City Stay Top While Reds Defeat Chelsea

Gameweek five in the Premier League turned out to be a very high scoring one with seven sides firing in three or more goals with just four shut-outs across the ten games.

Friday night saw a huge clash at Stamford Bridge as unbeaten Chelsea hosted free-scoring Liverpool. The Reds opened the scoring on 17 minutes after Dejan Lovren volleyed in a clever cross and they were 2-0 up nine minutes before half-time as Jordan Henderson rifled in a long range effort past a helpless Thibaut Courtois. The Blues reduced the deficit just after the hour mark as Diego Costa continued hit superb scoring streak for 2-1. Both sides pushed for further goals but to no avail as Liverpool secured the points.

Saturday's review begins with the action from the KCOM Stadium as Hull City hosted Arsenal. The Gunners got off to the better start of the two with Alexis Sanchez putting them in front after just 17 minutes. Hull were dealt a blow just before half-time with the dismissal of Jake Livermore and the visitors took just 15 minutes of the second half to extend their advantage as Sanchez struck for a second time. Robert Snodgrass slotted in a penalty to keep the hosts in the contest but a Theo Walcott strike within three minutes made it 3-1 before Granit Xhaka fired in for 4-1 in the final minute.

Leicester City looked to back-up their superb win in Europe as they hosted Burnley at the King Power Stadium. The Foxes led just before the interval as Islam Slimani fired in to open his account in the 45th minute before doubling the lead just four minutes after the restart. The Clarets' afternoon got worse rather than better as Ben Mee's 77th minute own goal confirmed a 3-0 win for the hosts.

Manchester City hoped to maintain their 100% record at the top with a visit from Bournemouth. Kevin De Bruyne gave the hosts the lead on 15 minutes before Kelechi Iheanacho doubled the lead in the 25th minute. The win looked to be safe for City less than four minutes into the second half as Raheem Sterling struck before Ilkay Gundogan made it 4-0 six minutes after the hour mark. The only blot on a perfect afternoon for the hosts came on 86 minutes as Nolito was sent off.

West Ham travelled to face West Brom at The Hawthorns looking to claim their first win after a poor start to the season. Their hopes suffered an early blow as Nacer Chadli slotted in a penalty after just nine minutes. Salomon Rondon doubled the lead eight minutes before the interval before James McClean looked to have sealed the win by half time at 3-0. Chadli struck his second of the afternoon to put the Baggies 4-0 up before two goals in as many minutes from Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini's penalty made it 4-2 but the Hammers were unable to cut the gap further as the hosts celebrated a win.

After a superb start to he season, Everton looked to continue their success as they hosted Middlesbrough. Boro opened the scoring in the 21st minute after a shot deflected in off Toffees 'keeper Maarten Stekeleberg before Gareth Barry levelled three minutes later on his 600th PL game for 1-1. Seamus Coleman put the hosts 2-1 up with half-time approaching and but for Boro it was to be a 3-1 deficit at the interval with a late strike from Romelu Lukaku After such a packed first half goal-wise, the second half was a draw as the Toffees held their two goal lead for the win.

Super Sunday began at Vicarage Road as Watford welcomed Manchester United hoping to claim back-to-back wins. The Hornets struck the opening goal on 34 minutes as Etienne Capoue continued his scoring streak for 1-0. United drew level through Marcus Rashford on 62 minutes but were denied as little as a point by a late-show from the hosts with Juan Zuniga made it 2-1 before Troy Deeney confirmed a 3-1 success with a penalty in the final minutes.

Crystal Palace hosted a Stoke side yet to win this season at Selhurst Park and the hopes of such a win for the Potters were dented early on by Scott Dann's ninth minute opener and further hampered within two minutes as James Tomkins doubled the lead. Palace struck twice more in a four minute period in the second half with James McArthur and Andros Townsend scoring in the 71st and 75th minutes. Stoke's miserable afternoon did have a positive end as Marko Arnautovic made it 4-1 late on.

