Chelsea vs Man City - 12:30 - Saturday 25th September 2021 - BT Sport

Chelsea @ 13/8      Draw @ 85/40      Man City @ 17/10

Chelsea: WWDWW

Man City: LWWWD

Chelsea face Man City at Stamford Bridge in a blockbuster opening fixture this weekend, with Thomas Tuchel's men looking to consolidate their excellent start to the season.

The Blues come into this game on the back of another impressive away performance, this time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where they beat Man City's conquerors on the opening day by 3-0. Chelsea had the first chance of the game, with a Blues counter attack nearly finished by Mason Mount, but Emerson Royal produced a vital block at the right time to deny the Blues. Tottenham had a great chance of their own on the counter as Son Heung Min’s ball unleashed Reguillon, but his pass couldn’t find the advancing Giovanni Lo Celso after a crucial intervention from Antonio Rudiger. Kepa was called into action late in the first half to deny Son, the Blues keeper did really well to make himself big and close down the angle to prevent Son from scoring the opener. Chelsea did break the deadlock four minutes after the restart, with 37 year old defender Thiago Silva opening the scoring with a thunderous header from a Marcus Alonso corner to make it 1-0. Eric Dier denied Chelsea getting an immediate second, with his block on the line from a Marcus Alonso strike enough to keep it to 1-0. The Blues did grab a second eight minutes after their first, with Ngolo Kante’s deflected strike finding it’s way past Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham net, with Eric Dier the unlucky party. Harry Kane’s long range strike barely troubled Kepa, in truth it was a precious shot on target for Spurs, who had barely competed since coming out for the second half. Thiago Silva could have had another headed goal, with his second effort saved brilliantly by Hugo Lloris. The Tottenham skipper prevented further damage moments later, with a superb triple save against Werner, Alonso and Azpilicueta. Rudiger sealed the three points and a comfortable win for Chelsea in the 92^nd minute, with Werner’s cutback finding the German defender next to the Tottenham penalty spot and he calmly slotted it past Lloris into the bottom left hander corner to make it 3-0. That was an impressive win for Chelsea, who come into this huge fixture top of the Premier League and a win here would send a huge statement of intent in the Premier League title race. "There were individual performances that were already great like from Kepa and Thiago Silva, and even more players were good, but in general we lacked energy and being more relentless in duels." "I had the feeling that we wanted to impress by pure skills but in a game like this in the Premier League, a derby away at Tottenham, it’s not only about skilful play. It’s also about aggression, winning duels and performing better as a team." "We lacked energy and we spoke clearly about it at half-time but the second half was a very good performance and a well-deserved win. It was a very good reaction so I’m absolutely happy with our performance in second half." "He [Thiago Silva] was outstanding. He almost scored twice and he’s so strong. The delivery was good for his goal and we are very happy that he was able to score and open the game for us today but his performance even in the first half was outstanding. It was a fantastic performance." Thomas Tuchel gave his view on Chelsea's performance in their 3-0 win over Tottenham to www.chelseafc.com

City Held By Saints

Man City come into this game on the back of a disappointing 0-0 draw against Southampton last weekend.

All of the pre match taking surrounded comments made by Pep around the attendance of fans, with the manager begging fans in midweek to come and sell the Etihad out. Gundogan had City’s first two chances, with his header going miles over the bar and his first chance thwarted by Saints stopper Alex McCarthy. Bednarek produced a vital sliding interception to prevent a Jack Grealish cross finding Raheem Sterling. The Poland international was called upon again as his effective block helped keep Gabriel Jesus’ shot at bay. The Saints had their first sight of goal when Tino Livramento’s charging run found Adam Armstrong in the City six yard box, but Nathan Ake was on hand to prevent the Saints forward from even having a shot on goal. The moment of the match came in the 60^th minute, when Kyle Walker was sent off for a foul on Adam Armstrong and given a straight red card for denying a goal scoring opportunity. But VAR intervened to recommend to Jon Moss that he re-look at the incident and bizarrely he changed his original decision, rescinding both the red to Walker and the penalty to Southampton. The first shot on target from either side incredibly came midway through the second half, when Adam Armstrong’s shot was fired straight at Ederson. One of the few bits of quality came four minutes from time from Raheem Sterling, with his quick feet and thinking on the left hand side earning City a late corner. City thought they had scored late, with Phil Foden’s header followed in by Raheem Sterling, but VAR intervened again to rule the goal out, with Raheem Sterling offside in the build up, much to Hasenhuttl’s delight. "Today we didn’t win not because we don’t have a centre-forward. We didn’t win because the process to build up, to create, to give better balls to the players up front was not good." "When it is good, you can run, you arrive in better positions. Of course, we had just one shot on target, but there were four or five blocked in the six-yard box, so we were there." "That is not the reason [we didn’t win]. The reason is because we didn’t do the process for our back four and Fernandinho. The five guys who have to bring the ball to the other players was not good today." "This process from the beginning was not perfectly what we wanted. It was difficult sometimes because the opponent was good. They defended well." Pep Guardiola was forthright in his comments surrounding their lack of a striker when he spoke to www.mancity.com. Betting Tips

• BTTS @ 7/10
• Romelu Lukaku to score first @ 7/2
• Ferran Torres to score first @ 13/2

Man United vs Aston Villa - 12:30 - Saturday 25th September 2021

Man United @ 4/11 Draw @ 15/4 Aston Villa @ 7/1

Man United: WDWWW

Aston Villa: LWDLW

Man United face Aston Villa at Old Trafford this weekend after another disappointing result in midweek.

