New Delhi: Premier League action returned after the International break and we were immediately treated to a lot of goals as Tottenham emerged 4-1 winners over West Ham. We witnessed a lot of comebacks as Manchester United, Manchester City, Leicester City and Aston Villa, all came from behind to successfully claim the three points while Liverpool retained top spot following their win over Chelsea.
Both Nottingham Forest and Brighton and Hove Albion continued their impressive starts to the season with slender wins over their opponents. Controversy surrounded Manchester City and Liverpool following their wins as John Stone’s winner for Manchester City caused a stir before Liverpool got away with what should’ve been a penalty. This matchday gave us a lot to unpack so let’s dive in to find out the five things that we learned.
5) Most red cards shown in almost a decade
5 – There were 5 red cards shown to players in the Premier League today, the most on a single day in the competition since 29th August 2015 (also 5). Trigger. pic.twitter.com/jd1ecKKiTm
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 19, 2024
This Saturday saw a lot action which didn’t just came through goals. Starting with the Spurs and West Ham game, Hammers’ goal scorer Mo Kudus piled more misery on his side after he received his marching orders for putting his hands on a couple of Spurs players. That was followed up by a red card for each side when Fulham hosted Aston Villa at the Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Fulham’s Joachim Andersen was the first to be shown the red card before Jaden Philogene picked up a second yellow in added time. Southampton’s Ryan Fraser also picked up a red card on the same day, allowing Leicester to seal the win while William Saliba’s first half red card succumbed Arsenal to a shocking loss against Bournemouth. This marked the first time since 29th August 2015 that five red cards were shown on a single day, the most in almost a decade.
4) Writing on the wall for Russell Martin
“One person had one job to do to stop that goal and they didn’t” 👀
Russell Martin did not hold back in his criticism after Southampton conceded a 98th-minute corner in their 3-2 loss to Leicester ❌pic.twitter.com/DmKU2vGkff
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 20, 2024
Half an hour into their home fixture against fellow promoted side Leicester City, the Saints were cruising with a 2-0 lead. It looked as if Russell Martin’s side were finally getting their season on track with a victory over a team that were more at their level. However, a massive collapse in the second half, which saw a sending off for Ryan Fraser, succumbed them to a 3-2 defeat at home.
The pressure is extremely high on Martin after he’s failed to guide his side to a single win in the league. The Saints currently occupy the relegation zone as they sit in the 19th place, only by virtue of goal difference. In eight games, they’ve only managed to get a single point and after losing a two goal lead against Leicester, it seems like the writing really is on the wall for the former Norwich City defender.
3) Four teams create unwanted history
Four teams still remain winless in the Premier League! 😳
Which teams are you tipping for relegation? 🤔#ITFC #CPFC #SaintsFC #WWFC pic.twitter.com/i50i64cNXg
— DR Sports (@drsportsmedia) October 22, 2024
Four teams in the Premier League created history on this matchday but it wasn’t one that they would’ve wanted to be a part of. For the first time in English top-flight history, four teams are winless after the first eight games of the season. As mentioned in the previous point, Southampton are one of the teams that are still winless. Joining them on the list are Ipswich Town, Wolves and Crystal Palace.
Ipswich Town are the only of the winless teams that are outside the relegation zone, despite losing 2-0 to Everton over the weekend. Wolves put in a brilliant performance against the defending champions but lost out on a well-deserved point via an extremely late goal through John Stones. The most surprising name amongst all of them remains Crystal Palace, who lost by a slender margin to Nottingham Forest.
2) Rasmus Hojlund brings life to Manchester United
Rasmus Højlund’s game by numbers vs. Brentford (72 minutes):
70% pass accuracy
6 touches in the box
5 ground duels contested
3 ground duels won
3 attempted take-ons
2 successful take-ons
2 shots
1 goalTook his goal well and caused problems throughout. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hxELudr7Ii
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 19, 2024
Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag lives to fight another day at Old Trafford following a 2-1 win over Brentford on Saturday. The Red Devils were rescued by a brilliant performance from Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund on his return from injury and he ended up scoring his side’s winner. The return of Manchester United’s new number nine will be a welcome boost for the fans, considering the lack of form shown from Joshua Zirkzee.
Hojlund’s introduction into the United squad provided a different dynamic to the game than what has become familiar with the Red Devils. It was his second goal for the club in just three starts and his form over the course of the next few months will be key to United’s fortunes this season and will also directly determine how long Ten Hag stays at the club. United have struggled for goals under the Dutchman and that needs to change if they are to have a decent season.
1) Curtis Jones’ blissful week
During the week, Curtis Jones announced the birth of his daughter Giselle Delilah Jones and today he bags for Liverpool dedicating his goal to her. Wholesome 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/Vivjf9vmzh
— Rising Ballers (@RisingBallers_) October 20, 2024
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has become somewhat of a forgotten man at the club since breaking into the first team from the club’s academy. A lot of his limelight was shifted on to Harvey Elliott given his displays for the club but his performance for the Reds against Chelsea this past weekend has everyone signing his praises. The Englishman probably put in his best performance in a Liverpool shirt and it came at the perfect time.
Not only was it against a huge opponent like Chelsea in a headline clash of the weekend, it also came in a week of personal joy for the midfielder. The 23-year-old had just become a father earlier in the week when his partner gave birth to a baby girl. The Englishman won the penalty that set up Liverpool’s opener before going on to score the winner while marking Cole Palmer out of the entire game to help his side get the three points.
