10 rounds of Premier League action are done and dusted as the fight for the league title gets more intense. Matchday 10 saw several upsets take place, highlighting once again why the English top flight is simply the most unpredictable league in Europe. Without further ado, let’s take a quick recap of all the drama that unfolded this week.
Key Match Summaries
The biggest match of this week’s fixtures was the meeting between London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Joao Pedro scored the only goal of the game as a chaotic match ended 1-0 in the favour of the Blues. It was a defensive lapse from Spurs defenders which allowed Chelsea to win the ball high up the field, as Pedro was in the right place at the right time to finish with aplomb. League leaders Arsenal continued their winning run as they beat Burnley 2-0. Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice both scored in the first half to help Mikel Arteta’s side stay ahead of everyone else in the title race.
Elsewhere, Manchester City moved to second place after their 3-1 win over high-flying Bournemouth. It was a game with end-to-end drama as Erling Haaland opened the scoring after just 17 minutes. Tyler Adams equalised for the Cherries 8 minutes later before Haaland scored again to restore City’s lead. Nico O’Reilly scored another at the hour mark to give his team a two-goal cushion. Haaland has reached 13 goals already, and he is a staggering 7 goals ahead of Antoine Semenyo in the Golden Boot race.
Manchester United’s three-game winning streak was halted by Nottingham Forest as the two sides played out a 2-2 draw. Casemiro put the Red Devils ahead before Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona scored in the second half to give their team the lead. Amad Diallo scored a late leveller to steal a point at City Ground.
Liverpool ended their five-match losing streak with a crucial 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield. Mohamed Salah returned to the scoresheet, while Ryan Gravenberch scored after the break as the Reds thoroughly dominated Unai Emery’s side.
In other results, Crystal Palace defeated Brentford 2-0 thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s strike and an own goal from Nathan Collins. Brighton eased past Leeds United 3-0 with Danny Welbeck scoring his sixth Premier League goal in 10 games. Diego Gomez scored a second-half brace to pile more misery on Daniel Farke.
Fulham prevailed 3-0 against Wolverhampton Wanderers, which led to the sacking of Vitor Pereira. West Ham stunned Newcastle United 3-1, Jacob Murphy’s early goal was cancelled out by Lucas Paqueta, Sven Botman’s own goal and a late goal from Tomáš Souček. Lastly, Sunderland were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton as Granit Xhaka stole a point for the home side at the Stadium of Light.
Standout Players and Performances
Diego Gómez (9.4) scored a brace and was adjudged as the highest rated player this week as per Sofascore. Erling Haaland (9.3) and Granit Xhaka (9.2) were also on the scoresheet and were the top performers this week. Declan Rice (8.8) and Lucas Paquetá (8.5) were the best rated midfielders. Jan Paul van Hecke (8.4) and Nico O’Reilly (8.5) stood tall in defence for their respective sides.
League Table & Impact
Arsenal continue to sit pretty atop the Premier League standings with a five-point cushion over nearest challengers Manchester City. Liverpool jumped to third place while Sunderland slipped to fourth spot. Bournemouth have slipped to fifth place, just ahead of Spurs and Chelsea. Manchester United are in eighth place, while Crystal Palace and Brighton round off the top ten.
Aston Villa, Brentford and Newcastle are in the mid-table berths, while Leeds and Burnley are hovering just above the drop zone. West Ham and Nottingham remain where they were in the relegation dogfight alongside Wolves who are still winless.
Injuries and Suspension Updates
More injury woes for Arsenal this week as Viktor Gyokeres sustained a muscle injury against Burnley. Martin Zubimendi also suffered a suspected knock at Turf Moor. Daichi Kamada was also taken off against Brentford and Palace will be conducting tests to determine his recovery period. Emmanuel Agbadou saw a red card and won’t feature for Wolves next week. Douglas Luiz suffered a suspected hamstring injury and will be assessed further.
Lucas Bergvall and Pedro Neto were both injured during the Chelsea vs Spurs clash and will be monitored. Bournemouth will be sweating on Tyler Adams and Álex Jiménez’s fitness. Everton’s goalscorer Iliman Ndiaye also got injured and will be taken care of.
Looking Ahead
Matchday 11 will see Tottenham host another top six contender as Manchester United will visit North London. League leaders Arsenal will travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland. Chelsea will host Wolves whereas Manchester City will welcome Liverpool to the Etihad.
Everton will take on Fulham, West Ham will host Burnley, while Palace will face Brighton. Bournemouth are on the road as they will face Aston Villa while Newcastle face another tough test against Brentford. Nottingham will host Leeds.