Tottenham regain lead, spirited Arsenal stun Chelsea… EPL week 9 highlights

The English Premier league (EPL) returned following the international break and as expected with exciting fixtures.

We saw Liverpool win the Merseyside Derby, City get back to winning ways, Brentford demolish Burnley, Newcastle win West Ham, Luton picked up another valuable point while Chelsea and Arsenal had to settle for a share of the spoils and Tottenham back at the top of the league table.

Liverpool 2 vs Everton 0

As many expected, Liverpool had control of most of the game but it was a bit hard for the Reds to get the ball at the back of the net of their local rivals. At the end, it was a big win for Liverpool as Klopp got his ninth win against Everton to make him the most successful manager against their local rivals. Meanwhile, Everton with just seven points from nine league games now have the fewest at this stage of a league campaign since 2005.

Tottenham 2 vs Fulham 0

Leno stopped a goal from Son very early in the first half as Postecoglou’s team took control from the start. Spurs kept pushing and Son eventually got the opening goal in the 36th minute. In the second half, Fulham made adjustments that originally appeared to be successful, but on the 54 minute, Bassey fumbled the ball, and Maddison scored.

Jimenez, Cairney, and Wilson all had late chances for Fulham, but Spurs ultimately held on for a significant victory that returned them to the top of the Premier league standings. Postecoglou has won more points than any other Premier league manager in his first nine games in charge and Fulham has lost all 11 of their London derbies in the Premier League since winning Chelsea in January.

Man City 2 vs Brighton 1

After back-to-back defeats in the league just before the international break, Pep Guardiola’s side were happy to have Rodri back in the team. Haaland did get a goal however, Brighton almost proved too stubborn for the citizens.

Ansu Fati’s goal and Manuel Akanji’s red card late in the game gave City a serious scare but thank goodness they built a 2-0 lead in the first 19 minutes of the game and then played well enough to secure the three points. Pep Guardiola will only be concerned with the three points as they temporarily reclaimed the top seat for few hours.

Chelsea 2 vs Arsenal 2

The London derby always promises interesting games. Here, Chelsea stormed out of the gates at full speed, with Enzo testing Raya early in the match. Arsenal had a hard time getting involved in the game because they were unable to match the ferocious Chelsea. Sterling was creating problems for The Gunners, and his cross eventually resulted in a penalty being awarded. Palmer opened the scoreline on the 15th minute of the Derby with the penalty.

Arsenal later got into the match to preserved their unbeaten start to the Premier League season. They fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal supporters were happy by the comeback since it might be crucial in the title race. Pochettino on the other hand wasn’t so very delighted by the result because Chelsea, have definitely made progress in the last few games and after their perfect start in the derby, they expected a win.

Sheffield United 1 vs Man United 2

With this victory, the Red Devils made it two victories in a row as they are trying to recover from their shaky start to the season. The Blades appeared to be paying closer attention to the game, but McTominay managed to sneak in a volley against the in 28 minute.

Onana was forced to make saves by McBurnie and Archer, but he was powerless to stop Sheffield United’s equaliser in the 34th minute as McBurnie scored from spot.

In the second half, as United started to gain control of the game, Fernandes and Amrabat both struck the crossbar and the post. Dalot finally scored with a bending attempt in the 77th minute to give United the victory.

The last time United had a winning road streak in the Premier League was in December 2022. Meanwhile, Sheffield United has become just the fourth team in Premier League history to have just one point after nine games.