Premier League is officially the best football league in the world, and that’s not just an advertising slogan! The results from Round 5 are glorious examples of the strength, competition and unpredictability of the English top flight.
Arsenal, who struggled against Borussia Dortmund mid-week in the Champions League, were the only top team to get through the weekend with all three points in hands after scoring three goals in a four-minute span against Aston Villa. Danny Welbeck, the local striker who was deemed as surplus by Louis Van Gaal’s requirements at Manchester United, looked comfortable in his favorite central position and scored his debut goal for the Gunners.
It’s painful to watch United’s defence this season
Liverpool, Swansea, Tottenham and United all suffered unexpected defeats across the weekend. The Red Devils had every opportunity to build on the back of a fine victory in their last outings when they led newly promoted Leicester City 3-1 with only half an hour left. But the game turned in a dramatic way as Leicester scored four goals in 20 minutes to make it 5-3 with United’s young defender Tyler Blackett seeing red!
Van Gaal shared the disappointment with Brendan Rodgers who ironically, labeled Van Gaal’s Barcelona side of the 90s the club he looked up to. Liverpool suffered a massive blow in East London as they were beaten 3-1 by West Ham United. The hammers opened the game aggressively and caught the Reds off guard with two goals in the first seven minutes. Raheem Sterling scored the only goal for Liverpool, but Amalfitano’s third goal crushed any hope for the visitors.
Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-0 to West Brom at home, while Swansea conceded their second defeat of the season against Southampton, who took second place on the league ladder after five games. Although it is still early with the grueling season to test the depth of all clubs, especially when the winter comes, Ronald Koeman’s ability to deal with the loss of several key players such as Adam Lallana, Calum Chambers, Dejan Lovren and Luke Shaw during the summer transfer window has been outstanding.
No celebration! Lampard scored for City against his beloved Chelsea
In a crucial clash between arguably the two main title contenders on Sunday, Manchester City drew 1-1 with Chelsea at home, with Frank Lampard, the on-loan City midfielder who spent his whole career at Stamford Bridge, scoring the late equalizer for the Blue Moons. It was a fair result for both clubs, although City manager Manuel Pellegrini was furious with the defensive approach adopted by José Mourinho.
