The recently-concluded Premier League gameweek 05 saw goals, thrills, spills and a season-defining injury. The league table is still taking shape but it is likely to be one of the most unpredictable of seasons with all the big teams looking flawed and the likes of Aston Villa and Everton making a strong start to the campaigns.
Everton 2- 2 Liverpool
Everton’s wait for a win in the Merseyside derby stretched beyond ten years on Saturday but they should count themselves lucky that they managed to get a point at home.
Jordan Pickford should have been sent off for his challenge on Virgil van Dijk, who suffered a probable season-ending knee injury, and Jordan Henderson’s injury-time winner for Liverpool was chalked off for possibly the slimmest of off-side calls.
Chelsea 3-3 Southampton)
Timo Werner showed at Stamford Bridge why Chelsea paid the big bucks to sign him in the summer. The German was instrumental in all the three goals but Chelsea’s familiar defensive frailties and Kepa Arrizabalaga’s spiralling form in goal meant that the Blues only got a point from a Premier League game that they should have won.
Southampton did deserve the point on the back of their superlative second half performance.
Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Raheem Sterling’s goal midway through the first half gave Manchester City a justifiable lead but Pep Guardiola’s side had to scrap hard to get the three points over the line.
Ederson made some fine saves at the other end to keep the Gunners at bay and while Manchester City dominated the game, the result was far from being a comfortable outing at the Emirates.
Newcastle United 1-4 Manchester United
An early Luke Shaw own-goal rattled an already low on confidence Manchester United side at St. James’ Park. But the Red Devils dominated the game and scored three goals in the last ten minutes to seal off a comfortable victory.
Newcastle were dreadful but Manchester United needed the win following their 6-1 defeat at Tottenham at home before the international break.
Sheffield United 1-1 Fulham
Ademola Lookman’s goal seemed to have been taking the Cottagers to their first win in the league this season but Billy Sharp scored a penalty in the 85th minute to earn a point for Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
The Blades are struggling to recapture their form last season in the Premier League and Fulham are continuing to struggle at the top tier after earning promotion via the playoffs.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton
Wilfried Zaha gave Palace the lead in the 19th minute through a penalty and the Eagles looked to be on their way to three points against the Seagulls. But Brighton managed to salvage a point from their trip to Selhurst Park with a late equaliser from Alexis Mac Allister in the 90th minute.
Tottenham Hotspur 3-3 West Ham)
The Tottenham players might still be befuddled at the way they threw away a win at home on Sunday. They were three goals up within the first 16 minutes and Harry Kane even struck the post in the second half with Gareth Bale also missing a chance.
Fabian Balbuena’s 82nd-minute strike seemed like a consolation but Davinson Sanchez’s own goal set the cat amongst the pigeons and a stunning Manuel Lanzini strike in the 94th minute earned an improbable point for the Hammers.
Leicester City 0-1 Aston Villa
Aston Villa’s astounding start to the season continued at the King Power Stadium on Sunday. Ross Barkley found himself in space outside the penalty box and unleashed a fierce right-footed shot in the 90th minute to nestle the ball past Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Villa are now top second in the Premier League table after winning their opening four games of the season.
West Brom 0-0 Burnley
West Brom and Burnley played out the first 0-0 draw of the Premier League season in an uneventful clash at the Hawthorns. Both sides are struggling at the start of the season and might feel satisfied from the point they earned from the game.
Leeds United 0-1 Wolves
Marcelo Bielsa’s side were brought back down to earth on Monday night when Wolves managed to win all three points at Elland Road. Leeds did dominate the game but were punished for missing their chances.
Raul Jimenez’s strike was unlikely to test Illan Meslier in the Leeds goal but a wicked deflection meant the ball nestled into the net.
Premier League gameweek 05 results:
Everton 2-2 Liverpool (Michael Keane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin; Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah)
Chelsea 3-3 Southampton (Timo Werner [2], Kai Havertz; Danny Ings, Che Adams, Jannik Vestergaard)
Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal (Raheem Sterling)
Newcastle United 1-4 Manchester United (Luke Shaw [OG]; Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Marcus Rashford)
Sheffield United 1-1 Fulham (Billy Sharp; Ademola Lookman)
Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton and Hove Albion (Wilfried Zaha; Alexis Mac Allister)
Tottenham Hotspur 3-3 West Ham United (Son Heung-Min, Harry Kane (2); Fabian Balbuena, Davinson Sanchez [OG], Manuel Lanzini)
Leicester 0-1 Aston Villa (Ross Barkley)
West Bromwich 0-0 Burnley
Leeds United 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Raul Jimenez)
Also Read: Premier League 2020-21: An underwhelming start for the “big six”
