Written by Contributor: Sean Gallagher
Premier League Roundup Matchday 14/15: Liverpool Domination in Derby; Ronaldo Breaks Record in Wild United Victory; Bizarre Masuaku Goal Sinks Chelsea
It’s been a busy 2 rounds of games in the Premier League! We know one thing for certain: this title race is going to be a good one.
Everton v Liverpool (1-4)
Rafa Benitez was under an immense amount of pressure heading into Wednesday’s Merseyside Derby against rival Liverpool, but a 4-1 defeat has only spiraled the club and its fans into more upheaval.
It didn’t take long for the Reds to get on the board; Klopp’s men were dominant from the kickoff. The game’s first goal came in the 9th minute when Jordan Henderson curled in a great strike from the top of the box past a diving Pickford, and it had already been coming for Liverpool. 10 minutes later, Mo Salah found himself all alone on the right side and easily finished a shot off the post to double the lead just 20 minutes into the game. Goodison Park was relieved for a moment when Demarai Gray scored and briefly lit a spark in the team. Down 2-1 at the break, Rafa Benitez had the opportunity to pack it in, keep it close, and take a point from the game or at least inspire the fans with a close defeat against the club’s biggest rival. Instead, Seamus Coleman mad a calamitous error midway through the second half that gave Mo Salah the ball at midfield with nobody between him and the keeper. Arguably the best player in the game at the moment, it was the last guy that Coleman would have wanted to mistakenly give a golden scoring opportunity. Salah’s blazing speed and precise finish was enough to put the game out of reach and seal it for Liverpool.
It was an ugly scene for Everton. Supporters were leaving in droves throughout the game, and the ones who remained were getting in spats with the club’s owners who were in attendance. Reds fans did their best to contribute to Everton’s humiliation, chanting Benitez’s name and singing that the Toffees will be relegated by season’s end. They were able to bounce back on Monday, though. They won for the first time since September thanks to Demarai Gray’s magnificent strike off the post in injury time to beat Arsenal in a topsy-turvy affair.
Manchester United v Arsenal (3-2)
What would this blog be without chaos happening in a Manchester United game? In one of this week’s most anticipated matchups, newly appointed United manager Ralf Rangnick was only able to watch from the box in the rafters at Old Trafford as his work permit had not yet been approved for him to manage this game.
No play from this game will be more talked about than the first goal of the match scored by Arsenal. In a very United-esque play, the frequently maligned Fred tripped his own keeper David de Gea on an Arsenal corner kick. This left youngster Emille Smith-Row to bash in a shot with nobody between the posts to stop it, since de Gea was on the ground in pain. Referee Martin Atkinson seemed baffled for a few minutes sorting out whether to give it as a goal, but VAR ultimately (correctly) decided that since it was de Gea’s teammate who tripped him and no whistle was blown, it was a good goal for Arsenal. Just before halftime, Bruno Fernandes scored a much needed goal, both for United and his own confidence. The young Portuguese star has dipped in quality as of late. Speaking of Portuguese stars, it then became the Ronaldo show at Old Trafford with the game tied at 1-1. The 36 year old wasted no time in the second half putting his team in front, becoming the first player to ever score 800 goals, male or female. The game took another turn when Arsenal scored just a few minutes later. Gabriel Martinelli, who was fantastic all game for the Gunners, sent in a beautiful cross finished by Martin Ødegaard, making it anyone’s game with a half hour to play. Unfortunately for the Norwegian, the goal became a side-story when it was his rash challenge that was enough to award United a penalty late in the game. Inevitably, Ronaldo buried the spot-kick and it proved to be the match-winner as Arsenal could not find an equalizer.
Ralf Rangnick will know he has some work to do after that performance, but ultimately the three points should be encouraging to the man who has been thrown into a most-difficult job. He will be thankful that the Red Devils’ schedule is extremely forgiving over this upcoming window of matches, and it could be exactly what United need to get back on track. Arsenal will feel disappointed they didn’t come away with more.
West Ham v Chelsea (3-2)
Was it a cross? A mistake? Good Fortune? Whatever he intended, the bottom line is that Arthur Masuaku’s goal that somehow beat Eduoard Mendy was the decider in a critical match between West Ham and title-contenders Chelsea. Heading into Saturday, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea were top of the table, just ahead of a relentless Manchester City and blazing Liverpool. With City and Liverpool having favorable games against mid-table teams, they would need to be perfect away to a West Ham side that has seen their share of success recently. For David Moyes and the Hammers, their top-4 spot was on the line with multiple clubs right on their tail.
With the game tied at 1 apiece, Chelsea scored one of the best goals you’ll see all season. Both the pass from Hakim Ziyech and the near-post volley by Mason Mount were stunning, and it felt like it would be a gut-punch for West Ham conceding so late in the first half. The Hammers came out quick in the second half, though, and Jared Bowen scored a remarkable strike of his own to level the game again. With minutes to go, Masuaku found himself all alone on the left hand side and his ball somehow ended up in the back of the net to doom Chelsea to another poor result. It was a rare lapse of judgement by the normally fantastic Edouard Mendy.
With Liverpool and Man City looking unstoppable at the moment, this might be remembered as a very costly week for Chelsea regarding the title race. 2 weeks ago in the blog, I mentioned to look out for Chelsea’s two games against United and West Ham. Brutal mistakes were made in both games and the Blues only came away with 1 point from the 2 matches, and they now sit 3rd in the league. It should be especially concerning for Thomas Tuchel that big time transfer Romelu Lukaku is producing next to nothing in the minutes he’s been subbed on for, when Chelsea need a late goal. Chelsea’s defense on Sunday also rings alarm bells, especially considering it was only the third time they’ve given up more than 1 goal since the German manager took charge 53 games ago.
Quick Hits:
- What a finish in Liverpool-Wolves! It looked as though the Reds were finally going to go scoreless in a game, but Divock Origi did what he does best and saved them yet again in stoppage time
- Tottenham took care of business against Brentford and Norwich and amazingly sit 2 points off top-4
- Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Steven Gerrard is having quite the successful start at Aston Villa. They kept it close against Man City and got a big result against Leicester over the weekend
- Crystal Palace are starting to freefall. They’re winless in 4 and had heartbreaking losses against Leeds and Manchester United in the past week
- Bernardo Silva, who was on the verge of moving on from Man City not so long ago, has been tearing it up. He scored midweek against Villa and had a brace against Watford
- This felt like 2 very consequential losses for Arsenal. With a great opportunity to move into top-4, they couldn’t quite outlast Man. United and blew some golden chances to beat Everton. It’s past time the Gunners buy a new striker to replace Aubamayeng