Premier League Week 12 Review sees Jamie Vardy and Mesut Ozil breaking Premier League records; Chelsea continuing to free fall and Newcastle scraping out of the bottom three.
Chelsea is like a beautiful woman after too many fractured face lifts. They are a mess. Last year, at this stage of the competition, they were romping away with the title with ten victories in their first 12-games, and yet to taste defeat. After this weekend’s loss away to Stoke they remain three points off the relegation places and have suffered their seventh defeat of the campaign.
There will be new champions this year. That is without a doubt. The new question is whether Chelsea will be playing Champions League football in 2016/17? There hasn’t been a team in Premier League history that has made the top five positions after being in this spot.
They stink worse than a Ryan Shawcross armpit.
It’s been 16-years since Chelsea lost three games on the spin, but it happened after Marko Arnautovic’s bicycle kick ensured all three points would stay in the Potteries.
Jose Mourinho missed the game through suspension.
Will he see many more?
On a more positive note, Jamie Vardy continues to make me look like a complete and utter mug after belting home his ninth consecutive goal in a two-one win at home to Watford. N’Golo Kante put Leicester ahead after a dreadful howler from Watford’s keeper, and Vardy made it two-nil when he was brought down in the box, and jumped to his feet to smash the ball into the back of the net from the penalty spot. Vardy is the only player ever to score in nine consecutive matches in a single season. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored ten for Man Utd, but they spanned two seasons. Deeney scored a consolation goal from the spot for Watford.
There was another record-breaking performance in the London derby.
Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil became the first player in Premiership history to assist in six consecutive games after he set up Keiran Gibbs to score the equaliser in a tense derby at the Emirates. Spurs Harry Kane had opened the scoring in a one-one draw.
That point for Arsenal puts them level at the top of the table after Man City only managed a goalless draw at Villa Park. It was Remi Garde’s first game in charge since taking over from the hapless Tim Sherwood, and the Villa faithful will be hoping for more of the same.
Man Utd have deservedly come under fire for their lack of goals of late, but that has taken the focus of their sterling performances in the back line. Chris Smalling and company look unbeatable this year, and they kept their fourth clean sheet of the season with a two-nil victory over West Brom this weekend.
United have only conceded eight goals in the first 12 games of the campaign, and Jesse Lingard created renewed optimism that he may be able to provide some assistance at the other end of the pitch with a perfect right-footed curler in the 52nd minute. Anthony Martial churned out another excellent display, and it was the Frenchman who was brought down in the penalty box in injury time that allowed Juan Mata to hammer home United’s second goal. It was the 30th time Juan Mata had been involved in a goal since joining the club, more than any other player.
“Bournemouth are absolutely slaughtering Newcastle.”
Those words were uttered by the Match of the Day commentator in as one-sided a match as you will see this year. Bournemouth hammered Newcastle, or as Eddie Howe said, “We were in control of the game for 90-minutes.” That’s not strictly true. They weren’t in control of the game in the 27th minute when Ayoze Perez toe-poked the ball into the Bournemouth net. It was a much-needed smash and grab for Newcastle, however, and they emerge from the doldrums of the relegtion zone; Bournemouth replaces them.
Talking about relegation teams, and Sunderland performed a lot better than their drubbing at the hands of Everton despite losing by a goal to nil against an unyielding Southampton side. The Saints are now undefeated in five as Ronald Koeman continues to show his class. A Dusan Tadic penalty clinched the win.
West Ham rebounded from their shock defeat at Watford with a tight draw at home to Everton. Roberto Martinez’s men had won their last six games against the Hammers, and Romelu Lukaku had scored the last six times he had played against them. But those omens seemed to be just that after Manual Lanzini scored the goal of the weekend with a superb curler into the top corner in the 30th minute. Everton salvaged a point with a goal of the equal measure after Gerard Deulofeu threaded the ball through the West Ham defence and that man Lukaku rounded the keeper slotting the ball home to make it seven from seven against the team that likes to blow bubbles.
Swansea continues to be missing a cylinder with an away loss at Norwich. Garry Monk’s men are having a torrid time of late. It was their sixth loss in the last nine games including a third round League Cup exit at the hands of Hull. A Jonny Howson header in the 70th minute earning the Canaries three vital points.
Finally, Jurgen Klopp’s undefeated reign as manager of Liverpool ended in damp conditions at Anfield. Crystal Palace is a class act this year and made it two victories at Anfield in the past two seasons thanks to goals from Yannick Bolasie and boyhood Liverpool fan Scott Dann. Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho equalised somewhere in between those two goals. Liverpool remains in tenth while Palace moves up to eighth.
Week 12 Results
Bournemouth 0 v 1 Newcastle
West Ham 1 v 1 Everton
Leicester City 2 v 1 Watford
Norwich 1 v 0 Swansea
Sunderland 0 v 1 Southampton
Man Utd 2 v 0 West Brom
Stoke 1 v 0 Chelsea
Aston Villa 0 v 0 Man City
Liverpool 1 v 2 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 1 v 1 Spurs
Premier League Standings (After 12 Games)
1st. Man City – 26 pts.
2nd. Arsenal – 26 pts.
3rd. Leicester – 25 pts.
4th. Man Utd 24 pts.
5th. Spurs – 21 pts.
6th. West Ham – 21 pts.
7th. Southampton – 20 pts.
8th. Crystal Palace – 19 pts.
9th. Everton – 17 pts.
10th. Liverpool – 17 pts.
11th. Watford – 16 pts.
12th. Stoke – 16 pts.
13th. West Brom – 14 pts.
14th. Swanaea – 13 pts.
15th. Norwich – 12 pts.
16th. Chelsea – 11pts.
17th. Newcastle – 10 pts.
18th. Bournemouth – 8 pts.
19th. Sunderland – 6 pts.
20th. Aston Villa – 5 pts.
