A lot has been made of the fact that without Eden Hazard, Chelsea would resemble nothing more than a strange, amorphous tribute to Yokohama Tires out on the pitch. That criticism is mainly aimed at Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud leading the line, where the two have combined for only six Premier League goals.
Arsenal shook off a shaky opening minute to take a surprise lead against Liverpool on Saturday at Anfield. Then one moment of madness — and a Bobby Firmino no-look goal — opened the floodgates for Liverpool’s 5-1 victory over Arsenal.
It was a bit of a joke that Mo Salah’s chipped effort against Everton was awarded the Puskas for the best goal of the year, only winning because Liverpool supporters took over the fan voting. The Harry Kane goal vs Wolves on Saturday was superior in every way — but probably won’t win any awards for a multitude of reasons.
In a couple of days, it will officially be the winter silly season. But that doesn’t mean the silliness can’t start a little early, as with the latest Christian Pulisic transfer rumors.
According to German tabloid Bild, Chelsea will purchase Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund for $57 million in the summer.
BVB fordert Millionen-Ablöse - Pulisic einig mit Chelsea! https://t.co/Zv6sQ3zrQN
The holiday period is a crazy time for the Premier League. Many of Europe’s top leagues take a break until the new year, but England continues its fixture list with a plethora of matches. The Christmas period is considered one of the toughest periods of the season, as the calendar for England’s top clubs is packed to the brim.
Sunderland AFC wrapped up its thirteenth win of the League One season against Bradford City on Wednesday. Currently sitting in third, Sunderland is aiming to gain promotion back into the Championship after being relegated last season.
Manchester United’s first match since Jose Mourinho was fired went pretty well. Former super sub striker Ole Gunnar Solskjær came in as interim manager and the Red Devils played with verve and panache unseen in years, crushing Cardiff City.
If I could offer Mauricio Pochettino one piece of advice with regards to the Manchester United and Real Madrid rumors, it would be this:
Think Manchester United is enjoying life without Jose Mourinho?
In the club’s first match since firing the embattled, bitter coach, the Red Devils crushed Cardiff City 5-1, the first time since Alex Ferguson’s final match in 2013 that United scored five goals in a Premier League match.
No one expected Crystal Palace to have any chance of getting anything out of a trip to the Etihad on Saturday. Roy Hodgson probably didn’t even plan for a point against the defending Premier League champs. But then the Andros Townsend goal vs Man City broke Pep Guardiola’s side.
Townsend unleashed a vicious volley from 30 yards in the 35th minute to send the Eagles on their way to a remarkable 3-2 victory over Manchester City on Saturday.
Everything appeared to be business as usual when Ilkay Gündogan put City in front in the 27th minute with a nice header.