Premier League Gameweek 1: Everything You Missed

The Premier League is back and although there is still more than 300 games to go, we learnt a lot about the season ahead from game week one.

From Manchester City looking just as good as last year, to Cardiff and Huddersfield struggling on the first day, you know the results from the first weekend but there are some things you missed.

As a new feature this year, we will take you through all the moments that you missed but the cameras caught from each game week.

This week there were some embarrassing moments for some, including Klopp and his celebration but also some Premier League firsts, with the first female pundit on Sky Sports Super Sunday.

Scroll through the article and check out what you missed.

 

Matt Richie’s Anger

After creating his side’s goal in the first half, Matt Richie was absolutely fuming when Rafa Benitez substituted him in the second.

With Newcastle 2-1 down at home to Spurs, he would have backed himself to help his side in the closing stages salvage something. This still of the moment he sat on the bench gave him an almost Gordon Ramsay resemblance.

Tottenham’s 1cm goal

VAR might not be in use in the Premier League this season, but Spurs will be thankful that Goal line technology is.

When Jan Vertonghen headed towards goal, everyone at St. James’ Park and at home believed Martin Dubravka had made an incredible save.

 

However, the technology showed that Vertonghen’s effort had indeed crossed the line by 9mm, allowing referee Marton Atkinson to award the goal.

Jagielka’s Tackle And Tweet

In the first Saturday evening game of the season, newly promoted Wolves hosted Everton in a fiery encounter.

With the Toffees 1-0 up, the home side were given a lifeline when Phil Jagielka made a heavy touch before making a last ditch tackle on Diogo Jota.

Although it seemed Jagielka got the ball first, it was clear he was out of control and did catch Jota who would have been through on goal.

The Everton defender then took to Instagram to express his thoughts:

“Well done boys for a battling performance! Congrats to @richarlison for ⚽️⚽️ on your debut 💙. As for me I had a bad touch then tried to make up for it with a honest strong tackle, in my eyes I made a good attempt to get the ball (which i did) and I also can see I got player after. Gutted to be sent off but proud of the performance of the boys!”

 

Klopp’s Weird Celebration

There was a lot of expectation at Anfield in the early kick-off when Liverpool took on West Ham and the Reds truly delivered.

What was unexpected was manager Jurgen Klopp’s celebration when his side went 2-0 up late in the first half.

The positioning of his ‘double fist pump’ was suspect to say the least.

Salah Mobbed

Alot of that expectation at Anfield was on Mo Salah, would he continue where he left off last season?

After scoring the opener, chants of ‘Mo Salah, Mo Salah, running down the wing’ were heard in the stands.

One fan couldn’t contain himself as he ran on the pitch midway through the half to get a hug from the Egyptian.

New Technology On Sidelines

Finally at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp was making use of the relaxed rule on using smartphones or tablets on the sidelines.

It is elieved one of his coaches was monitoring individual player performances, including heart rates and fatigue.

Gascoigne Drunk On SoccerAm?

Before the action start on the Saturday, Sky Sports’ SoccerAm returned with their usual antics and a huge guest star in Paul Gascoigne.

After conducting his first interview, Gazza went missing from the rest of the broadcast, with many claiming he was drunk on set.

The former England international took to Twitter later that day to blame ‘new sleeping pills’ for his early exit.

Pogba And Sanchez Row

It all kicked off on Friday, literally and theoretically at Old Trafford as Man United entertained Leicester City.

When United were awarded a penalty in the 3rd minute, Alexis Sanchez was desperate to take it having won it in the first place.

But captain Paul Pogba had other ideas, what followed was a heated but restrained conversation, which resulted on Pogba taking the ball to the spot and luckily for him, scoring.

Alex Scott On Super Sunday

For the first time ever, a woman sat in as a pundit on Sky Sports’ Super Sunday coverage.

Alex Scott, who impressed many during the BBC’s World Cup coverage in the summer, joined Jamie Carragher and Phil Souness on the panel, making her first ever appearance.

We hope that this is Scott’s first of many.

Coin Thrown At Ryan Fraser

After scoring his side’s opener, Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser was ‘paid’ by Cardiff City supporters after a fan threw two coins at him later on in the match.

Fair play to Fraser who simply picked up the coins and got on with the game. The FA are officially looking into the incident.

Leeds must move to sign Reece Oxford on season-long loan deal

According to reports in The Daily Mail, West Ham United are reportedly ready to send highly-rated defender Reece Oxford out on another season-long loan deal, and Championship high-flyers Leeds United must bring the teenager to Elland Road.

What’s the word, then?

Well, following two loan spells with German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach during the 2017/18 campaign, it at one point looked certain that the 19-year-old would be on his way out of the London Stadium this summer.