Ole's men suffered another terrible result in a cup competition as they were beaten by West Ham 1-0 in the Carabao Cup, days after United overcame the Hammers 2-1 at the London Stadium in the Premier League. West Ham had an early chance through Jarrod Bowen, with the forward causing the United defence all sorts of problems and he managed to fend off Scott McTominay as he forced David De Gea into action. Bruno Fernandes’ half volley was United’s first real chance of the game, with the Portuguese connecting really well with the shot and Fabianski’s outstretched hand forcing the ball onto the post. The Hammers took the lead in the 30^th minute, courtesy of a deflected effort from Said Benhrama, with the Algerian’s strike from outside the United box hitting Raphael Varane and dribbling into right hand side of United’s net. Cristiano Ronaldo made it a goal in each of his appearances since his United return, with his third goal since resigning drawing United level. A superb cross from Fernandes found his compatriot, and whilst Fabianski saved the first effort, he was powerless to prevent the second from going in in the 35^th minute. Man United were lucky not to concede a penalty, with Aaron Wan Bissaka’s challenge on Soucek a definite foul, only the run of Yarmalenko into an offside position saved United’s blushes. Jesse Lingard and Jadon Sancho were introduced in the 73^rd minute and it didn’t take long for the former Hammer to mark his mark at the London stadium, having scored nine goals in 16 games on loan last season. One minute from time Lingard scored what proved to be the winner, with another substitute in Nemanja Matic finding Lingard on the edge of the Hammers box, and the United man curled the ball into the top right hand corner to make it 2-1 with a minute to go. Man United thought they had two stonewall penalties for fouls on Ronaldo turned down, whilst the first one may have been dubious, the second one certainly wasn’t, with Kurt Zouma hacking down Ronaldo without getting the ball. It was a clear penalty, but Martin Atkinson and VAR failed to give it to United. To add insult to injury West Ham were awarded their own late penalty, with Luke Shaw’s outstretched arm blocking the ball and was rightly called as a penalty, but it was met with disgust on the United bench after their own penalty debacle moments earlier. David Moyes substituted on Mark Noble to take the spot kick, with West Ham’s club captain enjoying an excellent penalty record. But Noble stepped up and missed his kick, with David De Gea handing United a worthy 2-1 win over the Hammers. "We deserved to win. I think we created some big chances, we had pressure on them, should have had a few penalties, great response when they scored, good attitude, very good away performance in a difficult cauldron; the stadium is hard here!" "Very happy with the performances – 11 corners, a few big chances that we missed. First 10-15 minutes of the second half I thought we pressed them really well, made them give the ball away five or six times in their own box more or less, and it's one of them, we can't get a counter-attack every time we have a corner. There was a few having to sprint back a couple of times." "We have to work better defensively, no doubt. In the first half, we were too easy to play through. We will work on it because there is no respite when you play football. I’ve spoken about how you can’t take rests when you defend. We dropped into a back six [for the goal] and there were too many spaces. We were too late to charge the ball." "We’ve already sorted that and spoke about that at half-time. It was better in the second half and a great response, that was a big thing for me – how do you react when you go 1-0 down? It was a very, very good five minutes for us." Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told MUTV that he was delighted with his sides performance against West Ham.

Villa Hammer Toffees

Aston Villa ended Everton's unbeaten run in style as they beat Rafa Benitez's side 3-0 at Villa Park.

Dean Smith's side come into this match on the back of their most impressive win of the season, they'll be hoping that the timing of that performance will mean they can take it into this game against another unbeaten team in United. Everton had the first chance of the game after great build up play on the right, with Godfrey and Townsend combining to put Rondon through but his shot was put agonisingly wide of the Villa goal. Villa had their first chance on goal through skipper Tyrone Mings, with his header from a corner forcing Begovic into a smart save that shovelled the ball to safety. Demarai’s Gray’s stunning solo run nearly set up the Everton opener, but his ball was a whisker away from the sliding Rondon. Gray also had a chance in the second half but it was just wide of Martinez’s right hand post. Matty Cash opened the scoring for Villa in some style and for his first Premier League goal, Douglas Luiz finding the full back’s searing run and Cash’s left footed strike rocketed past Begovic into the roof of the Everton goal in the 66^th minute to make it 1-0. Villa made it 2-0 three minutes later, with Leon Bailey’s cross finding its way to Lucas Digne at the near post, with his header finding it’s way into his own net to double Villa’s advantage in the 69^th minute. Jacob Ramsey could and should have made it 3-0 after pick pocketing the experienced Allan in his own half and gliding the ball wide of Begovic’s goal. Summer signing Leon Bailey did eventually make it 3-0 to the hosts, with Danny Ings delightful cross field chip finding the Jamaican, who smashed it past Begovic in style with fifteen minutes remaining. "I’m really pleased. It wasn’t a 3-0 scoreline. I felt last week was an unjust 3-0 scoreline and I felt tonight was a tight game and a bit of an arm wrestle at times." "With the territory we had, we had the upper hand, but they had the upper hand for the five minutes before we scored. That’s sometimes how momentum swings in football." "The goal took the roof off the stadium and lifted us in the latter stages of the game and we went onto score two good goals." "He’s [Leon Bailey] going to be a special player for us, I know that. He’s a really, really good lad. The lads like him in the dressing room and he’s settled in really well. Unfortunately, he came off injured." "His delivery from set-pieces is excellent, as we saw with the second goal. We ended up getting the corner and then he scored the goal. The switch of play from Danny Ings was excellent and the finish was just as good." Villa boss Dean Smith told Villa TV that he was pleased his side came out on top against Everton. Betting Tips

• Total Goals - Over 2.5 Goals @ 3/5
• Cristiano Ronaldo to score first @ 12/5
• Danny Ings to score first @ 6/1

Everton vs Norwich - 15:00 - Saturday 25th September 2021

Everton @ 4/7 Draw @ 29/10 Norwich @ 19/4

Everton: WDWWL

Norwich: LLLLL

Everton face Norwich at Goodison Park this weekend, with both sides looking to recover from their defeats last weekend.

The Toffees came back down to Earth with a bang after losing their unbeaten start to the season in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa. Everton had the first chance of the game after great build up play on the right, with Godfrey and Townsend combining to put Rondon through but his shot was put agonisingly wide of the Villa goal. Villa had their first chance on goal through skipper Tyrone Mings, with his header from a corner forcing Begovic into a smart save that shovelled the ball to safety. Demarai’s Gray’s stunning solo run nearly set up the Everton opener, but his ball was a whisker away from the sliding Rondon. Gray also had a chance in the second half but it was just wide of Martinez’s right hand post. Matty Cash opened the scoring for Villa in some style and for his first Premier League goal, Douglas Luiz finding the full back’s searing run and Cash’s left footed strike rocketed past Begovic into the roof of the Everton goal in the 66^th minute to make it 1-0. Villa made it 2-0 three minutes later, with Leon Bailey’s cross finding its way to Lucas Digne at the near post, with his header finding it’s way into his own net to double Villa’s advantage in the 69^th minute. J acob Ramsey could and should have made it 3-0 after pick pocketing the experienced Allan in his own half and gliding the ball wide of Begovic’s goal. Summer signing Leon Bailey did eventually make it 3-0 to the hosts, with Danny Ings delightful cross field chip finding the Jamaican, who smashed it past Begovic in style with fifteen minutes remaining. "We started the game quite well and in the first half had a lot of situations on the counter-attack where the final decision was not right – but we were very close." "In the second half we had a couple of chances, that could have meant everything was totally different. Then we conceded the goal and very soon conceded a second and it was difficult for us." "Salomon, Demarai Gray and Alex Iwobi [had chances], so we had two or three situations where it could have been different." "We made mistakes and we made them too early, too close, then it was difficult to react and that is something for the future, hopefully, we can manage. Either not concede, or if we do concede, react like we did in our games at home." "The two goals were too close and then it was more difficult." Rafa Benitez told Everton TV that sluggish decisions in attacking areas and conceding the opening goal cost the Toffees dearly.

