Premier League – Week 9

A Bad Day for Mourinho: Chelsea 4 – 0 Man Utd

Jose Mourinho had a very, very bad Sunday, as his former club, Chelsea, trounced Manchester United 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. The Blues took the lead after just 30 seconds, thanks to Pedro and some poor United defending. Cahill settled the tone of the match with another goal at the 21’ mark, with Hazard piling on the misery for United with a very tidy 15-yard shot at 62 minutes, and N’Golo Kante put the final nail in the coffin for Mourinho’s outclassed squad in the 70^th minute. Chelsea climbed to fourth in the league table, while United remained at seventh.

Burnley Steal Victory from Everton: Burnley 2 – 1 Everton

Despite being outplayed by Everton for most of the match, Burnley managed to snatch a 2-1 victory at Turf Moor on Saturday, thanks to a late 90^th minute goal from Scott Arfield. The home side had taken the lead thanks to Vokes at the 39’ mark, but Bolasie equalised at 58’, with his first goal for the Toffees. Burnley manager Sean Dyche was over the moon, but Everton’s Ronald Koeman was clearly gutted at having lost a match that most thought the Toffees deserved to win. The end of the day saw Burnley still at 14^th and Everton still at 6^th in the league.

The Potters Climb out of Danger: Hull 0 – 2 Stoke

The Potters climbed out of the relegation zone, with a convincing 2-0 victory over Hull at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday. The undisputed man of the match being Swiss midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, who was responsible for both Stoke’s goals – one at 26’ and a second from a free-kick at 50’. Things were, however, somewhat tainted at the end of the match when there was an altercation leading to Stoke’s Shaqiri, Bardsley and Allen all being booked after the final whistle. Still, it was Stoke’s first away win of the season, and Mark Hughes can walk away satisfied, while Hull’s Phelan tries to figure out how to inject some confidence back into his side.

The Foxes are Back: Leicester 3 – 1 Crystal Palace

Leicester rediscovered some of the magic that won them last season’s championship, with a 3-1 victory over Palace at the King Power Stadium, on Saturday. Musa, Okazaki and Fuchs all added to the Fox’s tally, with Cabaye salvaging something for the Eagles in the 85^th minute, as they attempted something of a late comeback. It was too little too late though, and the match was comfortably Leicester’s. Ranieri will be hoping this is a sign of things to come after a less-than-ideal start to the season so far. Leicester climbed to 12^th in the league table as Crystal Palace fell to 11^th.

Almost at the Top: Liverpool 2 – 1 West Brom

The Reds came close to moving to the top of the league table on Saturday, with a victory at home over West Brom. England international, Daniel Sturridge, was left on the bench but Liverpool were having everything their own way, as Klopp’s men outplayed the Baggies throughout the match, with goals at 20’ from Mané and at 35’ from Coutinho. It looked like it was in the bag when McAuley found the back of the net in the 81^st minute, salvaging something for West Bromwich. All competitions taken into account, the Red’s unbeaten run now stands at nine. West Brom were left at an unlucky 13^th in the table, and need to get Saido Berahino back in the squad as soon as possible.

Plenty of Excitement, but No Goals: Bournemouth 0 – 0 Tottenham

On Saturday, Bournemouth held visiting Tottenham to a 0-0 draw at the Vitality Stadium, in a fast-paced match.  Charlie Daniels had nearly put the home side in the lead early on, but his close range shot was expertly deflected by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris. Despite the lack of goals it was an exciting match with plenty of attacking from both ends. Spurs’ Erik Lamela nearly found the back of the net but got the crossbar instead, and Artur Boruc saved attempts from Dele Alli and Danny Rose. With both sides displaying such energy it was, perhaps, to be expected that the game had more than its fair share of fouls, but referee Craig Pawson seemed reluctant to book anyone. Tottenham ended the day falling to 4^th in the league, while Bournemouth climbed to 10^th.

The Rest of the Action: Arsenal 0 – 0 Middlesbrough, Swansea 0 – 0 Watford, Man City 0 – 0 Southampton, West Ham 1 – 0 Sunderland

Elsewhere goals were in short supply too as Arsenal were held 0-0 by Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. It ended the Gunners’ winning run of six matches, but it was enough to move them to the top of the league table. Meanwhile, neither Swansea or Watford could find the goal at the Liberty Stadium

Sunday saw Manchester City put an end to the Gunners’ short-lived stay at the top of the league table, as they drew 1-1 with Southampton at the Etihad Stadium. Goals came from Iheanacho and Redmond; City should have done much better, but Southampton can feel happy, extending their unbeaten league run to five games.

Finally, Sunderlands’ woes continued, as they were defeated 1-0 by West Ham on Saturday, thanks to a 94^th minute goal from Reid, at the London Stadium. Its Sunderland’s worst Premier League season start, and David Moyes needs to come up with a new plan, fast, as they languish at the bottom of the table.

Photo: Oleskandr Osipov / Shutterstock.com

Get more ENERGY!