Gameweek 9 Review
The last match of gameweek 9 has been played, and there were a mixed bag of results. Without any further ado, let us analyse the games, and see what they meant to each team.
Chelsea Vs Newcastle United: 2–0
I watched this game live, and it was unfortunately a very one-sided affair. Chelsea simply asserted their dominance over the Magpies, and were simply too good for Steve Bruce’s men both defensively and offensively. Most of the Blues’ summer signings are starting to show why they were bought in the past few weeks, and the four who played that day were simply outstanding. Ben Chilwell was defensively solid, and yet remained an offensive threat till he was subbed off. Timo Werner may have missed quite a number of shots, but his movement without the ball was amazing, and his dribble to provide an assist to Tammy Abraham was pure class. Hakim Ziyech provided a stellar performance, whipping in dangerous crosses, but my man of the match has to go to the last signing, Edouard Mendy. Many have claimed he’s been overhyped by Chelsea fans, and that he is just an ordinary ‘keeper, but the saves i saw the Senegalese pull off were nothing short of extraordinary. If he continues to maintain these standards, he may be in contention for the Golden Glove!
Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion : 1–2
oh man. Villa fans have been taken on a roller coaster ride this season, with the Villans world class at times, and sloppy in other games. After a much needed win against Arsenal, they played lazily and were very laidback as the Seagulls cruised to a comfortable 2–1 win. Brighton have a pretty decent squad on paper, and they managed to bring together their solid defence and lethal attack to defeat a team which had been expected to win the tie comfortably. The only negative of the game for the Seagulls has to be the sending off of Tariq Lamptey, who has proven to be a shrewd signing for them after stellar displays in the Pl so far. The MOTM for this fixture is Danny Welbeck since he had a great game after grabbing his first Brighton goal, and playing quite well for the whole 90 minutes.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City: 2–0
PHENOMENAL STUFF. Pep Guardiola can complain all he wants about how defensive Tottenham were, but it was clear that the Spurs simply outplayed the Mancs in every single aspect. When Jose Mourinho became Spurs manager, many expected him to fail miserably, and play boring and dull football, both of which have been proven to be utterly false. I may not be a fan of Jose, but it’s 100% clear he is not past his best. Heung-Min Son was on the scoresheet again, and thus is my man of the match. However, i do feel that all the Tottenham players that day were almost as good, if not equally good or better. The future looks bright for Spurs, and now it is a question of whether they can remain this good through the whole season.
Manchester United vs West Bromwich Albion : 1–0
Honestly, i expected more. Manchester United may have won, but fans will be wondering why they hadn’t won by more. Slaven Bilic’s men were almost on par with the Mancunians, and despite the Red Devils decent showing, it certainly is worrying to see that they barely managed to beat a team in the relegation zone. However, my man of the match goes to Bruno Fernandes, who scored the winning penalty, and was generally productive throughout the match.
Fulham Vs Everton : 2–3
This game was certainly entertaining. Everton bagged a 3 goal lead in the first half, but Fulham were certainly not discouraged, and almost managed to make a comeback. Everton have blowed hot and cold this season, but were certainly quite decent this time. As for Fulham, despite their defensive struggles, they seem to have the attacking ability to beat their relegation rivals and remain in the PL. My man of the match is Dominic Calvert-Lewin who scored a brace against the Londoners, and clinched first spot in the goal-scoring charts after reaching double digits.
Sheffield United vs West Ham: 0–1
Again, like the Man United match, this game may not have been exciting to watch, but the 3 points were vital for West Ham. David Moyes’ men have been quite decent this season, and the fact that they didn’t manage to bottle their 1 goal lead shows us how far they’ve come since Moyes was appointed. As for Sheffield United, they seem to have caught second-season syndrome after they have got off to a dismal start to the season, losing all their games except 1. That’s right. They only have 1 point after 9 games. Sorry, Sheffield United fans, but it looks like the Blades will be playing Championship football next year. My MOTM has to be Sebastian Haller, who scored the winner, and is finally showing why West Ham spent so much on him.
Leeds United vs Arsenal: 0–0
Leeds United should be renamed Woodwork FC. No, Seriously, how does a team hit the crossbar or the posts so many times. They had 25 shots, and only FOUR were on target. Nevertheless, they were still the better team by far, and Marcelo Bielsa will probably be disappointed that they didn’t win. However, Arsenal fans will probably heaving a sigh of relief after narrowly escaping defeat. The main reason as to why Arsenal drew with Leeds is Bernd Leno’s goalkeeping heroics, and thus Leno is obviously my MOTM.
Liverpool vs Leicester City: 3–0
ah yes, another certain defeat avoided by Jurgen Klopp. How do they still win even with almost a whole TEAM of players injured? The Scousers played James Milner at right-back, and still won. Speaking of James Milner, even if he plays for my rivals, I have to admit he might be the most underrated player of his generation. The man is so versatile he’s played in all positions except GK and centre-back. As for Leicester, while they weren’t abysmal, they certainly weren’t at their best, and will hope to do better this week. My MOTM is obviously James Milner, who proved age is just a number as he clinched one goal and one assist to help Liverpool to win the game.
Burnley vs Crystal Palace : 1–0
Another shocker. Burnley, who rely on the likes of Jay Rodriguez and Chris Wood, actually beat Crystal Palace. Roy Hodgson will surely be flummoxed as to why his offensively talented team struggled to beat a out-of-form Burnley. The game also highlights the Eagles’ dependency on Wilifred Zaha, who has been tipped to move to a bigger club in the coming transfer windows. As for Burnley, it may have not been a stellar performance, but it surely was better than their previous few games. My MOTM is Chris Wood, who won the game with his sole goal.
Wolves vs Southampton: 1–1
Finally, a game in which both teams were equally good. Wolves’ attack was sensational, with all their attackers remaining a goal threat throughout the game. As for Southampton, they seem to be faring better without Danny Ings than everyone thought they would, as they held out till the end to keep the fixture even. Theo Walcott grabbed his first goal for the Saints since his loan return, but my MOTM has to be Alex McCarthy, for his goalkeeping masterclass, which helped the Saints to grab a point in this tough battle.
So that’s it. I hope this article was a fun and interesting summary of Gameweek 9, and I’ll see you soon!
