The highlight games for this weekend’s action are MAN CITY versus SOUTHAMPTON and WEST HAM versus MANCHESTER UNITED. Our feature columnist, John Newsome previews these as well as all game-week 5 matches with his unique and insightful commentary. You can view all previous analysis from John’s regular column here: English Premier League Predictions For Saturday.
Please note all prices quoted below were correct at the time of publication
Game Week-5
Friday 17th
NEWCASTLE v LEEDS UNITED
Sky Sports 20.00 in England.
Nice, the Premier League fixture compilers or more to the point, Sky Sports, have scheduled a match at St James Park, on a Friday night, involving a travelling set of the Marching On Together crew.
Come kick-off time of 8 PM, after a day on the sauce, for both the Toon Army and the Whites, what could possibly go wrong?
Newcastle had the unfortunate task of being involved in the Cristiano Ronaldo Affair at Old Trafford on Saturday and although put up a reasonable fight, were no match for an inspired set of Ole’s Trollies.
After conceding on the stroke of half-time, which was due to a fumble from the Magpies goalkeeper, Freddy Woodman, who failed to save a tame shot that rebounded to, of course, CR7, to tap home, Brucey’s men did pull a goal back after the break.
Miguel Almiron did brilliantly to skip away from Harry Maguire and set up Javier Manquillo who stroked home the equaliser.
The parity didn’t last long when Newcastle conceded a 2nd, to that boy Ronaldo, with the home side upping a gear to score twice more and inflict a defeat on the Magpies by a 4-1 scoreline. That leaves Steve Bruce’s Black and Whites 2nd bottom of the table or 19th, with 1-point from the 4-fixtures so far.
Leeds United were outplayed on Sunday against Liverpool resulting in a defeat by a 3-0 scoreline. The Whites conceded the 1st-goal before the break, then 2 in the 2nd-half to succumb to the loss.
Whilst a defeat, Mr Bielsa’s principle was in full flow and should be admired as it offers up great entertainment for the neutral (gender or otherwise!)
In truth, Leeds were outplayed but that will happen to a lot of Liverpool’s opponents this term as they are outstanding, especially with Virgil Van Dijk back at the heart of the defence.
The unfortunate part of the game came on the hour mark with Pascal Struijk, whose nickname is ‘Alphabet’ in the Elland Rd dressing room, being shown a straight Red Card for the challenge on young Harvey Elliott.
Whilst the challenge looked innocuous, the whole meaning of the sentence, ‘endangering the player’ is literal as Harvey suffered a horrendous injury to his leg, that Sky Sports rightly, refused to replay.
The Whites faithful weren’t happy with the on-field referee, Craig Pawson but the Red Card was warranted, as the sheer fact that Mr Elliott‘a leg was bent the opposite way around, was the ultimate ‘endangering the opposition’.
Craig is from the South of Yorkshire just down the way from Elland Rd in Sheffield, so obviously a Scouser for the day. Dan James made his Leeds United debut coming on as a 2nd-half substitute in the 68th-minute. The defeat leaves Marcelo’s Whites in 17th-place in the table with 2-points from 2-Draws and 2-Losses.
Leeds United got the away victory back in January with Marcelo’s Whites beating Brucey’s Magpies by a 2-1 scoreline. Raphinha scored the opener before the break with Miguel Almiron equalising early in the 2nd-half before Jack Harrison getting the winner in the hour mark.
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Saturday 18th
WOLVES v BRENTFORD
BT Sport 12.30 in England.
Bruno Lage finally oversaw a victory for his Gold and Blacks after losing the first 3 of his tenure at Molineux. The 3-opening fixtures were all defeats by the same 1-0 score, so the Wolves weren’t exactly getting hammered but Bruno finally got the victory, comfortably beating Watford at Vicarage Rd, by a 2-0 scoreline.
It took until the 75th-minute for the deadline to be broken with the unfortunate Hornet Defender, Francisco Sierralta heading home the Wolves opener.
Hwang Hee-Chan, who was a substitute, introduced by Mr Lage in the 63rd-minute got the all-important 2nd to seal the victory and give the travelling Gold and Blacks faithful something to cheer about on the journey back home.
That win leaves Wolves in a cluster of 4-teams with 1-victory and 3-points, the same as Southampton, Watford and Arsenal but lie the highest of the 4, in 13th, due to a better goal difference. Bruno celebrated on Saturday night, with a nice pint of lager.
