This week, Premier League fixtures were originally seen as boring, but the results proved that this was not the case. The biggest story so far is that Manchester City’s dominance has lead to their spot at the top of the table. Manchester City defeated Everton 2-0 in the first match of the week on Wednesday. Although Everton finally played with urgency, they could not handle the tactics of Pep Guardiola. Marco Silva, the manager of Everton, cannot motivate his team to win important games and this week was a perfect example. This Everton squad has not lived up to their potential this season. After losing to Manchester City, they had a perfect opportunity to win their confidence back with an away match versus Watford. The match was tight, with chances on both sides but after Watford took the lead in the 65th minute, Everton seemed to lose all hope. With one win in the past five games, including a devastating defeat to Championship side Millwall in the FA Cup, Silva may lose his position as manager after being appointed last May.
In other news, teams like Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs continue to play phenomenal football. Spurs’ fans are relieved with yet another win without stars Harry Kane and Dele Alli. Spurs’ recent performances invoke the famous Beatles’ song: when the team looks like all is lost, “here comes the Son (Heung-min)” to brighten the day of supporters. The South Korean Son Heung-min has scored three crucial goals for the squad since his return. The team has now won three in a row after dropping three of their last four in all competitions. Their win versus Leicester has proved that teamwork and precise tactics will allow them to maintain their steady third-place position. Unfortunately for the Spurs, Manchester United is red hot and are a serious threat. The football world was not taken by surprise with yet another dominant win from Manchester United. Paul Pogba scored a brace. He is easily one of the best players in the Premier League right now, with a mentality that allows him to perform at the highest level.
After a unmatched season up to this point, Liverpool has finally been put in hot water. They have lost their position at the top of the table, which has fans worried. Liverpool defeated Bournemouth this weekend, but they are still behind Manchester City on goal differential with a game in hand. Liverpool fans expect wins each weekend, but more importantly, they are monitoring Manchester City. This weekend was the golden opportunity, as Manchester City was predicted to have a difficult match against Chelsea. With both squads in great form, Liverpool fans hoped for a draw, but they were extremely disappointed with the result. Manchester City embarrassed Chelsea with a 6-0 thrashing in the Etihad. Manchester City made a statement early in the game as they were already winning 4-0 by the 26th minute. Sergio Aguero secured his hat trick with a penalty in the 56th minute that gave him his 11th three-goal game in the Premier League; he now shares the record of most career hat tricks in the Premier League with legend Alan Shearer. The reigning champions are in amazing form, which leads to a tight race for the title.
As May 12 slowly creeps closer and closer, bottom tier teams are looking to stay out of the relegation zone. Huddersfield, Fulham, Southampton, Cardiff and Newcastle are desperate for points so that they do not get relegated to the Championship. These teams not only need to win versus each other but also surprise upper level teams. Newcastle United almost secured a massive win versus Wolves, but Willy Boly scored a massive equalizer in stoppage time to bring the match to a draw. Cardiff City also scored a goal in stoppage time that was the difference in the crucial win versus Southampton. Right now, it looks like Hudderfield are already down while Fulham are holding on by a thread leaving Burnley, Brighton, Southampton, Cardiff, Newcastle and Palace minding the drop.
Next week, the spotlight is on the Sunday fixture, where Manchester United will face Liverpool at Old Trafford. This will be the most important game so far because Manchester United needs a win to keep their title hopes alive.
