New Delhi: The Premier League action this weekend provided us with a lot of entertainment and upsets that has given us a lot to talking points. After Bournemouth last weekend, it was Brighton’s turn to inflict defeat upon the Premier League’s defending champions and Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s tenure as Manchester United’s interim head coach comes to an end with a convincing win over the same opponents he started his spell against.
Right after winning both the manager and the player of the month awards, Nottingham Forest were brought back on earth via a thumping from Newcastle at home and the weekend ended with all teams having registered at least one win. Ipswich Town and Wolves remained the only two teams without a win in the league till last weekend but rectified that on this matchday. Let’s dive in to find out the five things we learnt from Matchday 10 of the season.
5) Tottenham- The Robin Hood of the Premier League
Oct. 27: Crystal Palace were winless in the PL until beating Spurs 1-0
Nov. 10: Ipswich were winless in the PL until beating Spurs 2-1
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 10, 2024
The curious case of Tottenham Hotspur continued on this weekend after losing at home to Ipswich Town, who were winless in 10 games heading into the season. The Tractor Boys were denied victory on the last matchday via a last minute goal but held on yesterday to seal their first Premier League win in over 20 years. This isn’t the first time this season that Spurs gifted points to teams sitting towards the bottom of the table.
Since beating Manchester United 3-0 on 29th September, Spurs have gone on an incredibly inconsistent run. The Lilywhites have since lost 3-2 to Brighton the following weekend before dismantling West Ham 4-1. They followed that up with a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, giving them their first win of the season as well, before once again dismantling Aston Villa 4-1 only to follow that up with a 2-1 loss to Ipswich. Spurs can very easily be considered the Robin Hood of the league, taking points off the big teams and distributing them to the smaller ones.
4) Enzo Maresca has settled in at Chelsea smoothly
“I don’t think they’re far off” ⏳
Stephen Warnock says Chelsea are a couple of years away from being title contenders 🏆 pic.twitter.com/DsnBlGJJne
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 11, 2024
Chelsea’s rapid transformation under Enzo Maresca has been remarkable, especially given the turbulence of recent seasons. Only 11 games into his tenure, Maresca has already crafted a well-defined style and identity for the Blues, something Chelsea struggled to establish even under Mauricio Pochettino last season. Despite a subdued performance from Cole Palmer against Arsenal, Chelsea’s ability to match their rivals chance for chance reflected just how far they have progressed in a short period.
Anchored by the tenacious duo of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in midfield, Chelsea now boast a defensively solid setup that transitions quickly upon winning possession. Arsenal managed to limit these counterattacking opportunities, but this came at the expense of their own offensive numbers. The Blues’ approach under Maresca has instilled a resilience and tactical clarity that Chelsea fans have eagerly awaited, signaling an exciting new chapter at Stamford Bridge.
3) Aston Villa’s early season form is tailing off
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery acknowledged his team’s recent struggles, admitting their performance is below last season’s standards. Despite the current form, he remains optimistic about the team’s ability to regain their momentum. pic.twitter.com/GdBdWPwMEc
— Isaac Bukenya news (@NewsIsaac91) November 10, 2024
Last season’s surprise package, Aston Villa, started the season in the same fashion they finished their last season and were flying high in the early part of the season. Buoyed by Jhon Duran’s brilliance in the beginning, the club were sitting pretty on third after their 3-1 win over Wolves back in September. However, ever since that win their form seems to have tailed off completely and the Villas have fallen to ninth in the league table.
The form of Unai Emery’s men has been questionable over the past few games as they have won only one of their last six games in the league. Since beating Wolves, they have only beaten Fulham and have dropped points to Ipswich Town, Bournemouth, Manchester United and have been battered by both Spurs and Liverpool. The form showed by the Villans in the early part of the season hasn’t been visible lately and it looks like the toll of European competitions is starting to show on the squad.
2) Will Rodri’s absence cost Manchester City the title?
Pep Guardiola lost four straight games for the first time in his career 🌧️ pic.twitter.com/Sp7FJMgG0X
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 9, 2024
Manchester City have been struggling since Rodri picked up his ACL injury in the game against Arsenal but they are finally looking vulnerable now. The defending champions always look extremely susceptible to counter attacks given the lack of a midfield destroyer in the middle. They narrowly avoided dropping points to Wolves a few weeks back and only scrapped past Southampton, who are embroiled in a relegation battle.
Since that narrow 1-0 win over the Saints, Pep Guardiola’s men have lost every match they’ve played in all competitions, leading to worries amongst the City faithful. After losing to Bournemouth for the first time in history last weekend, they then lost to Brighton this weekend, making Pep’s side look vulnerable for the first time in a long time. Even Pep himself has indicated that this might be the year when someone else wins the title, showing that Rodri’s injury might spell the end for Pep’s successive titles.
1) Are Arne Slot’s Liverpool the Champions Elect?
▪️ Manchester City lose
▪️ Arsenal and Chelsea drop points
▪️ Nottingham Forest lose
Liverpool just keep winning 😏 pic.twitter.com/3keOs7HBKQ
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 10, 2024
Arne Slot has guided Liverpool to an impressive start this season which has seen them collect 28 points from a possible 33. Apart from a shock loss to Forest and a draw with Arsenal, the Reds have had a perfect record in every other game till now. The only time Liverpool earned more points after 11 games than they have currently was in the 2019/20 season when they had 31 points at this stage. That was also the only season the Reds won the Premier League title coincidently.
With both Arsenal and Manchester City faltering at this point in the season, Liverpool have gained a sizeable lead over their most realistic rivals. The Reds sit comfortably at the top of the league table with a five point advantage over City and other big six clubs like Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester United aren’t realistically involved in the title race. This leaves the Reds as the Champions Elect at this stage of the league.
Arsenal visited Chelsea in final match before the year’s last International break as Manchester City’s recent slump in form continued. Dive in to find out what we learned from the latest round of fixtures! Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
