Premier League Results Match Week 9: Ten Hag Sacked After Manchester United Loss; Liverpool and Arsenal Draw; Manchester City Tops Table; Cherries Grab Late Point At Villa; Chelsea Triumph At Bridge; Spurs Fail To Show Versus Palace; Wolves Snag Point At Brighton; Foxes Felled By Trees

The Eric ten Hag era is over at Manchester United. After a 2-1 loss to West Ham the embattled manager launched into his customary whine about referee decisions and missed chances. Now he is gone.

Ten Hag did have a point about the officiating on Sunday. An exceptionally soft foul was spotted by VAR in the 92nd minute, causing the match referee to overrule his on-field decision and award the winning penalty kick to the Hammers’ Jarrod Bowen. One could even agree that Manchester United had the better chances, particularly in the first half where  the Red Devils’ misfiring attackers characteristically missed those chances. Manchester United has but eight goals the entire season. Only Crystal Palace and Southampton have scored fewer goals. The appalling output has made winning difficult for the 14th place Manchester club. The Red Devils have lost more often than they have won this season after finishing with the lowest Premier League point total in the club’s history last season.

Despite two cup titles in his first two seasons, ten Hag is gone as Manchester United prepares to throw another dart in attempting to recapture their former magic. Ruud van Nistelrooy takes over in the interim while another search begins. Ten Hag’s misfortune contrasted with joy on the opposite touchline. West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui badly needed Saturday’s London Stadium win after what had been a rough start to his maiden season in east London which included last week’s 4-1 squashing at Spurs.

While Manchester United supporters are left to question their club’s uncertain future, Manchester City is back on its accustomed perch at the top of the Premier League table. The Citizens rode a fifth minute Erling Haaland goal to a 1-0 victory over a surprisingly game Southampton side.

The three points move Manchester City past Liverpool after the Reds shared the points with third place Arsenal in a 2-2 draw at the Emirates on Sunday. Both Liverpool and Arsenal will have conflicting emotions regarding the deadlock. While Liverpool will rue the relinquishment of their pole position in the table, there will be satisfaction in coming back twice on the road at a top three rival. They will be frustrated, however, at not getting a win while facing a devastated Arsenal back line. Beginning the day without suspended center back William Saliba, the Gunners would lose defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber to injury during Sunday’s match. While Arsenal will be irked to have relinquished the lead not once, but twice at home there will also be relief to have survived without further damage. In fact, Arsenal almost pulled it out in the end when a late goal by Kai Havertz was disallowed for a foul in the play’s buildup. Fittingly, the two clubs’ biggest stars factored in the result. Bukayo Saka, who was questionable to even play, opened the scoring for Arsenal in the ninth minute. Mohamed Salah would then close out the scoring with Liverpool’s second equalizer in the 81st minute. The Reds fell to second in the table, a point behind Manchester City. Arsenal is now five points from the top with their defensive health appearing ominous at the moment.

pic.twitter.com/WL6dSv1J9O

— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) October 27, 2024

Aston Villa remains behind Arsenal on goal differential after the Villans also shared points on the weekend. Bournemouth striker Evanilson shocked the faithful at Villa Park with his header on the final play of the match which knotted the sides at one goal apiece. The Cherries rarely threatened during the match before snatching the point in smash and grab fashion. While Evanilson provided  the one shining moment, Bournemouth’s unsung hero  was goalkeeper Mark Tavers who had seven saves, several of the mission critical variety.

Tottenham Hotspur must have misunderstood the starting time for their match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Spurs never showed up and fell victim to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s winner for Crystal Palace. The 1-0 derby defeat continued a worrying storyline for Tottenham Hotspur as the combination of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison in the  midfield does not work and both were withdrawn in Saturday’s loss. The poor form of Maddison, who began his Spurs career in such bright fashion, is particularly worrying. Crystal Palace won for the first time this season, perhaps relieving some of the pressure on Manager Oliver Glasner. Mateta enjoyed a bit of redemption one match after he was benched for poor performance. Eberechi Eze, also poor this season, notched his first assist of the campaign with a nifty back heel pass to his towering French teammate. Spurs lost for a third time in five away outings this season and lost any momentum provided by last week’s thumping of fellow London side West Ham.

Elsewhere in London, Chelsea prevailed 2-1 over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge to become the only other club in the top seven, beside Manchester City, to win this weekend. Cole Palmer’s goal in the 47th minute proved the winner as the man they call “Cold” scored for the seventh time this season, the  joint third highest total in the Premier League. Newcastle lost for the third time in a five-match winless run as the seat of Manager Eddie Howe becomes warmer.

Chelsea leapfrogged Brighton into fifth position in the table with the win as the Seagulls squandered a late two goal lead in a 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton. Brighton led 2-0 until Wolves scored in the 88th minute. It still should have been a case of being too little too late for Wolves but for a Brighton mistake in stoppage time. Substitute Mats Wieffer inexplicably passed the ball to Tommy Doyle, the lone Wolverhampton player defending against Wieffer and three Brighton teammates in the Wolves end. The ensuing counterattack saw Doyle assist a 93rd minute equalizer by Matheus Cunha. Wolverhampton’s second point of the season transferred ownership of the bottom place in the table to Southampton.

