The 2020/2021 Premier League season continues to gain momentum as matchday two was played over the weekend.
A total of 44 goals was scored in the second game week, which is a record since the league turned to 20 teams.
Liverpool, Everton, Leicester City, Arsenal and Crystal Palace all maintained their 100% record, but it was a case of mixed fortunes for the Manchester clubs as they finally kicked off their campaign.
Following the completion of game week two, Freshsports highlights some of the talking points.
Liverpool Show They Are A Level Above The Rest: After their unconvincing opening day win over Leeds, Liverpool were back to their best in the win over Chelsea on Sunday.
The Reds delivered a brilliant performance that showed they are still the team to beat- although they were aided by Christensen’s red card.
Lampard’s Chelsea had new signings, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in the team, but both found it difficult against a strong Liverpool team.
Judging from Sunday’s performance, it is hard to see any team stopping Liverpool from retaining their league. While Manchester City have a squad that can match Jurgen Klopp’s men, they are still a suspect in defence.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have added Thiago, which gives them something they’ve been missing since Coutinho left for Barcelona. There’s also the addition of Diogo Jota, who has been brought as a back up for the front three.
Tottenham Bounce Back But There Are Still Problems: Spurs were sluggish in their opening day defeat to Everton, but they put that behind them with a comprehensive 5-2 win over Southampton.
Son was the star of the show, scoring four goals, which were all assisted by Harry Kane, who scored the fifth goal. The two attackers have combined more than any attacking duo in the league since the Korean arrived at Tottenham.
However, there are still issues for Spurs men despite the win. Jose Mourinho’s men lacked creativity for most parts of the first half, and that’s a problem Mourinho needs to solve.
Giovani Lo Celso’s introduction at the break added life to Spurs attack, but his fitness issues mean Spurs need to have a replacement for him.
The Lillywhites have brought in former star, Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon from Real Madrid, and are also looking for a striker.
While Bale and Reguilon will give them a boost, their most pressing need right now is a creative midfielder and not a striker.
Problems For Manchester United: Due to their involvement in the latter stages of Europa League last season, Manchester United kicked off their Premier League campaign a week after the season started.
However, it was a disappointing start for the Red Devils as they were stunned by Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. The Eagles secured a deserved victory courtesy of goals from Andros Townsend and a brace from Wilfried Zaha.
United were poor all through as they struggled to cope with the pace and attacks of Palace wingers.
The transfer market has been disappointing for them with only Van De Beek their major signing so far. But on the evidence of play last Saturday, reinforcements are needed- else it would be a long season for Solskjaer’s men.
West Brom, Fulham Suffer Reality Check: The newly-promoted sides were tipped for relegation before the season started, and there hasn’t been any reason for that to change after two games.
The Baggies suffered a second consecutive loss following a 5-2 defeat at Everton, while Fulham were beaten by fellow newly-promoted side, Leeds United.
It’s a second straight defeat for the two teams, which is a harsh reality of what’s in store for them this season.
Everton Look Like Dark Horses: Everton were tipped as one of the sides that could change the top six status quo.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have lived up to the billing so far with two wins out of two. The Toffees backed up their opening day win against Spurs with 5-2 victory over West Brom.
Dominic Calvert Lewin scored a hat-trick, while Michael Keane was also on target. But it was James Rodriguez, scorer of the second goal, that was the star.
The Colombian international was brought in alongside Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan, and they’ve taken Everton to a new level. With the way they’ve started, Everton could indeed challenge for a top-four place for the first time in a while.
