Premier League
Last weekend’s Premier League talking point
Missed opportunity for City against Reds
While Liverpool deserved credit for taming Manchester City’s attack in their 1-0 win at Anfield, Pep Guardiola’s side will see their defeat as a missed opportunity.
Champions City travelled to Merseyside in fine fettle, unbeaten in the Premier League, having scored 13 goals in their previous three league games.
Liverpool had suffered their worst start to a league season since 2012-13 after taking just 10 points from their first eight games coming into the blockbuster clash, trailing second-placed City by 13 points
But City never got going and even ultra-prolific Erling Haaland drew a blank, as the champions slipped to defeat, missing a real opportunity to hammer home their superiority in this new-found rivalry.
“At this level, we cannot concede the mistakes we have done,” Guardiola said. “But (we are) in October and it will be good for the future, to learn.”
Arsenal show fortitude to stay top
Arsenal’s trip to Leeds United was a litmus test for their title credentials in hostile territory, which Mikel Arteta’s side passed with a performance underlined by grit and determination in a nerve-wracking 1-0 victory.
The Arsenal of old have often capitulated in the face of relentless waves of attacks – the kind Leeds mustered at Elland Road – to fall to the sort of result that has prevented them from finishing in the top four in recent seasons.
But a young Arsenal side withstood pressure for 96 minutes and, with a little help from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), ensured the club made their best start to a top-flight season with nine wins from 10 to stay four points above second-placed Manchester City.
“We showed a lot of resilience and willingness to win, especially going back to Norway on a Thursday night (in the Europa League) and then coming here,” said Arteta, admitting they had “suffered” in the second half.
“I am so proud of the boys, that is how you have to win football matches.”
Spurs show they have depth to stay in race
Tottenham’s 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday kept them comfortably in third place in the Premier League and offered more evidence that they have the depth to stay there.
They have 23 points from their opening 10 games – the club’s best start to a top-flight campaign since 1963 – without even hitting the heights in terms of performances yet.
Having match-turning quality on the bench is the key for team’s with serious title ambitions and on Saturday the introduction of midfielder Yves Bissouma early in the second half helped Spurs find the key to break down Everton.
With games coming thick and fast, manager Antonio Conte knows he now has multiple options in key positions.
Leicester’s reliance on Maddison obvious
It was evident in Leicester City’s home goalless draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday just how reliant they are on James Maddison as an attacking presence in the team.
With England manager Gareth Southgate looking on, no doubt assessing Maddison’s form ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, the midfielder ran the show with some neat touches and a genuine threat in the box.
But a late yellow card means he will be suspended for Thursday’s home game against Leeds United, which is shaping up to be a must-win after the boos rang out from sections of the club’s support after the draw with Crystal Palace.
Many Foxes fans may have expected the side to pull away from the relegation zone by now after a poor start to the season, but there are no signs their troubles are over and the absence of Maddison will be keenly felt against Leeds.
O’Neil makes case for Bournemouth job
Caretaker manager Gary O’Neil continues to make a case to be given the Bournemouth job on a permanent basis after another mature display from his side saw them hold on for a 2-2 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Had Jefferson Lerma not fouled Aleksandar Mitrovic to give away a penalty, O’Neil’s side could easily have emerged with all three points and they look much more composed than they did when he took over in the wake of Scott Parker’s dismissal on Aug. 30.
Tenth in the table, the Cherries are unbeaten in the league since the 39-year-old took the reins and, if his team keep delivering points at the rate they currently are, his caretaker position may well be converted into a permanent role.
– Reuters
Premier League
Joe Aribo’s goal not enough to Southampton’s suffering
Joe Aribo scored a goal for Southampton on Saturday,but it was not enough to curb the club’s miserable run as they succumbed to a last-minute defeat by Leicester who snatched victory by 3-2.
Leicester scored three second-half goals to come from behind and stun 10-player Southampton, denying them a first Premier League win of the season.
The result means Saints have set a club record for the longest winless run in their entire top-flight history, having failed to emerge victorious from any of their last 21 Premier League encounters.
Inside five minutes, Joe Aribo had crashed a header onto the crossbar and inside seven minutes, the hosts had taken the lead. Kyle Walker-Peters led the charge after a quick free-kick and dropped the ball off to Ryan Manning, who squared for Cameron Archer to coolly slot in and send a wave of both relief and belief around St Mary’s.
