Here’s what happened this weekend in the Premier League, in case you missed it…
READ ALL ABOUT IT
• Saturday: Salah nets hat trick, Chelsea beats Man City and more
• Sunday: Wolves beat 10-man Newcastle with late Doherty goal
WATCH MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Bournemouth 0, Liverpool 4 || Arsenal 1, Huddersfield Town 0 || Burnley 1, Brighton & Hove Albion 0 || Cardiff City 1, Southampton 0 || Manchester United 4, Fulham 1 || West Ham United 3, Crystal Palace 2 || Chelsea 2, Manchester City 0 || Leicester City 0, Tottenham 2 || Newcastle United 1, Wolves 2 ||
WHAT STOOD OUT
Is it time for Manchester United to make a big change?
The Soccer Central panel discuss how Manchester United must be feeling the pressure to make a move up the table.
Sterling incident overshadows all else
The Soccer Central panel discuss Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling speaking out against racial abuse, and if soccer can actually make any real changes.
Newcastle stunned by Wolves thanks to late goal
The Soccer Central panel discuss what cost Newcastle United in their game against Wolves.
BEST GOAL
Liverpool’s Mohamad Salah completed his hat trick in style, sneaking in behind the Bournemotuh defence and then showing great patience in beating goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.
BEST MOMENT
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez motions to the referee to consult with VAR after a call goes against his team, forgetting the fact the Premier League doesn’t have VAR.
Next season, Rafa…
Watch 10-man @NUFC take on @Wolves live on Sky Sports PL now with the scores locked at 1-1!
Live updates: https://t.co/r9DEl0BtzS pic.twitter.com/yeJCWu8quj
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 9, 2018
BEST MATCH
Chelsea handed Manchester City their first defeat of the season as they picked up a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in a contest that actually lived up to its marquee billing.
BEST TWEET
WORTH REPEATING
“I just want to say, I am not normally the person to talk a lot but when I think I need my point heard I will speak up. Regarding what was said at the Chelsea game, as you can see by my reaction I just had to laugh because I don’t expect no better.” — Raheem Sterling
THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME
Tied 0-0 with Fulham on Saturday, Manchester United showed great patience and precision in their buildup play, allowing Ashley Young to open the scoring after 13 minutes. It was all downhill for the Cottagers at that point, as the Red Devils ran rampant at Old Trafford.
THE BIG QUESTION
Every week, Sportsnet’s soccer panel will debate The Big Question:
SIX PACK OF STATS
• James Milner is the 13th player to make 500 Premier League appearances, the second-youngest (32 years and 33 days) to do so behind Gareth Barry (32 years and 219 days).
• Juan Mata is only the third Spanish player to both score 50 or more goals and tally 50 or more assists in Premier League history after Cesc Fabregas and David Silva.
• Felipe Anderson has scored five goals in his last six league games, as many as in his previous 34 combined for both West Ham United and Lazio.
• Pep Guardiola has now lost three league games against Chelsea as a manager, more often than against any other opponent.
• Tottenham’s tally of 36 points from 16 games is their best ever start to a Premier League season.
• Wolves have won six of their 16 Premier League games this season, more than they won in their entire last top-flight campaign (five wins in 2011-12).
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS
3) Raheem Sterling, Manchester City: He didn’t score, but he did something more important. He spoke out. Hopefully, this leads to more discussions on how the issue of racism in soccer can be properly combated.
2) Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: The Egyptian bagged a hat trick as the Reds rolled to an easy road win over the Cherries.
1) Juan Mata, Ashley Young and Marcus Rashford: Each of them scored a goal and tallied an assist in Man United’s win over Fulham.
