Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool are all on 23-points after all three of them hit their teams for four during Week 10 of the Premier League campaign.
The Manchester City crisis is over.
Pep Guardiola’s run of six barren games without a win ended with a resounding 4-0 victory at The Hawthorns keeping them at the top of the Premier League on goal difference and at the head of the bookmakers pecking order at 6/5 to recapture the title they last won in 2013/14.
West Brom boss, Tony Pulis, told reporters that his goal was a place in Europe after signing a new one-year deal midweek. His rebuilding plans were always going to have to wait until after this game. West Brom had lost the previous nine times they had faced the blue half of Manchester.
Sergio Aguero ended his meagre run of six games without a goal. He had never gone seven without during his City career and his first-half brace put a stop to that happening. His second goal, a screamer from the edge of the box, prompted Match of the Day pundit, Alan Shearer, to call Aguero, ‘the only World Class player in the Premier League.’ The Argentinean has scored 13 times in 13 appearances this season. Ilkay Gundogan scored the other two goals in the final 10-minutes.
Arsenal Pour More Misery Onto Sunderland
Not since 2003-04 has Arsenal won the Premier League and that’s the reason they won’t repeat the feat this year. Winning titles is a habit, and only Chelsea, Man City and Man Utd have managed to procure the habit of winning the Premier League in recent times (Leicester City aside).
They are giving a good go, though. The 4-1 destruction of Sunderland at the Stadium of Light means they are now undefeated in nine Premier League games, and 14 games in all competition. Once again it was Alexis Sanchez who was the star of the show with two goals. The Chilean has been a revelation playing up front in the absence of Olivier Giroud. However, the Frenchman returned to the side after an injury to score two goals with his first two touches after coming off the bench.
Arsenal fans had better hope that the Frenchman’s return to the side doesn’t see Arsene Wenger shunting Sanchez out wide because it will be curtains if he does.
And Sunderland?
Three things will happen before the start of next season. They will line up in the Championship; they will sack David Moyes, and Jermaine Defoe will leave to score goals for someone else.
Liverpool Joint Top; Crystal Palace Doing it Again?
Crystal Palace was a top side this time last season. Then something changed. Had the season been a little longer they may well have been relegated.
Is it happening again?
After losing their opening two matches of the season, Palace went on a five-match unbeaten run, including three victories, but have now lost in their last three outings, conceding eight times in the process.
Liverpool was the latest side to take advantage of the Palace slide slamming four past them in a strange old game at Selhurst Park. Twice Liverpool took the lead early in the first half only for James McArthur to head Palace back into contention on both occasions. A Joel Matip header sent Liverpool into the dressing room at half time with a 3-2 lead, and Firmino sealed the points with a late fourth goal.
Can Liverpool win the Premier League?
No.
They have never won the Premier League, and with the likes of Chelsea and Man City in the race, and a back four that leaks goals for fun, it won’t happen this year.
Spurs And Man Utd Continue to Drop Points
Momentum is everything in football and Tottenham have somehow lost theirs and had better find it soon before the top three start to pull away.
When they beat Man City 2-0, in a result that sent a few shockwaves throughout the Premier League, it was the peak of a five-match winning run. The fervour in the Spurs camp must have been red hot. So why is there now nothing but smoke?
Spurs have now drawn four and lost one of their previous five games in all competitions since that victory over Man City. The latest, a 1-1 draw at home to Leicester, was another where they dominated possession but failed to convert their chances. Vincent Janssen gave Spurs the lead from the penalty spot – his first Premier League goal – but Leicester drew level three minutes later thanks to a Jamie Vardy inspired goal put away by Ahmed Musa. It was Leicester’s only shot on target through the entire game. The sort of statistic that seems to be plaguing Spurs of late.
Manchester United is now 28/1 to win the title after a frustrating goalless draw at home to Burnley. The Red Devils has now only won one of their past seven matches and are losing ground on the title contenders quicker than Zlatan Ibrahimovic is missing chances.
United had 37 attempts at goal (a Premier League record), and Ibrahimovic had 12 of those. The Swede has had more shots on goal than any other Premier League player (70 in 10 games) but has failed to score in his past six matches. United hit the bar; they hit the post, they were unlucky to have Ander Herrera sent off for two bookable offences and even saw Jose Mourinho sent to the stands for complaining about a Matteo Darmian penalty appeal.
Jose Mourinho now has two fewer points, after ten games, than David Moyes obtained when he was in charge at the club.
Here are the rest of the weekend’s results.
Premier League Results (Week 10)
Sunderland 1 v 4 Arsenal
Watford 1 v 0 Hull
West Brom 0 v 4 Man City
Man Utd 0 v 0 Burnley
Spurs 1 v 1 Leicester
Middlesbrough 2 v 0 Bournemouth
Crystal Palace 2 v 4 Liverpool
Everton 2 v 0 West Ham
Southampton 0 v 2 Chelsea
To Be Played (Monday, 31 October)
Stoke v Swansea
Premier League Table
1. Man City – 23
2. Arsenal – 23
3. Liverpool – 23
4. Chelsea – 21
5. Spurs – 20
6. Everton – 18
7. Watford – 15
8. Man Utd – 15
9. Southampton – 13
10. Bournemouth – 12
11. Leicester – 12
12. Crystal Palace – 11
13. Burnley – 11
14. Middlesbrough – 10
15. West Brom – 10
16. West Ham – 10
17. Stoke – 9
18. Hull – 7
19. Swansea – 5
20. Sunderland – 2
Premier League Title Odds (Courtesy of Oddsshark)
Man City – 6/5
Liverpool – 11/4
Arsenal – 5/1
Chelsea – 13/2
Spurs – 14/1
