Monday Cannon Fodder: weekend recap

It was a...weekend of games in the Premier League. I’m not sure there is a grand takeaway other than Luton Town and Sheffield United are truly terrible. I’m not sure that Burnley are much better, but they at least look frisky at times even if they’ve not got nearly enough quality. Everton, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, and Wolves, and whatever other clubs you want to throw into the relegation picture should be saved on the lack of quality of the promoted sides alone.

Manchester City 2 - Nottingham Forest 0
City keep rolling along, much to our chagrin. Rodri picked up a straight red card for putting his hands to the neck of an opponent, so he’ll miss the match against Arsenal unless his suspension is reduced and that doesn’t seem likely.

Crystal Palace 0 - Fulham 0
Wasn’t able to catch much of this match, but from what I can tell, it was an evenly matched affair. Both sides had one or two good chances that they didn’t convert.

Luton Town 1 - Wolves 1
The Hatters earned their first Premier League point but couldn’t manage better despite being up a man from the 39th minute onward. Wolves actually struck first on an impressive individual goal from Beto. Luton Town equalized from the spot midway through the second half from another roulette handball penalty award.

Brentford 1 - Everton 3
Turns out that Brentford really aren’t the same side without Ivan Toney leading the line. I think we can relate to that. Having your best striker fit / available for selection and playing in the proper position is important. Everton’s underlying numbers continue to be well above relegation-level.

Burnley 0 - Manchester United 1
United needed a moment of individual brilliance from Bruno Fernandes (off a pretty remarkable long, diagonal ball from Jonny Evans, who was making his first Manchester United start in about 10 years) to beat Vincent Kompany’s side. United are not right. They’ve got chemistry / locker room issues to go along with poor play.

Chelsea 0 - Aston Villa 1
The Blues’ struggles continue. I’m told it was Mykhalo Mudryk’s best performance for the club, but it was cut short when Malo Gusto received a straight red in the 58th minute and Mudryk came off. Striker Nicolas Jackson has more yellow cards than goals this season, and Chelsea haven’t scored in four consecutive Premier League games.

Liverpool 3 - West Ham 1
West Ham may be coming back down to earth a bit after their hot start to the season. David Moyes, in his entire managerial career, has never beaten one of the Big Six sides. Liverpool are good. Right now, I like them to finish in second, above Arsenal.

Brighton 3 - Bournemouth 1
The Seagulls are good. The Cherries are not. Karou Mitoma came on at halftime and scored a brace to give Roberto De Zerbi’s side the win.

Sheffield United 0 - Newcastle 8
There isn’t much to be said about this one. The Blades are awful. Newcastle are the first team in Premier League history to have eight different goalscorers in a match.