Ipswich Town, meanwhile, replaced Crystal Palace in the bottom three as the Tractor Boys lost 4-3 at Brentford, marking their third consecutive loss. Bryan Mbeumo scored twice for the Bees, his second goal proving to be the dagger in the 96th minute of the seven goal back and forth match. Brentford had come back from two goals down to take the lead on Mbeumo’s 51st minute penalty kick with Ipswich Town being reduced to ten men. The Tractor boys were not done, however, as Liam Delap struck an equalizer for outmanned Ipswich in the 86th minute, setting the stage for Mbeumo’s stoppage time winner.

The win moved the Bees up four places in the table to ninth, one point above Fulham which dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Everton. Striker Beto scored his first goal of the season for Everton to stun the Cottagers with a 94th minute strike which extended the Toffees’ unbeaten league run to  five matches. The earlier Cottager goal by Alex Iwobi, a former Toffee, was thus wasted as Fulham have now dropped 10 points from winning positions this season.

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, is knocking on the door of European qualification as the now seventh place Tricky Trees laid the wood on Leicester in a 3-1 win Friday at King Power Stadium. Chris Wood scored twice, moving his season’s haul to seven goals and continuing a late career renaissance for the 32-year-old New Zealander who scored 14 times last season. Wood, of course, is a youngster compared to Leicester’s lone goal scorer on Saturday, 37-year-old club legend Jamie Vardy. The home loss was extra painful for Leicester Manager Steve Cooper who led Nottingham Forest to their Premier League promotion by winning the Championship playoff in 2022. Cooper was sacked by the Tricky Trees last season. 

Premier League Preview: Match Week 9

One game overshadows all the others this weekend when Liverpool goes to the Emirates on Sunday to take on a suddenly vulnerable Arsenal. Injuries took a toll in last week’s loss as the sidelining of Bukayo Saka further slowed an Arsenal attack which was already without Martin Odegaard. Saka’s availability for the clash with Liverpool remains a question after Saka sat out a second consecutive match with his hamstring problem when the Gunners downed Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday. Manager Mikel Arteta has, perhaps intentionally, been giving conflicting signals regarding Saka's fitness for the weekend. If Saka misses again, Arsenal could depend even further on the remarkable home form of Kai Havertz who will try to match the legendary Thierry Henry by scoring in a sixth consecutive Premier League home match for the Gunners. A loss at the Emirates will be worrying as Arsenal are already four points behind Liverpool entering this match. Though it remains early days, recent seasons have proved there is little room for dropped points at the top of the Premier League table. Sunday’s match also poses an important test for Liverpool. The club has won seven of its eight Premier League matches but last Sunday’s narrow win over Chelsea was the first time Liverpool had faced one of the current top seven clubs in the table. Liverpool’s only loss was to eighth Place Nottingham Forest. Even a depleted Arsenal will represent a step up in competition versus the majority of clubs which have fallen to the Reds so far.

Forwards together ✊

📍 Sobha Realty Training Centre pic.twitter.com/IdRUonzmm5

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 25, 2024

Manchester City will be watching Sunday’s match with interest after presumably strolling past Southampton Saturday at the Etihad. The Citizens remain the only undefeated Premier League club, and the Saints are one of four winless sides, having lost seven of their eight matches to date. A collapse last week versus fellow newly promoted side Leicester, in which the Saints squandered a two-goal lead, had to be deflating for a squad which was already floundering. Southampton has conceded more goals this season than any side but for bottom of the table Wolverhampton. On Saturday they will face the league’s highest scoring team and defending champion. The Saints are thus unlikely to have a prayer. Then again, that is the stuff that upsets are made of.

Just a week after its surprising upset of Arsenal, Bournemouth faces another stern test at Aston Villa. Aside from the signature win over the Gunners, the Cherries have been competitive in most every match this season. Before the Arsenal win, all of Bournemouth’s contests had been decided by no more than a goal but for an absorbed pasting by league leader Liverpool and a two-goal margin in a Cherries victory over relegation bound Southampton. Aston Villa, meanwhile, has lost only to Arsenal but some worries were surfacing after back-to-back draws with Ipswich Town and Manchester United. A throttling of Fulham last week will have provided a confidence boost. The victory put the Villans in sole possession of fourth place and cemented their best start to a Premier League season in more than a quarter century.

Brighton lurks just two points behind Aston Villa and the Seagulls are flying after back-to-back victories over Spurs and Newcastle. Wolverhampton visits Brighton this weekend. Cellar dwelling Wolves put on an uncharacteristically strong performance against Manchester City last week before ultimately conceding in the fifth minute of stoppage time for their seventh loss of the season. Saturday’s match at Brighton will show whether last week’s competitiveness was an anomaly or whether there is hope for the league’s current cellar dweller.

Newcastle is reeling after a home loss to Brighton extended the Magpies’ winless run to four matches. Manager Eddie Howe’s side has scored just two goals in its last four league outings and has been whitewashed in its last two times out. Newcastle visits Stamford Bridge on Sunday to face a Chelsea side anxious to get back on track after falling out of the top four with its loss to top of the table Liverpool last week. The Blues have found the net with regularity at Stamford Bridge, scoring 17 goals in the last six matches at the London venue. Chelsea star Cole Palmer has been particularly brilliant at home, averaging a goal or assist every 63 minutes at Stamford Bridge in Premier League play. Trying to put the brakes on Chelsea’s attack will be two former Blues in Magpie fullbacks Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento who, in an odd scheduling twist, will get a second chance on Wednesday when the two clubs meet again in an EFL Cup match at St. James’s Park.

