Manchester United thumped Swansea at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday for their second straight 4-0 Premier League win of the new season. Sadio Mane, meanwhile, cut through home frustrations at Anfield to fire Liverpool to a patchy 1-0 win over Crystal Palace while Shinji Okazaki and Harry Maguire found the net for Leicester’s 2-0 home win over promoted Brighton, whose wait to get off the Premier League mark continues.
Also in the north, Stoke’s new singing Jese enjoyed a dream debut, scoring the winner against Arsenal. In summary, it was another blockbuster weekend of football in England. But what were the 5 major talking points after the second matchday of the season?
1. Chelsea Might Not Be In Crisis After All
Everyone wrote Chelsea off too early – and wrongly – last year and it seems the same might be happening this season again. The Wembley match against Tottenham gave us a glimpse of the power set be at Antonio Conte’s disposal once his squad is fully fit and his new signings are in. Alonso provided the best possible response to the club’s pursuit of Juventus left wing-back Alex Sandro. Alvaro Morata should have scored even earlier and the appetite from his team-mates to keep out the Spurs revival told us that Conte has not lost a single one of his players.
2. Mourinho Gets An Early Jump At The Title Challenge
If Manchester United’s opening set of games in the new Premier League season is any indicator of what is to come, it could prove to be a fruitfully successful year at Old Trafford. For the second weekend in succession Jose Mourinho’s side scored four and conceded none, meaning in 180 minutes they have kept two clean sheets, have conceding the fewest goals and scored the most. United showcased the strength in depth of their squad, bringing other options like Anthony Martial and Marouane Fellaini off the bench who made an immediate impact, while €35 million man Victor Lindelöf has yet to play a single competitive minute this season. The spread of goalscorers and the patience they showed to break down a resilient Swansea also showed a tenacity and killer instinct which has been absent from the side for some time now.
3. Mane Is The New Man For The Kop
Speculation surrounding the future of Philippe Coutinho has not made the start of the new season easy for Liverpool. The player was decisive for Liverpool throughout last season and Barcelona’s willingness to spend in excess of £100 million shows the quality he would bring to any side. However in his absence another player has proved immensely successful, with Sadio Mane the difference as Liverpool secured their first win of the season against Crystal Palace. Were Coutinho to depart Anfield, Mane could be the main man for the side in the Premier League and Champions League this season. Joined in attack by Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, Mane has proved devastating on the break for Liverpool. He has two goals in two in the Premier League and today he proved the difference as his side ground out a gritty first win of the season.
4. Mark Hughes Gets Clever At Signings
Before Saturday Mark Hughes was many bookmakers’ favourite to be the first manager sacked this season but his Stoke City team ridiculed those odds and diverted pressure on to Arsène Wenger. Jesé RodrÃguez looks ready to prove a delightful addition to the Premier League and Hughes’s other recruits, Kurt Zouma and Darren Fletcher, put up a strong display to show that just maybe, Mark Hughes might have just overseen a brilliant transfer season for Stoke.
5. Forster And Hart Make A Mockery Of England National Team
Fraser Forster and Joe Hart could end up automatically making Jack Butland the darling for Gareth Southgate ahead of the World Cup in Russia next year, with neither goalkeeper covering themselves in glory at St Mary’s. West Ham’s porous defence hardly helped Hart, now beaten seven times in just two matches, but he again looked a shadow of his former dominating self. In fairness to Forster, he made a superb save to deny Diafra Sakho before Javier Hernández swept home his second goal, but there is no doubt that the giant 6ft 7in goalkeeper is not quite at his formidable best. The Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, another option for England, could also jump in front of the pair in the pecking order.
Photo Credit: Getty
