Here’s what happened this weekend in the Premier League, in case you missed it…
READ ALL ABOUT IT
• Friday: Brighton brings West Ham back down to earth
• Saturday: 10-man Spurs win, Man United’s comeback & more
• Sunday: Chelsea wins again, Anfield stalemate & more
WATCH MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Brighton & Hove Albion 1, West Ham United 0 || Burnley 1, Huddersfield Town 1 || Crystal Palace 0, Wolves 1 || Leicester City 1, Everton 2 || Tottenham 1, Cardiff City 0 || Watford 0, Bournemouth 4 || Manchester United 3, Newcastle United 2 || Fulham 1, Arsenal 5 || Southampton 0, Chelsea 3 || Liverpool 0, Manchester City 0
WHAT STOOD OUT
Anti-climatic scenes at Anfield
The Soccer Central panel discuss the drab 0-0 draw between Liverpool and Manchester City
Man United’s comeback
Would Jose Mourinho really have received the sack had Manchester United lost this weekend. We’ll never know, thanks to an incredible turnaround that saw the Red Devils go down 2-0 to Newcastle United inside 10 minutes, and then score three times in the last 20 minutes to squeak out a victory.
After worryingly pacing up and down the sidelines, the Portuguese manager dropped to his knees in relief after Alexis Sanchez’s winner deep into injury time ended a four-game winless skid in all competitions.
As incredible as the comeback was, it shouldn’t disguise the fact that this is still a Man United side with serious defensive issues, where Mourinho can’t seem to get the best out of Paul Pogba, and where several players have openly questioned the manager. A better team than lowly Newcastle would have killed off United when they had the chance. Instead, the Magpies let their hosts back into the game and paid the ultimate price.
In doing so, Mourinho has bought himself a little more time, but this result doesn’t change anything. Management has to know that United is still a team in transition, and must be fearful of the player revolt that is brewing behind the scenes.
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BEST GOAL
Watch as some great passing by Arsenal is finished off when Aaron Ramsey uses his heel to score on Fulham.
BEST MOMENT
A quick turn from Everton’s Gylfi Sigurosson before he fired a long-range shot into the upper corner of the net against Leicester City.
HE SAID IT
“As a friend of mine was saying to me this morning, if tomorrow it rains in London it is my fault. If there [are] some difficulties with the agreements of Brexit, it is my fault. I think a lot of wickedness, and clear man-hunting, in football is too much. It is my life. It is a life I love, and since I was a kid I work for this.” – Jose Mourinho
THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME
Good looks on net, means quality scoring chances, which leads to goals.
THE BIG QUESTION
Every week, Sportsnet’s soccer panel will debate The Big Question:
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SIX PACK OF STATS
• Wolves are the first team in Premier League history to name an unchanged starting 11 in each of its first eight games of the season.
• Tottenham is unbeaten in its last 38 home league games against promoted sides (with 35 wins) ever since a 1-0 loss to QPR in April 2012.
• Only four Norwegians have scored more Premier League goals than Joshua King (34 for Bournemouth): Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Steffen Iversen, John Carew and Tore Andre Flo.
• Saturday marked Jose Mourinho’s 400th league win in his managerial career.
• Fulham is the only side in the Premier League that hasn’t kept a clean sheet this season.
• With Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City all yet to suffer a loss, this is just the second time in Premier League history that as many as three teams have gone unbeaten in their opening eight games of the season (it also happened in 2011-12).
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS
1) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal: The Gabon international scored two goals and collected an assist as the Gunners ran rampant at Craven Cottage.
2) Joshua King, Bournemouth: Netted twice in a man of the match performance for the Cherries away to Watford.
3) Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal: Bagged a brace in Arsenal’s big win away to Fulham.
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