Former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter was rumored this week as a potential replacement for Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, whose fall from grace is remarkable. The Eagles showed so much promise at the end of last season but have failed miserably out of the gate this season. Crystal Palace is without a win and sitting among the three clubs in the relegation zone. Even the losses of Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen are not sufficient to explain the awkward landing of the Eagles in the drop zone. The club will attempt to get off the schneid at home this weekend in a London derby versus Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs star Son Heung-min is a huge doubt for the match with a hamstring but even that absence should not stop Spurs from defeating Palace for a sixth consecutive time. Tottenham Hotspur is seventh in the table after winning another London derby versus West Ham last week.

The Hammers are home this weekend to Manchester United for a contest of embattled managers. New West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui is off to a horrendous start in east London which includes a record three consecutive losses at London Stadium to start the season and a humiliating 4-1 loss at London rival Tottenham Hotspur last week. Both Lopetegui and technical director Tim Steidten are catching strays from fans for poor play but also a poorly constructed team. Steidten purportedly won a power struggle with former manager David Moyes, making him even more the focus of blame for the travails of the current manager and players. Manchester United Manager Eric ten Hag, meanwhile, remains a target for supporters but somehow seems to retain the commitment of management if only because the club has failed to find a suitable replacement to take over the Red Devils who currently sit 12th in the Premier League table after a worst ever finish last season. There has been a bit of an upturn, however, with a comeback win versus Brentford at Old Trafford last weekend and a Europe League draw with former manager Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce during the week.

Brentford returns home this weekend where the Bees have won three of their four home matches to date. Their opponent is an Ipswich Town side still seeking a first win as the Tractor Boys are perilously just a point above the relegation line.

Everton is five points clear of the drop after posting two wins and two draws in their past four matches. The Toffees host Fulham at Goodison Park on Saturday. The Cottagers have dropped two straight contests, albeit to top four sides Manchester City and Aston Villa. Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite should be back in the squad after recovering from a thigh injury. Leicester has improved its chances of survival with back-to-back victories as the Foxes take the pitch versus Nottingham Forest on Friday. The Tricky Trees are eighth in the table under Manager Nuno Espirito Santo, having lost just once this season. Striker Chris Wood has scored three goals in his last four league appearances. Leicester Manager Steve Cooper faces the club which sacked him last year, adding more spice to an East Midlands derby. 

Premier League Results Match Week 8: Arsenal Beaten; Liverpool Edges Chelsea; Manchester City Tames Wolves With Late Winner; Spurs Hammer West Ham; Manchester United Ends Drought In Win Over Bees; Palace Woes Continue With Loss At Forest; Everton Extends Unbeaten Run

Arsenal fell from the ranks of the unbeaten as Bournemouth capitalized on a man advantage to sink the Gunners with two second half goals. Arsenal’s William Saliba was hit with a red card, the first of his career, in the 32nd minute for tripping a Bournemouth player near the center circle. The depleted Gunners kept matters scoreless until the 70th minute when the Cherries Ryan Christie scored from a corner kick. A Justin Kluivert penalty kick nine minutes later sealed the 2-0 victory for the Cherries. The loss of Saliba was too much to overcome for an Arsenal side that was already playing the match without injured stars Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. The Saliba red card will have additional consequences as the defender will be suspended for the huge upcoming match against league leading Liverpool.

Curtis Jones was at the center of Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday. A foul on the midfielder, committed by Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, sent Mohamed Salah to the penalty spot to register the match’s opening score. After Niclas Jackson equalized early in the second half, it was Jones who scored what would prove the winner in the 51st minute when he slotted in a cross from Salah at the far post. The league’s stingiest defense then held off a dangerous Chelsea squad to record Manager Arne Slot’s tenth victory in his 11 games in charge at Liverpool. Chelsea is now winless in their last 10 matches against Liverpool across all competitions.

Manchester City stayed a point behind Liverpool with a dramatic stoppage time winner to defeat Wolverhampton. Few expected the match against the table’s worst side to bear any drama at the Etihad. Wolves, however, jumped to the lead in the seventh minute before the homestanding Citizens equalized later in the first half. The two sides battled through a scoreless second half before John Stones headed in Phil Foden’s corner for a winner which was first disallowed on the field for an alleged offside. VAR would cause the referee to reconsider, and Manchester City had its three points as a worthy effort by Wolves come to nothing for the league’s cellar dwellers.

Aston Villa moved past Chelsea into fourth position in the table with a convincing 3-1 win at Fulham. The Villans scored three consecutive times after Fulham jumped to an early fifth minute lead courtesy of a goal by Raul Jimenez. Morgan Rogers quickly equalized for Aston Villa in the ninth minute. Ollie Watkins then gave Aston Villa the lead with his 59th minute goal, his fifth of the season. Five minutes later Fulham went down to ten men and five minutes after that Aston Villa had its insurance goal when Issa Diop found the net. The Villans are off to their best league start after eight games in 26 years.

Back to it Baby 😘
➕3️⃣ points💜😉 pic.twitter.com/PkfvQqQXbI

— Ollie Watkins (@Olliewatkin_11) October 19, 2024

Brighton and Hove Albion are two points outside the top four after an impressive 1-0 away win at Newcastle. The ageless Danny Welbeck scored the only goal of a match which saw Newcastle lose a Premier League game at St. James’s Park for the first time since January. The thirty-three-year-old Welbeck, who has four league goals this season, is two years older than Brighton Manager Fabian Hurzeler.

