Matchday 4 of the 2021-22 Premier League season produced a few surprising results and performances.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool continued their unbeaten start to the season, while Norwich City remain the only team yet to break their duck. Tottenham Hotspur were brought back down to earth by a well-organized Crystal Palace side who beat them 3-0. Everton managed to see off Burnley’s challenge on Monday night notching up a 3-1 comeback win thus completing the quota of games this weekend.
5 talking points from Matchday 4 of the 2021-22 Premier League
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second homecoming
There was only one man who could have grabbed the headlines of the back pages after the end of matchday 4’s weekend fixtures—Cristiano Ronaldo.
For all the hype, drama, anxiety and expectations, Ronaldo, 36, delivered in almost inescapable fashion on his return to Manchester United on Saturday, scoring twice in the 4-1 win over Newcastle United to send Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men top of the Premier League standings.
Bruno Fernandes scored a screamer in the 80th minute before substitute Jesse Lingard added a fine fourth to earn three points but the Portuguese megastar hogged all the limelight as he should. With choruses of “Viva Ronaldo” ringing around the packed Old Trafford, Ronaldo silenced his doubters and demonstrated once again his return to Manchester means pure business.
Odsonne Edouard makes his mark as Crystal Palace end Tottenham’s winning start
Tottenham Hotspur had been the surprise table-toppers before the international break, winning all three of their games under new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo. In the London derby on Saturday; however, the north Londoners were humbled 3-0 by an Odsonne Edouard-inspired Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Defender Japhet Tanganga lost his calm and was booked for his fracas with Wilfried Zaha. Five minutes later, the Tottenham man jumped into a risky challenge on Jordan Ayew to pick up his second yellow card.
The momentum swung towards the Eagles from there on, with Wilfried Zaha opening the scoring in the 76th minute with a penalty before new signing Odsonne Edouard became an instant hero on day 1 with a brace inside seven minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Arsenal gets it right at the fourth time of asking
Three defeats with an aggregate scoreline of 0-9 before the international break left Arsenal reeling at the bottom of the table. But on Saturday, finally, Mikel Arteta breathed a huge sigh of relief as his Gunners side edged past newly-promoted Norwich City 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Summer signings Takehiro Tomiyasu and Aaron Ramsdale had assured displays at right-back and in goal respectively, while the return of Thomas Partey from injury showed how important he is to Arteta’s Arsenal.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the only goal of the game, not the cleanest of strikes he’s had in his career, but one which weighed in gold that finally ended the Gunners’ rut.
Mohamed Salah enters 100-goal Premier League club; Harvey Elliot suffers horrific injury against Leeds
Liverpool displayed their title credentials on Sunday with a resounding 3-0 win over Leeds United at Elland Road.
Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool the lead in the 20th minute, joining an elite club of players to score a century of goals in the Premier League as a result.
Fabinho added a second before Sadio Mane sealed the deal in the stoppage time, but the horrific injury suffered by Harvey Elliot took the gloss off the Reds’ victory at Elland Road. Elliot, 18, was enjoying a fine outing before sustaining a serious ankle injury following Pascal Struijk’s challenge from behind for which the defender was given the marching orders.
It would have been an embarrassing scoreline for Leeds had it not been for their goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who made some great saves throughout the game, especially off Sadio Mane—although the Senegalese winger had the final laugh.
Romelu Lukaku at his clinical best for Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku marked his Stamford Bridge return with a brace in Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday in Matchday 4.
The big Belgian is delivering what Thomas Tuchel wants from him, and on Saturday, he showed why the Blues made such a heavy investment in the summer to bring him back. Lukaku, 28, wasn’t involved greatly throughout the game but he grabbed those little opportunities with both hands and scored two against Villa.
In reality, the 3-0 scoreline flattered Thomas Tuchel’s side particularly with Edouard Mendy making a series of fine saves to deny Villa. Nonetheless, their rigid backline, combined with the thrust, power and goalscoring ability of Lukaku, make Chelsea serious title challengers this season.