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Premier League week 5: hits and misses

By Jocelyn Taub

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Sadio Mane of Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool celbrate victory in the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Sadio Mane of Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool celbrate victory in the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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Which teams and players stood out after week five of Premier League action? Here’s a look at this weekend’s hits and misses

Week five of the Premier League season is in the books.  36 goals were scored, 31 yellow cards were issued and there were three recipients of red cards. It was a weekend without any draws. Therefore ten teams walked away with all three points while ten others were left to rue what went wrong.

Five positives from the weekend:

  • Liverpool went to Stamford Bridge and left with all three points. Jurgen Klopp’s team scored twice in the first half. The second goal was a superb strike from 25 yards out by Jordan Henderson. Liverpool have now defeated Arsenal, Leicester and Chelsea  and are making pundits and fans take notice.

Newcomers to the league got on the score sheet. Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka announced his arrival with a spectacular long-range screamer.  Leicester’s Algerian striker Islam Slimani scored a brace as the Foxes defeated Burnley 3-0. It was Slimani’s first appearance for the champions.

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  • Manchester City kept up their perfect start to the season with a convincing 4-0 win over Bournemouth. They now have 15 points and top the early league table.
  • Everton and Tottenham both won and in addition to Manchester City, remain the only other Premier League clubs without a defeat.
  • Manchester United dominated the pre and post match conversation as the Red Devils visited Vicarage road. Instead, it was Watford that deserved the headlines. United’s stars faltered while Troy Deeney and his teammates kept their composure and deservedly won 3-1.
Sunderland’s Belgian midfielder Adnan Januzaj (R) is sent off by referee Mike Dean during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland at White Hart Lane in London, on September 18, 2016. / AFP / Ian KINGTON / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images)
Sunderland’s Belgian midfielder Adnan Januzaj (R) is sent off by referee Mike Dean during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland at White Hart Lane in London, on September 18, 2016. / AFP / Ian KINGTON / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images) /

Five negatives from the weekend:

Of course with the good, there’s also the bad. Here’s a look at the misses from the past weekend.

  • Jose Mourinho and Manchester United were one of several preseason favorites to win the league. Perhaps those predictions were a bit premature. The Red Devils’ loss to Watford was the club’s third consecutive defeat. Also worrying was the ineffective play of stars Wayne Rooney and record signing Paul Pogba.
  • Sunderland and Stoke are early season favorites for the drop. Stoke were on the losing end at Crystal Palace and remain winless. Making matters worse, manager Mark Hughes was sent to the stands and has been fined £8K for improper conduct during the match.

At White Hart Lane, Sunderland fell victim to Spurs. Despite only losing 1-0 the stats tell a   different story. Sunderland had just 26% of the possession and were outshot by Tottenham 31-6. Like Stoke, Sunderland remain at the bottom of the table with just one point from five  matches.  Adding to the Blackcats’ misery, on loan winger Adnan Januzaj saw red and was  sent off.

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  • It was only one loss, but new Chelsea boss Antonio Conte wasn’t impressed as his side were on the losing end 1-2 to Liverpool. He supposedly read the riot act to his players after the match. Meanwhile fans questioned Conte’s decision not to make substitutions until the 84th minute.
  • Expectations for West Ham coming in to this season were high. While it’s still early, there are troubling signs around Steven Bilic’s side. The Hammers have lost four of their first five matches and (pardon the pun) have been hammered in several. Former Newcastle striker and Match of the Day presenter Alan Shearer summed up Saturday’s 4-2 loss to West Brom perfectly,

"“It was a horror show, so bad it was like watching an under-10s team. It was laughable and extraordinary.“I have not seen defending like that for a long time. It was so bad it was unbelievable.”"

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