The passing away of England’s longest reigning Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, resulted in the postponement of Match Day 7 of the English Premier League ( EPL).( The matches would be played later in an already packed schedule this year). With the country in mourning, action resumed in the EPL over the weekend with Match Day 8. With no major surprises, the matches turned out to be as expected but not without some drama., laced at times with some spectacular Football and some brilliant individual performances.
An Exciting Duel at Nottingham
A concerned Nottingham Forest played host to a consistent Fulham side at the City Ground, Nottingham. The hosts have not played badly, but have not been able to convert some good starts in the previous matches, so an 11 th minute header had Nottingham ahead once more with the fans hoping their team would get past Fulham. Nottingham Forest held on to the lead till half time, however Fulham who have been very impressive scored 3 goals in the span of a 6 minute blitz of some stunning football to take a 3-1 lead. A rocket of a header by Adarabioyo to equalise, a long haul stunner from Palhinha and a decent strike by Reed literally closed out the match. Nottingham got a goal in the 77th minute but could not push forward and went down 2-3. A good looking Fulham are moving ahead strongly whereas a not so plucky Nottingham Forest have a serious challenge at hand.
The Bees Refuse to Sting the Gunners
Arsenal ( The Gunners ) travelled to Brentford after their first loss of the season to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Brentford ( The Bees ) have been excellent this season too and therefore for a team coming from a loss, the Bees were expected to be risky opponents and that too on their home ground. However what ensued was a very surprising toothless Brentford who hardly challenged Arsenal. The Gunners went ahead merrily and scored 3 Goals. The Bees who have been scoring freely hardly created any chances let alone score. Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Vieira scoring for Arsenal. F. Vieira’s goal in the 49th was a real treat, The Gunners left the Bees’ cauldron unscathed with a clinical 3-0 win. The Bees just didn’t turn up.
A Good Day at the Office
Wolverhampton welcomed Champions Manchester City over the weekend looking to create an upset at the Molineux Stadium, their home ground. The defensively strong Wolves have been difficult to score against, but with Manchester City and the kind of goal scoring prowess they have, it was not going to be easy for the Wolves and this is exactly what happened. Manchester City dominated the match with Grealish, Erling Haaland ( he is on a goal scoring spree and is the leading scorer in the EPL this season ) and Phil Foden scoring to complete a comprehensive 3-0 win and a Good day at the Office. Wolves have been found wanting when it comes to scoring. They have just scored 3 goals in 7 outings which is a big worry and has led them to the bottom half of the table.
The Day of the ‘ Son ‘
The Match Day 8 belonged to Tottenham Hotspur ( The Spurs ), the ever improving and dangerous Spurs are a real threat and anybody taking them casually can do it at their own peril. Leicester City ( The Foxes ) who have been without a win thus far in the competition travelled to Tottenham for a very important game. The Foxes, managed by Brendon Rogers, had to win to get some confidence going and they did start well with Telemans scoring for them in the 6th minute. However the response from Spurs was quick with a Harry Kane equaliser just 2 minutes later. Both the teams played some fine football and were 2-2 at the break with the Foxes still very much in the game.
The second half was a totally different story. Tottenham went ahead in the 47th minute and then what followed was a spectacular display of some high quality football from Son Hueng-min, the highest goal scorer for Tottenham last year. He had been without a goal in all the matches this season. Son scored three delightful goals ( two of them were breathtaking) to complete a memorable hat trick and announced his form. What a day for Son. The Foxes just had no answer and were literally swept away 6-2 by Spurs. They are the only team to have not won a game yet and have hit rock bottom after another demoralising defeat. They have already conceded 22 goals in 7 matches. The statistic is clear where the problem lies. Good Luck Foxes.
Rest of the Play
In the other matches played on Match Day 8, Everton got the better of a struggling West Ham and won by a solitary goal. Aston Villa too edged past a suddenly stumbling Southampton by a solitary goal and Newcastle drew their 5th match in 7 matches with a determined Bournemouth. Newcastle United look good to me. They are not getting beaten but are not winning either. They may be losing vital points to a series of draws. A bit of concern for them. The other 3 matches scheduled between Chelsea and Liverpool, Manchester United and Leeds, Brighton and Crystal Palace were postponed.
Goal of Match Day 8
Adarabioyo’s Killer Header for Fulham was one super strike, as the ball flew past Nottingham’s Goalkeeper into the net. The power was astonishing behind the strike. The left footer from F.Vieira from Arsenal was an exceptional hit from the edge of the box giving no chance to the keeper. However, it was Son Heung-min’s day and the Goal of the Week had to go to him. His first two goals were simply top notch, one a right footer and the other a left footer. Both goals were just too delightful, with control and precision written all over them. Particularly the left footer was a classic as the ball just curled in enough to beat the goalkeeper’s outstretched right hand to enter the net. Son is no ordinary player and is undoubtedly one of the best in the world and so he proved it. Son has finally arrived this season. I hope Mo Salah is listening.
Team of the Week
Tottenham Hotspur with their brilliant performance against the Foxes are the Team this week.
Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur make up the top 3 in the table, with just a point separating Arsenal from the other two. City and Spurs are yet to lose a game and Arsenal is looking in prime form. But we still cannot write off Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, just yet.
The EPL is unfolding into an interesting phase. Who knows it might just bring about a change in fortunes.