Southampton eased to victory in Europe on Thursday night and they looked to complete a perfect week as they hosted Swansea City. The game was a close one with just a single goal needed to settle the points, Charlie Austin stuck the winner for the Saints in the 64th minute.

The final game of the weekend saw Tottenham look to bounce back from defeat in Europe as they hosted Sunderland. A tight game saw just one goal with Harry Kane striking in the 59th minute for 1-0. The afternoon got worse for the visitors as they went down to ten men late on with the dismissal of Adnan Januzaj. 

Europa League Matchday One Results

A delay due to a busy weekend means just the results for the first week of the groups stage, hopefully the first review will come in the second Matchday.

Champions League Matchday One Review

Mid September in the football season means the beginning of the highly anticipated group stage of the Champions League and while some of the notable names are missing this season there a few newbies who will hope to make a name for themselves.

A
Tuesday night saw the first games with Basel hosting Ludogorets and a tight game it proved to be with the side sharing the points in a 1-1 draw. Barbosa put the visitors ahead just before half-time only for them to be pegged back ten minutes from the end by Steffen's equaliser.

A battle between two top sides as Paris St Germain hosted Arsenal and the hosts made an immense start with Edinson Cavani scoring in the opening minute. The lead lasted until deep into the second half when Alexis Sanchez levelled for the Gunners.. Both sides would end the evening with ten men after late dismissal for Marco Verratti and Olivier Giroud. 



B
Benfica opened their campaign by hosting Besiktas and they came so close to securing a opening win after an early strike from Cervi looked to be enough for a 1-0 win. However, the Turkish side salvaged a point in the final minutes through Conceicao. 

Dynamo Kiev and Napoli face each other in the other game in the group with the hosts taking the lead just before the half-hour mark through Garmash before a nine-minute brace from Milik put the Italians into a 2-1 lead. Kiev's hopes of levelling suffered a blow with 20 minutes left with the dismissal of Sydorchuk as the visitors held on for the win.

C
Barcelona started their push towards glory with a stunning 7-0 win over a poor Celtic side. Lionel Messi fired the Catalans ahead inside three minutes before doubling the lead just before the half hour mark. The second half saw a master-class from the hosts as Andres Iniesta, Neymar and a hat-trick strike from Messi made it 5-0 on the hour. The rout was completed by a brace from Luis Suarez on 75 and 89 minutes.

Manchester City's game at home to Borussia Monchengladbach was postponed due to a flooded pitch but the re-arranged game took place on Wednesday with City storming to a 4-0 win.

An early penalty from Sergio Aguero saw him double the lead on 29 minutes to leave the German's with a uphill task which only got worse as the Argentine completed his hat-trick on 76 minutes for 3-0. The gloss on a fine home performance came in the final stages as Kelechi Iheanacho struck for 4-0.


D
Bayern Munich stormed to a 5-0 win in their opening game against FC Rostov with Robert Lewandowski slotting in from the penalty spot on 28 minutes ahead of a second goal just before the interval from Thomas Muller. 

An eight minute brace from Kimmich sealed the win before the hour mark but the rout was completed in the final minute by Bernat. 

PSV Eindhoven played host to Atletico Madrid in what turned out to be a close contest overall with the points sealed for the visitors just before half-time as Niguez struck for 1-0.




E
Bayer Leverkusen opened their campaign with the hosting of CSKA Moskva and raced into a 2-0 lead in as little as 15 minutes with Mehmedi and Calhanoglu firing in. However, the Russians fought back superbly with two goals in as many minutes with Dzagoev scoring before Eremenko levelled for 2-2 which is how the game ended.

Tottenham began their European stay at Wembley with a hosting of AS Monaco. The French side opened the scoring through Bernado Silva in the 15th minute before they were 2-0 to the good on 32 minutes after Lemar struck. Spurs pulled one back on half-time through Toby Alderweireld  but it was in vain as they began with a 2-1 defeat.



F
An opening game to forget for Legia Warsaw as they suffered a 6-0 demolition at home to rampant Borussia Dortmund. Mario Gotze struck an early opener after just seven minutes before a rapid double from Papastathopoulos and Marc Bartra made it 3-0.

