Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United maintained their fearsome momentum at the top of the Premier League over the weekend, but early pacesetters Tottenham faltered again. Jurgen Klopp’s men beat Crystal Palace 3–0 before United responded with a 2–1 win over West Ham, and Chelsea beat Spurs 3–0 to close all three clubs on 13 points. Manchester City lost two points in a 0–0 stalemate at home to Southampton while Brighton continued to impress, beating Leicester 2–1 to finish fourth in the table.
AFP Sport took three talking points out of action in the English top-flight.
Liverpool Still the Real Deal
– Jurgen Klopp’s side enjoyed a stormy end last season as they secured a Champions League place even in the absence of talismanic defender Virgil van Dijk, who was injured.
But they look even better now as the Dutchman is at the center of his defense and senior centre-backs Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are also fit again.
The Reds have won just once in their opening five Premier League matches – in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea – with an 11–0 aggregate total to win their other four games.
The 2020 champions had a quiet transfer window as their rivals squandered cash and could come to regret the departure of midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and forward Xherdan Shaqiri, especially in light of the injury to teenager Harvey Elliott. could do.
Liverpool do not boast the depth of some of their rivals’ team, but their first team is a match for anyone, with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scoring independently.
If they can keep their main men fit they will believe they can win the Premier League for the second time in three years and equal Manchester United’s record of 20 top-flight titles.
Relentless Tuchel
– Thomas Tuchel can do nothing wrong at Chelsea.
The German turned the fortunes of the London club in his first season in charge, taking Chelsea to their second Champions League victory in May.
Now, with new recruit Romelu Lukaku leading the line, he is the favorite of many pundits to win the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
Chelsea didn’t even need a goal from their forwards against Spurs on Sunday, defenders Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger, as well as midfielder N’Golo Kante, scored with the goal.
The Stamford Bridge side have already played Arsenal, Liverpool and now Spurs and are looking unlucky but Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta urged the team to keep their feet on the ground.
“We have played with some top teams and these first few matches have yielded results but we have to be humble,” he told Sky Sports.
Spurs, after a bright start to the season, are heading in the wrong direction after scoring six goals in their last two games and new boss Nuno Espirito Santo need to stop the rot quickly.
Sancho wants a role at Manchester United
– For just a few weeks Jadon Sancho was the lucrative signing at Manchester United over the summer, finally through the doors at Old Trafford after a lengthy transfer saga.
Then came Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar has hit the ground running four times in three matches since his return to the club, while Sancho has yet to register an assist.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer argues that the former Borussia Dortmund man, aged 21, is still learning the game.
But Sancho has yet to complete a single match for United in any competition and has made minimal impact after coming on as a late substitute against West Ham at the London Stadium.
United have a galaxy of attacking talent and the England international will be eager to make a mark as soon as he tries to justify his £73 million ($100 million) fee.
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