It looked for all purpose that Brentford would earn a point at home against Brighton until the Seagulls scored the solitary winning goal in the 90th-minute to inflict the defeat on the Bees.
That was the 1st-loss of the campaign for the Premier League new boys that leaves Brentford in 10th-place, with 5-points, from the 4-fixtures completed.
Thomas Frank was composed after the game but knows his boys had plenty of chances against Brighton and if the players had been equally as composed in front of the goal then the Bees would have got the victory.
Wolves last played against Brentford back at the beginning of January 2018, however, that was in the Championship with Nuno’s Gold and Blacks being promoted later on in that season.
After a goalless 1st-half, goals from Ruben Neves, Barry Douglas and Diogo Jota gave the home team the victory against the Bees by a 3-0 scoreline.
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Saturday 18th
BURNLEY v ARSENAL
15.00 in England.
Burnley were outstanding for 60-minutes on Monday Night Football, taking the lead against Everton at Goodison Park through a Ben Mee header. Unfortunately for Sean Dyche’s Clarets, that goal kicked the Toffees into life, with Burnley conceding 3 in the final half-hour to ultimately lose the game by a 3-1 scoreline.
The first thing Mr Dyche needs to do before this match-up against Arsenal is drill into his boys that the game is played over 90-minutes and not 60. If the Clarets can put in a full shift it may just produce a positive result. The defeat leaves Burnley in the bottom 3 of the Premier League table with 1-point from the opening 4-fixtures.
‘Arsenal are back, Arsenal are back’ and ‘1-nil to the Arsenal’ were the tunes emanating from the Emirates after the Gooners idols had beaten the Mighty Norwich on Saturday by, well a 1-0 scoreline.
The faithful are now dreaming of a Top Four finish following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s solitary winning goal just after the hour mark to earn, not only the first victory of the season but also the first goal scored by Pep 2’s boys this campaign.
Ben White, nicknamed ‘Barry’ started for only the 2nd-time since his big-money move from Brighton and will need a few more games to get into the Arsenal groove.
Another summer signing, Aaron Ramsdale got the nod between the sticks in favour of Bernd Leno, who had started the previous 3-Premier League fixtures.
In the recent International Break, Mikel Arteta arranged a friendly against a 2nd-string Brentford team at the Emirates to try and gain some much-needed confidence.
The Gunners comfortably beat the Bees by a 4-0 scoreline with goals from Gabriel, Alexandre Lacazette and a couple from Cedric Soares.
Surprisingly, Mikel only started Gabriel, out of the 3-goal scorers for the fixture against Norwich, with Cedric coming on for the last 10-minutes and Alexandre not seeing any game time. Ainsley Maitland-Niles started and played for 80-minutes before being replaced by Mr Soares.
Arsenal jump out of the relegation zone into 16th, with 3-points, the same as Watford, Southampton and Wolves. Chris Wood cancelled out an early Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang goal at Turf Moor last season, both scoring before the break. With no further goals in the 2nd-half Arsenal and Burnley shared the points from a draw by a 1-1 scoreline.
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Saturday 18th
LIVERPOOL v CRYSTAL PALACE
15.00 in England.
Liverpool secured a great victory away at Leeds United on Sunday by a 3-0 scoreline.
Mo Salah scored midway through the 1st-half to settle the nerves of the travelling Scousers with Fabinho and Sadio Mane adding 2 and 3 after the break. Sadio’s goal came very late on in proceedings in the 93rd-minute after 10-previous attempts to score in the game.
There was a bittersweet feeling after the victory, with the Liverpool youngster, Harvey Elliott suffering a horrendous leg-break on the hour mark that literally turned his leg in the opposite direction that nature intended.
Harvey was slowly developing into a key member of the Liverpool team and it’s hoped the lad will come back stronger once the injury is healed.
The victory for Jurgen’s Reds gives Liverpool 10-points, from the 4-fixtures completed, the same as Manchester United, Chelsea and the Merseyside rivals in Blue, Everton.
Before this Premier League game, Liverpool take on AC Milan at Anfield, in the Champions League, evoking memories of the 2-Finals back in 2005 and 2007, in which Rafa Benitez Reds Won-1 and Lost-1. Fact!
There was a certain Scottish/Australian who was simply cock-a-hoop last Saturday after predicting that Crystal Palace would beat the team who were residing at the summit of the Premier League.
