London. Norwegian shot, goal celebration for a move, irresponsible red card, plural strength notice…
It can be uploaded, analyzed and celebrated in abundance after Saturday’s Premier League.
The question is whether what’s happening on the south coast deserves the most fireworks.
From three o’clock onwards, the gaze was essentially switching between the madness at Anfield, the madness at Manchester and the frenzy at Stamford Bridge. Next, the boiling London derby in the Emirates as central defender Gabriel avenged and returned to win for Arsenal.
Within half an hour, Liverpool had pushed four balls behind Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers, and they were left here to their own devices. The last time Merseyside FC achieved the same feat was at Arsenal in the spring of 2014.
It is no exaggeration to call the visiting team’s afternoon “long”.
Sympathy beer in the pub
Jürgen Klopp’s men felt a real hairdo was waiting for them around the corner. Liverpool is better than what the first weeks showed, with or without Thiago in midfield. On Saturday, Harvey Elliott, who was struggling to hold back tears at his 2-0 goal, paired well with the game’s brightest star.
Welcome back, Roberto Firmino! When Copper pulled the goal 4-0 in the 31st minute, there were already three assists in the account. Klopp has always been weak because of ‘Bobby’ and the question marks that have built up over the striker’s efforts have been temporarily erased. Luis Diaz, who opened and closed the scoring, continues to impress – but surreal enough, Mohamed Salah’s name has not appeared anywhere in the minutes.
A Bournemouth fan, who braved traffic on Friday and was then forced to watch misery at Anfield, broadcast his views over the radio after the final whistle. On the upside, he said, the newcomer should not take his points against the likes of Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool. Additionally, a number of home beer supporters offered sympathy at the pub afterwards.
More happy about the cliched 9-0? It’s probably Southampton who has endured the shame of falling with these numbers twice since 2019 (first against Leicester, then Man United). Perhaps it acted as a bandage on the wound after Saturday’s narrow 0-1 loss to United.
Irresponsible Handling by Gallagher
I sat by myself and sweated in Stamford Bridge, partly because of the heat but mainly because of the excitement on the grass. Due to injuries, Conor Gallagher has had the opportunity to show his ability in recent matches. The midfielder seemed excited at first against Leicester but suddenly lost focus and irresponsibly brought down Harvey Barnes.
The fact that Chelsea collected all the points, despite being behind by 60 minutes, was based on a number of factors. Reece James is a great example on the ball and consistently made the right decision, while Raheem Sterling avoided burning (every) his chances. In particular, Leicester is eerily toothless at the moment, including Jamie Vardy who should have booked for at least one goal.
City and Arsenal with the announcement of strength
By the way, what is the habit of Man City to end up with a score of 0-2? Patrick Vieira took to Twitter in the first half as Crystal Palace looked to follow up on Newcastle’s victory by snatching more points from the title favorites. But now there is Erling Haaland, who scored a hat-trick before the final whistle blew and scored the final 4-2.
There is a lot to be said about the current table, Arsenal. My personal concern was that Mikel Arteta would face the same old problems without finding sustainable solutions. It was wrong to be ashamed.
The London club, who beat Fulham 2-1, is a different team compared to last season. Partly stronger because of new signings like Gabriel Jesus and Alexander Zentenko (who didn’t play today) but also mentally more stable and sharper in established situations thanks to coach Nico Goffer.
The last time Arsenal won the opening four rounds dates back to 2004/05. Of course, it must be taken seriously.
Brighton is exceptional
One place that hasn’t gotten quite as much attention – but certainly should be – is Valmer, just outside Brighton. No one was surprised when Leeds manager Jesse Marsh gave his explanation for what happened at Amex Stadium:
Strategically, Brighton handled the match better than us.
Graham Potter is used to making diamonds from modest blocks of coal, but the performance at Brighton is exceptional. Opponents fear – yes, fear – exposure to the gang of Englishman who literally follow his clever instructions. The club has ten points, like Man City, and should have taken the pot (the chances in the negative encounter with Newcastle were endless).
Of all the standout results and power announcements on Saturday, it’s hard to take your eyes off the South Coast. It is highly demanded that Brighton be able to maintain this standard through April and May. It will be interesting to follow.