Tottenham Hotspur Manager Ange Postecoglou got a much-needed response after his club collapsed versus Brighton in their last league match. After conceding an opening goal, Spurs would equalize by halftime and then slam the Hammers with three second half goals inside of eight minutes to win 4-1. Mohammed Kudus provided the only moments of note for the Hammers. Kudus scored the opening goal as the Hammers took their surprising lead in a match where they would later  be overwhelmed. A frustrated Kudus would later be red carded for laying hands on not one but two different Spurs players during a second half melee. West Ham will hold its breath as Kudus could potentially be hit with a lengthy suspension for violent conduct.

Manchester United conceded an opening goal to Brentford before Alejandro Garnacho ended a 316-minute Premier League goal drought for the Red Devils to equalize. Rasmus Hojlund would later strike the winner in the 2-1 Manchester United win. While some pressure might have eased on Manager Eric ten Hag with the win, the fact remains the three points only moved United from 14th to 12th position in the table, unaccustomed territory for the Red Devils.

There was no change in table position for the league’s bottom six teams. Everton extended its unbeaten run to four matches with a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town.

The pressure, meanwhile, increased on Crystal Palace Manager Oliver Glasner after his relegation bound Eagles fell 1-0 to Nottingham Forest. The defeat was a third consecutive loss for Crystal Palace, which is shockingly yet to win this season after finishing last season by  winning six of their last seven matches. The Eagles have the fewest goals in the Premier League. In fact, Chris Woods’ winning goal for Forest was his fifth of the season, the same number of goals scored by Crystal Palace as a team in this Premier League campaign.

Southampton remains in the bottom three with Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton after Leicester overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat the Saints 3-2 at St. Mary’s. The Saints led 2-0 at halftime before a sinful second half saw their lead slip away before Jordan’s Ayew’s 98th minute stoppage time goal completed the Foxes’ comeback.

Premier League Preview: Match Week 8

The Premier League returns to action with a tasty top four matchup as league leading Liverpool hosts a dangerous Chelsea side at Anfield. Liverpool has won six of seven matches, three in succession after a shocking home defeat against Nottingham Forest back in mid-September. Chelsea, meanwhile, is undefeated since an opening week loss to Manchester City and the Blues are currently in fourth position in the table by virtue of goal differential over Aston Villa. Sunday’s contest, in a sense, will represent an irresistible force colliding with an immovable object. Only Manchester City has scored more goals than Chelsea. No club has conceded fewer times than the measly two goals allowed by Liverpool this season. The Reds will be missing goalkeeper Allison who is out with a hamstring issue, but deputy keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has performed admirably when called upon in the past. Chelsea’s defense will be without suspended players Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella though perennially injured Reese James is rumored to potentially be experiencing one of his infrequent spells of fitness. The match at Anfield marks the initial meeting between first time Premier League managers Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca.

Liverpool 🆚 Chelsea
The league's No. 1 defense 🆚 No. 2 attack

Who's winning the chess match on Sunday? ♟️ pic.twitter.com/iRd9x3VMnN

— Premier League USA (@PLinUSA) October 17, 2024

Another new manager experiencing success to date is Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler. The 31-year-old manager, the youngest in Premier League history, has the Seagulls in sixth place based on a current goal differential advantage over Newcastle. That margin will be put to the test on Saturday when the Seagulls visit St. James’s Park to face the Magpies. Newcastle has been hamstrung in recent matches by injuries to strikers Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, forcing Manager Eddie Howe to employ winger Anthony Gordon in an unaccustomed tip of the spear role. Isak could be available this week while Wilson is a lesser possibility.

Arsenal appears to have dodged a bullet with Manager Mikel Arteta indicating that Bukayo Saka’s injury sustained on international duty is not serious and the winger is tracking toward being available for the Gunners’ match with Bournemouth. Arteta’s side is already playing without the services of injured captain Martin Odegaard who is getting closer but will not make it for the bout with the Cherries. Bournemouth has lost three of four matches, scoring just once during a dismal run.

No club has been as dismal as Wolverhampton, however. Wolves has lost four in a row and six of its seven matches so far.  Already allowing three goals per match, Manager Gary O’Neil’s club now must face Manchester City, which leads the league in goals. Good luck.

A loss at the Etihad just before the break snapped a five-game unbeaten run for Fulham. The Cottagers are back home this weekend to host Aston Villa. Eighth place Fulham is only three points back of the visiting Villans who are level on points with fourth place Chelsea. The Cottagers have played well at home this season, but this has not been a good match-up for them in the past as Aston Villa have won five of the last six meetings between the teams.

Elsewhere in London, Tottenham Hotspur will be hosting a derby with West Ham. Spurs squandered a two goal lead in a brutal loss at Brighton before the break. West Ham entered the break in a much more positive mindset, having seemingly found their missing attack in a 4-1 pounding of Ipswich Town which marked Manager Julen Lopetegui’s first win at London Stadium.

Ipswich will be engaged in a relegation rumble at Portman Road with visiting Everton on Saturday. The Tactor Boys are just a point above the relegation line, one point behind 16th place Everton. Ipswich had drawn four consecutive matches before being blown out by the Hammers before the break. Calls for the sacking of Everton Manager Sean Dyche have died down a bit after the Toffees captured all five of their season to date points in their final three matches before the break.