A lot scoffed at that, even suggesting that the Angry Man must have had a bang on the head, however, it was the rest who were left astounded after the Eagles stunned Spurs with a great victory by a 3-0 scoreline.
There was a turning point in the game when Tottenham were reduced to 10-men with the dismissal of Japhet Tanganga in the 58th-minute.
Wilfried Zaha was instrumental in the sending off, firstly being fouled by Japhet and reacting angrily to the Defenders challenge resulting in a bit of handbags and a Yellow Card for both men.
Fortunately for the Palace, that stoked up an infuriated Mr Tanganga, who 5-minutes after the altercation with Wilf, lunged in on Jordan Ayew and a 2nd-Yellow was produced resulting in a Red and a man advantage for the Eagles.
In truth, Crystal Palace were set up well by Patrick Vieira and a goal was inevitable after the sending off, which came via the penalty-spot, confidently converted by Mr Zaha.
World Cup winner-Patrick then introduced the new boy Odsonne Edouard in the 84th-minute with the ex-Celtic player, replacing Christian Benteke.
Odsonne was on the pitch less than a minute and made an immediate impact by scoring with his first kick of the ball. With time running out, Mr Edouard scored his 2nd and the Palace 3rd to get a great victory in front of the Eagle Ultras.
What that now means is Christian Benteke may just be spending some time on the bench as surely Odsonne will be starting against Big Ben’s former club Liverpool, which no doubt will irk Christian.
Crystal Palace have 5-points from 4-games, a win, 2-draws and an opening day defeat against Chelsea which shouldn’t be dwelled on too much as most will lose against Thomas’s Blue Engines.
Last season’s fixture between the two was the final game of the campaign, which was fitting really, considering ex-Reds boss, Roy Hodgson, bowed out of management after the tie.
Liverpool did spoil Roy’s retirement do, getting the victory by a 2-0 scoreline. Sadio Mane scored the 1st, before the half-time whistle, then added the Reds and his 2nd after the break to give Jurgen the victory over Roy’s Boys.
Mr Mane does like to score against the Eagles, having scored 9 of his 76-Premier League goals against Crystal Palace, the next being 6 against Arsenal.
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Saturday 18th
MAN CITY v SOUTHAMPTON
15.00 in England.
Man City gained a great attritional victory away at the King Power against Leicester by a single 1-0 scoreline. It did look like Pep’s Blues had fallen behind in the tie when Jamie Vardy scored, however, the Sheffield Superstar was slightly offside and the goal was ruled out.
After a goalless 1st-half, Bernardo Silva scored the solitary winning goal on the hour mark to give Pep‘s High Flying Blues the win over Brendan’s not so Wonderful’s.
Leicester will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season, so for Man City to get the away victory this early in the campaign is a great result for all connected with the Citizens.
The 3-points take Pep’s Blues up to 5th, with 9, the same as Brighton and Tottenham, with Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United in the places above. The Numpty Neighbours residing at the summit of the table which will annoy the Blue half of Manchester.
Jack Grealish started for the 4th-game in succession under Pep, following JG’s 3-appearances in a Three Lions shirt, during the International Break.
What appears conflicting is, Gareth Southgate gave Jack a total of 175-minutes in the 7-fixtures of this Summers Euros, starting the lad only once, with just 22-minutes of the Extra-Time, in the Final against Italy.
In the recent 3, World Cup Qualifiers, JG played a total of 206-minutes, with Gareth starting Mr Grealish twice out of the 3. So what has changed between July and September?
Is it too cynical to suggest that Gareth Southgate has to pick Jack Grealish because he’s now a Man City player and the most expensive English Transfer in history? Whereas in the Euros, JG was only an Aston Villa player, only?
In the 7-fixtures including the Final of Euro 2020, Jack Grealish started once, was omitted altogether from 2 and in the time he came on as a substitute in the 4-others, England were never in front in each of the 4, with Jack instrumental in the victories against, the Czech Republic, Germany and Denmark.
Gareth left JG on the bench for the full 90-minutes of the Final, against Italy, bringing him on after 8-minutes of the added 30.
That just doesn’t make sense and the Three Lions faithful are rightly entitled to question Gareth Southgate as to his decision making regarding Jack Grealish. Could things have been different if GS had started JG from the start? If, buts and maybes.
Pep’s High Flying Blues entertain RB Leipzig at the Etihad in the Champions League on Wednesday before the visit of the Saints.
