The Premier League once again showcased why it is the most entertaining league in Europe this past week. There were miraculous comebacks, more goals, controversy, and surprise wins on offer in England’s top-flight following the international break.
Let’s take a look at the 5 talking points from the Matchweek 5 of the Premier League
Liverpool fall prey to VAR
The big match of the weekend saw Liverpool travel to their Merseyside rivals Everton. The hosts were undefeated heading into the game, while the reigning champions had lost 7-2 to Aston Villa in humiliating fashion before the international break.
In a hard-fought game, the arch-rivals shared the points with the game ending 2-2. But, Liverpool will feel hard done by the result as they had a goal chalked off controversially by the VAR in the dying moments, which seemed harsh as Sadio Mane was adjudged offside by the smallest of margins.
Liverpool also lost their star defender Virgil van Dijk to a long-term injury after a rash challenge by Jordan Pickford, who escaped without a booking despite VAR taking a second look at the incident.
Chelsea and Tottenham crumble
London sides Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were expected to come away with all three points over the weekend as they faced Southampton and West Ham United, respectively. Both teams were cruising in their respective matches, but squandered their leads with both games ending 3-3, with dramatic finishes to both games.
Spurs let go of a 3-0 lead, while the Blues allowed the Saints to come back into the game after taking a 3-2 lead. Both sides need to improve defensively if they stand any chance of challenging for the Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola’s new formation
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side faced Arsenal, managed by Guardiola’s former assistant Mikel Arteta. Guardiola set-up his team differently against the Gunners, playing a three-man central defence with full-back Joao Cancelo playing as a central midfielder who supported the defence and was given licence to join the attack when in possession of the ball.
Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero played centrally with one of the two dropping off to flood the midfield area and not allowing Arsenal to play out from the back.
The formation was a unique one which surprised everyone and perhaps even Gunners manager Arteta. It remains to be seen if Guardiola will continue to play this formation upon the return of his first-choice centre-back Aymeric Laporte.
Ross Barkley helps Aston Villa extend their unbeaten streak
Aston Villa have had a sensational start to the season, winning all three of their opening games, heading into the Matchweek 5’s clash with table toppers Leicester City.
And they backed up the pre-international break form with another hard-fought deserving 1-0 win against Brendan Rodgers men.
Villa’s positive form is not a flash in the pan as they had finished last season well, and were unbeaten in the last four games of the 2019-20 season while ensuring their stay in the Premier League. The exciting young Aston Villa side could be the surprise package of the season and if they can continue the form into the winter period, the sky will be the limit.
Manchester United and Harry Maguire bounce back
The big question heading into Manchester United’s Matchweek 5 game against Newcastle United was whether Harry Maguire would be taken out of the firing line by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He wasn’t and the decision worked as Harry scored a goal and United came away with an emphatic win.
The Red Devils took advantage of a sub-par Newcastle United side and came away with all three points, which will be a boost ahead of difficult games against PSG, Chelsea, Leipzig, and Arsenal in the next two weeks.
