In which we catch you up on the weekend in Barclays Premier League action across the pond.
Right, what’d I miss?
Chelsea looked a bit more like the Blues you’ve come to expect the past decade, handling Aston Villa with little concern en route to a 2-0 victory, thanks to two goals by last episode’s villain, Diego Costa. Are they beginning their climb out of the basement? We’ll see. As for fellow cellar dwellar Newcastle United, the Magpies finally got their first win in nine games this season. Georginio Wijnaldum scored four in the win, and while they’re still in the relegation zone, it’s a start. At the top of the table, expected favorites took care of business against lesser opponents and changed very little in the standings. Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United all won, while surprise contender Leicester City drew Southampton 2-2 which might mean the gap between the big three and them is finally starting to widen.
Wait, didn’t you say something last time about a new manager for Liverpool? How’d that work out?
Right! As rumored, the Reds got Jürgen Klopp, the former Borussia Dortmund manager who took a former Bundesliga contender that had fallen on hard times back to the top. His teams are a lot of fun to watch, as they’re constantly pressing to try and win the ball back, and when they do, they pounce. It requires a total buy-in from the team, though, making him a manager that though great, isn’t right for every team. With that in mind, Liverpool drew Tottenham 0-0 with a big thank you to their goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet, which is, hey, a shutout! It’s not a win, sure, but it’s definitely not a loss!
0-0? Forget I asked. What was that about the top teams all winning?
Yeah, no real upsets this week. Manchester City is currently top of the table with 21 points, and Arsenal and Manchester United are right behind them with 19. West Ham United stayed within range at 17 points with a last-minute winner, scoring in the 88th minute to take the lead against a 10-man Crystal Palace squad who were so close to earning a point, despite playing the entire second half down a man, thanks to a Dwight Gayle red card a minute before halftime.
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Ooh, exciting finish! Who earned their meat-pie(s) this weekend?
Georginio Wijnaldum and Raheem Sterling! As mentioned up top, Wijnaldum hit two on either side of halftime to lift his team from last place into the league into… third-to-last. Listen, it’s a long season. And next week, they face fellow relegation zone members Sunderland, so a little momentum might be just enough to get them out of the basement next week.
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But Raheem Sterling also had a hat trick of his own in just the first half, carrying league leaders Manchester City to a 5-1 victory against AFC Bournemouth. He gets a couple lucky bounces on his first and third goals, but his second is pure class, making not one, but two defenders slide down in desperation before slotting home. It’s the purest example of why one player is on the best team in the league and why his opponents aren’t.
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Nice! Moving on, gimme the goal of the week!
Meet Aleksandar Mitrovic! He’s a new signee to Newcastle this year, but he notched a hell of a first goal in their home stadium.
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And the rest?
Sure, here you go.
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Excellent. What’s up next?
Next weekend has a huge match on Sunday, as Manchester United and Manchester City clash at Old Trafford, United’s home ground. As you can imagine, as teams that share a city they’re the fiercest of rivals, and this derby (that’s what the English call a rivalry game, which, laugh if you must, but it’s no “Crab Bowl Classic“) will be for far more than bragging rights, as only two points separate the two clubs at the top of the standings. If you can drag yourself up by 10 a.m. EST, tune in to see what should be an end-to-end fight.
