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Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool Manager and Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara celebrate their teams’ victory in the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 20, 2020 in London, England.
Defending champions Liverpool kept his perfect start against Chelsea at the weekend game, like United manchester suffered a defeat on the opening day.
here Sport24 look at 5 Talking points from the weekend’s Premier League action:
Liverpool back on the winning track
Defending champions Liverpool were left without a 2-0 winners in a tense 10-man encounter against Chelsea on Sunday. Senegalese international Sadio Mane scored both goals and the second was the result of another high-profile mistake by goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. The match could have turned out very differently if Liverpool had not conceded a second goal after Chelsea midfielder Jorginho saw his penalty attempt stopped by Alisson. The reigning champions seem to pick up on where they left off and again look like the team to beat in the race for the Premier League title.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 20: Liverpool’s Sadio Mane celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 20, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan / Getty Images)
Chelsea a work in progress
At the other end, Chelsea clearly still looks like a work in progress after making a series of high-profile signings. Frank Lampard admitted after his team’s opening win over Brighton last week that they needed time to curdle and that rang true again against the defending champions on Sunday. Defenders Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell were sitting in the stands with wingers Hakim Ziyech and Christian Puilsic absent. German attacking duo Timo Werner and Kai Havertz have also had a limited amount of training together. Lampard’s vision and certainly exciting plan for the Blues is obvious to all and it will be fascinating to watch his team evolve.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.
Man United picked up the pace
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team looked like a poorly prepared team made up of people with little to no preseason training heading into the new season. Regular right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka had only four days of training due to having to self-quarantine. The highly talented Mason Greenwood was also forced to do the same after violating lockout regulations while in international service with England. Manchester United appear to be far below the sharpness of the match and Solskjaer will be desperate to add much-needed signings to his young side.
Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace and Victor Lindelof of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on September 19, 2020 in Manchester, UK.
Top four challenge can be even more competitive
This season could produce one of the four most exciting battles in recent Premier League history with a host of potential opponents. The historic Big Four has grown into a Big Six over the years with the addition of Leicester City and Tottenham. This now appears to have spread to seven teams, after Everton’s impressive start to the campaign as a result of making some big name signings like James Rodriguez.
Liverpool appear to be closer than ever to the complete package in their evolution as a team. Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham have strengthened considerably in their quest to close the gap with Liverpool. With Arsenal improving with Mikel Arteta. Man United and Leicester will also be looking for a place in the top four, and the quality gap between these seven mentioned teams appears to have narrowed.
Everton’s James Rodriguez celebrates after scoring the second goal during the Premier League match between Everton and West Bromwich Albion at Goodison Park on September 19, 2020 in Liverpool, UK.
Blockbuster Tokens
This week there have been two important signings: Gareth Bale returns to Tottenham and Thiago completes a move to Liverpool. Both are important additions to their respective teams. If Bale can come close to his previous form on display at Real Madrid, he will be a candidate for the individual Player of the Year award, while Thiago is arguably the biggest signing of the transfer window. The Champions League winner gives Liverpool another dimension in midfield as a highly skilled passer and could inspire the Reds to win successive league titles.
Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool Manager and Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara celebrate their teams’ victory in the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 20, 2020 in London, England.
