Premier League in a nutshell: a genius Salah, another Manchester United falter or an unconvincing Chelsea

The eighth round of the English league is already a thing of the past. In a number of matches there were big goal throws, in all duels 30 goals were scored (3 goals per game).Liverpool shot with gusto, who suffered a debacle to Watford, attractive spectacle also brought the showpiece of the round (Leicester won 4: 2), so the crisis of the Red Devils is deepening even more. Chelsea also won with a lot of luck, especially thanks to the great performance of goalkeeper Mendy. Is Solskjaer’s position under threat? What does the line-up look like?

Liverpool crushed Watford, Salah rampaged again

The opening game of this round brought a clash between Liverpool and Watford. Liverpool could move up to 1st place if they win, coach Ranieri made his debut on the Watford bench. It certainly wasn’t an ideal start for him at his new club.

Liverpool clearly dominated the game, clearly outplaying their opponents. The outsiders did almost nothing going forward, the LFC defence was almost out of work. Allison and Fabinho were missing in the starting lineup, but it didn’t affect the team’s performance.

The Reds won 5: 0 and confirmed their great performance. Salah (1 goal + 1 assist) tormented the opponent’s defense. The Egyptian passed a beautiful shayta to Mané for the first goal, in the second half he showed a brilliant solo, which ended with a beautiful goal.

An incredible moment that can aspire to be the goal of the season. Salah is in the form of his life, currently one of the best players in the world (10 games – 10 goals + 4 assists). Firmino also shone in the match, the Brazilian scored a hat-trick.

The productivity of Klopp’s squad is extraordinary, with 22 goals, which is the best Premier League attack. If Liverpool can maintain this performance, they can think about the title.

Leicester outshoot Ronaldo and co., away woes continue

The showpiece of the round offered a very attractive match that certainly entertained. A lot of goals were scored, there were some amazing moments in the duel and the final result was very surprising. It was a clash of teams that were not in ideal form.

In the first half each team made one goal. First, Greenwood scored with a beautiful shot, then Tielemans equalised for Leicester and his goal was also eye-catching. This match showed that both teams were similar in quality, with Leicester slightly dominating the home team and the visitors trying to surprise from quick actions.

The winner of the match was finally decided in the last 20 minutes, as both teams scored a total of 4 goals in the final passage. In the end, Leicester dominated the goal shootout, beating the Red Devils 4: 2. Goals by Vardy and Dacca finally broke the opposition’s resistance.

A well-deserved victory for Leicester. The best performance of the season. This win should kick-start them to better results and move up the table. For the visitors, on the other hand, it’s another falter as their gap to the top widens.

Another mediocre performance, shaky defending, midfield slumping, invisible Ronaldo. Coach Solskjaer can’t squeeze the most out of this great team, the latest results are clear proof of that. So far, the Norwegian coach has the support of the management. However, if the team’s crisis continues, his dismissal may come quite soon.

Chelsea beat Brentford, goalkeeper Mendy shines

The league leader had a very tough game against Brentford. The debutant of the competition is doing great, is in the top 10 and entertains with offensive football. However, the first half didn’t bring much attraction, the home team’s organized defense managed to eliminate the Blues’ attack. At the end of the half the favourite did get a chance, Chilwell hit a beautiful shot to send Chelsea into the lead.

The league leader was in control of the game until the 60th minute. It looked like they would go on to win comfortably. But after an hour of play, Brentford launched a great offensive carousel. Suddenly the home side began to dominate, Chelsea had to pull back and put all their efforts into defending a slender lead.

Brentford’s pressure was mounting. The league newcomer created several great chances, the equaliser was in the air, Toney and co. could have easily turned the game around. But the team’s finishing wasn’t ideal. Some great saves by the Chelsea goalkeeper, from a 100% chance Brentford only hit the bar, then kicked the ball off the line by a Blues defender.

The home team had several chances at the very end, but they didn’t get the equaliser. Mendy’s save was incredible, it was only thanks to him that Chelsea won. He also confirmed that he is currently one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Unlucky for Brentford, they totally outplayed their opponents in the second half, they should have got some points from this game. But due to poor productivity and the great Mendy, it didn’t quite work out. Still a great performance.

If the home team continues these performances, the fight for salvation will definitely not concern them. So Chelsea pull out the win and stay in the lead. But a very mediocre performance, 3 points is a miracle. They have to improve, otherwise they will lose unnecessarily.

West Ham take Everton’s scalp, Soucek misses out

The highlight of Sunday’s programme was the clash between Everton and West Ham. A clash of two well organised teams who pride themselves on excellent defensive play. Both Everton and West Ham defended excellently, big chances were scarce.

Both teams threatened either from long range or from the air. The game was very evenly matched, a very physical and competitive game from both sides.

Soucek could have opened the scoring, but his goal was disallowed due to offside. As time passed, it was obvious that the match would be decided by a single goal. In the 74th minute, Ogbonna scored from a corner to provide the decisive moment of the match. West Ham scored a valuable victory, jumped to 7th place in the table and are in direct contact with the best.

Soucek did not finish the game as he suffered a serious facial injury. Coufal also remains out of action. It is quite possible that West Ham’s next game will be without Czech representation. This is the first home loss of the season for Everton, currently in a solid 8th place.

Trivia of the round:

• Liverpool have not lost in 20 games in a row (all competitions), the longest streak under Jürgen Klopp
• Sadio Mané is the third African to break the 100-goal mark in the PL, joining Mohamed Salah and Didier Drogba
• Manchester United lose away after 30-match league unbeaten streak
• Norwich City are the only Premier League team yet to take the lead this season
• Édouard Mendy achieved his 20th clean sheet in his 38th PL start. Only Cech, Reina, Allison and Caroll have reached the milestone faster.
• The game against Tottenham was a special one for Steve Bruce, it was his 1000th game in charge from the coaching post.

Line-up of the round according to Whoscored::

Premier League table after Round 8::

Source: Twitter, Whoscored, OptaJoe