Here’s what happened this weekend in the Premier League, in case you missed it…
READ ALL ABOUT IT
• Saturday: Emotional win for Leicester, Arsenal draws Liverpool & more
• RIP Srivaddhanaprabha: Leicester players pay respects at owner’s funeral
• Sunday: Man City goes top of the table & more
WATCH MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Bournemouth 1, Manchester United 2 || Cardiff City 0, Leicester City 1 || Everton 3, Brighton & Hove Albion 1 || Newcastle United 1, Watford 0 || West Ham United 4, Burnley 2 || Arsenal 1, Liverpool 1 || Wolves 2, Tottenham 3 || Manchester City 6, Southampton 1 || Chelsea 3, Crystal Palace 1
WHAT STOOD OUT
An emotional win for Leicester
James Sharman and Craig Forrest break down Leicester City’s emotional victory over Cardiff City on Saturday.
Morata keeps finding the mark for Chelsea
Alvaro Morata’s resurgence of sorts continued this week as the Spaniard bagged a brace (and really, he should have had a hat trick) in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
Morata came in for heavy criticism after scoring just one goal in his first six Premier League appearances of the season. But Maurizio Sarri kept the faith with Morata, and the Spanish striker has repaid his manager’s faith by netting four goals in his last four outings. He now has five goals in his last six appearances in all competitions.
Sunday’s brace marked the first time that Morata scored twice in one game for Chelsea since his record £57 million transfer from Real Madrid last summer. He’s a long way away from equally the status of club legend Didier Drogba, and he’ll likely never be adored by the Chelsea faithful in the same way. But his recent dry spell notwithstanding, the Spaniard possesses an instinctive touch and a predatory instinct inside the final third of the pitch. His current run of form reminded his critics of that.
Manchester City in a class of its own
Craig Forrest, Danny Dichio and James Sharman break down the Blues’ big home win over Southampton.
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BEST GOAL
Alexandre Lacazette’s brilliant late strike allowed Arsenal to earn a point at home against Liverpool.
BEST MATCH
Tottenham took a 2-0 lead into the halftime break, and when it added a third after 62 minutes it looked like a rout. But Wolves bravely fought back, scoring two goals from the penalty spot and pushing the visitors right up until the final whistle as it just fell short.
BEST MOMENT
Watch as a moment of silence for Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is held prior to kickoff of Cardiff City vs. Leicester City:
HE SAID IT
“I said to my players [at halftime] it was impossible to play worse than we did and the second half was going to be better for sure. – Jose Mourinho
THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME
A lot of what Granit Xhaka does on the pitch for Arsenal often goes unnoticed because it’s unglamorous muck work. But the Swiss operator fills an important role for the Gunners in trying to shut down the opposition – which he did with aplomb on Saturday against Liverpool.
CRISIS CLUB OF THE WEEK
Craig Forrest, Danny Dichio and James Sharman all agree that there’s not much to like about Cardiff City.
THE BIG QUESTION
Every week, Sportsnet’s soccer panel will debate The Big Question:
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SIX PACK OF STATS
• Jose Mourinho is unbeaten in all 21 of his Premier League games against English managers with Manchester United (17 wins, four draws).
• Leicester City is the only team to have scored in every Premier League game so far this season.
• Saturday marked the first time in Premier League history that two Brazilian players scored at least twice on the same day in (Felipe Anderson and Richarlison).
• Arsenal has won more points (eight) from losing positions than any other side in the Premier League this season.
• Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero is the third player to score 150 Premier League goals for one club, after Thierry Henry for Arsenal (175) and Wayne Rooney for Manchester United (183).
• Chelsea’s Maurizio Sarri is unbeaten in his first 11 games (with eight wins), tying the record for the longest unbeaten start by a Premier League manager set by Frank Clark (in 1994 with Nottingham Forest).
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS
1) Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero, Manchester United: The dynamic duo combined for seven goals and assists against lowly Southampton.
2) Felipe Anderson, West Ham United: Bagged a brace in a man of the match performance versus Burnley.
3) Alvaro Morata, Chelsea: The sublime Spaniard scored twice against Crystal Palace, and should have had a hat trick.
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