BY MATT HOOY and ATIBA JACKSON
1) Jordan Henderson’s magnificent long-range strike proved the difference continuing Liverpool’s impressive start to the season.
With the game 1-0 favouring Liverpool 10 minutes before half time, the ball fell to the Liverpool captain 25m out and after taking one touch, Henderson magnificently struck the ball into right hand corner of the net, with Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois left powerless.
Chelsea were always going to push forward in the second half and did peg back one goal through Diego Costa but it was Henderson’s strike that proved the difference after Dejan Lovren had given Liverpool the early lead, neatly tucking away a cross after being left unmarked in the box.
It marks an impressive start to the season for Liverpool with victories already over Arsenal, Chelsea and reigning Premier League champions Leicester City. Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp will be impressed with his side's performance over Chelsea, with it feeling like a more controlled and mature performance than their two barnstorming wins thus far this season. (AJ)
2) No Agüero no problem as Manchester City's scintillating early season form continues.
With Sergio Agüero serving the first of his three-match violent conduct ban for elbowing West Ham's Winston Reid last time out, the rest of Manchester City’s attackers picked up the slack putting four great team goals in the books against their outclassed opponents Bournemouth.
Kevin De Bruyne was able to put City in front, sneaking a low free-kick under the wall following a Bournemouth foul. It was a dominant display by De Bruyne who was involved in all four of City’s goals, with his teammates in equally devastating form. The league leaders cut Bournemouth apart with their counterattacks, scoring twice with the hard running attackers Kelechi Iheanacho and Raheem Sterling both rewarded with tap-ins.
İlkay Gündoğan, in his premier league debut, was able to calmly slot in a fourth, with Manchester City comfortably 4-0 up with just over an hour of football in the books.
It marks eight consecutive victories for Pep Guardiola since taking over as manager and the league watches on as Manchester City’s form becomes more ominous by the week. (AJ)
3) Leicester City’s record striker Slimani is off to a flying Premier League start.
Islam Slimani, who arrived in the summer for a reported record fee of £29m from Sporting Lisbon, had quite a league debut. With Slimani having already missed an earlier chance, he was able to finish two headers either side of half-time to set up Leicester City’s second win of the season. The scoring was opened when the striker was able to powerfully head home Christian Fuchs’ free kick in first half stoppage time.
With Riyad Mahrez back at his best tormenting Burnley’s defenders, he whipped in a low ball from the left and after the ball was deflected off Jamie Vardy’s heel, Slimani was able to coolly head home his second from close range.
With a late own goal for Burnley, Leicester City was able to end the match as 3-0 victors. It marks the end of a positive return to form for the champions with another 3-0 win coming in their first Champions League game against Club Brugge midweek. Manager Claudio Ranieri will be hoping that form continues after an indifferent start to the campaign for last season’s fairytale champions. (AJ)
4) Arsenal make the most of 10-men Hull City to cruise to a 4-1 away victory.
The sending off of Hull City’s Jake Livermore for handball just before half time set the platform for Arsenal to storm to victory with three second half goals.
Arsenal were able to get the lead early, with a 17th minute strike by Alexis Sanchez, but he was later unable to convert from the penalty spot when Livermore handled the ball in the box.
Nonetheless with second half goals to Theo Walcott, Sanchez again and Granit Xhaka, Arsenal were able to overcome their missed opportunities to win three consecutive Premier League games for the first time in 2016. It sets up an interesting clash with rivals Chelsea in Match Day 6 with both teams securing 10 points in league play thus far. (AJ)
5) Statistical domination means nothing as West Bromwich Albion storm past West Ham United 4-2 at The Hawthorns.
On paper it was a game dominated by West Ham. West Ham had 23 shots on goal to five, with West Brom only managing 30 per cent of possession across the afternoon. But dominating the ball counts for little, as West Brom were able to turn their five shots on target into four goals and a resounding victory for West Brom manager Tony Pulis, in a match that was largely decided before half time.
