The Craziest Start to the English Premier League Ever
It has been just four weeks but the English Premier League has already thrashed most of the records. Right from the Champions getting beaten 7–2 by a relegation-threatened club to the Special One Jose Mourinho getting his revenge over his ex-club in a 7-goal thriller. England’s biggest footballing competition is turning into an entertaining mayhem.
Traditionally, the Barclays Premier League has been a six-legged race between Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham. But despite four of the six teams dominating the top charts for the past few years, many new names like Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers have come up to challenge for the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League spots.
But this ongoing 2020–21 season has taken unpredictability a notch higher. While last season’s mid-table side Everton currently sit in the first place, Aston Villa — who struggled to avoid relegation until the last game-week a few months ago — are occupying the second place. It’s incredible.
Even newcomers Leeds United, who have been promoted after sixteen long years in the EFL Championship, are giving a tough time to the big giants and sit in the 8th-place above Manchester City and Manchester United.
Coming to some key numbers, the second game-week of the Premier League alone saw 44 goals being scored in 10 games — which produced a record-breaking average of 4.4 goals scored per game. Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who leads the top goal-scorer charts, has already scored 6 goals in 4 games which is almost 50% of what he scored in the last season. Shockingly, Calvert-Lewin had only scored 6 goals in 35 games in the 2018–19 season and he has already surpassed that in just 4 games.
Known as the English top-flight’s two best-rated defenders, Virgil Van Dijk and Harry Maguire have already conceded a total of 13 goals in one night last weekend. Chelsea legend and ex-player John Terry actually went 36 games in 2005 without conceding 13 goals. This is the English Premier League.
With that being said, today we take a look at the three of the biggest games this season has already seen in the first four game-weeks. Fixtures, which could straight go into the history books as ‘Match of the Season’.
Leicester put five past Manchester City
The Foxes from Leicestershire have been a force of nature under Brendan Rodgers for a couple of seasons now. The growth and improvement in the side is evident. But nobody would have expected the top-half side to thrash Manchester City 5–2 away from home in a masterclass.
This comes in the backdrop of Manchester City being tipped as the favourites to win the Premier League this season. Spanish legendary coach Pep Guardiola has never gone two seasons in a row without a trophy and with not a single title won last season, this season his side were expected to be as rampant as ever.
But with high ambitions come high risks. While the club from blue half of Manchester has been the best attacking side in probably the entirety of Europe, their defence has held them back from becoming an invincible side. And this very shortcoming was on show in the rout by Leicester in game-week three.
As Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring for City with a belter of a finish in the fourth minute, it all went downhill for the hosts in Manchester. Unable to contain the fast-moving forwards of Leicester, especially Jamie Vardy, meant that City were hapless in conceding two penalties in the space of 21 minutes — one in the first half and another in the second.
A near-post finish by Vardy and a beautiful long-range goal from James Maddison only piled misery over the ex-Champions of England. New signing Centre-back Nathan Ake found the back of the net with a header in the 84th minute, but City’s defensive woes hit a new low as the referee pointed to the spot for the third time in the game just in the dying moments which Leicester midfield Youri Tielemans comfortably converted.
Two things were absolutely clear from the 2–5 loss at home for the Citizens. Firstly, when the team has to rely on a centre-back to find some numbers on the board, it’s certainly some finishing issues which are haunting the forward personnel. Secondly and lastly, as Sir Alex Ferguson says — “Defence wins you titles…” — Manchester City might never win anything again until they sort out their defence.
Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham sets Old Trafford on fire with a 1–6 win
It is a very rare sight when a head coach steals the limelight instead of the two footballing giants who are clashing. But it’s a regular sight when Jose Mourinho is involved.
As the Special One walked out of the tunnel at Old Trafford, he had revenge in his mind. Revenge from a club which had sacked him for lack of ambition. And here he was, with another club who had signed him for his very ambition and his title-filled resume.
Well, needless to say, Mourinho not only got his revenge, but served it sweet to his old employers. Manchester United were destroyed as Tottenham scored six past them at their famous home.
The game had its share of controversies though. In the early phase of the game, French International and Manchester United striker Anthony Martial was controversially sent off after a bust-up with Argentine Eric Lamela. While everyone would agree that the Argentine made an act out of a small heated moment by Martial, it changed the game.
The sending off was the least of United’s problems. In Spurs’ first goal by Tanguy N’dombele, United captain Harry Maguire and left-back Luke Shaw were seen trying to get the ball of each other’s feet with Maguire almost tackling Shaw in a bizarre scenario.
In search of goals in the second half of the game, manager Ole Gunner-Solskjaer substituted main creator Bruno Fernandes at half-time, which meant that it was unlikely that the club from red half of Manchester would score more goals.
But Tottenham were focused on their job and ruthless in their approach. As attackers Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son ran riot, a man of the match performance by right-back Serge Aurier meant that Tottenham exposed all of United’s weaknesses in a 1–6 win away from home.
It will be interesting to see how Manchester United recover from this debacle in the coming weeks.
Champions Liverpool concede shocking seven goals at Villa Park
Never in the history of England’s first division has a title-holder conceded more than 6 goals in the following season. But the red half of Merseyside has been all about breaking records for the past few seasons. This time, it was a negative record though.
Fans would remember Liverpool’s famous win against Aston Villa a few months back on their way to their first title in 30 years. Why was it so special? Villa failed to touch the ball in Liverpool’s box for a single time in the entire ninety minutes. Dominance.
With this backdrop on their minds, Liverpool paid a visit to Villa Park for their 4th game of the season. What followed could have been the worst night in some of the players’ careers.
Underestimating Aston Villa, who were fighting to avoid relegation just two months back, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool were embarrassed by the Lions from Aston as they put 7 past the Champions of England.
New signing Ollie Watkins, who was playing in the Championship last season, would have never dreamed about scoring a hat-trick against Liverpool and that’s exactly what he did in his full home debut on Sunday night. It was the newcomer’s paradise as new loan-signing from Chelsea, Ross Barkley too scored on the night which marked his figures of two goals in his last two games against the mighty Reds. John McGinn too washed his hands in the riot with a 35th minute goal.
Two goals from main-men Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) at each end had hardly any bearing on the result as Villa stunned England and possibly Europe. They surely made some headlines for Monday morning.
With the other top European leagues having a complacent start, the English Premier League surely has compensated for worth-while entertainment in world football. Despite the unpredictability in the English first division, we at Mighty Tips take all possible efforts in our research to present the betting audience with the best predictions and possible events in the game.
Nevertheless, one thing is for sure, if the Premier League can present so much passionate chaos in just 4 weeks, the next 34 weeks in England are going to be full of excitement and top footballing action.