However, The Daily Mail report that Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini has previously stated that he wants to keep the versatile youngster – who can play in defensive midfield as well as in the backline – this season.

However, The Daily Mail say that the Chilean manager now wants to send Oxford out on loan to get the regular football he needs to aid his development, with clubs in Germany, France and Spain all said to be monitoring the situation, while a move to the Championship surely won’t be ruled out.

Why should Leeds move for Oxford?

It was clear when he made his debut and won the man-of-the-match award as a 16-year-old in his side’s win against Arsenal at the beginning of the 2015/16 that the teenager had something about him, but in all honesty he has failed to really kick on then for whatever reason.

Questions marks have been raised over his attitude at times, but the 19-year-old will know that his next loan move will determine whether he has a long-term future at West Ham or not, and thusly he will surely want to excel.

Leeds were missing Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper in the 2-2 draw against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night which highlighted their need for an extra body at the back moving forward, and the undeniably classy Oxford would arrive at Elland Road able to play both at centre-back as well as covering Kalvin Phillips in the defensive midfield role.

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Player Zone: Why Alex Iwobi could be a crucial player in Emery’s first season

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Once described by Mesut Ozil as a mixture between his famous uncle Jay-Jay Okocha and former Champions League winner Edgar Davids, Arsenal fans have a right to expect more from Alex Iwobi at this stage of his career.

Three years on from his first-team debut, the Nigerian international is still very much a fringe element in the Arsenal setup and his most well-known moment for the north London club, rather than any display of irresistible brilliance on the pitch, remains arguably being snapped at a drug-fuelled party just hours before the Gunners crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Nottingham Forest in January – a defeat that probably played a telling hand in Arsene Wenger’s eventual departure.

Indeed, 99 Arsenal appearances have brought ten goals and 18 assists.

It’s a decent return for a player of Iwobi’s age, but when compared to the offensive-minded 22-year-olds at some of Arsenal’s divisional rivals like Dele Alli – 47 goals and 41 assists in 148 Tottenham outings – or Leroy Sane – 23 goals and 27 assists in 89 appearances for Manchester City – much is inevitably left to be desired. Iwobi seems to be several steps behind in the development curve, despite coming from renowned footballing stock and being part of the Arsenal setup since his primary school days.

But it would be unfair to label Iwobi as yet another Premier League youngster who has failed to embrace the chances gifted to him since childhood. His unspectacular road to maturity which still awaits that moment of truly exploding into life is painfully symptomatic of the last decade of Wenger’s reign.

During that time, how many irrefutably talented wonderkids have really maximised their full potential? If we’re criticising Iwobi at 22 for only marginal progression, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Calum Chambers and Carl Jenkinson can all be accused of the same crime at much more advanced stages of their careers.

So the appointment of Unai Emery represents something of a fresh start for the Nigerian international, working under the direction of a manager with fresher, more detailed and precise ideas.

But for the new Arsenal boss too, Iwobi could be an incredibly important figure in his first season at the Emirates Stadium simply because of the nature of the squad he inherited from Wenger – something that became increasingly evident in Arsenal’s spirited 3-2 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, especially when compared to a far more humbling loss to Manchester City the weekend previous.

With Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the wings against the reigning champions, Arsenal’s midfield became painfully dysfunctional, allowing their defensive flanks to be repeatedly exposed. Tellingly, only the introduction of Stephan Lichtsteiner managed to halt the relentless flow of traffic down Arsenal’s left, while both of City’s goals were sourced from Benjamin Mendy’s powerful runs down the Gunners’ right on the overlap.

Ozil and Mkhitaryan just didn’t offer the necessary protection in those wide roles and while they received plenty of criticism, we probably shouldn’t be all that surprised. After all, both have made careers from being central playmakers at the heart of the action, so neither are particularly effective at tracking back, exploding into space on the break or providing moments of sheer brilliance from wide positions.

Structurally too, they’re always looking to drift inside and take up more central roles; that’s all well and good in possession, but as soon as the ball’s turned over they’re already out of position – leaving their full-backs in two-on-one scenarios.

That’s where Iwobi comes into the equation, as a more conventional wide player rather than someone doing a job on the wing hoping they get chances to find space in-field. In comparison to the City defeat, while Mkhitaryan gave Marcos Alonso practically the freedom of London at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Chelsea’s impact on Iwobi’s flank was far less devastating and in fact, it’s where Arsenal caused the Blues the most problems during a 15-minute spell in which they could have easy taken the lead rather than merely levelling the scores. Iwobi’s equaliser, though, was just reward for an afternoon of hard work.

