday, following a tough midweek Europa League fixture against Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
Liverpool and United's respective cross-town rivals, Everton and Man City, also faced each other this past weekend to complete the Manchester-Merseyside border challenge. League leading City welcomed Everton to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, looking to rebound after revealing their first glimpse of mortality in their 2-0 loss to Spurs 2 weeks ago. However, Maarten Stekelenburg and the Toffees were determined to extend City's winless streak, for at least another week, as Everton held on for a 1-1 draw in Manchester. Despite maintaining an astounding 73% of possession and out shooting their opponents 19 to 3, City was forced to exit match day 8 with a disappointing tie. Everton keeper Maarten Stekelenburg kept the Toffees in the match with his 7 saves, including 2 penalty kicks from Kevin DeBruyne and Sergio Aguero. Romelu Lukaku actually gave Everton the lead in the 64th minute, before Spanish newcomer Nolito equalized for the home side 8 minutes later in the 72nd. Since starting their season with 6 consecutive wins, City have earned just 1 point from their previous 2 league matches and have seen their stranglehold on first place dissolve. While they still reside at the top of the table, City are now tied at 19 points with resurgent Arsenal, and maintain their lead by a mere goal in the goal differential tiebreaker. Like City, Everton have also seen their hot start to their season cool off in recent weeks as the Toffees have gained just 2 points from their previous 3 matches. However, manager Ronald Koeman will not be disappointed with earning an away point at the league leaders. With the draw, Everton fell one spot in the table from 5th to 6th, but still remain just 4 points out of first place. They will attempt to snap their 3 game winless streak against Burnley on Saturday.
After match day 8, Tottenham Hotspur remains the lone unbeaten club in the Premier League thanks to an 89th minute equalizer from star teenager Dele Alli to secure a 1-1 draw with West Brom. Despite dominating possession and shots, Spurs found themselves trailing late after Nacer Chadli exacted revenge against his former club with his go-ahead goal in the 82nd. With their league unbeaten streak in jeopardy, Spurs increased their pressure before Alli tied the match to prevent the upset. In spite of their 8 match unbeaten start to the season, Spurs still finds themselves in 3rd place in the league table with 18 points, just 1 out of first place. Mauricio Pochettino's side will seek to extend their glorious run of form when they travel to Bournemouth on Saturday, following their midweek Champion's League fixture at Bayer Leverkusen. With the draw, West Brom currently sits 12 in the table, but their road doesn't get any easier as they travel to Anfield to face a confident Liverpool side on Saturday, before taking on City on October 29th.
Spurs' North London rival, Arsenal, continued their brilliant run of form on Saturday as they defeated a struggling Swansea City side 3-2 to extend their Premier League winning streak to 6. Arsene Wenger's side has done a terrific job to get their manager off the hot seat and quiet his critics. Theo Walcott has had a dream season so far as the tenured Arsenal man led the way with 2 goals on Saturday. Mesut Ozil also added his name to the score sheet as the Gunners' attack has been firing on all cylinders lately. Granit Xhaka earned a 70th minute red card, but the Swans failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage and dropped their 4th league match in a row. History was made in the match, however, as new Swansea boss, and former USMNT gaffer, Bob Bradley became the first American to manage a Premier League team. There will be no honeymoon for Bradley however, as the loss plummeted the Swans to 19th in the league table and what began as a promising campaign, with mid-table expectations, is quickly turning into a relegation battle for the Welsh club. Bradley and co. will attempt to win their first match in 2 months when they host Watford on Saturday. On the other end of the table, Arsenal's winning streak has propelled them to 2nd in the table, tied with City with 19 points, but just missing out on the top spot by a 1 goal differential. They have a chance to leap City this weekend when they host Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium.
Elsewhere in London, Chelsea disposed of reigning Premier League Champions Leicester City 3-0 at Stamford Bridge to win their second league match in a row. Golden Boot leader Diego Costa scored his 7th goal of the season just 7 minutes into the game before Eden Hazard and Victor Moses extended the score line in the 33rd and 80th minutes, respectively. Thibault Courtois, and the Chelsea back line, held Leicester to zero shots on goal, as the Foxes have found scoring this season much more challenging. With the loss, Leicester have slid to 13th in the league table and their likelihood of defending their title dwindles by the week. With the victory, Chelsea have vaulted into 5th place, but face a tough challenge when Manchester United comes to London this weekend for the match up of the week.
In the battle of the bottom feeders, the last two remaining winless clubs in the Premier League squared off as Sunderland traveled to Stoke City. None other than the Welsh Pirlo, Joe Allen, was the hero of the match as his 2 goals ended up being the difference for the Potters. With their win, Stoke has leaped to 18th place in the league with 6 points, and will hope to capitalize on their newfound momentum this weekend when they take on 16th place Hull City, who cannot seem to keep the ball out of their own net as of late. Sunderland's loss means that they will retain the bottom spot in the league table with a mere 2 points from their first 8 league matches. However, they will have another chance to earn their first victory of the season this weekend when they travel to London to face a struggling West Ham side.
