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It was another goal-heavy weekend in the Premier League with Tottenham beating Manchester United 6-1 and Aston Villa beating champion Liverpool 7-2.
Chelsea managed a comfortable 4-0 win over Crystal Palace, while Everton maintained their 100% start with a 4-2 win over Brighton.
Leeds and Manchester City played an entertaining 1-1 draw and Newcastle beat Burnley 3-1.
West Ham won 3-0 at Leicester and Southampton beat West Brom 2-0.
The Wolves beat Fulham 1-0 at home and Arsenal beat Sheffield United 2-1.
Goalkeeper – Ederson (Manchester City)
Rodrigo’s salvation was out of this world. I will never know how Ederson put his hand on the ball to push the header towards the bar. The Brazilian international made a rare mistake and was punished for it, but it was nothing less than what Leeds deserved for their relentless pressure.
First-half saves by Stuart Dallas and Luke Ayling kept Leeds at bay, but when the draw came, albeit by mistake, no one could envy Leeds’ good luck. Another goalkeeper and on another occasion Leeds would have won this match.
Did you know Ederson made six saves against Leeds, his most in a Premier League game since September 2019 against Everton.
Defenders: Yerry Mina (Everton), Angelo Ogbonna (West Ham), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)
Yerry Mina: I have never been totally convinced of the defensive qualities of Yerry Mina. He is certainly big, very strong and imposing, but he also lacks moments of concentration, is a lousy observer of the ball and prone to poor distribution.
However, that was not the Yerry Mina I saw against Brighton. The Colombian international was risking his body for the team late in the second half when the game was won. He caused chaos in the opposition penalty area and appears to be at the heart of this extraordinary renaissance that is taking place at Goodison Park.
The look of disgust he gave Jordan Pickford when the England keeper dropped a catch he could have caught emphasized how important keeping a clean sheet was for the Everton defender.
Did you know Mina made more punts (four) and blocks (three) than any Everton player in his win over Brighton.
Angelo Ogbonna: Last week at the Etihad Stadium, Leicester and Jamie Vardy in particular, they destroyed Manchester City.
Seven days later, the Foxes found themselves at the end of a hammering and West Ham center-back Angelo Ogbonna didn’t kick Jamie Vardy. This was an impressive away performance from the east side of London and an excellent clean sheet.
Manager David Moyes was not present to see his team’s latest victory after contracting coronavirus. If West Ham keeps playing like this, Moyes can take his time coming back.
Did you know Ogbonna won possession 11 times against Leicester, the most of any player in the match.
Ben Chilwell: How well did Ben Chilwell dispatch that? Head down, toe down and hit! Chelsea’s new signing wasn’t kidding when he slammed the ball into the back of the Crystal Palace net.
Chilwell has a lovely left foot and he used it to cut Palace into pieces. However, what impressed me about Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is that he doesn’t hesitate. If there is a decision to be made, make it.
He had a problem with the doorman and he fixed it quickly. He also inherited a left-back problem, but seems to have solved it as well.
Did you know Chilwell scored and assisted in a Premier League game for the second time in his career, the other was for Leicester v Southampton in September 2019.
Midfielders: Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Jorginho (Chelsea), Ross Barkley (Aston Villa), James Rodríguez (Everton)
They are Heung-min: Four goals for Son Heung-min at Southampton and another two against Manchester United in a match too extraordinary to believe.
It’s true that Spurs and Son in particular took full advantage of the 10-man United at Old Trafford after Anthony Martial received their marching orders. The South Korean international is in glorious shape right now and his bonding game with Harry Kane is almost telepathic.
As for the expulsion that the match gave Tottenham? Well, I have more to say on that in the thieves of the matter below.
Did you know Son Heung-min has been involved in seven goals in two Premier League games away from home this season (six goals, one assist).
Jorginho: His penalty shooting style is unique but very effective.
Having the ability to look away from the ball and observe the goalkeeper requires skill and a lot of courage. Why Tammy Abraham wanted to take away the Italian’s second penalty awarded when he had successfully dispatched the first was a mystery to me.
Abraham is a center forward whose job is to score goals and lead the line. Jorginho is a midfielder who wins the ball, feeds the team with quality service and shoots penalties. Abraham would do well not to confuse the two roles.