The Peaky Blunders outfit was back from the cleaners last Saturday, with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s chosen attire reverting from the tracksuit look to the horrendous clothes from the 1920s. By the way, the clothes are not horrendous, quite stylish actually, it’s the way Ralph wears them that is scandalous.
Mr Hasenhuttl couldn’t inspire his Saints boys to a victory in a goalless draw against West Ham at St Mary’s that did see the home team enjoy the last 30-seconds with a man advantage following the sending off, of Michail Antonio.
The not so stylish Head Coach, Ralph, also received a Yellow Card after Michail’s rash pointless challenge in the 95th-minute. The lad should have received a straight Red for wearing that shirt!
The point gained leaves Southampton in 14th, with 3 for the season so far, 3-draws from 4-fixtures so at least the Saints aren’t losing.
Wreck-It’s Saints took part in a very entertaining 7-goal thriller at the Etihad last term but ultimately lost the contest by a 5-2 scoreline.
James Ward-Prowse equalised an early Kevin De Bruyne strike, before Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan (tra-la-la-la-lar!) made it 3-1 in favour of City at the break.
In the 2nd-half both Kevin and Riyad added another goal to City’s and their tally with Che Adams scoring for Southampton to make the final scoreline, 5-2 to Pep’s High Flying Blues.
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**********NEW FEATURE************
Premier League Team of the Week
GOALKEEPER- Edouard Mendy -Chelsea
RIGHT BACK- Trent Alexander-Arnold -Liverpool
CENTRE BACK- Virgil Van Dijk – Liverpool
CENTRE BACK- Rafael Varane -Manchester United
LEFT BACK- Tyrick Mitchell – Crystal Palace
MIDFIELDER- Demarai Gray – Everton
MIDFIELDER- Conor Gallagher – Crystal Palace
MIDFIELDER- Mateo Kovacic – Chelsea
FORWARD- Mo Salah – Liverpool
FORWARD- Romelu Lukaku – Chelsea
FORWARD- Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United
STAR MAN- Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United
Saturday 18th
NORWICH v WATFORD
15.00 in England.
Norwich are now 4 from 4 in the Loss column following Saturday’s defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates by a 1-0 scoreline.
The excitable Daniel Farke was still buoyant despite the result and will just continue to keep his Little Canaries positive as everyone connected with the Carrow Rd outfit knows that the Premier League is a different animal to that of the Championship. Even the rubbish teams like the Gunners are a step above the likes of Huddersfield, Blackburn and Barnsley.
James from Swinton, nowhere near Carrow Rd, had mixed emotions on Saturday evening, initially seeing his first footballing love, Barnsley FC, losing against Bournemouth, then his new boys Norwich losing against Arsenal but finally seeing his beloved Blades hammer Peterborough in the Championship relegation battle at Bramall Lane.
Little Jimbo saw his Sheffield United team beat the Posh by an emphatic 6-2 scoreline. James is thinking about changing careers and becoming a hairdresser. The lad was due to do John Newsome’s hair and pulled up outside of where this EveryTip contributor was currently working (nowhere!)
Straight away a parking warden turned up and said to the Little Blunt, ‘Have you got a permit?’ Jimbo looked confused and just replied, ‘No mate, I’m shaving it off?’
James did comment about the beautiful girlfriend Jade and said he’d not spoken to her in a couple of weeks, Jim said that they hadn’t fallen out but he just couldn’t get a word in edgeways. Yellow Canary, Yellow Canary.
After a brilliant opening day victory, Watford have lost the last 3-games, the latest being a defeat against Wolves by a 2-0 scoreline, in front of the home fans at Vicarage Rd.
Watford’s Francisco Sierralta did score a superb header, unfortunately for the watching Hornets faithful, it was in his own net. Never mind, just tell the lad to do it in the goals at the opposite end.
After the OG, Xisco the Disco’s men conceded again to ultimately suffer the defeat that leaves Watford in 15th-place with 3-points, from 4-fixtures, the same as Arsenal, Southampton and Wolves.
Back in April, Watford got the away-day victory by a 1-0 scoreline in the Championship on the way to both teams getting promoted back to the Promised Land after a year’s hiatus. Dan Gosling with the solitary winning goal.
Quique Sanchez Flores was at the helm when Watford also beat Daniel Farke’s Norwich at Carrow Rd, in the last game in Premier League. Gerard Deulofeu and Andre Gray with the goals in the away-day victory by a 2-0 scoreline.