Guerreiro and Castro extended the lead either side of the hour mark before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completed the rout three minutes from the end.

Real Madrid staged a last-gasp smash and grab as they won 2-1 against Sporting Lisbon. The visitors took the lead through Cesar on 47 minutes and looked on course to claim a surprise win as the game entered the final minutes. However, a superb free kick against his former side from Cristiano Ronaldo levelled the game before the visitors' hearts were broken by Morata's strike.

G
Club Brugge were the first ever trip in the competition for Leicester City who looked to make an instant name for themselves. They did just that as Marc Albrighton fired them ahead inside five minutes before Riyad Mahrez fired in a stunning effort for 2-0. The Foxes confirmed a famous three points with Mahrez slotting in a third goal from the penalty spot.

FC Porto and FC Copenhagen shared the points in their opening meeting with Monteiro's 13th minute opener cancelled out by Cornelius on 52 minutes for 1-1. The Danes suffered a blow on 66 minutes with the dismissal of Gregus but the Portuguese side were unable to claim the win with the man advantage.


H
After claiming their third consecutive Europa League title back in May, Sevilla began their Champions League campaign away to Juventus.

The sides were evenly matched across the 90 minutes as they shared the points in a 0-0 draw.

Completing the first review of the campaign is Olympique Lyonnais' hosting of Dinamo Zagreb in which the French side eased to a 3-0 success.

A 13th minute opener from Tolliso set them on their way before Ferri doubled the lead four minutes after half-time for 2-0. The three points were sealed three minutes before the hour mark with Cornet striking for 3-0.

City Stay Top While Reds Thrash Foxes

The Premier League season resumed after the International break but just a few days before the opening games of the European group stages so a good result was paramount for those with a packed week.

The weekend opened with the Manchester derby as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola renewed rivalries as Manchester United hosted Manchester City at Old Trafford. City made the first breakthrough as Kevin De Bruyne struck on 15 minutes before Kelechi Ihenacho doubled the lead with 36 minutes on the clock. Zlatan Ibrahimovic continued his superb scoring form with a 42nd minute strike for 2-1 and after a close second half, City held on for the narrow win.

Arsenal hosted Southampton at the Emirates with the Saints looking to record their first win of the season after a mixed start. Their hopes were given an early boost after a deflected effort went in off Gunners 'keeper Petr Cech on 18 minutes before an equaliser from Laurent Koscielny made it 1-1 after half an hour. A 2-1 win was sealed late on for the hosts as Santi Cazorla slotted in a penalty.

Bournemouth looked to secure their first win of the season as they hosted West Bromwich Albion at the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries did just that as they claimed a narrow 1-0 win with a 79th minute strike from Callum Wilson.

Hull City looked to continue their good start to the campaign as they travelled to face Burnley at Turf Moor. The game proved to be a close one with the sides not only remaining level past half-time but also as the game entered the final 20 minutes. However, the deadlock was broken by the hosts as Steven Defour fired them in front with 19 minutes to go but a last-gasp leveller from Robert Snodgrass denied the Clarets as City salvaged a point.

Middlesbrough hosted a Crystal Palace side still searching for their first win of the season after a mixed start. The Eagles struck the opening goal of the game through Christian Benteke on 16 minutes before Boro levelled through Daniel Ayala eight minutes before half-time for 1-1. The points went to the visitors though with the crucial strike coming just two minutes after the interval from Wilfried Zaha. 

Stoke City hosted Tottenham Hostspur at the Bet365 Stadium with Spurs looking to go into their Euro campaign on a high. The first half was a close one but the visitors just edged it as Son Heung-Min fired them ahead on 41 minutes. He doubled the lead on 56 minutes before Dele Alli made it 3-0 just before the hour mark. The rout was completed with 20 minutes left as Harry Kane fired in for 4-0.



