One of the best London derbies showed Arsenal at peak form and Spurs running into familiar problems. Elsewhere, Fulham were unable to stop Chelsea and sit in a miserable last place. Here are main stories in this week’s Premier League games.
Arsenal are further laying claim to playing their best campaign in years, as they managed a significant 4-2 against London rivals, Tottenham. In an enthusiastic match which offered plenty of action, it was Arsenal that displayed the mental fortitude needed to capture the three points.
Since his #PL debut in February, only Mo Salah (20) has scored as many goals in the competition as @Aubameyang7 (20) pic.twitter.com/DhSOefcc9w
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 3, 2018
Aubameyang and Lacazette delivered on the promises that got them signed to the Premier League in the first place, scoring spectacular goals and making the best use of the little space they were afforded. But it was Torreira’s goal that was the most satisfying, the midfielder managing to score after a series of well timed passes that sliced through Arsenal’s defense.
Tottenham find themselves having to reassess their situation after poor defensive mistakes and an overall feeling of mental fragility, found them unable to defend their first half lead. A long season is still ahead of the Londoners, but the lack of silverware, once more a realistic possibility, can prove crucial to the the club’s future.
Chelsea bounced back with a victory after last week’s disappointing 3-1 defeat to Spurs. Fulham were once again on the losing end and their inability to adjust to playing in the Premier League has become evident. Despite featuring a large number of talented players, Fulham’s frequent defensive mumbles see them lie last in the table, with 8 points from 14 matches, and a seemingly overwhelming struggle to avoid relegation.
The top two Premier League sides of the moment, Liverpool and Manchester City, both won their matches, but the victories didn’t produce quite the same level of effervescent display of previous months. Their crammed schedule is finally beginning to wear the players’ performances down and this may turn out to be a factor when it comes to crowning the EPL winner.
There are still few reasons to smile for Rafa Benitez as Newcastle slumped to a 3-0 home defeat to West Ham. Also surprising was the fact that the Hammers’ top players on the night were Chicharito Hernandez and Felipe Anderson, not frequent man of the match candidates. Newcastle may be out of the relegation zone for now, but they’re not done worrying about the drop.
In a match that left few pleased, Southampton held Manchester United to a 2-2 draw. The result, or rather the disappointing 18th place in the league, eventually lead to the dismissal of manager Mark Hughes. But things aren’t faring considerably better for Jose Mourinho, who’s players were once again unimpressive. The single bit of of good news may be that Rashford and Lukaku, once fighting for the same striker position, did play together, and both scored.
This is it. #MondayMotivation @MarcusRashford pic.twitter.com/yESn46JJQK
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 3, 2018
Wolverhampton lost away to Cardiff 2-1 as Wolves’ early enthusiastic start to the season has now stagnated. Yes, the team still has a good roster of players to choose from, but the team’s five defeats from their last six matches, should signal the fact that important changes need to be made quickly before the team starts to consider a drop.
The Premier League has a hasty return, on Tuesday, December 4th. A usual, all matches from Europe’s top league will be featured in FootballCoin contests. What you need to do is draft your dream teams and have them fighting for one of the top spots.
Eduard Bănulescu