Premier League
Leicester fight back to clinch 3-2 win and extend Southampton’s suffering
Jordan Ayew scored in the 98th minute as Leicester staged a second-half comeback to earn a 3-2 win at Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, with the 10-man hosts setting a club record of 21 matches without victory in the English top-flight.
Leicester moved up to 13th in the standings with nine points from eight matches, while Southampton fell to 20th – level on points with Wolverhampton Wanderers, who face champions Manchester City on Sunday
“It’s just unbelievable, that’s why we play football. We didn’t have a good first half,” Ayew told Sky Sports.
“Second half we got ourselves back together and attacked the game properly. It’s just an unbelievable feeling.
“It’s a good step forward to move up the table. We’re going to continue fighting and it’s not going to be easy so well done the lads and everyone.”
Having failed to win in their last 13 matches in the 2022-23 season when they were relegated, Southampton are without a win in the Premier League since they beat Leicester in the same fixture in March 2023.
Southampton shot out of the blocks and took the lead in the eighth minute when Ryan Manning squared for Cameron Archer to finish a sweeping counter-attack, before midfielder Joe Aribo added to their tally with a side-footed effort.
Leicester defender Wout Faes nearly scored a spectacular own-goal five minutes into the second half by sending a diving header straight at his own keeper Mads Hermansen, who spared the Belgian’s blushes with a deft save.
The visitors grew into the contest in the second half and created some half-chances before pulling one back in the 64th minute.
Buonanotte turned in a cross after a driving run from substitute Abdul Fatawu and the goal signalled the beginning of Southampton’s unravelling.
Minutes later, Vardy was denied on the line by an excellent Aaron Ramsdale save, but Leicester were awarded a penalty after a VAR review found that the forward was held back by Ryan Fraser.
Fraser was sent off and Vardy stepped up, blasting his effort past Ramsdale to equalise.
Leicester smelled blood and pushed forward in their quest for a winner, which came deep into stoppage time when Ayew’s low shot went through a sea of bodies and crept into the bottom corner, breaking the hearts of home fans at St Mary’s Stadium.
-Reuters
Premier League
Manchester United ease pressure on Erik ten Hag with win over Brentford
Manchester United eased a bit of the pressure on their embattled manager Erik ten Hag with a 2-1 come-from-behind English Premier League victory over Brentford at Old Trafford on Oct 19.
The Red Devils had come into the match in 14th place on eight points with just two wins from seven games – their worst start to a campaign since 1989-90.
Reports had suggested the United hierarchy, including co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive officer Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox had a long meeting earlier in the week, with ten Hag’s future on the agenda.
In the pre-match press conference on Oct 19, the Dutch manager accused segments of the media of “creating stories, creating fairy tales, bringing noise, bringing lies” regarding his future.
But things looked iffy for him again when Brentford opened the scoring in the fifth minute of first-half added time, when centre-back Ethan Pinnock lost marker Diogo Dalot and powered in a ferocious header past Andre Onana from a Mikkel Damsgaard corner.
Ten Hag and Matthijs de Ligt remonstrated with the touchline officials after the defender was made to leave the field before the set piece as blood was pouring out of his head. He had sustained the injury after a coming together with Kevin Schade after 10 minutes.
Ten Hag and his assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy were later booked for their protestations.
But when all was said and done, it marked the seventh time United had failed to score in the first half in eight Premier League matches this season.
The Red Devils’ best chances in the first period had fallen to Alejandro Garnacho.
Once, he forced a near-post save by Mark Flekken, but with his two other opportunities, more could be expected from the Argentinian winger after he was picked out by a lovely cross-field pass from Marcus Rashford and some good hold-up play from Rasmus Hojlund.
But the 20-year-old Garnacho remained confident and two minutes after the break, he finally found the net to register his second league goal of the campaign.
Rashford produced another excellent delivery for his fellow winger, this time his deep cross found Garnacho at the back post and he responded with a first-time side-foot volley into goal.
It was the marked the start of a second-half resurgence from the Red Devils which kept Flekken very busy.
But he could not deny United their second. United captain Bruno Fernandes played a neat round-the-corner flick to Hojlund, who dinked the ball over Flekken and into goal on 62 minutes.
It was his second goal in three starts this term, after missing the start of the campaign owing to a hamstring injury he picked up in pre-season.
United could have gone 3-1 up six minutes later, when Onana’s goal kick found an overlapping Dalot bear down on goal, but Flekken managed to foil him.
But in the end, the Red Devils did not need the cushion of another goal as they got their first win in six matches.
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