Christian Kabasele was shown 2-Yellow Cards and the ultimate Red in the 2nd-half of the tie back in November 2019.
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Saturday 18th
ASTON VILLA v EVERTON
Sky Sports 17.30 in England.
Aston Villa suffered a loss away against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge late on Saturday afternoon, succumbing to a defeat by a 3-0 scoreline. Dean Smith doesn’t need to dwell on that result too much as most will lose against the Blues this term.
In truth, Villa did have a few chances in the 1st-half, with Ollie Watkins missing a couple of possibilities early on before being overrun by a brilliant Chelsea team.
The 2nd-half proved much more difficult when Thomas Tuchel took off the new boy Saul Niguez after Dean Smith had instructed his boys to target the ex-Atletico Madrid player who was way off the pace.
That’s 1-Win, 1-Draw and 2-Losses leaving Dean Smith’s Claret and Blues with 4-points in 12th-place in the table. What is a surprise is that out of the 20-teams and the total of 40-fixtures completed, with all the possible combinations on offer, Aston Villa are the only team with 4-points.
Everton were outfought for an hour on Monday Night Football, at home against Burnley, with Sean Dyche’s Clarets scoring the opener early in the 2nd-half to take a deserved lead.
Fortunately for Rafa’s Blues, that kicked Everton into life, with Michael Keane, Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray all scoring to give the Toffees the victory by a 3-1 scoreline.
Mr Benitez couldn’t call on the services of Dominic Calvert-Lewin who was injured whilst on England duty and could be absent for a couple of weeks, which will be a big loss for the Blues.
Richarlison played in an advanced role, which did appear to be suiting Burnley, however, the Brazilian works his socks off and put in the hard yards to eventually wear down the Clarets defence, allowing the others to score the goals.
The victory gives Everton 10-points from the 4-fixtures so far, the same as Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, which is a great start for the ex-Reds gaffer, Mr Benitez slowly winning over the Toffee Rafa’s.
Last season’s fixture between the two took place in mid-May, however, was officially a Game Week-19 affair after the original tie was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Both failed to inspire with the game finishing in a drab goalless draw.
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Sunday 19th
BRIGHTON v LEICESTER
14.00 in England.
Sunday 19th
Brighton left it very late to get a great away-day victory against Brentford on Saturday by a single 1-0 scoreline.
With the 90-minutes up on the clock and neither able to produce a defining moment, Leandro Trossard popped up with the winner to send the travelling Seagulls home, happier than when they are nicking chips from punters on the Brighton seafront.
Graham Potter has still got the facial hair that no one has been brave enough to tell him it’s just not right. Harry may just keep it until his boys lose again, having now achieved 3-Wins from 3-fixtures with just a loss against Rafa’s Toffees.
Those good at Math will know that’s 9-points in total, which puts Brighton in between Tottenham and Man City, in 6th-place, all-3, with the same 9-points. Which is simply a great return even though it’s early days in the new campaign.
Leicester suffered a defeat at the King Power on Saturday, with Man City getting the away-day victory by a single 1-0 scoreline. It looked as if Jamie Vardy had given the Foxes the lead but Jimmy V was adjudged offside to the disappointment of the home fans.
Pep’s High Flying Blues scored on the hour mark to inflict the defeat on Brendan’s not so Wonderful’s. That’s 2-Wins and 2-Losses leaving Leicester in 9th-place with 6-points, surprisingly the only team out of the 20, with that set of results.
There was a certain pooch that was over the moon at the weekend on so many levels. Lennon was out early on Sunday morning over the park with Rod Stewart, both happy following the football results the day before.
Sir Roderick was happy that his arch-enemy, Brendan Rodgers had lost against Pep Guardiola and was still wearing the Paisley print City shirt with ‘Stewart’ and ‘75’ on the back.
Although Mr Stewart is now 76, the Man City shirt was from last season still with the ‘75’ on as the Scottish crooner, like everyone, is suffering from the global pandemic and can’t afford a new top for this season. The puppy was just happy that the said shirt wasn’t thrown at him as what usually happens of a weekend.
After the walk over the park, Rod and Lennon stopped off at Pets R Us for some doggy treats as Sir Roderick was doubly happy following his beloved Green and White Hoops victory in the Scottish Pub League against Ross County (who?) by a 3-0 scoreline.
