Premier League Roundup: Week 11
Match day 11 featured a major shake up at the top of the league table as Liverpool continued their brilliant run of form and vaulted to 1st place in the standings. The Reds annihilated Watford 6-1 in a match that wasn't as close as the scoreline. 5 different Reds scored in the blowout, including a brace from Sadio Mane and additional tallies by Emre Can, Phillipe Coutinho, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Roberto Firmino as Liverpool's front line continues to be the class of the Premier League. With the win, Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions and sit alone atop the league standings with 26 points. Jurgen Klopp's side will look to continue their streak following the international break when they travel to Southampton to take on the 10th place Saints.
Liverpool weren't the only team to see the fruits of their labor materialize as Chelsea launched into second place with their 5-0 demolishing of Everton on Saturday. Eden Hazard continues to impress as he led the way for the Blues with 2 goals as Diego Costa, Marcos Alonso, and Pedro also penciled themselves into the score sheet. As impressive as the attack was for Chelsea, the defense may actually be the story of the game as the suffocating back line, with the aid of defensive midfielders N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic, held Romelu Lukaku and the Toffees to zero shots on goal for the game. Chelsea have now recorded 5 consecutive shutout victories in league since their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal, outscoring their opponents 16-0 during their winning streak. Chelsea now sit in 2nd place in the league, just 1 point behind league leading Liverpool and a point ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal. They will have a great opportunity to extend their shutout streak after the international break when they face 15th place Middlesbrough. The loss snapped Everton's 4 match league unbeaten streak and dropped the Toffees to 7th place. Expect Ronald Koeman's side to get back on track following the international break when they play 19th place Swansea City.
Liverpool and Chelsea's surge to the top of the table was aided by Arsenal and Manchester City dropping points over the weekend. City have continued to struggle since beginning their campaign 6-0-0 as they drew 1-1 with 15th place Middlesbrough on a late Martin de Roon equalizer in the 90+1 minute. Despite controlling 71% of the possession, mustering 21 shots, and holding the lead for nearly the entire second half, City were unable to earn the win and opened the door for Liverpool and Chelsea to jump them in the standings. With the tie, City have won just 1 game in their last 5 league matches. Much of their drop in form is surely due to their grueling Champion's League slate, and their 3-1 midweek victory of Barcelona was undoubtedly taxing both physically and emotionally. With the draw City have dropped to third place in the league with 24 points, but will look to get their Premier League season back on track against a slipping Crystal Palace side in their next match.
Arsenal dropped from 2nd to 4th with their 1-1 derby draw with North London rival Spurs. A Kevin Wimmer own goal in the 42nd minute gave the Gunners the lead before halftime, but Harry Kane, back from injury, converted a penalty in the 51st minute to equalize. With the draw, Spurs have now gone winless in all competitions since defeating Man City 2-0 on October 2nd. Despite not recording a win in over a month, Spurs is still unbeaten in league play, recording 4 straight draws. They currently sit 5th in the league with 21 points, but will attempt to get back into the title picture when they face a struggling West Ham side following the international break.
There was finally reason to cheer for Manchester United supporters as the Red Devils convincingly defeated 19th place Swansea City 3-1. Paul Pogba put United on the board in the 15th minute before fellow big-name Summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic extended the lead to 3-0 before the break with a first half brace. Mike van der Hoorn managed to get one back for the Swans in the 69th minute, but by then the damage was done. The win snaps a 4 match league winless streak for United, and their 3 goals mark the first time the Red Devils have scored in league since a 1-1 draw with Stoke City on October 2nd. United now sit 6th in league with 18 points, but face a much stiffer challenge after the international break when they welcome Arsenal to Old Trafford. Swansea's season has quickly transformed into a relegation battle as their latest loss sees the Swans sitting comfortably at 19th in the league table. Swansea have gone winless in their last 10 Premier League fixtures, recording just 2 points over that span. They will face another test in their next game against an Everton side eager to bounce back from the 5-0 drubbing they took from Chelsea this week.
Sunderland fans also had reason to celebrate this weekend as their last place Black Cats earned their first league win of the season, 2-1 over Bournemouth. Dan Gosling put Bournemouth up 1-0 just 11 minutes into the match, and it looked like it would be another long afternoon for Sunderland before Victor Anichebe equalized in the 33rd minute. However, hope of the Black Cats first victory was again put in doubt in the 59th minute when Sunderland were reduced to 10 men due to a Steven Pienaar red card. However, the Cats rallied and Jermain Defoe converted a 74th minute penalty to give 10-man Sunderland the deciding goal and their first Premier League win of the year. The win has lifted Sunderland somewhat out of the gutter as they now are tied with Swansea at the bottom of the table with 5 points. Sunderland will look to continue to climb out of last place when they face fellow relegation zone foe Hull City in their next match.
