Premier League Roundup: Week 2
Premier League teams have now completed their respective match days 2 and so far the city of Manchester is the soccer capital of England.
United fans were treated to Paul Pogba's return to Old Trafford and he didn't miss a beat in their 2-0 win over a struggling Southampton side. Zlatan Ibrahimovic provided the 2 goals in the win, extending his season goal total to 3 with no signs of slowing down.
Cross-town rivals Man City systematically dismantled Stoke City 4-1 behind 2 goals each by Sergio Aguero and new signee Nolito. Encouraging for City fans was the play of Raheem Sterling, who seems to be playing with more confidence under new gaffer Pep Guardiola as he was instrumental in breaking down the Potters' backline and creating chances. City is hot right now, collecting all 6 points in league and blasting Steau Bucharesti 5-0 in a midweek Champions league qualifier.
Chelsea looked shaky against Watford, needing 2 goals in the final 10 minutes of the match to overcome a 1 goal deficit and earn their second win in as many games. New boy Michy Batshuayi scored his first goal for the club to tie the game at 1 in the 80th minute before Diego Costa again delivered the late decisive strike in the 87th. Chelsea are clearly still adjusting under new manager Antonio Conte, but 6 points are 6 points and the will look to extend their winning streak this weekend against Burnley.
Speaking of Burnley, the newly promoted side upset Liverpool on Saturday, shutting out their high scoring offense 2-0. Despite only controlling 20% of the possession, Burnley were able to capitalize on Liverpool's mistakes and score on BOTH of their shots on goal. "Park the Bus" was Burnley's rallying cry on Saturday as the home side was more than content to sit back and weather every Liverpool attack en route to the first truly surprising result of the young season. Burnley will look to feed off of their momentum and steal a point in their next match against Chelsea. Meanwhile, Liverpool's road doesn't get any easier as they travel back to North London for the second time in as many weeks as they attempt to right the ship against astrong Spurs team, who is also looking to generate some momentum.
Speaking of Spurs, they earned their first win of the season on Saturday, defeating a struggling Crystal Palace squad 1-0 on a late Victor Wanyama winner. After finishing 3rd last season and earning a spot in the Champion's League, Spurs haven't looked solid to start their 2016-17 campaign. Goal machine Harry Kane has yet to find the back of the net and their offense looks out of sync. Their starting 11 remains mostly in tact from last year, and they've only spent just under 31 million pounds this summer on Wanyama and Dutch striker Vincent Janssen. It will be interesting to see if manager Mauricio Pochettino decides to make any more moves during this transfer window to bolster his attack or add depth before Spurs embark on their Champions League campaign.
Criticism of Arsene Wenger continued to grow over the weekend as Arsenal drew Leicester City 0-0 at the King Power Stadium as both sides earned their first point in league. In a game that was expected to be the match of the week, both teams looked unimpressive and frankly, it was a snoozer. The chances of Leicester repeating as league champions continue to dwindle as last year's golden boy Jamie Vardy looks to be a shell of his former self. Conversely, Arsenal, who featured a healthier and stronger squad than last week against Liverpool, seems to lack the cohesiveness and class of past years. Time appears to be running out for Arsene Wenger, who needs a win in the Gunners' next match against pesky Watford to keep the media wolves at bay for at least another week.
Everton continued it's early season success in a 2-1 win over an underrated West Brom team. At this point in the transfer window, and already nabbing 4 points, it looks like Everton will retain the services of big Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who made his season debut as a substitute. Everton's fast start has been a tad surprising, but if they can end the Lukaku transfer distraction they should be able to build on these results and perhaps even challenge for spot in Europe come May.
While Everton's start might be surprising, the real Cinderella story so far has been Hull City. The newly promoted Tigers railed off their second consecutive win against Swansea City on Saturday and now sit tied atop the league table. The scrappy side from the North East of England has yet to concede a goal and clearly intend on staying in the top flight.