There was a slight downside to the weekend’s results for the Stewart family with Celtics arch Glasgow rivals, Rangers also winning in the Pub League against St Johnstone (who?) that did take Steven Gerrard’s Blues to the top of the table.
Whilst Rod, Lennon and Penny settled down to a nice Sunday dinner with a glass of wine, the Puppy was heard humming to the tune of Rod’s famous ditty,
‘He’s Celtic, United but Brendan has decided that Leicester is the best place to be’ Woof-Woof!
Brendan’s Wonderful’s compete in the Europa League on Thursday before this trip to the South Coast, entertaining Napoli at the King Power. Adam Lallana scored early in the 1st-half to give Brighton the lead at the break when these two last met at the Amex.
Brendan got into his Wonderful’s at half-time with Kelechi Iheanacho and Daniel Amartey scoring the Leicester goals in the 2nd-half helping the Foxes to devour the Seagulls by a 2-1 scoreline.
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Sunday 19th
WEST HAM v MANCHESTER UNITED
Sky Sports 14.00 in England.
West Ham gained a point following a goalless draw against Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday. That not only irked David Moyes but upset this EveryTip contributor spoiling the 5-Team Acca.
John Newsome had Manchester United, Man City, West Ham, Chelsea and Liverpool all to win. Cheers Hammers!
Added to the drab draw, West Ham’s influential Striker, Michail Antonio was shown 2-Yellow Cards and the subsequent Red to beat his mates into the showers. The strange thing about the 2nd-Yellow was that time was virtually up on the clock with the referee about to blow his whistle.
If Michail had just been patient for a few more seconds and kept on his feet, the lad would be playing against Manchester United today. Unfortunately because of the indiscretion, Mr Moyes cannot call upon his main man which does give Ole’s Trollies an added advantage.
West Ham are still undefeated from the 4-fixtures completed, with 2-Wins and 2-Draws, sitting in 8th, with 8-points, however, the loss of Michail Antonio for this one fixture could result in the 1st-loss.
The Hammers compete in the Europa League on Thursday, heading to Croatia to play against Dinamo Zagreb. There wasn’t much to comment on from the game at Old Trafford on Saturday between Manchester United and Newcastle United. Apart from the scoreline, there isn’t much else to say.
That’s obviously just a bit of fun, with the Prodigal Son, CR7-2.0, returning to the Theatre of Dreams after an absence of 12-years.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had already intimated that Cristiano Ronaldo would play a part in the fixture, however, the Red Devil faithful went into overdrive, an hour before kick-off, when the news came out that Mr Ronaldo was in the starting eleven.
The atmosphere at 5 to 3 was electric when Cristiano walked out following the rest of the Manchester United players to not only start the game but play the full 90-minutes when it was thought that the Portuguese star would only get a certain amount of game-time. Would the lad score?
Of course, he would, tapping home, probably the easiest goal in his illustrious career, on the stroke of half-time to settle the nerves of the watching Red Devil faithful.
Despite leading at the break and being in control, for some reason, United didn’t look comfortable which was borne out, early in the 2nd-half after Harry Maguire was caught out on the halfway line, exposing a helpless Rafael Varane, which allowed Newcastle to equalise.
This was only a temporary setback and despite the nervy goal, it was back to the Cristiano Ronaldo show, with CR7 scoring United’s and his 2nd.
Bruno Fernandes then scored a stunner to put United in front by 3-goals to 1, with Jesse Lingard adding the 4th to give United the brilliant Mr Ronaldo inspired victory by a 4-1 scoreline.
The goal by Jesse followed on from the lads 2-goals for England in the International Break and a timely reminder to the Bubbles faithful that Mr Lingard is on his way back to the London Stadium but will be wearing the Manchester United strip, whatever colour that will be, rather than the Claret and Blue.
The victory for Ole’s Wheels lifts United to the summit of the Premier League table with 10-points, from the 4-fixtures so far, joint with Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton, however, with a slightly better goal difference.
Getting Ronnie in is a real game-changer and makes Manchester United genuine Premier League title challenges, rather than just also-rans.
In last week’s column, John Newsome suggested that the real problem had still not been addressed, that being the Midfield and everyone knows this EveryTip contributors thought on a certain Brazilian.
However, that said, Ole dropped Fred, brought in Nemanja Matic and sat Paul Pogba deeper, allowing Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood the chance to fit in CR7 down the middle.