Another manager, however, could surprisingly be in trouble. No one expected to be talking about the job security of Crystal Palace Manager Oliver Glasner after the Eagles finished last season strongly after the Austrian’s February appointment. Palace is a disaster so far this season, however, with the Eagles winless and sitting in the dreaded relegation zone after seven matches. David Moyes has been rumored as a possible Glasner replacement as the Eagles prepare to face Nottingham Forest. Nuno Espirito Santo, on the other hand, entered the season on a short leash but has the Tricky Trees in the top half of the table with just a single loss on their resume. Santo will miss Monday’s match at the City Ground due to his disciplinary suspension dating to a volatile moment at Brighton some weeks ago.

Leicester leads the three newly promoted sides with six points to date as former Nottingham Forest Manager Steve Cooper tries to win over the supporters of his new club. A win Saturday at relegation bound Southampton is essential toward that end for Cooper.

And then there is the case of Manchester United. Embattled manager Eric ten Hag drags his 14th place squad to Brentford for a matchup with the Bees on Saturday. The Dutch manager told the media this week that they are “creating fairytales” and “bringing lies” by suggesting his job may not be secure. The reality is that ten Hag guided the team to its worst ever Premier League performance last season and this is the worst start to a season after seven matches in the club’s history. The proud franchise is currently among the bottom three clubs in goal production. A loss to the industrious Bees, currently three places above United in the Premier League table, would surprise no one. Ten Hag chalking it off as no big deal would be no surprise either. 

Half of The Top Four Is Under New Management

Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta continue to battle as their clubs vie for the Premier League title. Neither of their clubs is currently topping the table, however, and a potential new challenger has now crashed the top four. Both that new challenger and the current Premier League leader are under new management as Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca are off to better starts than their club supporters could have ever hoped for.

Liverpool, of course, was expected to contend after Jurgen Klopp bequeathed a talented roster which ran third behind Manchester City and Arsenal last season. No one, however, expected the transition to Slot’s regime to go so smoothly that the Reds would sit above those two to this admittedly early point in the season. Without making wholesale changes, the former Feyenoord manager has instituted a bit more caution into Klopp’s helter skelter gameplan. Attack minded fullbacks Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have been challenged to attend more to their defensive responsibilities. A double pivot of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch provides additional cover in front of a back line that was showing leakage as the Klopp regime wound down. The stronger defensive shape has led to only two goals being conceded to date in Liverpool’s seven Premier League matches. By comparison, Arsenal has conceded six times and Manchester City has leaked eight goals to date.

On the attack, Liverpool has been more judicious in its attempts. Big chance creation, those goal attempts where a player is expected to score, are up even though shots are down more than eight shots per match in the first seven contests under Slot versus the final seven matches under Klopp. Culture wise, there has been little drama during the transition so far and Mohamed Salah seems much happier now that he is out from under his deteriorating relationship with former manager Klopp. All seems well after the club has won nine of its first ten matches across all competitions under Slot. The true test, of course, will be when inevitable adversity is encountered at some point during this long season.

Another positive manager story is unfolding at Stamford Bridge. When Slot’s legendary predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, announced his departure last January, Liverpool fans had several months to acclimate to the idea of a regime change before the May announcement of Slot’s appointment. Things were a bit more jarring for Chelsea. Mauricio Pochettino had just overseen a strong season ending run of five consecutive victories by his young Chelsea squad, capping a run of 15 games where Chelsea lost just once as a difficult start to the 2023/24 season quickly faded into memory. Then two days after the final match Pochettino was gone, purportedly a mutual decision between the Argentine and Chelsea club ownership based on irreconcilable differences. Pochettino, who stayed just one season at Chelsea, is now in his early days  of managing the United States National Team and already voicing aspirations that he would really like to be managing Argentina.

Less than a month after Pochettino’s abrupt departure, Chelsea fans learned their new manager would be Enzo Maresca. The Italian won the Championship in his own one season at Leicester, admittedly limping a bit across the finish line to the consternation of Fox fans. Maresca had failed miserably in his one other top job with Parma where he was fired less than halfway through his maiden season. A presumed big selling point for Chelsea ownership was the Italian’s time spent on the staff of Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola.

There was some understandable doubt among Chelsea supporters as to whether they were seeing an upgrade on the touchline from the vastly more experienced Pochettino. There can be little complaint thus far. Maresca has Chelsea back in the top four and his club is performing in exciting fashion. Only Manchester City has scored more goals than Chelsea this season. This week Maresca was named the Premier League Manager of the Month for September. The new manager has been quick to assert himself at Chelsea and has taken controversially hard stands to cast veteran players Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell from his plans for the season.

On the pitch, Maresca has implemented three key changes. His club uses a short passing game focused on build up play and possession versus the more aggressive transition-based style of Pochettino. Secondly, one of Maresca’s two fullbacks will invert in attack seeking to create a numbers advantage in midfield. Finally, much to the delight of supporters, rising star Cole Palmer is featured in a number 10 role where he can be even more influential than under Pochettino where he was spending time on the right wing. The former Manchester City player was also recognized Friday, being named the Premier League Player of the Month.

While Palmer’s star continues to rise, other young players such as Noni Madueke and Niclas Jackson are also showing improvement. Even defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo appears more comfortable in Maresca’s disciplined system and is showing flashes of the star he once was at Brighton.

There is a long season ahead as the new Chelsea and Liverpool managers get to take a breath during this international break. Both should feel good, however, at their performance so far.