Canaries Winless

Norwich come into this match on the back of their fifth successive defeat of the season, their latest defeat a 3-1 loss at the hands of Watford.

Daniel Farke's men have now lost their last fifteen Premier League matches, a new record for one manager, with Sunderland enjoying twenty successive defeats, albeit under three different managers. Watford opened the scoring through Emmanuel Dennis, who has scored the clubs first home and away goals in the Premier League this season. His fabulous header from a Kiko Femenia cross in the 17^th minute gave the visitors a 1-0 lead. Norwich equalised through Teemu Pukki, with the striker latching onto a fine through ball from Normann and the Finnish striker’s composed finish made it 1-1 in the 35^th minute. It was Norwich’s second goal of the season and their first from open play. Norwich had a chance to take the lead, with a scrappy exchange on the left hand side of the Watford box seeing the ball land at Pukki’s feet, but he could only blast the ball into the crowd. Tim Krul made an outstanding save at the other end, denying Ismaila Sarr just before the break after a stunning ball from Dennis found the young Senegal winger in a one on one with Norwich’s keeper, but his fingertip save put the ball out for a corner. Ismaila Sarr made up for his earlier miss when he put the Hornets ahead just after the hour mark. It was great build up play by Watford, with Josh King putting the ball on a plate for Sarr, who finished from close range to make it 2-1 (63). Sarr and Dennis nearly combined to devastating effect, with Sarr’s glorious cross into the box inches away from Emmanuel Dennis’ boot. Norwich had a chance at the other end through Milo Rashica, but his firm hit was comfortably saved by Ben Foster in the Watford goal. Ismaila Sarr scored Watford’s third ten minutes from time, with Josh King putting in the hard yards, with his run and initial shot saved by Krul but Sarr was on hand to put the rebound away for his second of the match. The goal was initially ruled out for offside on King but VAR intervened and the goal was allowed to stand. "Football is quite often a game where the team who is there with less mistakes, wins. To be honest in our defending behaviour we were there with too many mistakes today to earn the right to win the points. I think this was key to losing this game and for that it is also then a deserved result for the win for Watford." "Mathias and Ozan had several good situations but there were also a few situations where they probably would have wished that they had done better," "It was not easy for them. I think overall you have to say that it was a good and proper debut and they showed why we wanted to sign them, but crucial today were the goals that we have conceded because it was a tight game." "It was 50/50 per cent possession and 12 shots on both sides but our defending behaviour was not clinical enough. You have to say that there was not one situation where we were on an underload." Daniel Farke told CanariesTV that they were not clinical enough defensively to gain anything from the game. Betting Tips

• BTTS - No @ 19/20
• Salomon Rondon to score first @ 7/2
• Teemu Pukki to score first @ 6/1

Leeds vs West Ham - 15:00 - Saturday 25th September 2021

Leeds @ 17/10 Draw @ 13/5 West Ham @ 11/8

Leeds: LDDLD

West Ham: WWDDL

Leeds host West Ham at Elland Road this weekend, in an intriguing game between two sides who haven't won in their last six games combined.

Marcelo Bielsa's men are still winless this season, but they have moved to three points courtesy of three draws. Their last game saw them draw 1-1 away against a Newcastle side that are also winless this season. Leeds came into this game having completed the double over Newcastle last season, both sides were winless heading into the game as well. Marcelo Bielsa’s men took the lead in the 13^th minute through Raphinha, with the Brazillian’s cross dummied by Rodrigo, leaving Karl Darlow in the Newcastle goal unable to prevent it nestling into his bottom right hand corner. Allan Saint Maximin crafted Newcastle’s first real chance of the game after he gave Leeds skipper Liam Cooper a reminder of his frightening pace, with the Frenchman teeing up Joelinton, whose effort was saved by Leeds keeper Ilan Meslier. There should have been a penalty given at the other end in the build up to that chance, with Daniel James floored by Joe Willock and despite VAR checking there was no penalty given. Newcastle went close through Matt Ritchie, with his deflected effort hitting the post and bouncing out. The Magpies eventually found the equaliser in the 44^th minute, with Allan Saint Maximin scoring a superb solo goal. The winger found himself in space on the edge of the Leeds box and he rounded four Leeds defenders before slotting home into Meslier’s bottom right corner to make it 1-1. Leeds should have made it 2-1 immediately after, with Junior Firpo’s counter attacking run eventually finding Raphinha, who fluffed his lines. But the ball did find it’s way back to Firpo on the left hand side and he blazed his shot into Row Z from little more than eight yards away. A great chance gone begging. Karl Darlow had to be at his best early in the second half, with Jamal Lascelles of all people trying desperately to head into his own net. It was a good reaction save from Darlow. Saint Maximin continued to be a nuisance at the other end, with his driving run and shot saved by Ilan Meslier. Patrick Bamford had his best chance of the match midway through the second half, after another counter attack started by a brilliant challenge by Liam Cooper found it’s way to Rodrigo, and his defence splitting pass was worthy of an assist, but Bamford hit the ball straight at Darlow. "It was a game that according to what happened, we should have won."   "We had a lot of opportunities to score and there were also a lot of options where they didn’t end up in danger, but it would have been easy to convert to danger." "It is true that the opponent also had chances. Less than us and within a transmit that was different. We dominated the game and they counter attacked. But, I insist, given the chances we had we should have won the game." "I also would have hoped we would have reduced the amount of chances that the opponent created. That would have established a bigger margin between the two teams." Marcelo Bielsa gave his views to LUTV after his side were held to a 1-1 draw at Newcastle.

United Edge Hammers

West Ham suffered their first defeat of the season at home against Manchester United, with David Moyes' side missing a late penalty.

