United Clear On Top While Reds Hammer Gunners

 

Ahead of the International break, the Premier League continued with game-week three. Manchester City maintained their good start with a 2-1 win at Bournemouth.
A superb strike from Charlie Daniels put the Cherries ahead on 13 minutes before Gabriel Jesus levelled eight minutes later for 1-1. City secured the win in a strange final few minutes for Raheem Sterling as he struck the winning goal before being sent off in added time.

Swansea claimed their first win with a 2-0 success at Crystal Palace who remain without a point.The Swans went ahead just before half-time as loan signing Tammy Abraham made it 1-0 before Jordan Ayew doubled the lead two minutes after the interval.

Huddersfield Town continued their unbeaten start with a 0-0 draw at home to Southampton.

The sides both went into the game unbeaten with Town holding a 100% record which ended with the share of the points in the stalemate. 

Newcastle United claimed their first win of the season with a 3-0 success that left West Ham United bottom of the league.

The Magpies opened the scoring ten minutes before half-time as Joselu struck for 1-0 with Ciaran Clark doubling the lead on 71 minutes. The points were wrapped up four minutes from the end as Aleksandar Mitrovic struck for 3-0.


Watford extended their unbeaten start with a 0-0 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Hornets did well to secure a draw given that they played with ten men for two thirds of the game after the 24th minute sending off of Miguel Britos.

Manchester United became the only side with a 100% record as they claimed a 2-0 win over Leicester City.

United opened the scoring on 70 minutes through Marcus Rashford with the win confirmed eight minutes from the end by Marouane Fellaini's strike.



 

Chelsea moved up to sixth with a 2-0 win over Everton in the first of Sunday's games. 

Cesc Fabregas put the Blues ahead on 27 minutes and the win was coonfirmed in added time at the end of the second half as Alvaro Morata continued his scoring streak since signing in the summer. 

West Bromwich Albion remain unbeaten after claiming a point in a 1-1 draw with Stoke City.

The Baggies went ahead just after the hour mark through Jay Rodriguez but they were denied the win and their 100% record as Peter Crouch levelled for the Potters on 77 minutes.

 

Liverpool moved into second spot with a comfortable 4-0 win over Arsenal. 

The Reds went ahead on 17 minutes as Roberto Firmino struck before Sadio Mane doubled the lead five minutes before half-time. A stunning dash saw Mohamed Salah go clear and extend the lead to 3-0 on 57 minutes and the win became a rout on 77 minutes as Daniel Sturridge made it 4-0.

The final game of the weekend saw Tottenham Hotspur's Wembley hoodoo continue as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley.

Spurs had yet to win at their adopted stadium but opened up a lead on 49 minutes with a goal from Dele Alli. They looked to finally be on the way to ending their Wembley woes but were stunned in the final seconds as summer signing Chris Wood levelled for the Clarets and claimed a point.

Three Go Clear While Reds Defeat Eagles

After the long awaited opening weekend of the Premier League season saw some surprises, gameweek two continued the trend to an extent.

Manchester United extended their stay at the top with a second consecutive 4-0 win as they eased past Swansea City.

Eric Bailly gave the visitors the lead just before half-time before a laterally saw three goals in four minutes as Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial  struck.

Watford maintained their unbeaten start with a 2-0 win away at Bournemouth. 

The sides remained locked at 0-0 past the hour mark before summer signing Richarlison put the Hornets ahead on 73 minutes with Etienne Capoué confirming the win with five minutes remaining. 



West Bromwich Albion made it two wins in a row with a narrow 1-0 victory at Burnley.

The Baggies went ahead on 71 minutes courtesy of Hal Robson-Kanu's strike before the Welsh attacker was sent off seven minute from the end. The Clarets were unable to utilise the man advantage and draw level.

Newly promoted Brighton and Hove Albion slipped to consecutive losses with a 2-0 defeat at Leicester City.

The Foxes raced into the lead as Shinji Okazaki scored inside the opening minute and they were 2-0 to the good nine minutes after half-time after a strike from summer signing Harry Maguire.



Liverpool continued their unbeaten start with a narrow 1-0 win at home to Crystal Palace, ending a recent hoodoo against the Eagles. The crucial strike came on 73 minutes as Sadio Mané struck in consecutive games.

A five goal thriller saw Southampton claim a 3-2 win over bottom side West Ham United.

