Worrying times at Chelsea
IF NEWCASTLE WERE to earn a win away to West Ham on Monday night, it would send Chelsea into the bottom three. League table positions may not be hugely-relevant just one month into the new season, but the reigning champions are already a whopping 11 points off leaders Manchester City.
According to Opta, no team with Chelsea’s current record after five matches (one win, one draw, three defeats) has gone on to finish higher than third in the Premier League. Goodison Park was the scene of their latest setback as a Steven Naismith hat-trick handed the Toffees a memorable victory.
Jose Mourinho admitted that it is the worst run of his career but insists there is “no better man” for the job. Whatever the case may be, there is no denying that all is not well at the club right now.
Dream debut for Martial
What better way to introduce yourself to English football than to score a fabulous debut goal against your biggest rivals?
The 19-year-old, who became the most expensive teenager in world football after joining Manchester United from Monaco for £36 million (€49m) on deadline day,was introduced to the Old Trafford faithful as a 65th-minute replacement for Juan Mata and found the back of the net with the very first shot of his Man United career.
He got a bit of luck in the build-up but that run and the cool finish were reminiscent of the type of goals another Frenchman, Thierry Henry, made a name for himself scoring.
United fans won’t mind that their team were distinctly flat in the first half given the end result, but Reds boss Brendan Rodgers must be worried about how poor his team has looked in the back-to-back defeats.
Leicester pull off late comeback
Leicester City continue to punch above their weight but their unbeaten start appeared to be under serious threat when Aston Villa went two goals up at the King Power Stadium this afternoon.
Jack Grealish’s first senior goal for Villa was well worth the wait, before Carles Gil added a second with a terrific strike of his own. However, team spirit is one thing this Leicester side have in abundance and, inspired by man-of-the-match Riyad Mahrez and the excellent Jamie Vardy, the Foxes were able to stage a dramatic comeback.
Recent loan signing Nathan Dyer had to be brave to get his head to the ball before being cleaned out by Brad Guzan but it was typical of the never-say-die attitude Claudio Ranieri’s men have shown.
Hoolahan in the form of his life
Rubbing shoulders with David Silva at the top of the Premier League assists right now is Ireland’s very own Wes Hoolahan.
The Dubliner has been nothing short of inspirational for Norwich City on their return to the top flight and he put in another top class performance in the 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
The assist (his fourth this season) for Cameron Jerome’s opener was superb and Hoolahan found the bottom corner with a strike from distance early in the second half, meaning he has been directly involved in five of the Canaries’ eight goals this term.
At 33 years young, Wes is arguably playing the best football of his career right now.
Man City have a new hero
League leaders Manchester City kept their 100% record intact on Saturday but it came at a cost as Sergio Aguero worryingly limped off with a knee injury after a challenge from Scott Dann.
The Argentine striker is a major doubt for this week’s Champions League curtain-raiser against Juventus, which is a big loss for manager Manuel Pellegrini.
On the plus side, however, 18-year-old Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho grabbed the opportunity by poking home the winner on the stroke of full-time. He has a fight on his hands to get into City’s star-studded team on a regular basis but the goal won’t do his chances any harm.