The Hammers great start to the season was ended by his former side, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men coming from behind to secure another win at the London Stadium, but crucially they missed a late penalty that would have seen them secure a point. West Ham had an early chance through Jarrod Bowen, with the forward causing the United defence all sorts of problems and he managed to fend off Scott McTominay as he forced David De Gea into action. Bruno Fernandes’ half volley was United’s first real chance of the game, with the Portuguese connecting really well with the shot and Fabianski’s outstretched hand forcing the ball onto the post. The Hammers took the lead in the 30^th minute, courtesy of a deflected effort from Said Benhrama, with the Algerian’s strike from outside the United box hitting Raphael Varane and dribbling into right hand side of United’s net. Cristiano Ronaldo made it a goal in each of his appearances since his United return, with his third goal since resigning drawing United level. A superb cross from Fernandes found his compatriot, and whilst Fabianski saved the first effort, he was powerless to prevent the second from going in in the 35^th minute. Man United were lucky not to concede a penalty, with Aaron Wan Bissaka’s challenge on Soucek a definite foul, only the run of Yarmalenko into an offside position saved United’s blushes. Jesse Lingard and Jadon Sancho were introduced in the 73^rd minute and it didn’t take long for the former Hammer to mark his mark at the London stadium, having scored nine goals in 16 games on loan last season. One minute from time Lingard scored what proved to be the winner, with another substitute in Nemanja Matic finding Lingard on the edge of the Hammers box, and the United man curled the ball into the top right hand corner to make it 2-1 with a minute to go. Man United thought they had two stonewall penalties for fouls on Ronaldo turned down, whilst the first one may have been dubious, the second one certainly wasn’t, with Kurt Zouma hacking down Ronaldo without getting the ball. It was a clear penalty, but Martin Atkinson and VAR failed to give it to United. To add insult to injury West Ham were awarded their own late penalty, with Luke Shaw’s outstretched arm blocking the ball and was rightly called as a penalty, but it was met with disgust on the United bench after their own penalty debacle moments earlier. David Moyes substituted on Mark Noble to take the spot kick, with West Ham’s club captain enjoying an excellent penalty record. But Noble stepped up and missed his kick, with David De Gea handing United a worthy 2-1 win over the Hammers. "We played really well. We played on Thursday and we came back and put on a real fitting performance in front of a fantastic crowd today. I think it was a really good game. I thought it was a proper game today and there was plenty of drama." "I don’t think we saw any great weaknesses in how we went about the job. That’s the way I’m planning to go ahead with it in the coming weeks. We’re going to have to play well over a lot of games." "Today was a big game against probably one of the favourites for the Premier League, and I thought for long periods we’ve done a really good job." "I thought we'd created a few chances. I thought we played some good football. It was a tough game - they had opportunities as well - but we've got a bit closer to them. We didn't get the result, but we've got closer to them." David Moyes told West Ham TV that he was pleased with so many aspects of their performance despite losing against Man United. Betting Tips

• BTTS @ 4/9
• Patrick Bamford to score first @ 5/1
• Michail Antonio to score first @ 9/2

Leicester vs Burnley - 15:00 - Saturday 25th September 2021

Leicester @ 11/20 Draw @ 29/10 Burnley @ 5/1

Leicester: WLWLL

Burnley: LLDLL

Leicester host Burnley at the King Power Stadium this weekend with the Foxes looking to end a run of successive defeats.

Brendan Rodgers suffered their third defeat of the season as they were downed 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, with two offsides and a penalty it certainly wasn't one of Leicester's luckier days. Brighton made a fast start, with Neal Maupay’s effort deflected out for a corner by Vestegaard, after a surging run by Marc Cucurella on the left hand side. The Seagulls made the most of their early dominance when they were given a penalty for a handball against Jannik Vestergaard. Replays showed the Leicester defender was really unlucky, with the ball headed against his arm in mid air when he had his back to the ball. Neal Maupay stepped up to convert it for Brighton in the 35^th minute to make it 1-0 to the Seagulls, it was the Frenchman’s third goal of the season. Jamie Vardy had Leicester’s first meaningful chance in the second half, with the forward hunting the ball down in the Brighton box and narrowly dragging his shot wide of the post. Brighton doubled their advantage in the 50^th minute, with Danny Welbeck’s glancing header from a Leandro Trossard free kick enough to beat Schmeichel to make it 2-0. Jamie Vardy pulled one back for Leicester eleven minutes later, after Ricardo Pereira and Ademola Lookman combined beautifully on the right hand side, and the Leicester right back found Vardy, who finished from close range to make it 2-1. It was Vardy’s 150^th Leicester goal on his 250^th Premier League appearance. Leicester thought they had scored the equaliser six minutes later, with Bertrand’s corner tapped in by Ademola Lookman, but the linesman’s flag went up and VAR confirmed that Harvey Barnes was in an offside position at the time of the goal. It was a case of déjà vu late on, as the Foxes had the ball in the back of the Brighton net again four minutes from time, with Wilfried Ndidi heading home from a Leicester corner, but again Harvey Barnes was in an offside position and again it was chalked off for offside. That was a tough defeat for Leicester, nothing went right for them but they produced enough chances to get a result, albeit against a Brighton side that have enjoyed an excellent start this season. "It’s very tough [to take], against a good side who played well. They have good experience and can play good football. We didn’t get the luck today, that was disappointing. Three decisions have gone against us, definitely two, for sure. Obviously, that’s always hard when you’re away from home. We spoke at half-time to turn the temperature up. We needed to run a little bit more off the ball and we just needed to stretch the game that little bit more. I thought the second half, take away the free-kick, which we need to analyse and be better in, apart from that, I thought we were excellent." Brendan Rodgers told LCFCTV that his side were unlucky with several decisions going against them.

Clarets Narrowly Beaten

Burnley come into this game on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal.

It took a moment of magic from Martin Odegaard to settle the tie, there was precious little between the two sides but the Norwegian's free kick was enough to give the Gunners a much needed second win of the season. The Clarets came into the game without a home win since January. Arsenal’s first chance came down the left hand side, with Kieran Tierney’s run and cross calling Nick Pope into action, but Nicholas Pepe couldn’t steer the effort goalbound after the Burnley keeper’s intervention. The Clarets had their first chance through Ashley Barnes, with his header from a Westwood chip in going agonisingly wide of the Arsenal goal. Martin Odegaard scored what proved to be the only goal of the game in the 30^th minute, with his free kick superbly guided over the wall and past Nick Pope into the Burnley goal to make it 1-0. The Clarets will be kicking themselves after a stupid free kick conceded by Westwood led to the goal. Emile Smith Rowe looked to double the Gunner’s advantage before the break, with his shot curling shot missing the top corner of the goal by a couple of inches. It was a busy start to the second half from the hosts, who were searching for a goal to get back on level terms. Smith Rowe had another chance to double Arsenal’s advantage but his shot was hit straight at keeper Nick Pope. New Burnley signing Maxwel Cornet nearly had an immediate impact, with the club record signing from France’s curling shot palmed to safety by the Gunners summer signing Aaron Ramsdale. Burnley thought they had a penalty five minutes later, after an appalling back pass from Ben White let in Matej Vydra and Ramsdale was adjudged to have fouled the Czech Republic forward. But the VAR thought different as replays showed the Gunners keeper got the ball first and Anthony Taylor reversed his decision. Cornet provided another moment of his quality as his cross found Jay Rodriguez, but the forward could only head the ball over and wide of the Arsenal goal. "I thought the play was very good in the second half – but inevitably, we’ve got to turn those performances into wins. I’m pleased with how they’ve reacted and the way they’ve taken on the second half. There’s more to come from them players I feel. It was a pretty sedate first half from both sides I thought – it had that kind of standoff feel to it. They’re [Arsenal] having a tough start to the season. We ourselves are so there was that kind of edginess. There was nothing too clinical either way and unfortunately they found a way to take the lead. There was nothing in the game, I didn’t think." Sean Dyche praised his sides second half performance when he spoke to Clarets+ Betting Tips

• BTTS - No @ 1/1
• Jamie Vardy to score first @ 16/5
• Chris Wood to score first @ 11/2

Watford vs Newcastle - 15:00 - Saturday 25th September 2021

Watford @ 5/4 Draw @ 11/5 Newcastle @ 11/5

Watford: WLLLW

Newcastle: LLDLD

Watford face Newcastle at Vicarage Road this weekend, with the Magpies still in search of their first win of the season.

