Premier League Matchday 5: What we learned
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Here we are five games into the English Premier League season and things really are downright exciting. Over the weekend, some teams stepped their games up, while others really dropped the ball.
What stood out above everything else? Well, in this piece we have our four main takeaways from the action, of course including Chelsea's brilliant 3-0 win over Tottenham.
4. Chelsea is a legit title contender this season
If you take a look at the English Premier League table right now, you can see that Chelsea is No. 1 on the list. The Blues have looked superb this year, with the addition of Romelu Lukaku making a massive difference.
On Sunday, Chelsea traveled to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and left that side of London with a 3-0 victory. Remember, THFC beat Man City 1-0 there to open the year, but CFC was dominant. It was a massive victory and Chelsea fans can sure start dreaming about a title race.
3. Manchester City needs to wake up a bit
As for the reigning English Premier League champs, the weekend was nothing short of a disappointment for the club. Manchester City hosted Southampton at the Etihad Stadium, a game they should have had no issues winning.
Instead, things ended in a lifeless 0-0 draw. To make that result even worse, Man City only had one shot on target? What in the world, only one? That's where they really could have used Harry Kane. That kind of performance against Southampton is unacceptable for City. They've got to step it up.
2. Liverpool is ready to try and win the league this year
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, sometimes it's easy to forget that before last season, Liverpool recorded one of the best years we've seen in quite some time, as they won their first EPL title in 30 years.
Now, LFC is looking brilliant in 2021 again, with Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and others powering things. LFC is tied in points with Chelsea and Manchester United at the top of the table. With Virgil Van Dijk back from his injury too, life is good at Anfield. Expect the Reds to be in the mix for the trophy next spring too.
1. David De Gea and Jesse Lingard showed great heart for Man United
You've simply got to respect the Sunday showing for Manchester United stars David De Gea and Jesse Lingard. First, Lingard scored the game winner, doing so after his embarrassing mistake cost United against Young Boys in the Champions League. They lost that CL game 2-1.
After Lingard's goal put United up 2-1 against West Ham, Luke Shaw was called for a hand ball in the box, giving West Ham a penalty. Well, De Gea stepped up huge and blocked the attempt from Mark Noble, giving United all three points. The two have been showered with love and rightfully so.
DE GEA SAVES THE PENALTY TO WIN IT FOR UNITED. pic.twitter.com/HTPmhqaARF
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 19, 2021