In the long-term, Iwobi is probably more of a central player as well. Wenger even lined him up as part of a midfield three at times last season, and he lacks the natural pace and power you’d expect of a modern day Premier League forward – someone who eats up ground on the counter-attack and is much part of the forward line as the midfield.

But right now, in a squad where the other genuine wide options only really include Danny Welbeck and youngsters like Reiss Nelson, Iwobi’s relative comfort on the wing and discipline in that role offers Emery vital balance to probably his most troubled department – one that oozes offensive talent but lacks efficient structure.

And while many Arsenal fans will feel that, if a natural wide-man is indeed the solution to some of the problems Emery’s 4-2-3-1 and consequential team selections have caused during their first two games of the season, an upgrade on Iwobi should be signed in January, we shouldn’t write off the youngster just yet.

After all, his longest ever run in Arsenal’s Premier League starting XI has been just ten games. But now the African attacker’s in a position where he undertakes an important role in the functionality of the team, that could provide the chances and the platform he needs to really raise performance levels in the coming months. There are no guarantees in football, but this space is certainly worth watching.

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Leeds should forget Nick Powell and sign Izzy Brown from Chelsea instead

According to a report by TEAMtalk, Leeds United are one of the clubs interested in signing in-form Wigan Athletic attacking midfielder Nick Powell, but they should forget about him and sign highly-rated Chelsea attacker Izzy Brown on loan instead.

What’s the word, then?

Well, TEAMtalk report that the Whites – along with Championship rivals Middlesbrough, Aston Villa West Bromwich Albion and Derby County, and Scottish Premiership holders Celtic – are all keen on Powell, who the Latics are said to be willing to sell for £5m.

The link to Powell suggests that Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa is looking to find some competition for Samu Saiz in the central attacking midfield role, and it is no surprise that the 24-year-old Wigan man is on his radar seeing as he has scored three goals and provided a further four assists in four Championship appearances already this term.

Despite Leeds’ promising start to the league campaign, the Argentine boss clearly isn’t finished there in his bid to have a squad that he feels is capable of finally securing a long-awaited return to the Premier League.

Why should they sign Brown instead?

TEAMtalk report that despite Leeds’ interest, it is Middlesbrough that appear favourites to get Powell, and the Yorkshire club would be better off raiding Chelsea for a loan player for the third time this summer – something they are able to do as Brown is under 23 years of age.

The 21-year-old is close to a return to first-team action after suffering a serious injury during a loan spell with Brighton and Hove Albion last term, and having starred for Huddersfield Town at this level before he looks to have all of the attributes to be a success for the Whites in their bid to secure a top-flight return this season, and would link up brilliantly with someone like Kemar Roofe.

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Fixture in Focus Podcast – Episode 5 – England v Spain

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It’s the most frustrating week of the year – just when we got used to getting club football back, international football returns and takes it all from us again.

After England’s heroic World Cup exploits in Russia, it’s fair to say most of the country has fallen back in love with the Three Lions but now we have to get behind them in a tournament no one knows anything about.

Gareth Southgate takes his warriers in to battle against Spain in the new Nations League at Wembley on Saturday and James, Chris and Christy discuss what this newly formed competition is, what to expect from England and whether Spain are still the feared footballing nation they once were.

Don’t worry, we’ll be back with proper football chat next week.

Make sure you follow us on Twitter @FixtureInFocus and please do subscribe on your podcast platform of choice to ensure you don’t miss any future episodes!

Enjoy!

Revealed: Majority of Everton fans want Zouma to start against West Ham United

When Kurt Zouma joined Everton on transfer deadline day, it was unclear how much game time the defender would have.

Injury curtailed his progress at Chelsea, hence why he spent last season on loan at Stoke City and is now on a temporary deal at Goodison Park.

Zouma earned his first Everton start prior to the international break where he partnered Mason Holgate at the heart of the defence in a 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town.

On Sunday, Marco Silva’s side will take on West Ham United, but they are dealing with an injury crisis.

Seamus Coleman was recently added to the list, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffered a knock while playing for the England Under-21s on Tuesday night.

In defence, the Toffees are also slightly limited as there are doubts about the availability of Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Phil Jagielka.

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Zouma is likely to start against the Hammers anyway, but in a recent poll we conducted, it seems that the majority of Everton fans were always keen on the centre-back keeping his place.

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Potential deal for Anthony Martial could piece of business for Arsenal

Arsenal had a tough start to the season as they were beaten by Chelsea and Manchester City to kick off the Unai Emery era.

The Gunners recovered from their two opening losses to beat West Ham and Cardiff City to go into the international break.