The Saints struck an 11th minute opener via Manolo Gabbidini before doubling the lead with a Dusan Tadic penalty five minutes after the dismissal of Marko Arnautovic for the Hammers. Summer signing Javier Hernandez made it 2-1 just before half-time before levelling at 2-2 with 17 minutes remaining. The hosts secured the win in added time as Charlie Austin slotted in a penalty.  



The evening game saw Arsenal suffer a 1-0 loss at Stoke City.

The Potters secured their first points of the season with a strike two minutes after half-time from summer signing Jese Rodriguez. 

Sunday's opening game saw newly promoted Huddersfield Town extend their 100% start to the season with a 1-0 win over fellow promoted side Newcastle United.

The winning goal came five minutes after half-time as Aaron Mooy struck to secure back-to-back wins for the Terriers.

Chelsea bounced back from their opening defeat to claim a 2-1 win over fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur. 

The Blues went ahead on 24 minutes courtesy Marcos Alonso's strike before looking to have gifted Spurs a point with a Michy Batshuayi own goal with eight minutes left.However, Alonso struck his second goal of the afternoon with two minutes left of the 90 to secure the win.

Monday night saw Manchester City and Everton share the points in a 1-1 draw.  

Wayne Rooney put the Toffees ahead on 35 minutes and City suffered a second blow just before half-time as Kyle Walker was sent off. Raheem Sterling secured a draw with an 82nd minute strike ahead of a late blow for the visitors which saw Morgan Schneiderlin sent off.

Clarets Stun Champions While Hornets Hold Reds

The new Premier League season is underway after opening on Friday evening with thrilling game that led the way to an exciting opening weekend overall.

Arsenal claimed the first points of the season as they came from behind to secure a 4-3 at home to Leicester City. The Gunners made a perfect start as summer signing Alexandre Lacazette fired them ahead inside two minutes but the Foxes scored a rapid leveller three minutes later through Shinji Okazaki.  

Jamie Vardy put the visitors ahead on 29 minutes but the sides were locked at 2-2 into half-time after Danny Welbeck's equaliser. Vardy restored the lead on 56 minutes but the hosts staged a superb late comeback as Aaron Ramsey (83) and Olivier Giroud (85) struck to complete the turnaround.

Saturday's action began with a six-goal thriller as Watford struck late on to secure a 3-3 draw against Liverpool. The Hornets struck first with Stefano Okaka slotting in on eight minutes. Sadio Mané levelled but the hosts took just three minutes to regain the lead as Abdoulaye Doucoure struck for 2-1. The Reds turned the game around in the space of two minutes as Roberto Firmino slotted in a penalty ahead of a strike from Mohamed Salah for 3-2. The Hornets still had a sting in their tail though as Miguel Britos levelled in the final seconds of added time.

Chelsea began the defence of the title with a surprise 3-2 defeat at home to Burnley. The Blues suffered an early blow with the sending off of captain Gary Cahill with just 14 minutes played. 

The Clarets took quick advantage as Sam Vokes put them ahead on 24 minutes, Stephen Ward doubled the lead on 40 minutes with Vokes' second strike making it 3-0 into half-time. Alvaro Morata cut the gap for the hosts before they went down to nine men with Cesc Fabregas dismissed with nine minutes left. David Luiz made it 3-2 with two minutes left but the Clarets managed to hold on for the win.

Newly promoted Huddersfield Town made a stunning start in the top flight with a 3-0 win at Crystal Palace. The Terriers were gifted their opener as Joel Ward hit into his own net on 23 minutes before summer signing Steve Mounié doubled the lead three minutes later. Palace's miserable afternoon was completed on 78 minutes as Mounié struck his second goal for 3-0.

Everton opened the season with a narrow 1-0 win over Stoke City. The Blues secured the three points just before half-time as Wayne Rooney celebrated his summer return to the Toffees with a 45th minute strike. 

Southampton and Swansea City both began the season with a point each as they shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw.

West Bromwich Albion secured an opening win with a narrow 1-0 victory at home to Bournemouth. The crucial strike came on 31 minutes as summer signing Ahmed Hegazi secured the three points for the Baggies.

Saturday evening saw newly promoted Brighton and Hove Albion suffer a 2-0 loss at home to Manchester City. 

A close game saw the South Coast side hold City past the hour mark but a five minute period saw Sergio Aguero put City ahead before a Lewis Dunk own goal wrapped up the win for the visitors.