The last of the 3pm games was the London derby between West Ham United and Watford at London Stadium. The Hammers got off to a superb start as Michail Antonio fired them ahead inside five minutes before he doubled the lead on 32 minutes for 2-0. Watford went into half-time level after two goals in the final four minutes of the half from Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney. Their comeback was completed by two further strikes either side of the hour mark as Etienne Capoué and José Holebas secured a 4-2 win.

The late kick-off came from Anfield as Liverpool hosted Leicester City in their first home game of the season as the newly revamped Main Stand opened. The Reds struck first as Roberto Firmino slotted in after just 13 minutes with Sadio Mané doubling the lead on the half hour mark. Leicester hit back through Jamie Vardy eight minutes before half-time but it was in vain as Liverpool struck twice more in the second half with Adam Lallana making it 3-1 before Firmino's second goal in the final stages completed a superb 4-1 triumph.

Super Sunday saw just a single game but an interesting one as Swansea City hosted Chelsea at the Liberty Stadium. Diego Costa continued his stunning start to the season as he fired the Blues ahead on 18 minutes but a superb three minute period either side of the hour mark saw the Swans take a 2-1 lead. Gylfi Sigurdsson levelled with a penalty before Leroy Fer struck but they had to settle for a point as Costa salvaged a 2-2 draw for Chelsea with his second strike with eight minutes to go.

The final game of the weekend came with the Monday Night Football from the Stadium of Light as Sunderland hosted Everton. The sides played out a very close first half and remained level as the hour neared but a superb 11 minutes from the Toffees saw the three points secured as Romelu Lukaku struck on the hour before further strikes on 69 and 71 minutes completed his hat-trick and a 3-0 win.

Man City Stay Top As Spurs Hold Reds

Ahead of the first International break of the season, the Premier League reached Gameweek three.

The weekend began with the early-kick off at White Hart Lane as Tottenham hosted Liverpool.

The visitors were the better of the two sides in what was a tight first 40 minutes before making their mark on 43 minutes with a penalty from James Milner for a 1-0 lead at the interval.

However, the Reds defence were unable to hold off the hosts with Danny Rose levelling on 71 minutes to claim a share of the points.

Another South v North clash came in the 3pm games as Chelsea hosted Burnley at Stamford Bridge. The Blues continued their perfect start to the season with an early strike from Eden Hazard before Willian sent them into the interval 2-0 ahead. The win was wrapped up late on as Victor Moses struck for 3-0 as the Blues made it three wins in a row.

A battle between two sides yet to get off the mark took place at Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace faced Bournemouth.

The Cherries opened the scoring after just 11 minutes through Josh King and looked on course to secure their first win as the lead held long into the second half . However, the Eagles had other ideas as they salvaged a point in the final minutes through Scott Dann for a 1-1 draw.

Everton and Stoke met at Goodison Park with the hosts keen to continue their unbeaten start while the visitors hoped for their first win.

A close game overall between the two sides with the points settled on 52 minutes as a Leighton Baines penalty deflected off Shay Given to give the Toffees a 1-0 success.

After a mixed start to their title defence, Leicester City looked to claim their first win as they hosted Swansea City at the King Power Stadium.  The Foxes took the lead just after the half hour as Jamie Vardy struck before Wes Morgan doubled the lead to 2-0 on 52 minutes.

Swansea remained in the game and pulled a goal back with 10 minutes to go through Leroy Fer but were unable to deny a 2-1 win for the hosts.

Southampton and Sunderland faced off at St Mary's Stadium both looking for their first win. The game was a tight one with neither side able to break the deadlock ahead of the last ten minutes.

Sunderland were given a great chance in the 80th minute which Jermain Defoe took superbly as he scored from the penalty spot but the visitors were left to go home with a point after Jay Rodriguez levelled for 1-1 with five minutes left.

Arsenal looked for their first win as they made the short trip to Vicarage Road to face Watford.

The Gunners wasted no time in taking the lead with an early penalty from Santi Cazorla before two strikes in the final five minutes of the first half looked to have sealed the points as Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil struck for 3-0.

Watford gave themselves hopes of a comeback with a 58th minute goal from Roberto Pereyra but it was in vain as they lost 3-1.