What could have been a brilliant stroke of luck was that the day before the Newcastle fixture, Ole wasn’t sure that he could pick Fred due to Brazil insisting that the Premier League based Brazilians should all be banned under the FIFA protocol for not competing in the International Break. That meant Ole naturally excluded Fred, thus automatically enhancing the United starting eleven.
Once the ban was lifted and Fred and the rest of the Brazilian’s were allowed to play, Ole couldn’t change his team so Fred was omitted and placed on the bench, not seeing any game time, in the comfortable victory.
There is still an amnesty regarding Fred but it was felt worth mentioning that particular thought process regarding the team selection.
Rafael Varane is a Rolls Royce like Virgil Van Dijk and Harry Maguire, who was caught out against Newcastle, should just watch and learn from the French World Cup Winner. That Boy Ronaldo, with his equanimity, makes football look easy.
United will have been in Switzerland in midweek, taking on Young Boys in the opening round of the Champions League. This was an early December affair last term with Ole’s Wheels getting the away-day victory against Moyes Boys by a 3-1 scoreline.
Tomas Soucek had given the Hammers a lead at half-time but 2nd-half goals from Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford gave United the win over old boss David.
888 Sport offer West Ham at 13/4, the draw at 57/20 and slight Odds On 3/4 for Manchester United to come away with all 3-points.
888 Sport offer 4/1 that Cristiano Ronaldo Scores First and 6/5 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
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Sunday 19th
TOTTENHAM v CHELSEA
Sky Sports 16.30 in England.
The ‘Zero-Carbon Effect Derby’ The World’s 1st Net-Zero Football Game, sees Tottenham, partner with Sky Sports in a debut at an elite level.
Supported by ‘COP26’ and the Premier League, this fixture between Tottenham and Chelsea, will see the Tottenham squad, travel to the match by coach to reduce the number of car movements and as the away team, Chelsea will also be asking all their staff to travel across London sustainably.
Both sets of players will head to the stadium on a coach that is running on Biofuel, which is a form of renewable diesel produced from food waste products and reduces carbon emissions significantly.
The players from both teams will also be drinking water on the day from cartons provided by Spurs, as opposed to plastic bottles.
The game is being played 6-weeks ahead of the United Nations ‘COP26‘ Climate Change Conference, hosted by the UK Government in Glasgow, which brings together world leaders to accelerate global action to fight climate change.
Tottenham have previously been named as the most sustainable Premier League football club, by The Sport Positive Summit.
What Makes a Net-Zero Football Game?
In the 2021/22 season-opening fixture against Manchester City, RSK, the carbon measurement specialists, used direct data, including a fan survey to measure regular match-day emissions, fan journeys, squad journeys, energy and waste at the stadium and match-day employee commutes, to create a baseline from which to reduce.
For the Chelsea match to be Net-Zero, the club and Sky Sports will work to minimise emissions from match-day activity such as energy used to power the game, travel to and from the stadium for both fans and clubs and dietary choices at the stadium.
Hundreds of individuals involved in the game, from Sky Sports producers to the stadium chefs, are working to make the Net-Zero game happen.
For those emissions which remain, Sky Sports is working with Natural Capital Partners to restore natural carbon sinks which remove emissions from the atmosphere, by supporting community reforestation in East Africa, and creating new UK native woodlands to support the UK’s net-zero objectives. The club and Sky Sports will also plant trees locally to the Chas and Dave Memorial Stadium later this year.
Other sustainable measures include LED lighting (including floodlights) and high-efficiency building service systems in place to reduce energy use and water consumption minimised with waterless urinals and low flow fittings and fixtures.
The fans are also getting involved with those attending being encouraged to take sustainable actions on the day, that include but are not restricted to, walking, using public transport, with Tottenham giving significant investment to the local transport infrastructure having the new stadium, served by 4-train stations and a free match-day shuttle bus.
Recent analysis has shown that the club is close to achieving its target of no more than 23 per cent of supporters travelling by private car on matchdays.
If one wants to cycle to the match, the club has provision for up to 180-bikes to be parked at St Francis De Sales School and Tottenham Community Sports Centre, with a security policy allowing for equipment such as helmets, puncture kits and removable seats to be taken into the stadium.
All of the match-day food served inside the stadium is locally and sustainably sourced, with plant-based options available across all outlets and in Premium areas.
Spurs have a zero to landfill waste management programme, with clear recycling instructions for fans on its bins, as well as a reusable beer-cup scheme.