Sunday's action began with newly promoted Newcastle United losing 2-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur. The sides played out a goalless first half before the Magpies were dealt a blow three minutes into the second half with the sending off of Jonjo Shelvey. 

Spurs utilised their man advantage with two goals after the hour mark with Dele Alli putting them ahead before Ben Davies confirmed the win nine minutes later.

Manchester United top the table after the opening weekend after easing to a 4-0 win over West Ham United. The hosts went ahead on 33 minutes as summer signing Romelu Lukaku opened his United account for a 1-0 lead into half-time.

Lukaku doubled the lead seven minutes into the second half before a late double from Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba wrapped up the points.

EL/FA/UCL Finals Review

The final post of the current season sees the trio of the Europa League, FA Cup and Champions League finals reviewed.

First up is the Europa League Final which was played at the Friends Arena, Stockholm as Ajax Amsterdam took on Manchester United.

United sealed a place in the 2017/18 Champions League with a 2-0 win that saw Paul Pogba put them in front with 18 minutes on the clock before Henrikh Mkhitaryan doubled the lead and confirmed the win three minutes after half-time.

Next up was the FA Cup final from Wembley as Arsenal looked to prevent newly crowned Premier League champions Chelsea from securing a double.

The Gunners made the perfect start as Alexis Sanchez struck inside four minutes for 1-0. The Blues were dealt a blow with the dismissal of Victor Moses but soon drew level through Diego Costa. However, Arsenal sealed the win and a record 13th title as Aaron Ramsey's strike three minutes later for 2-1.

The trilogy concluded at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff as Real Madrid looked to complete their defence of the Champions League trophy in the final against Juventus. 

Real went ahead through Cristiano Ronaldo with 20 minutes gone before a superb leveller from Mario Mandzukic made it 1-1 seven minutes later.

Casemiro restored Real's lead just after the hour with Ronaldo striking for a second time for 3-1 within three minutes. Juve's hopes of a comeback were scuppered by a double blow late on as Juan Cuadrado was dismissed before Marcos Asensio put the gloss on the win for Real in added time for 4-1.

Chelsea Crowned Champions As Reds Secure Fourth With Boro Win

The Premier League season finale saw the battle for fourth become the main focus with matters at the top and bottom already decided and a rarity as all 20 sides played at the same time.

Arsenal needed to better the result of Liverpool to secure a top four place and they did their utmost as they secured a 3-1 win over Everton.  The Gunners went ahead inside eight minutes with Hector Bellerin's strike but a blow saw Laurent Koscielny dismissed six minutes later. 

Alexis Sanchez doubled the lead before the half hour mark with Romelu Lukaku pulling one back with a 58th minute penalty. Aaron Ramsey wrapped up the win late on but the Gunners fate will be confirmed later in the review.

West Ham United ended the season on a high with a 2-1 win over Burnley. The hosts went ahead on 23 minutes through Sam Vokes but their fellow Clarets were level through Sofiane Feghouli within four minutes. André Ayew secured the points with a 72nd minute effort.

Chelsea's celebrated their title crowning in style with a 5-1 routing of Sunderland. However, the visitors threatened to derail the party as Javier Manquillo struck an opener three minutes in.  

Willian levelled for the Blues before an orchestrated guard of honour for Blues captain John Terry came in the 26th minute. Goals from Eden Hazard and Pedro put the Blues in control before a late brace from Michy Batshuayi rounded off the rout.

Hull City ended the season miserably they suffered a 7-1 thrashing from title runners-up Tottenham Hotspur. An early brace from Harry Kane put Spurs 2-0 up inside 15 minutes with Dele Alli making it 3-0 into half-time.

Sam Clucas ended Spurs' spree on 66 minutes for 3-1 but Victor Wanyama resumed the spree just three minutes later ahead of a hat-trick strike from Kane. The thrashing was completed by two goals in the final six minutes as Ben Davies and Toby Alderweireld slotted in.

Leicester City ended their season as champions with a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth who secured a ninth placed finish. Junior Stanislas put the Cherries inside the opening minute but the win was denied by Jamie Vardy's 51st minute leveller.

As mentioned above, Arsenal did what they needed to in the battle for fourth but they missed out due to Liverpool securing fourth spot with a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough.