The evening kick-off saw two sides with a 100% record meet at the KCOM Stadium as Hull City faced Manchester United.

The two sides were as evenly matched as their starts to the season had been but something had to give and it came in added time as Marcus Rashford sealed a 1-0 win for the visitors.

Super Sunday saw West Bromwich Albion hosting Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns.

The game however was far from super as the sides shared the points in a tight 0-0 stalemate.

The final game of the weekend saw Manchester City hosting West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium.

City took an early lead through Raheem Sterling before Fernandinho doubled the lead to put them 2-0 up inside 20 minutes. Michail Antonio pulled one back just before the hour mark but it was to be in vain as Sterling struck his second to seal a 3-1 win late on.

Manchester Duo On Top While Clarets Deny Reds

Gameweek two began with the first Friday night game of the season as Manchester United looked for back-to back wins as they hosted Southampton. United struck an opener on 36 minutes as Zlatan Ibrahimovic made it two goals in as many games. He went one better by striking a second and his third of the season with a penalty on 52 minutes to complete a 2-0 win.

The early kick-off on Saturday saw Stoke City hosting Manchester City at the newly named Bet365 Stadium. Alike their first game, City took the lead with a Sergio Aguero penalty this time in the 27th minute before he struck a second just nine minutes later for 2-0. Bojan Krkic pulled one back for the Potters from the penalty spot four minutes after the restart but the hopes of a comeback never really surfaced and a late brace from Nolito in the final four minutes completed a 4-1 win.



Burnley hosted Liverpool looking to bounce back from their opening loss while the Reds hoped to extend their winning start. The Clarets made a stunning start as Sam Vokes fired them ahead inside two minutes. Liverpool dominated possession but were unable to make it count and when Andre Gray capitalised on a mistake, Burnley were 2-0 up on 37 minutes. The Reds were unable to strike back and suffered defeat despite ending the game with an enormous 80% possession.

Swansea City hosted Hull City with both sides aiming to make it two wins from two games. The sides were evenly matched for the majority of the game with the score blank long after the hour mark. Shaun Maloney put the visitors ahead with 11 minutes remaining before Abel Hernandez secured a 2-0 win in the final minutes.

A London derby at White Hart Lane saw Tottenham Hotspur host Crystal Palace with the Eagles looking to get off the mark for the season. They looked on course to secure their first point of the season as the sides remained level long into the second half but the hosts claimed all three points with an 82nd minute winner from Victor Wanyama.

Another all-London battle took place at Vicarage Road as Watford played host to Chelsea. The Hornets struck the opening goal of the game as Etienne Capoue made it two goals in two games in the 55th minute. Chelsea left it late to win in their opening game and did the same this time around with Michy Batshuayi levelling with ten minutes to go before Diego Costa sealed the 2-1 win three minutes from the end.

West Brom hosted Everton at the Hawthorns looking to record back-to-back wins with the Toffees looking to remain unbeaten. The Baggies started superbly as Gareth McAuley gave them the lead inside nine minutes. Everton went into half-time on level terms thanks to a late effort from Kevin Mirallas before Gareth Barry secured the points on the hour mark as the Blues won 2-1.

The evening kick-off saw a battle between last season's top two as champions Leicester City hosted Arsenal. The sides were evenly matched to the point that neither was able to mount a way to break the deadlock. The game ended goalless meaning both sides earned their first point of the season.

Super Sunday saw the Tees-Wear derby as Sunderland hosted Middlesbrough with the visitors looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Their pursuit was boosted early on as Cristhian Stuani struck an opener in the 13th minute. He doubled the lead just before half-time for 2-0 before Patrick Van Aanholt kept Sunderland in the game with a 71st minute strike. The hosts battled to try and salvage a point but to no avail as 'Boro made it four points from a possible six.

The final game of the weekend came from London Stadium as West Ham United hosted Bournemouth. The sides seemed to be evenly matched across the first hour or so and looked to be on course for a share of the points. However, the Cherries suffered a blow with the dismissal of Harry Arter 13 minutes from the end and the Hammers handed them further punishment five minutes from the end as Michail Antonio made it 1-0 and ensured that the hosts opened their league campaign at their new stadium with a win.