Over the summer, Arsenal brought in five new players to rejuvenate the squad. Arsenal strengthened at the back, in goal and midfield but crucially didn’t sign a winger. As it stands, the Gunners only have Alex Iwobi, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as viable wing options.

Martial has been linked with Arsenal in the past and according to the Sun, Martial is stalling on a new contract which may have opened up the possibility of a move to Tottenham but also Arsenal.

The Breakdown

According to the report, Martial has put contract talks on hold until he knows what’s happening with Mourinho’s future at the club.

If Mourinho remains as manager and decides to sell the French winger, it seems unlikely that he’d sell to a top-four rival. However, if there is any chance that the Gunners can snatch the 22-year-old, it could be a superb piece of business.

Although he’s never consistently shown his full talent in England, there’s no doubt that if in the right team and environment that Martial could become one of the best players in Europe.

Arsenal need a winger and if they could tempt Man U into the deal, they could have a potential star on their hands.

What do you think Man U fans?

Moise Kean a much better fit for Liverpool than Dominic Solanke

Liverpool face an extremely difficult month of fixtures during September.

The Reds have stormed to the top of the Premier League after winning all four of their opening fixtures so far this season. Jurgen Klopp’s then faced Tottenham at the weekend in what was seen as their toughest game of the new campaign so far, though came through it fairly easily.

Things do not get easier after the trip to Wembley with the Reds welcoming Paris St Germain to Anfield just three days later in their Champions League opener. Klopp then faces Southampton before back-to-back fixtures against Chelsea in Carabao Cup and the league. Liverpool kick off October against Napoli and Manchester City which will be a true test of their title credentials this season.

Despite their tough run, Klopp should be keeping tabs on Juventus wonderkid – Moise Kean. Valued at £10.8 by Transfermarkt, the Italian forward is widely regarded as one of Italy’s brightest prospects after making his professional debut at the age of 16. Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at the Old Lady, reports suggest that Kean will seek an exit in the January transfer window.

The 18-year-old spent last season on loan at Verona where he managed just four goals. However, playing in a Liverpool squad surrounded with world-class talent would definitely improve his output. Working alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino would also do wonders for his development.

Kean possesses blistering pace and excellent ability on the ball which could make him a huge threat in the Premier League. With Dominic Solanke and Divock Origi struggling for goals, Kean would give Klopp a huge threat off the bench. His potential is massive, and Klopp could be the perfect tutor to bring the best out of him.

Snapping up Kean in January could prove to be another masterstroke from the German.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

Injury to Sokratis could leave Arsenal in trouble following Everton win

Arsenal continued their impressive run of form as the Gunners beat Everton to make it five wins out five.

Despite putting in a fairly terrible performance for most of the game, thanks to goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal beat an Everton side that posed a real threat to the Gunners. Unfortunately for Arsenal, however, £18 million summer signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos was forced off with an injury in the 38th minute and was replaced by Rob Holding.

The Greek defender has been superb for Arsenal this season and without him, it puts even more pressure on a defence that has struggled to keep clean sheets this season. Following the game, Emery confirmed that he is still waiting to find out the severity of the injury ahead of Arsenal’s run of four games in 11 days.

The Breakdown

Since making the move to north London, Sokratis has played every minute of Arsenal’s games this season and has become a key player for the Gunners already. Indeed, with Shkodran Mustafi continually looking like he’s going to make a terrible mistake at any minute, Sokratis has done well to not only defend well himself but also to cover for the error-prone Germany international.

With Sokratis now out with injury – albeit it’s not sure for how long – it leaves Emery with only Rob Holding and 20-year-old defender Konstantinos Mavropanos to partner Mustafi. After having managed to build a run of form, losing Sokratis is a big blow for Arsenal, especially as it now leaves Mustafi as the senior defender in the middle of defence.

What do you think Arsenal fans? 

Player Ratings: Who was Chelsea’s Man of the Match versus Liverpool?

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Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the new Premier League season continued on Saturday as the Blues held Liverpool to an exciting 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Both sides engaged in complex and technically demanding build-up play, but showed pragmatic caution in defence as well – clearly wary of the level of quality their opponents boasted in attack.

The deadlock was broken midway through the first half though, as Eden Hazard latched onto a Mateo Kovacic pass before drilling a shot past Alisson in the Liverpool goal.

But the Reds pushed hard to open their account, which resulted in some exceptional last-ditch defending from Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz – who Transfermarkt value at £22.5million – with both making goal-line clearances.

Eventually though, Liverpool got what they craved as Daniel Sturridge curled a late equaliser into the top corner, leaving Kepa flailing at thin air.

So, Chelsea fans, who was your Man of the Match from Saturday’s draw? Let us know by taking part below and giving each player involved a performance rating out of ten…

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