Premier League Results Match Week 7: Top Three Unchanged As Reds, Gunners and Citizens Prevail; Goalless Grind by Aston Villa and Manchester United; Epic Collapse By Spurs; Hammers Pound The Tractor Boys; Chelsea Drops Points In Melee At The Bridge; Wolves Stung By Bees

Liverpool posted its fifth clean sheet in seven Premier League matches as the table leaders edged Crystal Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park. Diogo Jota’s ninth minute goal was all that was required as the Reds faced little challenge from Crystal Palace. The Eagles remain mired in the relegation zone, continuing to search for their first win of this season. Crystal Palace bemoaned a potential penalty call when Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk purportedly grabbed Marc Guehi. While the call was debatable, the argument was sadly the only energy the Eagles displayed on the day.

Arsenal pummeled another of the league’s winless punching bags in a 3-1 win over Southampton as Bukayo Saka set up Arsenal’s first two goals before scoring himself in the 88th minute. Kai Havertz was the beneficiary of Saka’s first assist, finding the net for a club leading fourth time this season as the former Chelsea man scored in a seventh consecutive Emirates appearance. The home crowd was initially shocked by a Southampton goal which gave the Saints an improbable lead before Arsenal began to roll to their 400th home win in the Premier League. Only Manchester United had previously reached that milestone.

Manchester City remained level with Arsenal, one point behind Liverpool, by defeating Fulham 3-2. As was the case with Arsenal, Manchester City also played the role of gracious host by allowing their visitors to score the opening goal. Mateo Kovacic, however, then played the unlikely hero for the defending champions as the midfielder scored twice in succession. A Jeremy Doku goal put the Citizens beyond the reach of an 88th minute consolation goal by the Cottagers.

Homestanding Chelsea also conceded the game’s first goal to Nottingham Forest. A Noni Madueke goal  brought the Blues level, but Chelsea was then unable to capitalize on an ensuing man advantage. Forest’s James Ward-Prowse was disqualified in the 78th minute but Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels stood tall with numerous key saves to preserve the away point for the Tricky Trees. The scrappy contest will likely see disciplinary action against both clubs for failing to control their players after a melee in the closing stages. As it is, both Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana will be suspended for Chelsea’s next league match after they became the first Premier League players this season to pick up five yellow cards. Chelsea as a team were assessed six yellow cards on Sunday for the second time this season. Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca dismisses the seeming indiscipline as he professes to “like the spirit of the team.”

Aston Villa remains level on points with fourth place Chelsea after a somnolent goalless slog with Manchester United. The ugly point by Manchester United may well save the job of Manager Eric ten Hag at least for a few weeks. Ten Hag’s pleas for patience with what he characterizes as a long-term project are a bit comical, however, considering his man of the match on Sunday was 36-year-old Jonny Evans who played his first league match with the Red Devils back in 2008. The Dutch manager’s short-term fate is reportedly to be discussed during an ownership meeting planned for this week. Aston Villa were lackluster, perhaps an understandable let down after an exhilarating Champions League win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Brighton, meanwhile, rose from ninth to sixth place in the table with a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Tottenham Hotspur. Another “Spursy” performance saw Tottenham Hotspur lose for a league record 10th time after leading a match by two goals as a two-goal halftime lead disappeared with the concession of three second half goals inside of 18 minutes. While the goals reflected individual player mistakes by Tottenham Hotspur players, debate continues on the net viability of Manager Ange Postecoglou’s high risk / high reward system of play. Summer transfer acquisitions Yankuba Minteh and Georginio Rutter  scored the fist two goals of the Seagull comeback before Premier League veteran Danny Welbeck headed in the winner. The final goal was indicative of Spurs’ play as neither the cross nor Welbeck’s header was contested by Tottenham Hotspur defenders. Postecoglou after the match would describe his club’s play as “bad as it gets.”

Meanwhile, Newcastle United were one of the three clubs which Brighton leapfrogged on the weekend as the Magpies were held to a goalless draw at Everton. The Toffees’ Jordan Pickford more than earned his first clean sheet of the Premier League season when the England keeper stopped a penalty try from Anthony Gordon. The miss was particularly disappointing for Newcastle’s Gordon who made 78 appearances for Everton after his childhood signing by the club. An acrimonious 2023 exit led some supporters and even official club sources to delight in his misfortune at Goodison Park Saturday. Everton moved two points clear of the relegation line as the Toffees have captured four of their last six available points.

Leicester secured its first victory of the season to improve its own survival prospects as the Foxes defeated visiting Bournemouth 1-0 at King Power Stadium. Facundo Buonanaotte, on loan to the Foxes from Brighton, scored his second goal of the season as Leicester took the lead in a match for only the second time this season. Absent a feared points deduction form the league, the Foxes are currently best poised of the newly promoted sides to stick around for another year.

The Foxes are 15th in the table, jumping over Ipswich Town which was hammered 4-1 at West Ham on Saturday. Julen Lopetegui scored his first victory as a West Ham manager at London Stadium after starting his managerial tenure with three consecutive home defeats. The fireworks started early on Saturday as each club scored within the opening two minutes of play. The Tractor Boys were finished, however, after Liam Delap’s fourth goal of the season. The Hammers would go on to score three more times to lessen the pressure on their new manager who was being rumored to quickly become their former manager. The three points move West Ham to 12th in the table, level with Bournemouth and Manchester United and two points behind Brentford.

