We had our first full round of PL action this weekend, with all ten teams participating (GW 1 didn’t have both Manchester sides playing), and here are our talking points from GW 2’s action.
44 goals scored this weekend
There were 44 goals scored in this round, a record for a Premier League season involving twenty teams. Every single game had at least one goal, and three fixtures- Everton v West Brom, Leeds v Fulham and Southampton v Spurs had seven goals each. It beat the previous record of 43 set back in February 2011.
Red Devils stunned
The shock of the weekend came at Old Trafford, where Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace stunned Manchester United 3-1. It was certainly not the way United fans would’ve expected this season to start after their strong finish to the 19/20 season, and it again underlines the need for some signings to be made before the transfer window closes. Palace star Wilfried Zaha, a former United player himself, scored a brace, including a re-taken one from the penalty spot after officials ruled that David de Gea had stepped off his line while saving the original one from Andre Ayew.
Liverpool claim crucial victory
After less than impressive performances on the opening weekend, both Liverpool and Chelsea were looking to make a statement in their GW2 clash at Stamford Bridge. Wincomparator had predicted a tight game between the two title contenders with Liverpool as marginal favourites, and it was a close affair until Andreas Christensen’s red card reduced Chelsea to ten men. The Reds then produced a stellar second half display to brush aside the Blues, with Sadio Mane scoring a brace.
Liverpool fans also got their first sight of Thiago Alcantara, and the Spaniard set a new league record for most passes in one half of footy, making 75 of them after replacing Jordan Henderson at the interval.
Everton also impressive
The blue half of Merseyside also had reason to celebrate as Everton came from behind to put five past Slaven Bilic’s West Bromwich Albion at Goodison Park. The Baggies were their own worst enemies, with Kieran Gibbs needlessly sent off, and Everton pounced. New signing James Rodriguez underlined his class with a fine individual goal. It’s early days, but the signs are very good for Toffees fans.
A tough start to the season for Sheffield United
Hugely impressive last season, the 20/21 campaign has been a tough one for SUFC. They went down 2-0 at home to Wolves in the opening round, and lost 1-0 to Villa here. Yes, they did play most of the game with ten men and also missed a penalty, but the Blades now boast the unwanted distinction of being the only side yet to score a goal in the league.