Matchweek 14 of the Premier League is done and dusted with last weekend’s set of fixtures producing high drama, upsets and astonishing comebacks.
A total of 27 goals were scored across the 10 games, which featured two draws—Brentford vs Wolves and Fulham vs Everton. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the talking points from Premier League Matchday 14.
#No Haaland, no problem for Man City
Erling Haaland missed Manchester City’s trip to Leicester City at the weekend with a foot problem, having been substituted at half-time in the goalless Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund in midweek.
The Norwegian has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, bagging 22 goals in all competitions this season thus far. He failed to recover in time from the foot injury and didn’t travel with the Man City squad to Leicester City, although Pep Guardiola’s side got the job done in East Midlands.
A brilliant free-kick from Kevin de Bruyne in the second half was the difference between the two sides at the King Power Stadium, as City showed with or without Haaland they possess the quality to win tight football games.
#Leeds United stun Liverpool at Anfield
On the back of no wins in the last eight Premier League games, including four consecutive losses, the last thing a team would want is to travel to Anfield to play Liverpool under the floodlights.
So for a Leeds United side on a four-game losing run, it was an uphill task to get something out of the game even though Liverpool are not having a rosy campaign themselves. But they managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat, courtesy of an 89th-minute winner from Crysencio Summerville that sparked jubilant scenes at the away end.
Leeds’ determination to fight for an under-pressure Jesse Marsch was evident from their actions as they outran Liverpool by 11 kilometres. Marsch will now hope the smashing win over Liverpool becomes the launch pad to relaunch the Whites’ season.
#De Gea proves his worth in Man United win
Pep Guardiola said that Manchester United are ‘finally back’ heading into the weekend’s game against West Ham at Old Trafford, and while suggestions they are involved in a title race may be premature, the gritty 1-0 win for Erik ten Hag’s side was another step in the right direction.
It was not a beautiful performance from Man United against West Ham, but one that showed their growing fighting spirit, togetherness and bonding under Ten Hag. David de Gea was arguably the biggest hero of United’s win, pulling off two world-class saves to deny Kurt Zouma and Declan Rice in a matter of minutes.
De Gea has been under fire for the last few seasons for his dip in performance levels, but he gave a timely reminder of his remarkable shot-stopping qualities in the win over the Hammers on Sunday, demonstrating he is not done yet at Old Trafford no matter what the journalists write about him.
#Graham Potter makes a forgettable return to Brighton
Graham Potter returning to Brighton as Chelsea boss grabbed the headlines, but it turned out to be a forgettable afternoon for the English tactician.
From team selection, shape and tactics, nothing went right for Chelsea and Graham Potter in the abject 4-1 defeat to Brighton. The Seagulls dominated, outplayed and outwitted Potter’s side to such an extent that the 4-1 scoreline flattered the visitors in the end.
Potter’s first defeat as Chelsea boss was inevitable after being outplayed by Brentford and Manchester United in successive draws in the Premier League, and the manner in which his team lost to Brighton at the Amex Stadium should serve as a huge lesson for the 47-year-old moving forward.
