PL MATCHDAY 6 REVIEW: Palmer Iconic against Brighton, Manchester United devoid of Glory
By Esosa Osa
It was another unforgettable matchday in the Premier League. Cole Palmer with an unforgettable performance against Brighton, Ipswich unbreakable against Villa and Manchester United, poor once again.
Life without Rodri who has been ruled out of the season with an ACL injury began sourly for Pep Guardiola as his side were held to a 1-1 draw at St. James’ Park. Eddie Howe’s gameplan was obvious from the start, press them high and start turnovers. It worked well until a silky goal reminiscent of a winger was slotted in by defender Josko Gvardiol in the 35th minute. Before the break, Joelinton forced a fine save from Ederson, City ahead at half-time.
The home side continued in their plan after the interval, conjuring up half-chances in the process. Not far into the second half, Newcastle were awarded a penalty after Ederson was judged to have brought down Anthony Gordon. The Englishman who stood in as a makeshift 9 in place of the injured Alexander Isak dispatched the equaliser. City fought for the winner till the end but settled for a draw with no solution in sight.
Cole Palmer gave us a performance for the ages as he became the first player to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League game, in Chelsea’s 4-2 win over Brighton. The Blues found themselves behind seven minutes in after Robert Sanchez left his post unguarded, giving Georginio Rutter’s soft header an easy entry. In a very open first half, the Blues equalised after Adam Webster lost the ball to Nicolas Jackson who in return teeed up Cole Palmer to level matters.
Jadon Sancho who is experiencing a rejuvenation at Chelsea and completed six dribbles at the end of the game was fouled inside the area. Palmer made it 10 over 10 from the spot in the PL for a 2-1 lead. He lifted the roof off Stamford Bridge with a sublime free-kick in the 31 minute for his hat-trick. Sanchez was again the culprit as he gifted Carlos Baleba his first PL goal to make the game a contest again.
Palmer was having none of it as he fired home Sancho’s pass for 4-2, simply sensational. The second half was characterized by Palmer’s mind-blowing creativity, missed chances and improved defending by the Blues with the score the same at the final whistle.
Arsenal were tested till end in a 6-goal encounter against Leicester. The first half went as expected with the Gunners scoring two goals. The first from Gabriel Martinelli, his first since March. The second from, Leandro Trossard, assisted by Martinelli. The second half took an unprecedented turn with James Justin deflected header finding the back of David Raya’s net.
The Gunners continued to press for a third but Mads Hermansen was having the performance of his life, stopping everything that came his way. Thereafter, the Emirates was silenced by Justin’s volley and goal of the season contender. The hosts refused to relent to Hermansen’s prowess and were paid dividend when Trossard’s effort was diverted in by Wilfred Ndidi. Later on, a scrappy goal by Kai Havertz sealed the win.
Brentford continued their trend of early goals against West Ham. A spectacular finish again by Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring but Tomas Soucek’s 54th minute equaliser closed out the affair. At the City Ground, Raul Jimenez sole penalty goal handed Forest their first defeat of the season.
It was an afternoon of relief for Everton as they registered their first win against Crystal Palace. Palace looked dangerous from set-pieces and were rewarded after Captain Marc Guehi opened the scoring from a resulting corner-kick inside 10 minutes. Two Fabulous strikes by Dwight McNeil calmed the nerves at Goodison Park, at least for now.
In Saturday’s late kickoff, Liverpool claimed a 2-1 win over Wolves. The Reds opened the scoring through Ibrahima Konate after a well-taken cross by Diogo Jota. Konate was again the centre of attention but this time as the culprit. A big mistake by the Frenchman resulted in Rayan Ait Nouri’s equaliser. Shortly after, Liverpool were awarded a penalty after Diogo Jota was bullied down by Nelson Semedo inside the box. Mo Salah stepped up and the rest is history.
Ipswich Town put a brave display to hold Villa to a 2-2 draw at Portman Road. Liam Delap opened and then closed the scoring with a scintillating goal as Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins were on the scoresheet for Villa. Manchester United equalled their worst start to a season with a 3-0 home defeat against Tottenham. The visitors opened the scoring through in-form Brennan Johnson after Micky van de Ven easily ran through the United defence to set up a tap-in.
United looked toothless in attack and it was Tottenham producing the best chances, Andre Onana denying James Maddison and Timo Werner. Things went downhill for Erik ten Hag after Captian Bruno Fernandes was given a straight red card for a reckless foul on James Maddison before halftime. Hopes of a comeback were immediately shattered with Dejan Kulusevski’s finish two minutes after the interval.
Dominic Solanke ending the scoring in the 77th minute with the United faithful thankful it was only 3. The result throws more doubt over Ten Hag’s future. Bournemouth ended the gameweek with a 3-1 win over relegation contenders Southampton, with goals from Evanilson, Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo.
