It’s that time of the week again. Who had a great weekend and who had one to forget? Here is our winners and losers column from the Premier League.
Winners
Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard has started the season brilliantly for Chelsea and he is not about to stop if what we saw during the weekend is anything to go by. Another man-of-the-match performance against Cardiff took his tally to five goals and two assists in five Premier League appearances so far. He scored Chelsea’s first three goals and you just can’t talk about him without mentioning Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman is increasingly becoming influential to his game, as he assisted the first two goals for the Belgian. They have developed a telepathic relationship that many defenders have a hard time picking up on them because of the one touches they like. This was Hazard’s second hat-trick in a blue shirt and just like Maurizio Sarri put it himself, he could be on his way to be the best player in the very near future.
Liverpool
Liverpool managed a 2-1 win away to Tottenham in their bid to make their title intentions known from the very outset. The two sides are in contention for the Premier League trophy but it is Liverpool who have demonstrated the zeal to go all out and they have given the two Manchester clubs a run for their money. Jurgen Klopp will be very happy with the three points but he knows they could have scored four or five had they utilized all their chances. This was definitely a big psychological boost as the win was against one of their direct rivals for the crown.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth are now fifth in the Premier League table following their emphatic 4-2 win against Leicester. Ryan Fraser was the hero of the day, after netting twice for the Cherries whilst making an assist to Adam Smith for the fourth goal. Eddie Howe must be a very delighted man to see his side ahead of Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United, all members of the elite top six in the division. It is worth noting that he has managed to maintain this team in the top flight since 2015 and he will be working hard to ensure that it remains that way or even better come May.
Losers
Tottenham
Tottenham suffered their second consecutive defeat in the Premier League after going down to Liverpool in front of their own fans. This is not good for their confidence especially ahead of the busy calendar coming up in the next few days. They were poor defensively and they were exposed a number of times by the Liverpool forwards. Mauricio Pochettino is aware of this and from his post-match interview, he acknowledged the need to address things soon enough before it is too late.
Burnley
Burnley’s season is a sharp contrast to what they were last season as they have lost all their last four outings in the Premier League. They were beaten by Wolves at Molineux as they confirmed their worst start to a top-flight season in 90 years. So far they have accumulated one point and they sit bottom of the table. Sean Dyche is particularly concerned with their lack of goals upfront and he will need to go back to the drawing board before it is too late for them if they are to avoid relegation.
Everton
Everton have equally not been good enough this season, especially after the investments they made in the summer. They have only managed one win from their last five Premier League outings, which is not good for a side that should be vying for a position in the first half of the table. Thir 3-1 loss to West Ham speaks volumes when you consider that the latter been equally poor since the start of the season. If Marco Silva is not careful, then their confidence will take a beating which will complicate issues for them in the coming weeks.
hem in the coming weeks.