Liverpool Retain EPL Lead, As ManCity, Leicester, C/Palace, West Ham Win, Barca ,Man U, Chelsea Draw

Left, Burleys’ Pope could not believe his eyes as another Liverpool goal whizzes past him while right, de Bruyne in their match with Brighton, opens scoring for Manchester City in their 4-0 win 

 

 

Liverpool maintains their winning run by thrashing a Burnley at home 3-0, opening with an own goal from a deflection off the head of defender, Wood in the 34^th min.

Four minutes later, Mane interpreted a Firmino cross and fired a shot pass Pope to make it two. Then at the 81^st minute, it was Firmino’s turn to interpret A Mo Sallah’s foot walk into his path and he wasted no time to slot the ball into the right hand corner of the net. Having won all their matches, Liverpool seat on the table with 12 points closely followed by defending champion, Man City with 10 points. Dicey!

Since sustaining a match 2-2 draw with Tottenham in their opening match, defending Champions, Manchester City has been on fire, harvesting goal rain in their succeeding matches. Despite Brighton’s close marking as seen in a 46 per cent possession to the champion’s 54 City took the lead when De Bruyne opened scoring in the 2^nd min, followed by a brace by Sergio Aguero in the 42^nd and 55rd mins before Bernaldo Silva made it 4-0 in the 79^th min.

Lionel Messi, Barca’s playmaker absence for the opening matches, is telling on the team as an 82^nd min penalty taken by Oasauma’s Roberto Torres’s sent Barca’s keeper, Ter Stegen the wrong way, ending the game 2-2.

And the homeside, which had 25 per cent of possession to the visitors’ 75 per cent now stand at 4^th position on the table and sending the defending champion to the 7^th.

It was a brace for Torres who opened scoring at the 8^th min while Barca’s 16 year- old wonder kid, Fati equalized in the 52^nd min before Arthur scored a second in the 65^th to give the visitors the lead.

In their opening, Barca lost to Atlectic Club, 1-0, though they thumped Real Betis 5-2 in their second game last week. Newly promoted Osasuna is yet to concede a goal.

The EPL season is becoming tighter with draws, surprise home losses by big teams and wins by newcomers.

Manchester United could not sustain the speed that gave them the lead in the 11^th min through a McTominay, leaving Southampton to capitalize on the lost steam to draw level in the 59^th min through an Vestergaard’s header during a goal during a goal mouth scrabble.

 

Chelsea defender Zouma headed in an own goal to give Sheffield United an opening.

 

For Chelsea, their first outing at Stanford Bridge earned a 2-2 draw with visiting Sheffield United whose sustained pressure till the last minute gave them a deserved equalizer through Robinson in the 90^th min, after defender Zouma’s own goal, leaving Tammy Abraham’s brace in the first half at the 20^th minute and the 44^th min almost like a consolation. They are now ahead Chelsea on the table at the 8^th position to Chelsea’s 9^th with a minus 3 points.

Team mates mob Ayew while Aston Villa’s players could not believe their eyes and head as Referee Friend books team mate Grealish after ruling out Lansbury’s late minute equalizer.

 

Crystal Palace Ayew never disappoints at the goal mouth and when he ran into Aston Villa’s box in the 74^th min, he scored the only goal of the match to earn them the number 4 spot on the table. Zuma and Benteke mounted the pressure till the last minute, capitalizing on the weakened 10-man visiting team after Trezeguet was red carded in the 54^th min. The visitors had a late Lansbury equalizer which referee Friend ruled out, leaving fighting Aston Villa teams shattered.

With a brace from danger man Vardy, scoring in the 12^th and 73^rd minutes with a Tielemans’ 41^st minute goal, Leicester spanked Bournemouth 3-1.

West Hams’ Yarmolenko and Haller mad it 2-0 against visiting Norwich.