Match day 5 in the EPL resumed after a long week of International break and it was significantly characterised by some top teams getting draws, a very exciting Merseyside derby ended in a draw, Chelsea played out a 3-3 draw against Southampton at home at the Stamford Bridge. Three (3) of the Sunday games ended in a 1-1 draw as Fulham got their 1st draw since their return to the EPL against Sheffield United, Crystal Palace were held to a 1-1 draw at home against Brighton Hove Albion and West Ham were impressive as they fought hard to get a 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspurs with all the goals coming in on the final 10 minutes of the match.
AN EXCITING MERSEYSIDE DERBY ENDED IN A 2-2 DRAW.
GOODISON PARK
The Merseyside derby is one of the most anticipated derby in English football and the very first one this season did not disappoint as it was keenly contested. Liverpool has dominated the Merseyside derby in recent seasons but Everton went into the match with their 100 percent record in the league, winning all four opening matches of the season with Dominic Calvert Lewin heading into the weekend as the leading goal scorer and a general feel good factor around the team as the Carlo Ancelotti’s side have been playing exciting football with no surprises as they were on top of the table heading into the International break.
Champions Liverpool were quickly off the mark in this one as Sadio Mane got his team going as early as the third minute. Andrew Robertson with a cross through after he capitalised on a defensive error by Seamus Coleman to set Mane up for the goal to set the mood for a very exciting afternoon at the Goodison park.
There was a moment of pause in the 11th minute as Virgil van Dijk was injured and finally stretchered off the pitch for what would later be confirmed to be an ACL injury and would be requiring a surgery which would see him out for a long period of time for rehabilitation. A very balanced game in terms of possession and chances created as the home team Everton would later get an equaliser from a set piece corner kick taken by James Rodriguez and was met and converted to Michael Keane header to put the game 1-1 in the 19th minute. It was Everton’s 1st goal in the Merseyside Derby at the Goodison in the last 5 seasons of Liverpool dominance of the derby.
It ended 1-1 in the 1st half. Both sides tried to carve each other’s defence open for the remainder of the half but it was not to be.
2nd half resumed with Liverpool having a slight edge over Everton in terms of possession but it was Richarlison who got close for Everton with a wasted effort as he saw his header hit the post in the 60th. Liverpool’s reply to the goal later arrived in the 72nd minute when Mo Salah pounced on a poor clearance by Everton defender, the Columbian Yeri Mina as he took a powerful strike to put his team in the lead, his 100th goal of his Liverpool career.
Dominic Calvert Lewin’s impressive goal scoring form so far so good continued as he grabbed his 7th goal of the season as he headed home a Lucas Digne cross to bring his team back on level terms in the 81st minute.
On the stroke of 90minutes, Carlo Ancelloti’s team were reduced to 10 men as ”Brazilian” Richarlison was sent off for a foul on Thiago. Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was however denied a chance to steal the 3 points for his team as his added time, 92nd minute effort was canceled by VAR after he was adjudged to have been fractionally offside.
The match ended 2 goals apiece, a very exciting Merseyside derby game especially for the neutrals.
CHELSEA WERE HELD TO A 3 – 3 DRAW AT HOME BY SOUTHAHMPTON.
STAMFORD BRIDGE
Frank Lampard’s men were held to a 3-3 draw in a high scoring 6 goals thriller at the Stamford bridge by Southampton on Saturday afternoon. Chelsea dominated the early exchanges and got a deserved lead through a Timo Werner goal in the 15th minute after he turned swiftly and took a run at the Chelsea goal and did well to bury the ball beyond Alex McCarthy in the goal for Southampton, his 1st Chelsea goal to put his team in the lead. Chelsea was having a brilliant afternoon at home as they got the second as the ”German” Timo Werner got his second goal in the 28th minute as he raced to meet a Jorginho through ball, the execution of the goal was superb, he lofted the ball over an on-rushing Alex McCarthy and he was calm enough to nod the ball into an empty net despite been under pressure from Southampton defenders.
Chelsea looked like they were going to get a 3rd for the remainder of the half as they dominated the possession and were dictating the play, but it was Danny Ings who against the run of play halved the deficit for Southampton two minutes before the 45minutes half time mark and it stayed 2-1 into the half.
