Some very interesting results over the weekend from the English top flight, and here are our main talking points from the round’s action.
Hammers surprise contenders for CL football?
West Ham are now fourth in the league table, and as things stand, would qualify for the Champions League next season. Yes, you read that right- the same West Ham side that endured a horror start to the season, but have somehow turned things around under David Moyes! Jesse Lingard seems to be enjoying his football as well, and he netted his first goal at the London stadium in their 2-1 win over Spurs- a nice finish, and an even better celebration afterwards!
Bale shows spark of former self
With Spurs trailing 1-0 at the interval, Mourinho introduced Gareth Bale and Matt Doherty off the bench. The Welsh winger’s second stint has been a bit of a disappointment, but he was quite good against the Hammers. His energy off the bench forced Moyes to bring on Ben Johnson as an extra defensive reinforcement at left back as West Ham went to a five man defence to contain him. Bale even had a stunning volley that hit the bar and was the catalyst for Spurs’ second half revival.
Liverpool suffer Merseyside defeat
Jurgen Klopp’s men fell out of the Champions League places as they went down 2-0 in the Merseyside derby at Anfield. Liverpool were widely tipped to beat Everton but instead lost to the Toffees at home in the league for the first time since 1999. Even more worrying, the front trio of Salah, Mane and Firmino again went goalless. In recent weeks, the Reds’ only goals have come from the penalty spot (Man City) and two gifted goals (Leipzig defensive errors). They also lost skipper Jordan Henderson to injury- one more addition to their growing injury list, and finished with yet another new centre back pairing in the form of Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips.
Chelsea drop points at Southampton
Like Liverpool, Chelsea also dropped points. The German “manager” derby between Thomas Tuchel and Ralph Hasenhuttl saw both teams take home a share of the spoils. It interestingly also continued Chelsea’s indifferent record under referee Taylor- they’ve now won only two of their last ten across all competitions under him.
Arsenal lose again to Man City
Man City continued their excellent run with another win and a clean sheet to boot, this time against Arsenal. It now marks the fourth consecutive league meeting between the two sides where the Gunners have failed to find the back of the net!
Fulham now only 3 behind Newcastle
Fulham’s mini revival continued with a 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Sheffield United, although there was a hint of controversy towards the end in an incident involving Cottagers keeper Areola and Blades player Bogle. Fulham’s recent form will be particularly worrying to Newcastle United, who lost their game at Old Trafford to Man Utd and are now just three points ahead of them in the league standings.