Did you know Jorginho has scored 10 of the 11 penalties he has taken for Chelsea.
Ross Barkley: For a debut there is nothing better than this. I’ve seen Ross Barkley debut with three different teams and each time he never fails to impress.
This time it was for Aston Villa and the rival was Liverpool. He only signed for Villa on Wednesday and with just three days of training he faces the English champions and runs the show. By the way, the former Everton player has done his former club a huge favor.
Liverpool’s defeat ensures Everton remain three points clear at the top of the Premier League table ahead of the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. And that is a big problem.
Did you know Barkley scored on his Aston Villa debut and had more shots than any other player in his game against Liverpool (six).
James Rodriguez: Don’t get your hopes up, James Rodriguez’s second goal at Everton wasn’t an easy ending.
In fact, the ball he received from Abdoulaye Doucoure suddenly sat up and he really was a brute. I’ve seen opportunities like this missed before.
The Colombian international kept his gaze fixed on the ball, knowing nothing less than perfect contact and the opportunity was gone. Rodríguez gave the greatest respect to the moment and put the ball where it belonged: in the back of the net.
Players like Rodríguez don’t miss opportunities like that. That is why Everton is leading the league. However, I doubt they will stay there if they don’t do something with Jordan Pickford.
Did you know Rodriguez has been involved in five goals in two Premier League appearances at Goodison Park (three goals, two assists).
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Harry Kane: What a week it’s been for the Spurs and Harry Kane. Kane had the desperate misfortune of not making my team of the week after his exploits against Southampton when he put up four goals on a layup for Son.
In fact, one of my former colleagues told me in no uncertain terms what he thought of his omission. Well, midweek the England captain landed a hat-trick against Maccabi Haifa and I just can’t keep ignoring the only player in Tottenham’s ranks leading the team right now.
Son may be scoring the goals, but Kane’s selfless demeanor is quite extraordinary for a world-class forward.
Did you know Kane has scored eight goals and has assisted six more in his last seven Premier League games.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin: You can’t stop scoring, can you? His ninth goal of the season made him the first Everton player to score in four consecutive Premier League games.
A strange statistic when you consider that the Premier League is only 27 years old. I have whiskey older than that! Still, it’s a great achievement for a guy who went 10 games without scoring last season.
There’s no question about it, Calvert-Lewin is in the shape of his life right now, and while his aim was reminiscent of former Everton greats like Bob Latchford and Graeme Sharp, he’s still not in that class. And none of them played in the Premier League either.
Did you know Calvert-Lewin has scored seven goals in three appearances at Goodison Park this season.
Ollie Watkins: I could not believe what I was seeing. A hat-trick in the first half of a former championship player against the Premier League champions? I thought I was seeing things.
When you consider that there were those who questioned whether Watkins could score at this level, this was no ordinary hat-trick.
The former Brentford striker took his goals brilliantly, especially the second and really should have scored four. Regardless, there is one more important point that needs to be made and that is that Watkins looks very comfortable in this league. I know it’s early, but it looks like a gamer.
Did you know Watkins became the 10th different player to score a Premier hat-trick against Liverpool and the first since Dimitar Berbatov in September 2010.
Thieves of matter
If you are sending a player off, then it should be for an infraction worthy of punishment. In other words, the player deserved to go. Of course, there are justifiable cases. When a defender deliberately backs up a player or impedes the last man and stops a scoring opportunity.
The most obvious infraction is when one player is violent towards another or there is dangerous or reckless play. All of the above are misdemeanors that determine the outcome of a game. What I can’t bear is when a referee sends a player to give a shove or a shove or worse yet, a spontaneous reaction when a mistake has already been made.
Martial’s expulsion against the Spurs, for raising his hands in response to Erik Lamela throwing his arm in his direction, was, in my opinion, unfair. I could have lived with both of them receiving yellow cards, but if you had to send a player off, they should both be gone.
However, what makes a complete mockery of the game is when one player deliberately takes out another and receives a yellow card but remains on the field.
The way referee Anthony Taylor left Luke Shaw on the field, having taken Lucas Moura out of the game, and had absolutely no interest in playing the ball, was utter hypocrisy.
Referees are there not only to officiate but to protect the integrity of the game. They can only do that if they assess incidents objectively but also with a degree of empathy.