The Bees on Saturday swarmed all over bottom of the table Wolverhampton in a 5-3 goal fest. The Wolves levelled twice early on before the home side poured on three consecutive goals, rendering a Wolves stoppage time goal meaningless. Brentford ended a three-match winless run with the win. Winless Wolves have captured just a single point this season and have conceded a staggering 21 goals in their seven matches. 

Premier League Preview: Match Week 7

Premier League leading Liverpool is at Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Reds have not lost there since 2014, and this is a lovely time to visit. The Eagles have lost all momentum from their fine finish to last season and are sitting in the relegation zone, having not won a single match. Manager Oliver Glasner was lauded for the job he did after taking over the club from Roy Hodgson in February. Now he could be in the hot seat with his grounded Eagles not only winless but limping along with just six goals in their last five matches.

Matchday -1 🌟 #CPFC pic.twitter.com/a7vx8wKnnO

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) October 4, 2024

Only Arsenal has conceded fewer goals than Fulham this season. That could change when the Cottagers visit the Etihad to face a Manchester City side which has scored more goals than any club not named Chelsea. Fulham is a tough out this season, however, after going undefeated in five matches since an opening week loss and crashing the “top six.” Kevin De Bruyne will be missing for a Manchester City side which is still reeling from a season ending injury to Rodri and has uncharacteristically dropped points in consecutive weeks.

Arsenal is level on points with Manchester City, one point behind Liverpool as the Gunners head to Southampton to face the suffering Saints. Southampton has scored only three goals in its six league matches. Worse yet, the Saints have leaked 12 goals by opponents, leading Manager Russell Martin to call his team "soft" after last week’s loss to Bournemouth. Arsenal’s Kai Havertz has the chance to tie the record of Robin Van Persie by scoring for a seventh consecutive match across all competitions at the Emirates.

Havertz’s former team, Chelsea, is also scoring a lot of goals. The Blues lead the Premier League in finding the net, 13 of their fifteen goals coming from young stars Cole Palmer, Niclas Jackson and Noni Madueke. Palmer also has four assists to go with his six goals on the season. Chelsea’s goal barrage has landed the Blues back into the top four as they await the visit of Nottingham Forest on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if that goal production continues against the Tricky Trees who suffered their first defeat of the season last week to Fulham. In only one of Nottingham Forest’s six matches has either club scored more than a single goal.

Brighton and Hove Albion was handed its first loss of the season last week at Chelsea. This week the Seagulls will be home to visiting Tottenham Hotspur. While Brighton may have lost for the first time last week, the Seagulls had drawn their previous three Premier League matches. Meanwhile, the arrow has most assuredly been pointing upwards for Spurs which has won all five matches across all competitions since its league loss in the north London derby to Arsenal. The London side is seeing increased contributions from attackers Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski which should help cover for the absence on Sunday of Son Heung-min who is expected out with a hamstring. Johnson has scored in his last five appearances across all competitions, Solanke has scored in back-to-back league matches and Kulusevski was responsible for creating nine chances in the match against Manchester United last weekend. Spurs’ 3-0 win at Old Trafford, the identical score by which Liverpool had won at the historic ground two weeks earlier, raised the temperature on the already hot seat of Manchester United Manager Eric ten Hag.

A change of venue will be welcomed this weekend as the Red Devils visit Villa Park, a stadium where Manchester United has lost only once in its last 25 Premier League visits. Villa, however, is in fine form this season, level on points with fourth place Chelsea after winning four of six matches and losing only to Arsenal. Aston Villa strikers Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran have been an impressive tag team for Manager Unai Emery. Watkins has scored in three straight matches while super-sub Duran has scored as a substitute in all four of Aston Villa’s wins. Manchester United received word this week that its appeal of Bruno Fernandes’s red card from the Spurs’ match was successful and their Portuguese captain will be available on Sunday.

Just when things were looking up for Everton, news came this week that Jarrad Branthwaite is injured again after suffering a thigh injury in training. His return from a groin injury was a key factor in the Toffees’ first win of the season last weekend. The defender is now a doubt for Saturday’s match versus Newcastle when the Magpies’ Anthony Gordon returns to his former stomping ground. The former Toffee star is now finding his way after a slow start to his career in the northeast. The versatile Gordon, a natural winger, might well play at center forward against his former team. Injuries to Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson forced Gordon to the middle against Manchester City last week where he performed well and scored the penalty kick which secured a point in the 1-1 draw.

West Ham has striker issues as transfer acquisition Niclas Fullkrug remains sidelined with a calf/Achilles problem. The Hammers will be trying to avoid a fourth consecutive home defeat when they host Ipswich Town at London Stadium on Saturday. Things could turn dark early for West Ham and new Manager Julen Lopetegui. Only one of 12 Premier League clubs whose new managers lost their first four home matches has managed to avoid relegation. The Tractor Boys have drawn four consecutive matches after opening losses to Liverpool and Manchester City.

Another newly promoted side, Leicester, will host Bournemouth at King Power Stadium. The Foxes are above the relegation line by virtue of goal differential over Crystal Palace. Bournemouth had their way with another relegation side in Southampton last week and are sitting just outside the top half of the table.

Newly promoted sides vying to survive this season could have their chances improved if Wolverhampton continues to play as dreadfully as they have in their first six matches. Last in the table with just a single earned point to date, Wolves travel to Brentford on Saturday. 