Record signing Nacer Chadli from Tottenham was able to score a brace as the Baggies flew to a 4-0 lead after an hours of play. West Ham briefly entertained a comeback with two goals in four minutes to make the home fans a bit uncomfortable for the final 20 minutes of the game. But Albion was able to hold on to get their first home league win of the season.
It was an important win that lifted West Brom into eighth on the table but for West Ham, it is only three points from their first five games and manager Slaven Bilic will be hoping to turn his team’s season around as they travel home to take on another underperforming team in Southampton in Match Day 6. (AJ)
6) Gareth the man, Gareth the moment
It was a day to remember for Everton hero Gareth Barry, who scored on his 600th Premier League appearance. Everton had to come from behind to secure a 3-1 victory, which made it all the more enjoyable for Barry’s Man of the Match performance.
With Romelu Lukaku putting in another outstanding performance, the Toffees move into second place on the table, two points clear of Tottenham and two points behind Manchester City.
Despite being very early into the 16/17 campaign, Ronald Koeman has kick-started his team into gear, showing that they are ready to play in Europe and even contend for titles. With a goal difference of +7, The Toffees are delivering on their attacking game-style, providing many highlights for the fans at Goodison Park. (MH)
7) Capoue does it again
The Barclays Premier League has done it again. This time in the form of Watford’s Etienne Capoue. Each year there seems to be a breakout player, a breakout team or a bizarre run of events that make the Premier League that much more intriguing. It took 34 minutes for Capoue to score his fourth goal of the season, this time against the struggling Manchester United. His early season form has seen Watford cement themselves into 9th place.
Despite Manchester United dominating most of the play, it was Watford who came out 3-1 victors at Vicarage Rd. Another poor performance for England captain Wayne Rooney and the most expensive player in the world Paul Pogba, meant that United have slipped to seventh place, already six points behind league leaders and noisy neighbours Manchester City. (MH)
8) Who is going to be the one to give Stoke hope?
Another game, another four goals conceded for Stoke, as Crystal Palace handed them their fourth loss of the season. A wonderful display from Palace meant two early goals shut out any chance of a Stoke fight back. It got worse from there as James McArthur and Andros Townsend both found the back of the net in the second half, making it 4-0. It took all of extra time for Stoke to score, with Marko Arnautovic netting the consolation goal.
It remains to be seen who Stoke’s saviour will be, as players are certainly down on confidence and down on morale. Xherdan Shaqiri’s absence through injury has been a problem and Stoke will welcome his return, but they will need more than just the Swiss International to turn their season around. (MH)
9) Charlie Austin gives Southampton their first
Southampton’s early season form has been something to forget, however getting their first win of the 16/17 season puts them on the right track. It was a relatively dull performance from both sides, with Swansea not providing much attacking and Southampton off target for the majority of the match. It took the Saints just over an hour to finally put one through Swansea’s stopper Lukasz Fabianski.
Charlie Austin had only been on for 10 minutes but his presence gave Southampton a massive boost in momentum, having hit the post with a header only moments before he scored his first goal of the season. Austin’s "super-sub" performance may have him knocking on the door for a starting role in the coming weeks, with Shane Long putting in another so-so performance. (MH)
10) A Spur in the side for Kane’s heroics
It was not all good news for Tottenham, despite coming out 1-0 victors over a struggling Sunderland outfit. Harry Kane managed to score the winner for the Spurs, but not without cost, as he later suffered an injury which will force him to sit on the sidelines for over a month.
Tottenham’s performance was dominant, winning the key stats impressively, having nearly 74 per cent of possession, as well as 31 shots - 19 up to half time. Despite the on field dominance, Sunderland weathered the storm for nearly an hour, a testament to their young keeper and sturdy defence.
The game took many turns, with Adnan Januzaj seeing red, Kane scoring and Black Cats stopper Jordan Pickford pulling off some exquisite saves.
Tottenham now sit in third place, four points behind City and four behind Everton. (MH)