You can’t take your eyes of the Premier League at the moment. The best league in the world continues to deliver week after week with high octane drama, spectacular football, and a torrent of controversy.
After Wolves pulled off the biggest of all Premier League 2023 results on Saturday by beating Manchester City, there were fireworks at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where Spurs edged out Liverpool, and Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is still raging. Meanwhile, Manchester United’s dismal start to the campaign continued with a loss at home to Crystal Palace.
Chelsea’s visit to Fulham on Monday night presented another chance for one of the Premier League giants to be felled, but the Blues survived thanks to two quick-fire goals early in the first half. And finally, there was a first Chelsea goal for Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Ukrainian striker has struggled at Stamford Bridge since his £89 million move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, and the relief was clear to see as he celebrated his 18th minute strike. Armando Broja added a second just a minute later to give the Blues a vital win which took them up to 11th place.
Skippered by the 23-year-old Conor Gallagher, in some ways, Chelsea have become one of the less experienced sides in the Premier League despite the £1 billion spending spree at the club.
They have opted for youth, and that requires patience, but with the likes of Brazilian ace Thiago Silva in the squad, the young players have someone to look up to. And when the going gets tough, that could prove crucial.
Liverpool VAR row rumbles on
It was a horrific experience for Liverpool fans who made the trip to North London as their side went down 2-1 had a goal wrongly disallowed and had two players sent off.
And to make matters worse, the club will be hit with a £25,000 fine after picking up more yellow and red cards than the league deems reasonable.
But I suspect Klopp doesn’t have much time for the league officials’ opinions after a Luis Diaz goal was wrongly ruled out against Spurs, leading to the PGMOL apologising. And I also suspect the apology only served to raise the temperature at Anfield.
On an unforgettable afternoon, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota were both sent off, and now Liverpool are considering appealing the red card handed out to Jones for a tackle on Yves Bissouma, a decision by Simon Hooper which split opinion among Premier League pundits at the time.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think the league would uphold an appeal in Liverpool’s favour and, in that case, the ban for Curtis would increase from three to four domestic games.
Erik ten Hag feeling the heat
There are a lot of unhappy fans in the Northwest at the moment. As well as Liverpool and Manchester City both hitting the skids at the weekend, Manchester United’s defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday gave head coach Erik ten Hag the uncomfortable accolade of becoming the first manager in the Red Devils’ history to lose four of the opening seven Premier League games.
In addition to those four losses, United were also well beaten by FC Bayern in the Champions League and, some might say they were fortunate to narrowly win their three league games against Wolves, Nottingham Forest, and Burnley.
Erik ten Hag conceded that his team deserved to be booed off after defeat to Roy Hodgson’s Eagles. Palace defender Joachim Anderson struck in the first half, and the hosts barely laid a glove on their visitors until a late onslaught which was too little and too late.
This is the Red Devils’ worst league start since 1989, and the Premier League 2023 betting odds have all but written off the Red Devils. Just seven games into the campaign, that is a bitter pill for the fans to swallow.
“I can’t blame the players, they gave everything. We were in control but we have to be sharper, more clinical and more determined if we want to score. I understand to boos. We have to do better,” said ten Hag.
“It’s a bad start. We have to catch up; it’s frustrating for everyone, especially the fans, he added.”
Too right it is. But there are so many problems at Old Trafford at the moment with injuries, off-field issues, and the never-ending saga of a potential sale hanging over the club.
So that’s all for now folks. It’s been a fascinating and controversial few days in the English top-flight. Rest assured, here at SBOTOP, we’ll keep following all the big stories and bringing you the action as it unfolds.
Hold on tight.
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