EPL

The Midas touch of Nuno Espirito Santos in the early stages of the Premier League seems to be history too early as Tottenham Hotspur were thrashed in the North London Derby by Arsenal, who were among the strugglers and Mikel Arteta has been under immense pressure since the new season kicked off. Well, the smile is back at the Emirates as London is Red today.

When the smaller teams attempt to punch above their weight, without a doubt, the contest becomes simmering and Liverpool experienced a tough going against Brentford in their away match yesterday. Jurgen Klopp was seen shaking his head after the final whistle but he would agree that it was a Brentford side that never stopped believing.

Old Trafford was buzzing because weekend football is back and the kind of form the Red Devils have been at the moment, yet another party was expected. Sadly, the match ended up with deafening silence at the Theatre of Dreams.

Pep – the master tactician – has studied Tuchel’s Chelsea this season in detail and the plan for Manchester City was to remain calm and composed, apply the pressing game create a zone in the half-space for his players to exploit and stay as narrow as possible at the back. It might have taken the style out of City, but in return, it brought full points and ended the brilliant run of Chelsea – especially at Stamford Bridge.

It was a day when Tottenham Hotspur lost one of their greatest heroes – Jimmy Greaves, whose influence in North London and English had been immense. It was a day to mourn and transform the sadness into strength in the memory of the great Greaves. But it turned out to be yet another sweetest day for the Blue machine of Thomas Tuchel – Chelsea.

The Hammers took the lead. Cristiano Ronaldo equalized. The villain at Switzerland, Jesse Lingard made it 2-1. At the fag end of the match, the Hammers were awarded a penalty. David de Gea saved it and ensured full points.

Just a few days back, it was a thrilling night at the Etihad Stadium where the Premier League Champions relished a nine-goal thriller in the Champions League and came out as the winner and today they hosted Southampton who ended up sharing points in a match where City had been disappointing.

The conqueror of Tottenham Hotspur last week travelled to Anfield with the intent to repeat the same feat, but in this season, Liverpool are a different unit altogether –they are hungry for success and have no plans to lose points at home and away – especially against the smaller teams.  

After winning their last four league games last season, Leeds United remain winless in the Premier League so far this season. The Whites have drawn their last two games though and are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League games at Elland Road, their longest run without defeat at home in the top-flight since 2001. But Liverpool had other ideas. They bagged a comprehensive victory.

Yesterday, it was all about Cristiano Ronaldo whose return to Old Trafford was glorified with a commendable victory over Newcastle United – Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and set the world on fire, but at Stamford Bridge, there was another superstar who was making a comeback to the venue where he failed to live up to the expectations ten years ago. Yesterday, he fulfilled the expectations.

The Matchday at Manchester was all about the return of the inevitable – Cristiano Ronaldo. The fans started to gather in plenty to welcome their boy who left for Real Madrid twelve years ago. When he left, he was already a superstar and in the last twelve years, Cristiano Ronaldo has transformed into a giant of the game – the best player in the world for sure. The debate between Messi and Ronaldo would not finish – but one thing for sure, when the occasion is big, there could hardly be anyone who could hold a candle to the greatness of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Nuno experienced the harsh reality after the international break as Crystal Palace sunk Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park. The visitors digested three goals and were down to ten men as Crystal Palace of Patrick Vieira completely decimated the Spurs in style.

It was one of the most anticipated matches of the week and the hype was palpable as the sun rose in the eastern part of the sky. In between, England gunned down India, Manchester City stripped Arsenal and Michail Antonio is still rocking and Jamie Vardy scored again – still, the sooner the time for the match came nearer, such eventful happenings took a back seat because a mouthwatering contest was on offer for people across the globe.  

For Arsenal, it seems that there is no end to the nightmare but every week, the Gunners are experiencing a new low and no one knows when the sun will rise in the east for them. One of the finest clubs in Europe have been reduced to lower-ranked units that could be beaten anytime and for the big clubs, they are just a tool for having fun.

Cristiano Ronaldo would leave Turin and it was a surety and it was clear that his destination would be Manchester, not his home Manchester United, but rivals Manchester City, which did not satisfy the Manchester United fans at all, who started to criticize the greatest footballer in the world right now in a harsh fashion. Well, they forgot, this summer transfer window has been wild, has been total chaos and full of dramatic twists and turns.

It was Emirates and in front of a packed crowd, Arsenal should have been inspired, but in turn, it was the visitors, who enjoyed the evening under the shower and struck twice to maintain their winning run. Meanwhile, the Gunners lost yet another Premier League game without scoring a goal for the first time.

It was not the start the defending champions – Manchester City would have wished for last week, but after the hiccup in North London, City were back in full swing at Etihad as they struck five times against Norwich City and it was the signing of the season – Jack Grealish, who opened the scoring and let the floodgates open.

Burnley shocked Liverpool in the past in front of an empty Anfield, but today, they were welcomed by vociferous fans, who brought back the magic and the Reds responded immediately. It was a hard-fought but well-earned victory in front of the passionate fans as Liverpool maintained their good start to the season.

Manchester City City began with great pace and urgency, slicing Tottenham Hotspur open so frequently the game might have been over by 10 minutes. But after that, the mechanism started to fail and the system got jammed. The machine was not running the way Pep Guardiola expected. The opening match did not start the way Pep wished for as the Spurs left the stadium smiling.

Any new season always brings new hope for those who struggled in the previous one, but for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal there seems no hope, no intention to improve – against Brentford, it was the same old Arsenal who digested a humiliating defeat. Since 1947, Brentford had not hosted a top division football match and when they hosted, they created history.