The Hornets come into the game having won the battle of the newly promoted sides, with Xisco Munoz's side comfortably beating Norwich 3-1 at Carrow Road. Watford opened the scoring through Emmanuel Dennis, who has scored the clubs first home and away goals in the Premier League this season. His fabulous header from a Kiko Femenia cross in the 17^th minute gave the visitors a 1-0 lead. Norwich equalised through Teemu Pukki, with the striker latching onto a fine through ball from Normann and the Finnish striker’s composed finish made it 1-1 in the 35^th minute. It was Norwich’s second goal of the season and their first from open play. Norwich had a chance to take the lead, with a scrappy exchange on the left hand side of the Watford box seeing the ball land at Pukki’s feet, but he could only blast the ball into the crowd. Tim Krul made an outstanding save at the other end, denying Ismaila Sarr just before the break after a stunning ball from Dennis found the young Senegal winger in a one on one with Norwich’s keeper, but his fingertip save put the ball out for a corner. Ismaila Sarr made up for his earlier miss when he put the Hornets ahead just after the hour mark. It was great build up play by Watford, with Josh King putting the ball on a plate for Sarr, who finished from close range to make it 2-1 (63). Sarr and Dennis nearly combined to devastating effect, with Sarr’s glorious cross into the box inches away from Emmanuel Dennis’ boot. Norwich had a chance at the other end through Milo Rashica, but his firm hit was comfortably saved by Ben Foster in the Watford goal. Ismaila Sarr scored Watford’s third ten minutes from time, with Josh King putting in the hard yards, with his run and initial shot saved by Krul but Sarr was on hand to put the rebound away for his second of the match. The goal was initially ruled out for offside on King but VAR intervened and the goal was allowed to stand. "It was a great performance today and the team was in control for long periods of the match. But it is one step forward. We spoke before the game about needing to be better in both defence and offence, and I think we delivered a very mature display. We had a lot of the ball, and we had a lot of chances to score. We also talked about needing to be mature with and without the ball, and I’m really happy with how the whole team did that. It’s great to get that first win of the season away from home, and we’re delighted to take back the three points. But we’ve talked about the process and that stays the same going forward. We’ll go back into training and keep working hard because we know this is just one game, and we’re in the Premier League." Xisco Munoz insisted that there was far more to come from his side when he spoke to www.watfordfc.com

Magpies Hold Leeds

Newcastle come into this match on the back of a 1-1 draw against Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds, with the pressure ramping up on Steve Bruce.

A thrilling encounter at St.James' Park produced an entertaining 1-1 draw, with Allan Saint Maximin at his scintillating best. Leeds came into this game having completed the double over Newcastle last season, both sides were winless heading into the game as well. Marcelo Bielsa’s men took the lead in the 13^th minute through Raphinha, with the Brazillian’s cross dummied by Rodrigo, leaving Karl Darlow in the Newcastle goal unable to prevent it nestling into his bottom right hand corner. Allan Saint Maximin crafted Newcastle’s first real chance of the game after he gave Leeds skipper Liam Cooper a reminder of his frightening pace, with the Frenchman teeing up Joelinton, whose  effort was saved by Leeds keeper Ilan Meslier. There should have been a penalty given at the other end in the build up to that chance, with Daniel James floored by Joe Willock and despite VAR checking there was no penalty given. Newcastle went close through Matt Ritchie, with his deflected effort hitting the post and bouncing out. The Magpies eventually found the equaliser in the 44^th minute, with Allan Saint Maximin scoring a superb solo goal. The winger found himself in space on the edge of the Leeds box and he rounded four Leeds defenders before slotting home into Meslier’s bottom right corner to make it 1-1. Leeds should have made it 2-1 immediately after, with Junior Firpo’s counter attacking run eventually finding Raphinha, who fluffed his lines. But the ball did find it’s way back to Firpo on the left hand side and he blazed his shot into Row Z from little more than eight yards away. A great chance gone begging. Karl Darlow had to be at his best early in the second half, with Jamal Lascelles of all people trying desperately to head into his own net. It was a good reaction save from Darlow. Saint Maximin continued to be a nuisance at the other end, with his driving run and shot saved by Ilan Meslier. Patrick Bamford had his best chance of the match midway through the second half, after another counter attack started by a brilliant challenge by Liam Cooper found it’s way to Rodrigo, and his defence splitting pass was worthy of an assist, but Bamford hit the ball straight at Darlow. "If I'm being honest I enjoyed the game and let's be honest it could have gone either way. It was like when you play at school, it was end to end and to be fair to Leeds they force you into that way. After a difficult start, the response in difficult circumstances was terrific. When you're analysing, the players have given everything they could and that's all you can ask in my position. The actual game and response from our team was terrific. It's been fine margins today. We needed a bit of luck to go our way. It's been a difficult start there's no disputing that but if we keep playing the way we did there then I'm convinced we'll be ok. That's the big thing about the Premier League whether you're at the top or the bottom. You have to accept when you don't win a game you come under pressure. How you handle it, keep your dignity, do what you think is best and stick with it. The way they have gone about their work today, it could have gone either way but it was a great football match." Steve Bruce gave his thoughts on their encounter against Leeds to Sky Sports. Betting Tips

• Total Goals - Under 2.5 Goals @ 4/5
• Ismaila Sarr to score first @ 5/1
• Callum Wilson to score first @ 7/2

Brentford vs Liverpool - 17:30 - Saturday 25th September 2021 - Sky Sports

Brentford @ 6/1 Draw @ 16/5 Liverpool @ 9/20

Brentford: WDDLW

Liverpool: WWDWW

Brentford host Liverpool at the Brentford Community Stadium this weekend, with Thomas Frank's men facing their toughest test of the season.