Second 45, with the Blues still slightly dominating the majority of the possession and against the run of play again, Southampton were back on level terms as in the 57th minute when Che Adams capitalised on a moment of defensive mix up and a blunder from the ”now error prone” Chelsea keeper,, Kepa Arizabalaga to level matters to 2-2 .
Chelsea gave a quick reply 2 minutes later as a buildup which started from Christian Pulisic’s brilliant play found Timo Wener who combined well with ‘substitute’ Kai Harverts who tapped in for Chelsea’s 3rd goal of the match in the 59th minute.
It looked like Chelsea had sealed all 3 points until the added time in the 92nd minute when a Theo Walcott shot was blocked but a rebound was headed in by Jannik Vestergaar to seal a very important draw for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side as the match ended in a 3-3 draw.
WEST HAM FOUGHT BACK FROM 3-0 DOWN TO DRAW 3-3 WITH TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS.
Tottenham Hotspurs got to it quickly at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium as the ”soldier boy” Heung-Min Son got the 1st goal of the match under one minute to set up a very fiery start for Jose Mourinho’s side. 7 minutes afterwards, Harry Kane got in on the action to double the lead, an 8th minute shot from outside the box beat Lukasz Fabianski in goal for the Hammers to make it 2-0 as David Moyes’s side were still scarpering to get a grip of the match.
West Ham were trying to settle into the match when Harry Kane got his second of the game and a 3rd goal for Spurs when he headed home for a Sergio Regulon cross and at this point it seemed like it was going to be raining goals as they were already leading by 3 goals in the first 17 minutes of the match, but West Ham gradually crawled into the match as they were gradually stringing the right passed together and the game looked like a balanced one as against the initial moments of pressure which brought about the Spurs three 1st 16 minute goals.
Tottenham were by far the better team in the entire half as they bossed the majority of the possession and dictated play throughout the half keeping West Ham at bay with no answers to all that was being thrown at them.
Second 45 saw a more improved West Ham side as they began to slowly get back into it, with more possession and creating some decent half chances, but Spurs were still with the upper hand.
Gareth Bale was thrown into the fray to earn his Spurs debut since his loan return from Real Madrid with 18 minutes to go, Steven Bergwijn was subbed off to make way for the Welsh man.
West Ham would however get a goal back through Fabian Balbuena header from a well floated Aaron Creswell cross with 8 minutes from time to make it 3-1, moments afterwards in the 85th, Davinson Sanchez nodded a pass into his own goal beyond Hugo Lloris to make it 3-2. Gareth Bale had a chance to win it for Spurs in the 92nd minute but he agonisingly missed as he failed to hit the target and then Manuel Lanzini completed the comeback as he shot from outside the box into the top corner of Hugo Lloris’s goal to make it 3-3 and a point for the Hammers in a very thrilling end to this derby in London.
In other weekend Epl results, Manchester United defeated Newcastle 4-1 at the Old Trafford to bounce back from the embarrassing 6-1 defeat in the hands of Spurs on match day 4 before the International break. United got all the goals on the day starting from an own goal from Luke Shaw on the 2nd minute and Harry Maguire 23′, Bruno Fernandes 86’, Aaron Wan-Bissaka 90′, his 1st goal as a professional and Marcus Rashford completed the rout for united in the 96th minute.
Arsenal were visitors at the Etihad Stadium and they lost by a lone goal to Manchester City, a 1st half goal by Raheem Sterling was all that separated the two teams at the end of 90minutes, it was Arsenal’s second loss of the season.
Fulham earned their 1st Premier league point since their return to the top flight at the Bramall lane in a 1-1 draw away to Sheffield United.
Crystal Palace played out a 1-1 draw at home at Selhurst park against Brighton and Hove Albion, A stoppage time shot from outside the area from Ross Barkley for Aston Villa was all it took to grab all 3 points against Leicester City away at the King Power stadium.
On Monday night football in the EPL, it ended goalless as West Brom hosted Burnley at the Hawthorns, and a 70th minute goal from Raul Jimenez was all it took Wolverhampton Wanderers to snatch all 3 points away to Leeds United at Elland Road.