The Reds cemented their place in the top four and a spot in next season's Champions League with an 11 minute spree which began with Georginio Wijnaldum's strike just before half-time.  Philippe Coutinho doubled the lead within five minutes of the restart with Adam Lallana wrapping up the win six minutes later.

Manchester United signed off ahead of the midweek Europa League final against Ajax with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. United went ahead with a debut goal from young striker Josh Harrop on 15 minutes  before Paul Pogba struck just four minutes later.

Stoke City missed out on a top half finish despite ending with a 1-0 win away to Southampton. Peter Crouch secured the points with an historic headed effort on the hour mark as he became the first player to score 50 headers in the top flight.

After avoiding relegation, Swansea City ended the season on a high with a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion.

The Baggies went ahead through Jonny Evans before Jordan Ayew levelled in the 72nd minute (the same time as his brother struck over at Burnley). Fernando Llorente sealed the win four minutes from the end.

The final league game of my 2016-17 reviews was also to be the last for Watford manager Walter Mazzari as he departed the Hornets after their 5-0 humbling from Manchester City who cemented third spot. A rapid start for the visitors saw Vincent Kompany strike inside six minutes before a brace from Sergio Aguero and an effort from Fernandinho gave City a 4-0 lead into half-time. The rout was completed before the hour mark as Gabriel Jesus made it 5-0 on 57 minutes.

Chelsea Seal Title While Reds Thrash Hammers

Catch-up on the final part of the Premier League season begins with a lengthy week 37 which spanned from Friday 12th May to Thursday 18th May. 

Friday night's action began at Goodison Park as Everton secured a narrow 1-0 win over Watford. The crucial strike came from Ross Barkley in the 56th minute.

Chelsea sealed the league title with a narrow 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion with a rare strike from Michy Batshuayi coming eight minutes from the end enough to secure the crown for Antonio Conte's men.

Manchester City kept up their hopes of a top two finish with a 2-1 win at home to former champions Leicester City. David Silva put the hosts ahead just before the half hour mark before Gabriel Jesus doubled the lead with a penalty seven minutes later. The Foxes halved the deficit just before half time through Shinji Okazaki but it was to be only a consolation.

Bournemouth moved closer to securing a top half finish as they claimed a 2-1 win over Burnley. The Cherries opened the scoring on 25 through Junior Stanislas before being pegged back with seven minutes to go by a Sam Vokes leveller. The hosts were bot to be denied a win though as Joshua King sealed the points in the 85th minute.

Southampton piled further misery on relegated Middlesbrough by securing a 2-1 victory. The Saints went ahead just before half time via Jay Rodriguez's 42nd minute effort and they were in control before the hour mark as Nathan Redmond doubled the lead. Boro had the last say on the scoreline though as Patrick Bamford struck in the 72nd minute.

Swansea City boosted their survival hopes with a 2-0 win over already relegated Sunderland. The Swans went ahead inside ten minutes courtesy of Fernando Llorente with Kyle Naughton doubling the lead just before half-time. 

Arsenal boosted their top four hopes with a comfortable 4-1 win over Stoke City. The Gunners went ahead just before half-time through Olivier Giroud with Mesut Ozil doubling the lead just before the hour mark. Peter Crouch got the Potters off the mark on 67 minutes but his effort was to be only a consolation as Alexis Sanchez made it 3-1 before Giroud's second strike ten minutes from the end.

Hull City needed to win to keep up their survival hopes as they faced Crystal Palace on Sunday, but a 4-0 loss saw their relegation confirmed. A rapid start from the Eagles saw Wilfred Zaha and Christian Benteke give them a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes.  The win was wrapped up with two late goals as Luka Milivojevic slotted in a penalty ahead of a strike from Patrick Van Aanholt.

Liverpool ensured that the battle for fourth would go down to the final day as they cruised to a 4-0 win at West Ham United. Daniel Sturridge got the Reds going with a 35th minute opener before a five minute brace either side of the hour mark from Philippe Coutinho put the visitors in control at 3-0. The gloss on the win came on 76 minutes with Divock Origi's strike. 

Tottenham Hotspur signed off at White Hart Lane with a 2-1 win over Manchester United that ended United's top four hopes. A rapid start from the hosts saw Victor Wanyama score inside seven minutes ahead of a Harry Kane strike just after half-time doubling the lead. United had the last say on the scoreline as Wayne Rooney made it 2-1 in the 71st minute. 