The Bees come into this match on the back of an impressive 2-0 win over Wolves at Molineux, with the newly promoted side continuing their excellent start to the season. It was an action packed first half. Brentford thought they had taken an early lead when Ivan Toney slotted the ball past Jose Sa and into the Wolves net, but Bryan Mbeumo was a foot offside in the build up. The Bees were awarded a penalty after Marcel rugby tackled Ivan Toney in the Wolves box, with the referee having no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Toney stepped up to convert the penalty to make it 1-0 to Brentford in the 28^th minute. Brentford had another goal ruled out, this time for handball, with the ball hitting Ivan Toney’s arm when he was trying to turn the ball towards goal. A touch harsh given that his arm wasn’t in an unnatural position. Adama Troare and the Wolves faithful thought he had scored, but his thunderous drive from outside the box smashed the crossbar and bounced back out to safety. Bryan Mbeumo scored his first Premier League goal to make it 2-0 to Brentford, after more excellent play from Toney on the left hand side saw him turn from scorer to provider, as his run and inch perfect pass put it on a plate for the Frenchman to double the Bees advantage (34). Brentford went down to ten men after two yellow cards for Shandon Baptiste, his first was a sliding challenge on Marcel and then shortly after he received his second for pulling down Trincao. He was seconds away from being substituted by Frank. Wolves showed little going forward but they did have an excellent chance to pull one back after the sending off through Raul Jimenez, with his header from a brilliant Adama Traore cross nodded just wide. Mbeumo should have put the game beyond Wolves’ reach with his second of the match, but his effort cannoned off the crossbar after he was put through on goal by Janult. "I’m thrilled with the result. We top performed and were by far the best side in the first half, scored two, had two disallowed but it was the bravery and way we played with presence that made me most proud of that performance. The red card changed the dynamic and we had to defend even more but I can’t praise the players enough for the determination and fight, especially after the sending off when we were still brave, still played 4-3-2 and tried to go for a third. So when you look at the whole game away to a very good Wolves team, and we take a fully deserved win that’s a fantastic achievement. It says a lot about the players and also those coming off bench in Zanka, Mads Roerslev and Frank Onyeka who were ready to step in, that Wolves had no shots on target. We defended very well with bodies on the line and made the pitch smaller with our willingness to run and work hard." Thomas Frank was absolutely thrilled with his sides performance as they beat Wolves 2-0.

Reds Beat Palace

Liverpool come into this match on the back of another impressive 3-0 win, this time against Patrick Viera's Crystal Palace.

The Reds continued their unbeaten start to the season as they comfortably brushed Crystal Palace aside at Anfield. It's a win that means they come into this game second in the league, with an identical record to league leaders Chelsea. Crystal Palace had the first real chance of the game, with Conor Gallagher’s looping ball finding Zaha, who thought he had scored with a controlled chip, but Alisson was on hand to deny him as his hand pushed the ball onto the post and away from danger. Guaita was called into action at the other end as Mane’s ball found it’s way to Jordan Henderson at the back post, but the Liverpool skipper’s shot was saved by the Spaniard. Palace thought they should have had a penalty, with Tsimikas seemingly tripping Christian Benteke in the Liverpool box. Diogo Jota should have given the Reds the lead immediately after, but he skied his shot over the bar from six yards away. Sadio Mane opened the scoring for Liverpool, with the Senegalese on hand after Salah’s brilliant header on the edge of the box could only be parried by Guaita, with the Senegalese slotting home for his 100^th Liverpool goal to make it 1-0 (43). Odsonne Eduoard had a great chance to level the scoring, but his touch escaped him when he was one on one with Alisson after an outstanding ball in from Joel Ward. Mohamed Salah scored his 99^th league goal for Liverpool to make it 2-0, with the Egyptian volleying home at the back post with twelve minutes remaining. Eduoard had another chance for Palace, but a combination of tough defending from debutant Konate and a save from Alisson ensured that nothing came of it. Naby Kieta put the icing on the cake for Liverpool, with his stunning volley one minute from time putting them 3-0 up. "No, we were not here today for sending any kind of signs to the outside world. We were here to fight a real strong Crystal Palace team, that was really a tough one. We could have scored from other situations but didn’t so we needed our set-pieces. In a season, when you are Liverpool, you win football games from time to time. When you win, usually you are really good or brilliant. Today we were not brilliant but we were good. We accepted the battle Crystal Palace was here for and that’s why I am really happy about the result, really happy about the performance. You saw the intensity of the game, we had to pay for that as well. In the second half we were not that clear anymore – we scored the goals, yes, but we were not clear anymore to the end of the second half. Crystal Palace really put an extra shift in, brought more offensive players on, chipped balls in behind our full-backs, we had to run a lot. You cannot press these balls, obviously, you have to run a lot." Jurgen Klopp told LFCTV that win was one of the hardest fought 3-0's he has ever seen. Betting Tips

• Total Goals - Over 2.5 Goals @ 3/5
• Ivan Toney to score first @ 6/1
• Mohamed Salah to score first @ 31/10

Southampton vs Wolves - 14:00 - Sunday 26th September 2021 - Sky Sports

Southampton @ 31/20 Draw @ 85/40 Wolves @ 9/5

Southampton: LDDDD

Wolves: LLLWL

Southampton face Wolves in the first of two Super Sunday games, with the Saints still looking for their first win of the season.

Ralph Hasenhuttl's side come into the game on the back of a goalless draw against Manchester City at the Etihad. It was an impressive rearguard from the Saints, who restricted City to just one shot on target at home. Gundogan had City’s first two chances, with his header going miles over the bar and his first chance thwarted by Saints stopper Alex McCarthy. Bednarek produced a vital sliding interception to prevent a Jack Grealish cross finding Raheem Sterling. The Poland international was called upon again as his effective block helped keep Gabriel Jesus’ shot at bay. The Saints had their first sight of goal when Tino Livramento’s charging run found Adam Armstrong in the City six yard box, but Nathan Ake was on hand to prevent the Saints forward from even having a shot on goal. The moment of the match came in the 60^th minute, when Kyle Walker was sent off for a foul on Adam Armstrong and given a straight red card for denying a goal scoring opportunity. But VAR intervened to recommend to Jon Moss that he re-look at the incident and bizarrely he changed his original decision, rescinding both the red to Walker and the penalty to Southampton. The first shot on target from either side incredibly came midway through the second half, when Adam Armstrong’s shot was fired straight at Ederson. One of the few bits of quality came four minutes from time from Raheem Sterling, with his quick feet and thinking on the left hand side earning City a late corner. City thought they had scored late, with Phil Foden’s header followed in by Raheem Sterling, but VAR intervened again to rule the goal out, with Raheem Sterling offside in the build up, much to Hasenhuttl’s delight. "I’m very proud. We had a very, very good week. Everybody in the club and everybody in the team was really working hard this week and I must say we deserved to get something here today, as tactically it was a world-class performance. It was the best game since I’ve been here tactically. We changed a lot of times the shape and we didn’t give a lot of chances so you have to do something right otherwise it wouldn’t work. All the work we invested this week was for this point and it feels good. We have tried a lot this season and everything seems to work at the moment because I have a mentality in this team that is willing to learn, is open minded and this is a joy to work with." Ralph Hasenhuttl told SFC Media that he was impressed by his sides endeavour against Manchester City.

Wolves Stung By Bees

Wolves come into this match on the back of their fourth defeat in five matches, with a poor defeat at the hands of Brentford.