Tottenham, Sky Sports and the UK Government want the game to raise awareness of the threat of climate change and inspire football fans to make simple changes that will help reduce their carbon footprint.
Daniel Levy said, ‘We are delighted to be the chosen partner of Sky Sports on this ground-breaking initiative that will demonstrate the role our game can play in addressing the urgent issue of climate change.’
‘As the Premier League’s greenest club, Tottenham is passionate about our planet, we look forward to showcasing our wide range of sustainable measures that are already in place and encouraging our fans to take simple actions that can make a huge difference.’
John Newsome will be attending Oakwell on Saturday as the Super Reds take on Blackburn. The stadium is approximately 4-miles from home and instead of taking the car as normal, this EveryTip contributor will walk there and back. It’s time we all changed!
Tottenham lost their unbeaten start to the season and the only 100% record left after suffering a defeat against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park by a 3-0 scoreline.
Nuno’s men didn’t help themselves with Japhet Tanganga receiving 2-Yellow Cards in quick succession to ultimately get the Red and beat his sorry Spurs teammates into the showers.
Although Tottenham were reduced to 10-men, in truth, the 11-men weren’t doing too well and Palace were much the better side.
After Japhet’s indiscretion, Spurs conceded a penalty when the ball struck an outstretched Ben Davies arm that the referee’s, both the on-field Jon Moss (not the Culture Club drummer!) and the Stockley Park brigade, had the easiest of decisions to point to the spot. Karma Chameleon!
As well as the converted penalty, Nuno’s LillyWhites conceded 2-more to suffer the defeat and drop Tottenham down to 7th in the table, with the same 9-points as Brighton and Man City.
Spurs compete in the newly set up tournament called the Europa Conference League on Thursday, heading to France to take on Rennes in the opener.
Nuno’s boys are the only British team in that particular competition but there is the possibility of the Europa League teams of Leicester, West Ham, Celtic, or Rangers dropping into the Europa Conference if unsuccessful in their respective Europa Leagues.
So to clarify, the teams finishing 3rd in the 8-Champions League groups, drop into the Last-32 of the Europa League.
The teams finishing 3rd in the 8-Europa League groups, drop into the Europa Conference Last-32 and the team finishing 3rd in the 8-Europa Conference League groups, drop into the Sunday Dog and Duck League in Cudworth.
It won’t happen but it is possible, that all of Manchester United, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Leicester, West Ham, Celtic and Rangers could all compete in the Last-32 of the Europa League. Everyone up to date?
Chelsea sit 2nd, with 10-points, matching Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton at the top of the Premier League with 3-Wins and a Draw from the opening 4-fixtures.
Thomas’s Blue Engines comfortably beat Dean Smith’s Claret and Blues on Saturday evening gaining a Romelu Lukaku inspired victory by a 3-0 scoreline, with Big Rom scoring the 1st and the last. Mateo Kovacic adding number 2, with a great finish, midway through the 2nd-half.
Thomas Tuchel included the new boy Saul Niguez in the game against Villa and although the Midfielder from Atletico Madrid came with a glowing reputation, found out immediately just how fast and tough the Premier League is, with the Villa boys being much fitter and stronger than Saul, resulting in TT taking off the lad at half-time.
Jorginho, who must have been unhappy having to sit out, replaced Better Call Saul at the break, which vastly improved the Blues performance in the 2nd-half, producing the extra 2-goals, making the victory much more convincing than it could have been.
That was Romelu Lukaku’s 1st-goals at Stamford Bridge and the Belgium’s 1st-appearance at the home of Chelsea in 8-years after Dracula forced Big Rom out of the club in 2014. The Blues kick-off the defence of their Champions League against Zenit St Petersburg before this fixture on Sunday.
In last season’s fixture at the home of Tottenham, Jose Mourinho was still at the helm. However, Frank Lampard was down the concrete and filling in the Job Seekers form whilst Thomas Tuchel’s Blue Engines got the victory over Dracula’s Spurs by a 1-0 away-day scoreline.
Jorginho with the solitary winning goal from the penalty spot, midway through the 1st-half.
888 Sport offer Tottenham at 10/3, the draw at 27/10 and slight Odds On 3/4 for Chelsea to come away with all 3-points.
888 Sport offer 4/1 that Romelu Lukaku Scores First and 4/1 that Jorginho Scores Anytime.
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