Premier League Match Week 6 Results: Liverpool Moves To Top Of the Table; Manchester City Drops Points Again; Palmer Lights It Up In Chelsea Win; Gloom Thickens For Manchester United; Gunners Escape Foxes; Bees Blow Another Lead; Everton Wins As Branthwaite Returns

History was made at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea’s Cole Palmer became the first player to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League match. The electric 22-year-old left departed Manchester City in search of more playing time and joined an army of young players marching in the door at Stamford Bridge. Palmer has quickly separated himself from the rest of Chelsea’s acquisitions, however. The England international ran second to Erling Haaland in Premier League goals last season and trails only the Norwegian striker in goals again this season after Saturday’s historic performance. Palmer, however, also racks up assists to lead all Premier League players in goal involvements last year and now. Chelsea’s 4-2 win over Brighton sees the Blues break into the top four with a Palmer led attack which leads the league in scoring.

Liverpool is now top of the table with the top five teams all within two points of each other. The Reds were far from their best when only a 61st minute Mohamed Salah penalty sealed their 2-1 victory over winless Wolves.

Manchester City, meanwhile, felt the loss of midfielder Rodri as the Citizens were bullied by Newcastle’s midfield in a 1-1 draw at St. James’s Park. Anthony Gordon converted the equalizing penalty for the Magpies after being taken down by goalkeeper Ederson. The Magpies’ Bruno Guimaraes threaded the clinical pass through the Manchester City defense that put Gordon through on goal. The dropped points from a second consecutive draw left Manchester City level on points with Arsenal, both clubs sitting a point behind Liverpool.

The Gunners prevailed by a misleading final score of 4-2 over Leicester as the final two goals by the London side came in final stoppage time after the Gunners allowed the Foxes to come back from a two-goal deficit. A Leandro Trossard shot was deflected for a Leicester own goal in the 94th minute and Kai Havertz scored five minutes later to provide the winning margin for Arsenal at the Emirates.

Aston Villa trails fourth place Chelsea on goal differential after a 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town which may have caught the Villans looking ahead to this Wednesday’s Champions League match with Bayern Munich. An entertaining match saw Liam Delap put the Tractor Boys in front with an eighth minute strike at Portman Road. After Aston Villa scored twice to take the lead, Delap added his second of the day to capture a fourth consecutive league draw for newly promoted Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys have proven competitive but must find a win somewhere on the horizon.

Everton posted its first victory of the season on Saturday to escape the relegation zone and land level on points with Ipswich. The Toffees 2-1 win over Crystal Palace saw the return from injury of Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. The highly regarded youngster made his season debut and teamed with James Tarkowski to put some steel back in an Everton defense which had held an opponent to less than three goals in only one of its opening five matches. Dwight McNeil scored both goals at the other end for the Evertonians. Crystal Palace replaces Everton in the relegation zone with the Eagles continuing to search for their own first victory of the season.

While five teams remain without a first win this season, Manchester City and Arsenal are the only defeated sides after Cole Palmer’s single-handed destruction of Brighton and Fulham’s 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest. There was little to choose between the Tricky Trees and Cottagers at Craven Cottage before a VAR review spotted Forest defender Murillo scraping his studs across the calf of Fulham’s Andreas Pereira. Pereira would be victimized a second time when teammate Raul Jimenez grabbed the ball from Pereira, Fulham’s designated penalty kicker, to steal the spotlight with his 50th Premier League goal. The Tricky Trees had no answer and fell for the first time this season.

Manchester United and Brentford sit just below Nottingham Forest’s 10th place position in the table. The Red Devils were soundly beaten 3-0 at Old Trafford by Tottenham Hotspur, once again triggering blistering criticism of Manager Eric ten Hag by pundits and supporters. There seems diminishing patience with ten Hag’s repeated calls for patience. The club looks disorganized and the talent on the pitch does not seem worth the club’s transfer spending which is exceeded only by Chelsea since ten Hag has been in Manchester. Sunday’s loss was the eight defeat in the last 20 Premier League matches at Old Trafford for the Red Devils as the iconic venue is no longer a fortress. A red card incurred by Bruno Fernandes certainly did not help matters this weekend, but Tottenham Hotspur were already dominating the proceedings before Fernandes’s 42nd minute exit. The visitors scored inside the three-minute mark of each half. Spurs’ Brennan Johnson and Dominik Solanke each scored for a second consecutive match while Djan Kulusevski pretty much decided the match when his goal widened the lead to two scores in the 47th minute. Spurs defender Mickey Van de Ven set the tone for the match when took the ball from Marcus Rashford and sprinted more than 70 yards, eluding a host of United defenders along the way before finding Johnson for the opening tap in.

Early goals have not been a formula for success for Brentford. The Bees have scored in the opening minute of their last three Premier League matches. None of the three games, however, has resulted in three points. Two losses, which began with encouraging first minute goals by Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo, respectively, were followed by a 1-1 draw this weekend Saturday in the Bees’ London derby with West Ham. Bryan Mbeumo scored in the first minute for a second consecutive match only to see West Ham equalize on a second half goal by Tomas Soucek.

Bournemouth leapfrogged both Brentford and Manchester United with a 3-1 victory over Southampton on Monday. The Saints need a miracle to survive this season though they did manage to score their third goal of the season against the Cherries. The poor souls next have to face Arsenal before the international break. Bournemouth, meanwhile, was happy for the step down in competition in its South Coast derby after suffering back-to-back losses versus Chelsea and Liverpool.