The matchday 4 of the 2018/19 Premier League season saw a series of interesting events unfold as Manchester United and Arsenal finally get back to winning ways while Tottenham Hotspur suffer a shocking defeat to Watford.
Chelsea and Liverpool also continued their 100% winning record while West Ham United still remain the only club yet to register a point this season. Elsewhere, defending champions Manchester City came back to winning ways after failing to defeat Wolves last week while Glenn Murray continued his excellent scoring run.
All in all, we witnessed a lot of things transpire over the weekend and here are five major talking points from the gameweek four.
5. Jose Mourinho is safe – for now.
Jose Mourinho’s fate was hanging in the balance when Manchester United lined up against Burnley this weekend. The Red Devils had suffered back to back defeats to Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur prior to the encounter, which fueled speculations regarding the manager’s long-term future at the club. Therefore, a loss or even a draw could have spilt further trouble for the Portuguese.
But, the former Chelsea manager once again managed to silence his critics by securing a comfortable 2:0 win against the Clarets. Romelu Lukaku scored a brace to fire United out of the vultures after they had initially made their worst start to the season in 26 years. The Premier League giants will look to build on the momentum in their upcoming games.
4. Watford are strong contenders for the Champions League spot this season
Watford has been one of the best performing teams in this new season, having recorded a 100% winning record thus far. And, the recent win against Tottenham Hotspur was enough to suggest the fact that the Hornets are ready to make an impression despite losing the services of Richarlison in the summer.
Javi Gracia’s men came back from a goal down to secure a 2:1 win, putting an end to Tottenham’s 100% winning record in the process. Even though they only managed 34% of possession, the hosts did just enough to make seven attempts on goal, three of which were on target.
With the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton struggling with form, Premier League fans shouldn’t be surprised if they Watford posing a strong challenge for the top four places this season, judging by their fiery form in the early parts of the campaign.
3. Chelsea and Liverpool are looking unbeatable
Liverpool and Chelsea have been the only consistent teams in the league this season. Aside from Watford, they are the only two teams to retain their 100% winning record by the end of the week.
The Reds secured a narrow 2:1 victory over Leicester City despite a blunder from Alisson. The world’s most expensive keeper made an awful error to concede an embarrassing goal against the Foxes. But, Liverpool did manage to hold onto their slender one-goal advantage, thanks to a diligent defensive display.
The win highlights the winning mentality as well as the passion that Jurgen Klopp has managed to integrate into this reinvigorated Liverpool side, who are destined to make a big impact in this new season.
Chelsea, on the other hand, were also forced to work hard for their win. After a gloomy first half display, the Blues secured a 2:0 victory thanks to second-half strikes from Pedro and Eden Hazard. The West London giants have been rejuvenated with the arrival of Maurizio Sarri and are huge contenders for the title this season.
2. Arsenal show their quality for the first time
Following a win over West Ham United, Arsenal were coming into this matchday full of confidence. But, a brave and spirited Cardiff City side, led by Neil Warnock provided a lot of troubles for the North London giants. The newly promoted outfit came back twice in front of a passionate Cardiff City Stadium crowd and were on course to settle a point.
But, Arsenal finally managed to show some backbone under new coach Unai Emery for the first time as Alexandre Lacazette’s 81st minute winner helped them snatch all three points. The hard-fought win suggests that this Arsenal team is indeed capable of achieving something under Emery, despite their numerous flaws. If they can bugger up and play as a collective unit, Arsenal can definitely grow themselves into a force to be reckoned with.
1. Relegation is not far-fetched for West Ham United
It’s probably fair to acknowledge the fact that West Ham United have been one of the most mediocre teams in the league for the past couple of years. More often than not, the Hammers have lacked identity despite spending huge bucks on new players.
And this season has been no different as Manuel Pellegrini’s men are now the only club yet to register a point this season following a 1:0 defeat to Wolves this weekend. The defence has been an obvious issue but given their lack of goalscoring prowess on the attacking front, West Ham’s demise seemed inevitable at the start of this season.
And now after four defeats in four matches, a win is imperative for the Hammers in their upcoming fixtures, if they are to avoid the relegation scrap come May.