Weekend recap: Arsenal outclassed, Chelsea rampant, Tottenham make it a 3-horse race

It was another exciting weekend of Premier League action. Here, we take a look at how Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham got on….

Arsenal

Arsenal were beaten 3-1 by Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon. A Sergio Aguero hat-trick was the difference between the sides in terms of the scoreline, even though Laurent Koscielny scored an equaliser in the first half, but there was a much bigger gulf in quality between the sides than the scoreline suggested. Man City were far better than Arsenal in every aspect. City took the lead after less than one minute when Aguero headed in. And for the few minutes that followed, it looked like it would turn ugly.

Arsenal managed to get themselves back into the game, and when Koscielny equalised with a header after 11 minutes, things looked better for the Gunners as they held their own against a lackluster City side lacking in urgency. But City carved Arsenal open two minutes before half time as Aguero scored his second from close range. It was a beautiful team goal, but Arsenal were poor defensively.

Aguero added his third in a second half in which Arsenal didn’t even record an attempt on goal. It was a shocking half for them, which really showed the difference between the two sides. But everybody knew there would be a big difference between them. And, in truth, it could have been more. Man City could have easily scored five or six but for some poor finishing and good goalkeeping by Bernd Leno.

The Gunners are now sixth but are still just three points behind Chelsea in fourth. But it’s going to take a huge effort from Unai Emery’s men if they’re going to get into the top four.

Chelsea

After an embarrassing 4-0 defeat by Bournemouth on Wednesday night, Chelsea got back to winning ways with a 5-0 rout of Huddersfield at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. New signing Gonzalo Higuain and Eden Hazard got two goals each, with David Luiz adding the fifth.

Higuain showed how good of a signing he could be. He scored two terrific goals: smashing one in from inside the box and expertly curling one in from distance. The Argentine will give Maurizio Sarri a lot of what he’s been missing. He won’t just score goals: he’ll be a focal point up front and will give Eden Hazard somebody to play off. Hazard can then play his natural game from the left and won’t have to worry about being deployed in the false nine position, as that clearly doesn’t suit him.

The Blues remain fourth: two points clear of Manchester United. They’ll have a battle on their hands to qualify for the Champions League but seem better equipped to do so now. A trip to Manchester City awaits next Sunday: that one will be huge.

Tottenham

Tottenham beat Newcastle 1-0 at Wembley on Saturday thanks to a late Son Heung-min goal. The South Korean scored the only goal of the game seven minutes from time to  keep Spurs in the title race.

Newcastle set up to frustrate Spurs and had very little of the ball but both sides had chances in this game. Early on, Lucas Moura put a header wide when he should have scored. Then Erik Lamela hit the crossbar with a header of his own. But Newcastle also had chances. In the second half, Salomon Rondon hit the post with a header and Ayoze Perez had a good shot smartly saved by Hugo Lloris. Christian Eriksen had a chance for Spurs but saw his effort cleared off the line.

But after 83 minutes, Tottenham got their winner. Fernando Llorente did well to hold it up – Newcastle will argue it was handball – and played it to Son. The South Korean shot from outside the box, which was a tame effort that Martin Dubravka should have saved comfortably. But the ‘keeper made a complete mess of it and the ball went straight through him.

It was the second time in three days Tottenham had to score late to win the game, with Son scoring on both occasions: he now has 10 goals and five assists in 19 appearances this season. Tottenham have now gone 29 games without drawing, which is a Premier League record. They’re third in the table: four points behind Liverpool, who have a game in hand, and nine ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United. A top four finish is looking increasingly likely for Mauricio Pochettino’s men but they will have higher expectations as they’re currently in a three-horse race for the title.

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This article was written by PremPlace. You can see their website by clicking here.