Here’s what happened in the Premier League this weekend, in case you missed it…
READ ALL ABOUT IT
• Saturday: Man United thrashes Swansea, Liverpool wins and more
• Sunday: Huddersfield remains perfect, Alonso rescues Chelsea
WATCH MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Swansea City 0, Manchester United 4 || Bournemouth 0, Watford 2 || Burnley 0, West Bromwich Albion 1 || Leicester City 2, Brighton & Hove Albion 0 || Liverpool 1, Crystal Palace 0 || Southampton 3, West Ham United 2 || Stoke City 1, Arsenal 0 || Huddersfield Town 1, Newcastle United 0 || Tottenham 1, Chelsea 2
WHAT STOOD OUT
Not the end of the world for Spurs
There’s a tendency in sports punditry these days to play up single wins and loses bigger than they are; to extrapolate and to pontificate on the larger meaning, often times when there is no larger meaning. Sometimes stuff just happens.
Tottenham lost a heart breaker on Sunday. But for Hugo Lloris’ howler, Spurs would have earned a valuable point against Chelsea and be sitting near the top of the table with four points. Instead, Lloris’ let Marcos Alonso’s shot in the 88th minute skid underneath him, spoiling Tottenham’s Wembley debut and relegating Spurs to a mid-table position with three points.
Suggestions in the media and among the fan base that this was a critical game, and that this result could cost Spurs in the long run are, of course, absurd. Let’s take a breath for a moment. For 90 minutes, Tottenham played the champions of England very close and deserved more out of the game. Lloris’ blunder underlined how slim the margins are between winning and losing. But let’s hold off on proclamations about this being a blown opportunity for Spurs to have made a statement, or how this loss could eventually be the undoing of their title hopes.
It’s Matchday 2, for crying out loud! There are 36 games remaining on the schedule – plenty of time for Spurs to “right the ship” and overcome this “crisis.”
Manchester United looking dominant in early going
James Sharman, Danny Dichio and Craig Forrest discuss the dominance of Manchester United in just two fixtures this season, and much more.
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BEST GOAL
Aaron Mooy scored in the 50th minute, curling in a shot from 18 yards following a lovely one-two with Huddersfield teammate Elias Kachunga.
BEST MOMENT
A classy move by Premier League teams:
BEST MATCH
The first Premier League game held at Wembley Stadium provided an electric atmosphere – those waving flags, eh? – as well as a few twists and turns before Marcos Alonso’a second goal ruined the party for Spurs.
BEST QUOTE
“There was happiness in our play. There was no need to close the door. Just let the horses run freely, and they were magnificent.” – Jose Mourinho
BEST TWEET
36 more games like this please… @premierleague @ManUtd #mufc pic.twitter.com/NQApZ8v7P2
— Juan Mata García (@juanmata8) August 19, 2017
CRISIS CLUB OF THE WEEK
James Sharman, Danny Dichio and Craig Forrest discuss the state of West Ham United.
THE BIG QUESTION
Every week, Sportsnet’s soccer panel will debate The Big Question. Have your say by voting in the poll below:
SIX PACK OF STATS
• Manchester United have scored four or more goals in their opening two league games of a season for the first time in 110 years.
• Manolo Gabbiadini’s strike on Saturday ended Southampton’s run of nine hours and 15 minutes without a Premier League goal at St. Mary’s Stadium.
• All 38 of Javier Hernández’s Premier League goals have come from inside the box.
• West Bromwich Albion’s Hal Robson-Kanu is only the fourth player in Premier League history to score and be sent off after coming on as a substitute.
• Huddersfield Town on Sunday registered their first top-flight home win since November 1971, when manager David Wagner was just 39 days old.
• Marcos Alonso has scored more goals (eight) than any other defender in the Premier League since the start of last season.
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS
1) Marco Alonso, Chelsea: The Spanish wingback put in a man-of-the-match performance in helping to guide the champions to their first win of the season.
2) Henrik Mkhitaryan, Manchester United: Overshadowed by Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, the Armenian was the key cog in United’s attack as he helped to set up two goals.
3) Javier Hernandez, West Ham United: The Mexican bagged a brace in a losing effort for the Hammers.
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