Premier League Gameweek One Review

A new Premier League season sees the resuming of this blog but due to a delay the opening two weeks will be outlined this week before the traditional review returns in gameweek three.

The season opener saw newly promoted Hull City hosting defending champions Leicester City and after the unpredictability of the previous campaign, the hosts taking the lead was not a real surprise as Adama Diomandé struck the first goal of the season just before half-time. Riyad Mahrez levelled with a penalty two minutes after the restart for 1-1 but Hull were not to be denied an opening success as Robert Snodgrass sealed the points with a strike on 57 minutes as the champions went down 2-1.

Burnley also started their season back in the top flight at home as they took on Swansea City at Turf Moor.  The Clarets looked to be on course for a point as the sides remained level deep into the second half but their hopes were dashed eight minutes from the end as Leroy Fer struck to seal a narrow 1-0 win.

Crystal Palace opened their campaign with the hosting of West Bromwich Albion at Selhurst Park but fell to a defeat as the Baggies secured a narrow 1-0 win with a 74th minute strike from Salomon Rondon.

Everton started their first season under the charge of Ronald Koeman with a hosting of Tottenham Hotspur and the Toffees got off to a perfect start with Ross Barkley firing them into a 1-0 lead after just five minutes. However, they were to be denied the win just before the hour mark as Erik Lamela struck to claim a point for the visitors in a 1-1 draw.

After seven years away from the top flight, Middlesbrough began their season with a visit from Stoke City to the Riverside Stadium. Summer signing Alvaro Negredo gave 'Boro an early lead with a strike inside 11 minutes but their hopes of a maiden win back in the big league were denied on 67 minutes as Xherdan Shaqiri levelled for 1-1.

Southampton hosted Watford at St Mary's Stadium looking to start on a high under new manager Claude Puel. However, they suffered an early blow as Etienne Capoue fired the Hornets ahead after just nine minutes. Nathan Redmond drew the Saints level just before the hour mark and their hopes of completing the comeback were boosted with the dismissal of Ben Watson for the visitors with 14 minutes to go but they were unable to make the extra man pay off as the sides drew 1-1.

The first evening game of the season saw Manchester City host Sunderland with both sides under new management in the form of Pep Guardiola and David Moyes, City struck early with Sergio Aguero converting from the penalty spot after just four minutes. The visitors drew level in the second half through Jermain Defoe but were denied a point late on as Paddy McNair hit into his own net just three minutes from the end to give City a 2-1 win.

Super Sunday opened with Bournemouth hosting Manchester United who were now under the charge of José Mourinho. The visitors struck first with Juan Mata giving them the lead five minutes before half-time before Wayne Rooney doubled the lead just before the hour mark. The win looked to be safe by the 65th minute as Zlatan Ibrahimovic made it 3-0 but the Cherries did have the last say on the scoreline with Adam Smith scoring for 3-1 on 69 minutes.


The second game of the afternoon saw a seven goal thriller between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium. Theo Walcott slotted the Gunners into the lead on 31 minutes before a stellar free-kick from Philippe Coutinho drew the Reds level just before half-time.

Liverpool took control with goals from Adam Lallana and a second from Coutinho in the space of seven minutes for 3-1 before Sadio Mané looked to have sealed the win at 4-1. However, an instant impact from substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cut the gap to 4-2 before Callum Chambers made it 4-3 with 15 minutes left.  Arsenal battled to try and draw level but to no avail as the Red held on for the win.

The final game of the opening weekend came on Monday night as Chelsea hosted West Ham United in a London derby at Stamford Bridge. The sides remained level across the first half with the first breakthrough coming two minutes after the break as Eden Hazard converted from the penalty spot. James Collins levelled for the Hammers on 77 minutes but their hopes of a point were dashed late on by Diego Costa's 89th minute strike to seal a 2-1 win.