By Niall Clarke
- Five lessons learned from match-week 11 of the Premier League season
- Full weekend results
Big wins for Chelsea and Liverpool have once again changed the complexion at the top of the Premier League table. Here are five lessons learned from match-week 11.
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Harry Kane is back with a bang
The North London derby certainly lived up to the hype. In what was a end to end affair, the honours were evenly shared with a 1-1 draw at the Emirates.
The match also marked the return of Harry Kane up from for Spurs. The English striker had missed the previous seven weeks with an ankle injury, and his return was a welcome one. His presence up front gave the side extra sharpness and an edge they have sorely lacked.
Kevin Wimmer’s own goal gave Arsenal the lead a few minutes before half time, but early in the second half Laurent Koscielny brought down Mousa Dembele in the area. The resulting spot kick was converted by none other than Kane who marked his return to action with a goal.
Tottenham remain undefeated in the Premier League, but too many draws are leaving them trailing the rest of the pack. The return of Kane however will no doubt give them a big boost to their title chances.
Chelsea and Liverpool look good…. really good
Undoubtedly the two biggest winners this weekend were Liverpool and Chelsea who both recorded huge victories over Watford and Everton.
Since switching to three at the back, Antonio Conte’s side have looked virtually unbeatable. With the 5-0 win at home to Everton on Saturday, the Blues have recorded five straight wins without conceding a goat, and Eden Hazard is looking like a world beater again. It is difficult to see Chelsea being stopped at the moment, they completely outclassed an Everton side who did not look remotely like scoring.
Liverpool put on a clinic of their own on Sunday to go top of the Premier League. They defeated Watford 6-1 at Anfield to further emphasise how devastating their attack really is. It will be a difficult task for anyone to dethrone Jurgen Klopp’s side in their current form.
These two sides might have just made themselves favourites for the title.
Middlesbrough are better than Barcelona?
That is a stretch (Ok, it is not true, Barcelona are far better than Middlesbrough), but what started as a great week for Manchester City ended with disappointment as they were pegged back in injury time to draw 1-1 with Middlesbrough.
Despite dominating the game and getting the opening goal through Sergio Aguero, City were once again made to rue missed chances. Quite frankly they should have been out of sight when the clock hit 90 minutes, but they were only a goal up- precarious for any team. Marten de Roon popped up with the late equaliser, and the end result is a further two points lost for Pep Guardiola.
The results see City fall from the top of the table to third.
Sunderland and Hull can win
Sunderland fans endured 10 games without a win in the worst ever start to a Premier League, but their wait is finally over as the Black Cats scored an unlikely away victory against Bournemouth.
Sunderland fell behind after 11 minutes thanks to Dan Gosling’s goal, but Victor Anichebe managed to level proceedings before the break. Steven Pienaar was sent off early in the second half, but that did not faze Sunderland who earned their first win of the season with Jermain Defoe’s penalty. David Moyes’ side still sit bottom, but this could be the confidence booster they needed.
Hull also ended their six game losing streak with a come from behind 2-1 win of their own against Southampton. The Saints were on top for most of the game but were made to pay for not taking advantage of that dominance. The Tigers now move on to 10 points just behind Crystal Palace on 11.
What happened elsewhere?
We have mentioned Turf Moor being a fortress for Burnley before, and that is still proving to be true. The Clarets won a five goal thriller in a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace to take themselves into the top half of the table. West Ham and Stoke had struggling starts to the season, so their Saturday afternoon kick off may prove crucial. The spoils were shared with 1-1 draw.
There was plenty of action on Sunday, including a rare win for Manchester United. The Red Devils had gone six weeks without a victory, but they swept past struggling Swansea 3-1 thanks to goals from Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Leicester’s title defence continued to not go as planned as they suffered a 2-1 loss at home to West Brom. The Foxes lie in the bottom half of the table, and this was a much needed win for Tony Pulis’ side who had fallen a little too close to the relegation zone.
Full Premier League results
Saturday
Bournemouth 1-2 Sunderland
Burnley 3-2 Crystal Palace
Man City 1-1 Middlesbrough
West Ham 1-1 Stoke
Chelsea 5-0 Everton
Sunday
Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham
Hull 2-1 Southampton
Liverpool 6-1 Watford
Swansea 1-3 Man United
Leicester 1-2 West Brom
The Premier League returns on the 19th of November.
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