Bruno Lage's men suffered their worst defeat of the season against Brentford, with a home defeat against a newly promoted side a real step backward for a side that went into the game on the back of a morale boosting first win of the season. It was an action packed first half. Brentford thought they had taken an early lead when Ivan Toney slotted the ball past Jose Sa and into the Wolves net, but Bryan Mbeumo was a foot offside in the build up. The Bees were awarded a penalty after Marcel rugby tackled Ivan Toney in the Wolves box, with the referee having no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Toney stepped up to convert the penalty to make it 1-0 to Brentford in the 28^th minute. Brentford had another goal ruled out, this time for handball, with the ball hitting Ivan Toney’s arm when he was trying to turn the ball towards goal. A touch harsh given that his arm wasn’t in an unnatural position. Adama Troare and the Wolves faithful thought he had scored, but his thunderous drive from outside the box smashed the crossbar and bounced back out to safety. Bryan Mbeumo scored his first Premier League goal to make it 2-0 to Brentford, after more excellent play from Toney on the left hand side saw him turn from scorer to provider, as his run and inch perfect pass put it on a plate for the Frenchman to double the Bees advantage (34). Brentford went down to ten men after two yellow cards for Shandon Baptiste, his first was a sliding challenge on Marcel and then shortly after he received his second for pulling down Trincao. He was seconds away from being substituted by Frank. Wolves showed little going forward but they did have an excellent chance to pull one back after the sending off through Raul Jimenez, with his header from a brilliant Adama Traore cross nodded just wide. Mbeumo should have put the game beyond Wolves’ reach with his second of the match, but his effort cannoned off the crossbar after he was put through on goal by Janult. "It was a strange day. When you’re working for what we did, and the way we started the game, when you come to the end result, it’s not good for us. We started in a good way, tried to control everything, creating chances, but then it was the moment that changed the game because it was a silly penalty for us. We cannot do that mistake. When you look back, we got punished with this result, but for our decisions, and the way we play and the way we create chances, we have to score goals and you cannot offer goals for the opponent like that. We see a lot of these situations in all of the boxes, but on that one [Marcal foul] we were unlucky, the referee saw it and it was a penalty for them. That gave Brentford the chance to start winning the game. We tried to react and after two or three minutes we had a good chance for Adama, when he hit the crossbar, and if you saw, the same thing happened which happened in our box, the defender grabbed Trincao and nothing happened. I’m not a man to complain, but we need to see these kinds of things. That is why VAR exists, to help referees to make these decisions and when the one thing happens in our box and the same behaviour is in their box, it should be a penalty for us." Bruno Lage was frustrated with his sides lack of goals and defensive lapses when he spoke to WolvesTV. Betting Tips

• BTTS - No @ 21/20
• Adam Armstrong to score first @ 5/1
• Raul Jimenez to score first @ 9/2

Arsenal vs Tottenham - 16:30 - Sunday 26th September 2021 - Sky Sports

Arsenal @ 6/5 Draw @ 9/4 Tottenham @ 9/4

Arsenal: LLLWW

Tottenham: WWWLL

Arsenal host Tottenham this weekend in a huge North London derby, with Nuno's men looking to avoid three successive defeats.

The Gunners come into this match on the back of another hard fought 1-0 victory, this time it was a moment of brilliance from Martin Odegaard that saw them overcome Sean Dyche's Burnley. The Clarets came into the game without a home win since January. Arsenal’s first chance came down the left hand side, with Kieran Tierney’s run and cross calling Nick Pope into action, but Nicholas Pepe couldn’t steer the effort goalbound after the Burnley keeper’s intervention. The Clarets had their first chance through Ashley Barnes, with his header from a Westwood chip in going agonisingly wide of the Arsenal goal. Martin Odegaard scored what proved to be the only goal of the game in the 30^th minute, with his free kick superbly guided over the wall and past Nick Pope into the Burnley goal to make it 1-0. The Clarets will be kicking themselves after a stupid free kick conceded by Westwood led to the goal. Emile Smith Rowe looked to double the Gunner’s advantage before the break, with his shot curling shot missing the top corner of the goal by a couple of inches. It was a busy start to the second half from the hosts, who were searching for a goal to get back on level terms. Smith Rowe had another chance to double Arsenal’s advantage but his shot was hit straight at keeper Nick Pope. New Burnley signing Maxwel Cornet nearly had an immediate impact, with the club record signing from France’s curling shot palmed to safety by the Gunners summer signing Aaron Ramsdale. Burnley thought they had a penalty five minutes later, after an appalling back pass from Ben White let in Matej Vydra and Ramsdale was adjudged to have fouled the Czech Republic forward. But the VAR thought different as replays showed the Gunners keeper got the ball first and Anthony Taylor reversed his decision. Cornet provided another moment of his quality as his cross found Jay Rodriguez, but the forward could only head the ball over and wide of the Arsenal goal. "A really hard-fought victory in a place that it is tough to come to and win. They do really well with what they do. They put you under a lot of pressure but I think we started the game really well, controlling and dominating the game. We had some big phases where I saw a lot of things that we want as a team. We scored the goal, had some opening chances and then there were moments where we lost control and started to give balls away after the second or third pass. Then the game becomes open and there is no control. They split the two blocks very much and then you have to defend crosses and long balls. I thought that we did that really, really well. We have players that are not in the best quality to play that game but I think that they did terrifically well and the commitment and the attitude that they showed throughout the game to find a way to win was the most pleasing thing for me, after the game." Mikel Arteta left Turf Moor feeling upbeat and gave his thoughts on the game to Arsenal Media.

Spurs Soundly Beaten

Tottenham come into this game on the back of another sound defeat, this time they were beaten at home by another London rival in Chelsea.

