PL MATCHDAY 8 REVIEW: Kudus auditions for WWE in red card weekend Fiesta
By Esosa Osa
Red was the colour on this matchday that featured a red card galore, near upsets, upsets and plenty of drama.
Spurs got things rolling with a 4-1 victory over fellow Londoners, West Ham. The Hammers opened their account through aspiring wrestler, Mohammed Kudus but the home team drew level before the interval with magic from Dejan Kulusevski. It was all Tottenham after the break as the game was done and dusted within 15 minutes of the second-half with goals from Yves Bissiouma, Heung-min Son and an Areola own goal. The goals however were not the main highlight as Kudus was sent off for slapping Micky van de Ven and Pape Sarr, suggesting a future career path in the WWE.
Southampton continued their romantic affair with relegation after slipping a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at home to Leicester. Cameron Archer and Joe Aribo sent St. Mary’s Stadium into euphoria with two goals under the half-hour mark. But a second-half comeback ignited by Facundo Buonanotte’s goal, kept alive with a red card for Ryan Fraser and a smashing penalty by Jamie Vardy was crowned with the last kick of the game by Jordan Ayew.
Fulham’s transition into reality continued with a 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa. The home side opened the scoring superbly after Raul Jimenez lashed home Bernd Leno’s pass inside five minutes but the visitors equalised through a wicked deflection from Morgan Rogers shot. The Cottagers were handed a penalty but was poorly taken by Andreas Pereira as Emiliano Martinez made the easiest save of his career. Ollie Watkins gave his side the lead from a corner-kick and won the foul which led to Joachim Andersen’s sending off in the 64th minute. Things went from bad to worse for Fulham with Issa Diop’s own goal. Villa’s Jaden Philogene-Bidace saw red late on but it made no difference on the outcome.
Everton’s resurgence breathed new life with a 2-0 away win over Ipswich with goals from Iliman Ndiaye and a Michael Keane rocket. Meanwhile, Newcastle tasted defeat at home in the hands of Brighton through a Danny Welbeck first-half goal. United came out on top against Brentford despite trailing at halftime to Ethan Pinnock’s goal. Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund’s first league goal of the season bought Erik Ten Hag more time on the job.
The weekend’s big upset came at the Vitality Stadium as Bournemouth defeated title contenders Arsenal, 2-0. The Gunners evening turned sour after William Saliba was sent off for a professional last man foul on Evanilson which sprung new life for the already confident home side. The result of that confidence paid off with a well-worked corner-kick, ironically against the current kings of set-piece with Ryan Christie firing past David Raya in the 70th minute. Any hope of a miraculous comeback was nullified by Justin Kluivert from the spot.
Wolves looked to set up an upset of their own after taking the early lead through Jørgen Strand Larsen, further extending Man City’s streak without a league clean sheet to 7 games. City were caught off-guard again but were saved by Nelson Semedo’s poor finishing, reminiscent of Adama Traore. Josko Gvardiol’s stunning finish with his not-so-weak foot made it 1-1. It was all City after the break with the champions struggling to break the Wolves defence but with the last kick, John Stones saved the day again for the Citizens, heading Phil Foden’s corner past Jose Sa.
In their biggest test thus far, Liverpool triumphed over Chelsea in the weekend’s headliner. The Reds took the lead from the spot after Levi Colwill brought down Curtis Jones. Mo Salah sent Robert Sanchez the wrong way for 1-0. Before then it was all Chelsea as Liverpool sat deep and abandoned their high press. The Blues controlled proceedings but couldn’t conjure up clear-cut chances. The second half started in the best possible way for Enzo Maresca with Nicolas Jackson neatly finishing Moises Caicedo’s delightful through ball as the Ecuadorian bossed the midfield.
Chelsea’s defence was caught napping by a fantastic cross by Mo Salah which Curtis Jones finished off. Both teams continued to push for a goal and the Blues were helped by Pedro Neto’s electric movement but the scores remained the same at the final whistle. The Blues left with positives like the return of Captain Reece James and Romeo Lavia, and a good tactical display at Anfield. Nottingham Forest closed out the gameweek under the lights with 1-0 win over visiting Palace thanks to Chris Wood.