After enduring the past weekend of international football, club football resumed action this past weekend. Manchester City and Liverpool kicked things off in Gameweek 4 of the Premier League that featured high-scoring games, high fliers and, again, red cards.
While all eyes are now set on the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, let’s take a look at some of the things we learned from watching the 4th round of games in the Premier League.
- Mane, Not Countinho, is Liverpool’s Main Man
Before the season began, most Liverpool fans would have found it hard to imagine life without Philippe Coutinho. He seemed to be the one running the show in the camp of the Reds. But he had been unsettled by all the “Barcelona transfer fuss” and as thus he wasn’t allowed to play for the Reds.
While Liverpool fans were dreading the Brazilian’s absence, one man was busy stepping up to the plate. His name? Saido Mane. The Senegalese scored for Liverpool in the first three games of the season, thereby winning the Premier League Player of the Month award for August and making light work of the absence of Coutinho.
So it was no surprise when Liverpool conceded 4 more goals after Mane was sent off for a badly-timed tackle on Manchester City goalkeeper, Ederson. With him on the pitch, they looked alive, and threatened the Cityzens. In his absence, the Liverpool squad fell apart, and let Pep Guardiola’s army run the show.
Is another loss in the offing for Liverpool?
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- Stoke City, the Spoilers
Before Manchester United’s visit to Stoke City, the numbers all pointed to one thing: the Red Army would find life hard at the Bet365 Stadium. But, Jose Mourinho’s side had looked like an unstoppable force. They had “managed” to score 10 goals in the first three games of the campaign without conceding any!
So, it was okay to assume that they would blow away the Premier League side with the highest amount of Champions League winners. But history, and Mark Hughes, had other ideas.
In the end, Manchester United conceded twice and failed to win the game. Now, the Potters have successfully shown the rest of the Premier League that Jose’s Red Army is not invincible… at least not yet.
Will they bounce back from their draw at Stoke City?
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- Guardiola’s City is Becoming a Fortress to be Feared
The last time Manchester City scored 5 unreplied goals, it was against Watford in their last game of the 2016/2017 Premier League season. Their 5 nil win over Liverpool over the weekend sort of put to bed some of the criticisms that they had faced since the season began.
Yes, the Mane red card played its own role but there’s not overlooking the Aguero-Jesus partnership that produced three of the five goals scored on the day. The Kevin de Bruyne factor and the well-timed cross-ins from Mendy also showed that Man. City is a work in progress.
Most will tell you that the Cityzens have a squad capable of pulling out a rabbit from any kind of hat. Their rampant display on Sunday reiterated that fact and reminded us of how deadly they can be.
The last time Pep’s side visited Watford, they scored five goals.
Will lightning strike twice come Saturday?
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- Lukaku and Morata Can’t Stop Scoring…
… and this is probably the best thing to happen to both Manchester United faithfuls and Chelsea fans this season. Both players bought during the summer transfer window have, in one way or the other, proved their mettle so far this season.
Will they be able to keep up the goal scoring trend when Gameweek 5 comes around? Share your thoughts with us by leaving us a comment. You can also mention the player or team that impressed you during Gameweek 4 of the Premier League.
Cheers to a great week ahead!
Tags: premier league, premier league gameweek 4, premier league gameweek 4 lessons
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