The Blues turned on the style in the second half with a thumping 3-0 win, with Nuno left scratching his head at how they'd gone from a relatively strong defensive showing in the first half to a 3-0 defeat at full time. Chelsea had the first chance of the game, with a Blues counter attack nearly finished by Mason Mount, but Emerson Royal produced a vital block at the right time to deny the Blues. Tottenham had a great chance of their own on the counter as Son Heung Min’s ball unleashed Reguillon, but his pass couldn’t find the advancing Giovanni Lo Celso after a crucial intervention from Antonio Rudiger. Kepa was called into action late in the first half to deny Son, the Blues keeper did really well to make himself big and close down the angle to prevent Son from scoring the opener. Chelsea did break the deadlock four minutes after the restart, with 37 year old defender Thiago Silva opening the scoring with a thunderous header from a Marcus Alonso corner to make it 1-0. Eric Dier denied Chelsea getting an immediate second, with his block on the line from a Marcus Alonso strike enough to keep it to 1-0. The Blues did grab a second eight minutes after their first, with Ngolo Kante’s deflected strike finding it’s way past Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham net, with Eric Dier the unlucky party. Harry Kane’s long range strike barely troubled Kepa, in truth it was a precious shot on target for Spurs, who had barely competed since coming out for the second half. Thiago Silva could have had another headed goal, with his second effort saved brilliantly by Hugo Lloris. The Tottenham skipper prevented further damage moments later, with a superb triple save against Werner, Alonso and Azpilicueta. Rudiger sealed the three points and a comfortable win for Chelsea in the 92^nd minute, with Werner’s cutback finding the German defender next to the Tottenham penalty spot and he calmly slotted it past Lloris into the bottom left hander corner to make it 3-0. "Different halves. The first half, (we played) really well. We pressed high, the attitude was good, we created chances. That is what we have to build on, but, at the same time, be aware of the problems we had in the second half. We conceded a goal from a set piece, that’s disappointing, and then it becomes harder. Okay, we have to give credit to the opponent, but we weren’t able to play again and compete. This is football. The team was punished. In the first half, we went into half-time with positive energy to go again, because we did an amazing job in the first half. Now the next challenge it to try and sustain that through all the game. The fans deserve more, the way they supported us, and it’s up to us to sustain it so we keep that energy going." Nuno Espirito Santo told Spurs Official that it was a tale of two halves as his side lost to Chelsea at home. Betting Tips

• BTTS @ 7/10
• Pierre Emerick Aubameyang to score first @ 4/1
• Harry Kane to score first @ 7/2

Crystal Palace vs Brighton - 20:00 - Monday 27th September 2021 - Sky Sports

Crystal Palace @ 19/10 Draw @ 21/10 Brighton @ 6/4

Crystal Palace: LDDWL

Brighton: WWLWW

Crystal Palace host Brighton on the Monday Night Football, with both sides looking for victory in the M32 derby.

The Eagles come into this game on the back of a disappointing 3-0 loss at the hands of Liverpool, but Viera's side did give Liverpool a good run for their money, with the Reds scoring two late goals to give them a flattering scoreline.

Crystal Palace had the first real chance of the game, with Conor Gallagher’s looping ball finding Zaha, who thought he had scored with a controlled chip, but Alisson was on hand to deny him as his hand pushed the ball onto the post and away from danger.

Guaita was called into action at the other end as Mane’s ball found it’s way to Jordan Henderson at the back post, but the Liverpool skipper’s shot was saved by the Spaniard.

Palace thought they should have had a penalty, with Tsimikas seemingly tripping Christian Benteke in the Liverpool box. Diogo Jota should have given the Reds the lead immediately after, but he skied his shot over the bar from six yards away.

Sadio Mane opened the scoring for Liverpool, with the Senegalese on hand after Salah’s brilliant header on the edge of the box could only be parried by Guaita, with the Senegalese slotting home for his 100^th Liverpool goal to make it 1-0 (43).

Odsonne Eduoard had a great chance to level the scoring, but his touch escaped him when he was one on one with Alisson after an outstanding ball in from Joel Ward.

Mohamed Salah scored his 99^th league goal for Liverpool to make it 2-0, with the Egyptian volleying home at the back post with twelve minutes remaining.

Eduoard had another chance for Palace, but a combination of tough defending from debutant Konate and a save from Alisson ensured that nothing came of it.

Naby Kieta put the icing on the cake for Liverpool, with his stunning volley one minute from time putting them 3-0 up.

"I think losing 3-0 is quite difficult and severe [given] the number of chances we created or the situations we created.

We were really poor defending set pieces and you can’t concede three goals on set pieces at Anfield if you want to take something from the game.

There were a couple of occasions where I believe the decisions didn’t go our way but the frustration isn’t about that. There are a lot of parts of the game we need to work on to improve.

Against Spurs we did really well on set pieces but we have to spend more time working on that. There were a lot of chances we created but our decision making in the last 30 yards wasn’t good enough today to score those goals."

Patrick Vieira shared his thoughts with Palace TV after his sides hefty defeat against Liverpool.

Seagulls Stun Foxes

Graham Potter's men continued their fine start to the season as they pushed their luck to beat Leicester 2-1 at the Amex.

Brighton have had their best ever start to a Premier League season under Potter, with four wins in their opening five matches and they find themselves just one point off league leaders Chelsea.

Brighton made a fast start, with Neal Maupay’s effort deflected out for a corner by Vestegaard, after a surging run by Marc Cucurella on the left hand side.

The Seagulls made the most of their early dominance when they were given a penalty for a handball against Jannik Vestergaard. Replays showed the Leicester defender was really unlucky, with the ball headed against his arm in mid air when he had his back to the ball.

Neal Maupay stepped up to convert it for Brighton in the 35^th minute to make it 1-0 to the Seagulls, it was the Frenchman’s third goal of the season.

Jamie Vardy had Leicester’s first meaningful chance in the second half, with the forward hunting the ball down in the Brighton box and narrowly dragging his shot wide of the post.

Brighton doubled their advantage in the 50^th minute, with Danny Welbeck’s glancing header from a Leandro Trossard free kick enough to beat Schmeichel to make it 2-0.

Jamie Vardy pulled one back for Leicester eleven minutes later, after Ricardo Pereira and Ademola Lookman combined beautifully on the right hand side, and the Leicester right back found Vardy, who finished from close range to make it 2-1. It was Vardy’s 150^th Leicester goal on his 250^th Premier League appearance.

Leicester thought they had scored the equaliser six minutes later, with Bertrand’s corner tapped in by Ademola Lookman, but the linesman’s flag went up and VAR confirmed that Harvey Barnes was in an offside position at the time of the goal.

It was a case of déjà vu late on, as the Foxes had the ball in the back of the Brighton net again four minutes from time, with Wilfried Ndidi heading home from a Leicester corner, but again Harvey Barnes was in an offside position and again it was chalked off for offside.

That was a tough defeat for Leicester, nothing went right for them but they produced enough chances to get a result, albeit against a Brighton side that have enjoyed an excellent start this season.

"The atmosphere was amazing – the supporters were tremendous and so were the players, especially in the first half.

I thought we did a lot of things really well, I was proud of them. It changed the complexion a little bit when Leicester scored because you know they’re going to throw everything at you.

I don’t think we would have won the game this time last year, but we managed to hang on, got a bit of luck and took all three points.

In the Premier League against the top teams – and Leicester are a top team – you can’t just do one thing right, you have to do everything right.

You have to attack and defend well, as well as get a bit of luck. We survived a couple of close calls today which you need to do in the Premier League to get over the line.

I said to the guys it’s five wins out of six in all competitions. We’re not getting carried away because the margins are so small and we weren’t completely dominant is the game but I am proud of them."

Graham Potter told MyAlbionTV that the fans were crucial in their home win against Leicester.

Betting Tips

• BTTS @ 17/20
• Odsonne Edouard to score first @ 9/2
• Neal Maupay to score first @ 11/2