 

Chelsea left it late to overcome Watford in a seven-goal thriller that saw the Blues win 4-3. John Terry put the hosts ahead on 2 minutes only to have his effort rapidly levelled by Etienne Capoue. Cesar Azpilicueta restored Chelsea's lead into half-time with Michy Batshuayi making it 3-1 within four minutes of the restart.

Daryl Janmaat and Stefano Okaka struck for the Hornets to level at 3-3 but their were dealt a double blow late on as Cesc Fabregas sealed the win on 88 minutes before Seb Prodl was sent off.

Arsenal set up a three-way battle for the top four as they claimed a 2-0 win over relegated Sunderland. A nine minute brace from Alexis Sanchez secure the win as he struck in the 72nd and 81st minutes.

Manchester City moved into third spot with a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion. City were 2-0 to the good before the half hour mark via strikes from Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne.

Yaya Toure wrapped up the win before the hour but the Baggies had the last say on the scoreline with a late strike from Hal Robson-Kanu. 

Southampton looked to secure a top half finish as they shared the points in a 0-0 draw with Manchester United who would finish in sixth spot. 

Tottenham Hotspur cruised to a 6-1 hammering over Leicester City on Thursday evening with Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min giving Spurs a two goal advantage at half-time. Ben Chilwell cut the gap for the Foxes before the hour mark before the visitors ran riot. Kane and Heung-Min struck for a second time in an eight minute period before Kane completed his hat-trick and struck a fourth in the final minutes.  

Champions/Europa Semi Finals Review

As the domestic European seasons near the end, the semi finals of both the Champions League and Europa League saw the final four sides in European competition decided.

The first legs of the Champions League semis saw an all-Madrid battle as holders Real Madrid hosted Atletico Madrid.

The hosts went ahead inside ten minutes as Cristiano Ronaldo struck, he went on to claim a hat-trick and a comfortable 3-0 advantage for Real with further strikes in the 74th and 87th minutes.

Monaco and Juventus faced off in the other tie and it was to be the Italians who secured first leg success. Gonzalo Higuain's brace secured a 2-0 win as he struck in the 29th and 59th minutes.

The first legs of the Europa League semis began with Ajax securing a huge 4-1 advantage against Olympique Lyonnais. The hosts opened the scoring through Bertrand Traoré before Kasper Dolberg doubled the lead before half-time.

The win looked to be secure within five minutes of the restart as Amin Younes made it 3-0 but the visitors struck what could be a crucial away goal through Mathieu Valbuena. The goal was to be merely a consolation on the night as Traoré scored his second and Ajax's fourth.

Manchester United secured a narrow 1-0 lead against Celta Vigo.The visitors secured the win with an away goal from Marcus Rashford on 68 minutes.

The final step on the 'Road to Cardiff' saw Juventus secure a place in the final with a 2-1 win that saw them advance past Monaco with a 4-1 aggregate.

First half strikes from Mario Mandzukic and Dani Alves put the Italians in control at 2-0 (4-0) before Kylian Mbappe secured some consolation for the visitors.

Juve will face Real Madrid in the final despite Los Blancos suffering a 2-1 defeat to Atletico as they advanced 4-2 on aggregate.

Atletico went 2-0 up on the night inside 17 minutes as Saul Niguez struck ahead of a penalty from Antoine Griezmann. They were unable to level the tie though as Real secured their spot in the final with a strike just before half-time from Isco.

After a five goal thriller in the first leg, Ajax secured a trip to Stockholm for the final with a 5-4 aggregate win despite losing 3-1 to Lyon on the night.

Kasper Dolberg continued his scoring streak with the opener on 27 minutes before a superb brace from Alexandre Lacazette as he struck from the penalty spot and open play in the final minutes of the first half for a 2-1 lead (3-5 agg).

Rachid Ghezzal made it 3-1 and 4-5 on agg with nine minutes to go and with the dismissal of Nick Viergever, the hosts had hope of levelling but to no avail as Ajax's away goal was enough to win the tie.

The Dutch side will face Manchester United in the final after the Red Devils advanced 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo. An opener from Marouane Fellaini made it 1-0 (2-0 agg) but a late rally from the visitors saw Facundo Roncaglia strike an away goal for Celta before being sent off after an altercation with United defender Eric Bailly who was also dismissed. United managed to hold on and secure a spot in the final.