Premier League Matchday 7 Review


Saturday 30th September 2017

Huddersfield 0-4 Tottenham
In Saturday's lunchtime kick-off, in-form Harry Kane scored twice as Tottenham ran out comfortable 4-0 winners at Huddersfield.

The 24-year-old - who bagged a hat-trick in the midweek Champions League win over Apoel Nicosia - opened the scoring after nine minutes, before Ben Davies added a second.

Kane then made it 3-0 in the 24th minute with a 20-yard effort before substitute Moussa Sissoko knocked home a fourth in stoppage time.

Bournemouth 0 - 0 Leicester
Bournemouth wasted numerous chances to secure a convincing victory in a 0-0 draw at home to Leicester.

Danny Simpson's handball sent Marc Pugh's early goal-bound shot wide and went unpunished as Bournemouth appealed for a penalty, but even amid that sense of injustice, the hosts were so dominant and their visitors so poor that that should have had little influence on the outcome.

Instead, Bournemouth will reflect on the costly way they dropped two points and Leicester leave relieved at avoiding defeat.

Manchester United 4 - 0 Crystal Palace
Marouane Fellaini's first Manchester United brace helped Jose Mourinho's men to another comprehensive victory, leaving Crystal Palace reeling from a seventh straight Premier League defeat without so much as a goal.

Saturday's Old Trafford encounter was a complete mismatch between two teams on opposing trajectories.

Fellaini's double was sandwiched between Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku goals in a comprehensive 4-0 win that saw United equal their record tally of 19 points after seven Premier League matches as embattled Palace fell to another loss.

The Eagles are the first team in English League history to lose their first seven matches without scoring - an outcome that went from possible to likely when their brittle confidence was knocked inside three minutes.

Stoke 2-1 Southampton
Stoke beat Southampton 2-1 with a late goal from substitute Peter Crouch at the bet365 Stadium

Mame Biram Diouf headed the Potters in front after 40 minutes but Stoke squandered the chance to double their lead before half-time when Saido Berahino's penalty was saved by Fraser Forster.

Southampton looked set to make Stoke pay when they levelled with 15 minutes left through an acrobatic volley from defender Maya Yoshida.

Crouch, though, secured all three points when he stabbed the ball home from close range following a goalmouth scramble in the 85th minute.

West Brom 2-2 Watford
Watford fought back from two goals down against West Brom at The Hawthorns with a header from Brazilian Richarlison earning the Hornets a 2-2 draw deep into stoppage time.

The Baggies had earlier struck twice in the space of three first-half minutes.

Venezuelan forward Salomon Rondon broke the deadlock after 18 minutes, with captain Jonny Evans swiftly bundling in a second.

Watford, though, reduced the deficit in the 37th minute through Abdoulaye Doucoure and snatched a dramatic equaliser when Richarlison nodded in from a free-kick in the fifth minute of added time.

West Ham 1 - 0 Swansea
Diafra Sakho came in from the cold to hit a last-minute winner and dig West Ham manager Slaven Bilic out of a hole.

The London Stadium was almost in open revolt following an insipid 89 minutes from the home side against Swansea.

But Sakho, who if he had got his way on transfer deadline day would now be in France playing for Rennes, climbed off the bench to secure a 1-0 win and bail out his boss.

Chelsea 0 - 1 Manchester City
Manchester City demonstrated their Premier League title credentials with a dominant 1-0 victory at champions Chelsea.

Kevin De Bruyne scored the only goal as Pep Guardiola's men suffocated Chelsea with their intensity to move six points clear of the holders after seven games.

Chelsea lost striker Alvaro Morata to an apparent hamstring problem in the first half and were second best to a City side denied when Thibaut Courtois saved from David Silva and then Fernandinho.

De Bruyne's left-footed strike from the edge of the area proved decisive against his former club, to give City a sixth win from seven games and inflict Chelsea's second loss of the season.

Sunday 1st October 2017

Arsenal 2 - 0 Brighton
Arsene Wenger celebrated his 21st anniversary as Arsenal manager with a 2-0 win over Brighton, including a brilliant team goal scored by Alex Iwobi.

Goals like Iwobi's have become synonymous with Arsenal since Wenger took the reins on October 1, 1996, and this was another gem, finished off after a delicate back-heel from Alexis Sanchez.

Nacho Monreal had earlier put the Gunners in front at Emirates Stadium as Wenger's men made it seven matches unbeaten in all competitions and moved up to fifth in the Premier League table.

Since capping a turbulent August with a dreadful 4-0 defeat at Liverpool, Arsenal have since won six and drawn at Chelsea, whom they now sit level with on 13 points.

Everton 0 - 1 Burnley
Ronald Koeman will face yet more difficult questions at Everton after Jeff Hendrick bolstered Burnley's impressive away record with the winner at Goodison Park.

Republic of Ireland international Hendrick was on the end of a sweeping move as the Clarets' 1-0 win was added to a collection of positive road results already featuring a victory at Chelsea and draws at Tottenham and Liverpool.

Hendrick easily side-stepped Morgan Schneiderlin in the penalty area to slide home a low shot after Scott Arfield and Stephen Ward combined down the left towards the end of a 24-pass move bettered only in numbers by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City this season.

The defeat plunged Everton straight back into a crisis, with last weekend's win over Bournemouth - their only league victory since the opening day of the season - a distant memory as four league defeats in five matches have left manager Koeman's side just two points above the bottom three.

Newcastle 1 - 1 Liverpool
Joselu handed Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez a 1-1 draw against former club Liverpool as missed chances cost the visitors dearly.

The Spanish striker cancelled out Philippe Coutinho's sumptuous 27th-minute opener nine minutes later, although what he knew about it is debatable after Joel Matip's attempted clearance came back off him and ended up in the net.

It was one of few chances Benitez's current employers created with billionaire businesswoman Amanda Staveley, who is reportedly looking for a Premier League club in which to invest, among a crowd of 52,303 at St James' Park.

By contrast, the Reds carved out a series of openings and but for Republic of Ireland keeper Rob Elliot and some sub-standard finishing, could have emerged with three points rather than one.