Tips: 28th - 29th August 2021

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Treble:

Man City

Brighton / Everton

Man United

Pays 23/4

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Goals Acca:

Tottenham vs Watford UNDER 2.5 | Man City vs Arsenal OVER 2.5

Liverpool vs Chelsea BTTS |  West Ham vs Crystal Palace BTTS - No

Pays 9/1

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Premier League Betting Previews: 28th - 29th August 2021


Newcastle vs Leeds - 20:00 - Friday 17th September 2021 - Sky Sports

 

 

Newcastle @ 19/10      Draw @ 5/2      Leeds @ 5/4

 

Newcastle: LLDL

 

Leeds: LDDL

 

 

Newcastle face Leeds this weekend with the Magpies still looking for their first win of the season.

 

Steve Bruce's men were the first to face a Manchester United side boosted by the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, and rather predictably it was the Portuguese who put them to the sword with two goals in a 4-1 win for the Red Devils.

 

The first real chance fell to another significant signing on his home debut, with Raphael Varane glancing the ball just wide of the Newcastle post from a Luke Shaw corner.

 

Newcastle had a great chance to open the scoring, with Luke Shaw’s throw in misjudged by Fernandes on the edge of the United box but Joe Willock could only hammer it into the crowd despite Joelington being in a great position to tap the ball home.

 

Sancho had a glorious chance to finish a flowing move that he started but Fernandes shot narrowly missed his boot.

 

United did eventually take the lead in first half injury time, with the returning number seven Ronaldo grabbing his first goal on his second debut.

 

Mason Greenwood created room on the right and cut inside the Newcastle defence, his shot was fumbled by Woodman, who could only watch as one of the most lethal finishers in the game tapped home into an empty net (45+2).

 

Newcastle equalised ten minutes after the break, with Javier Manquillo completing a stunning counter attack that was started by Miguel Almiron, with the left back sliding the ball past De Gea to make it 1-1 (55).

 

Ronaldo doubled his and United’s tally seven minutes later (62), with Luke Shaw producing a perfectly weighted pass to unleash the Portuguese and Ronaldo hammered it through Woodman’s legs to make it 2-1 to United.

 

Ten minutes from time Bruno Fernandes stunned Newcastle with a ferocious long range strike to make it 3-1. Jesse Lingard rounded off the win in the second minute of stoppage time with a fourth, after yet another Pogba assist to complete the perfect homecoming for Ronaldo (90+2).

 

Steve Bruce has lost 12 of his 13 games as a visiting manager at Old Trafford in the Premier League, including all three in charge of current club Newcastle. His teams have scored a combined six goals in this run, while conceding 33 in return.

 

It's been a tough start to the season for the Magpies but they face a Leeds side who have also failed to register a win this season.

 

"We had more than one or two opportunities [to spoil the party]. We had chances, created opportunities but I am disappointed we have given away some poor goals and that has cost us."

 

"The first goal is the big one. We deserved to be 0-0 at half time. That is the instinct, he [Cristiano Ronaldo] follows it in and my two defenders don’t and that gets him the first [goal]."

 

"I cannot put a timescale on it. It’ll be touch and go whether he is ready for next week."

 

Steve Bruce gave the BBC his thoughts on the game after his side lost 4-1 at Old Trafford.

 

 

Leeds Hammered By Reds

 

Marcelo Bielsa's men produced another disastrous performance against a top side as they were hammered by Liverpool at Elland Road.

 

Leeds were put to the sword by Liverpool last weekend, with Jurgen Klopp's men emerging victorious despite the serious injury to Harvey Elliott in the 60th minute, with Pascal Struijk sent off for his challenge on the 18 year old.

 

Leeds had the first chance of the game, with Kalvin Phillips’ cross field ball finding Rodrigo who had a run at the Liverpool defence, he eventually squared it to Rodrigo, but his shot was hit straight at Alisson. A poor finish from the Leeds man who was substituted off at half time.

 

The Reds did take the lead through Mohamed Salah, who else, with the Eygptian scoring his 100th Premier League goal in the 20th minute, after fine work from both Joel Matip and Trent Alexander Arnold on the edge of Leeds penalty box.

 

Liverpool thought they had scored their second moments later, with Salah’s superb cross finding the head of Thiago, but Salah was offside in the build-up and the goal was chalked off.

 

Luke Ayling had a chance to equalise for Leeds, with a ball from Rodrigo perfectly picking him out at the back post, but curiously he used his knee instead of his head and that saw the ball skied well over the bar.

 

Fabinho scored Liverpool’s second after more poor defending from Leeds from a set piece. Van Dijk won the initial header in the Leeds penalty area and the Brazillian’s first shot was blocked but his second found it’s way into the Leeds net in the 50th minute.

 

The main talking point of the game happened in the 60th minute, when Pascal Struijk was sent off after a challenge on Harvey Elliot left the Liverpool youngster with a dislocated ankle.

 

It looked a harsh one on the replays with the Dutchman making minimal contact with the Liverpool player, his three game ban will stand after the appeal was rejected.

 

Patrick Bamford desperately looked for a consolation goal, with his chip against a back peddling Allison nearly going in, but the Brazillian kept his composure and managed to palm the ball to safety.

 

It was 5th time lucky for Mane, with the Senegalese striker eventually finding the back of the net in the 92nd minute, after a great turn and strike into the bottom corner after great work from Thiago on the left hand side.

 

That was a poor performance and result for Leeds, with the substitutions of Llorente and Rodrigo combined with the sending off of Struijk adding insult to injury.

 

"Evidently, the way I planned for the game didn’t allow for our forwards to shine. They managed to get their forwards into the game to create danger and chances. Every time we lost the ball, the opponents created danger." 

 

"But, we did have some balls in the first half that we thought would have created more danger or risk for the opponent."

 

"As the first half wore on we started to lose control of the ball and it was difficult for us to recover it. When we recovered it, it was difficult for us to put passes together. I have already said that the way Liverpool planned their game allowed their creative players to shine." 

 

"Pascal (Struijk) recovered the ball. The actions to get the ball didn’t have an infraction but I have the feeling the rest of the movement of his body after he recovered the ball made him hit Elliott."

Wolves vs Brentford - 12:30 - Saturday 18th September 2021 - BT Sport

 

Wolves @ 20/23      Draw @ 85/40      Brentford @ 18/5

 

Wolves: LLLW

 

Brentford: WDDL

 

 

Wolves host Brentford this weekend with Bruno Lage's men finally securing their first win under their new manager.

 

They come into the match on the back of a comprehensive 2-0 win over Watford, with Wolves finally getting the win their hard work has deserved, albeit at the fourth time of asking.

 

Only Liverpool and Man City have had more shots than Wolves in their opening three matches.

 

Sissoko had Watford’s first shot of the match, but his long range drive was hit straight at Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.

 

Trinicao, the Barcelona loanee, had Wolves first attempt, with the Portuguese gliding past three Watford players before unleashing his own long range effort. It was saved comfortably by Daniel Bachmann.

 

Watford’s best chance of the half came after a brilliant one two between Sissoko and Ismaila Sarr, with the latter squaring the ball across the box and it narrowly missed the sliding Joshua King.

 

Trinicao was involved again at the other end, with his driving run and through ball putting Semedo one on one with the Watford keeper, but Bachmann was more than equal to the task and denied Wolves.

 

Semedo missed another glorious chance in the second half after another excellent move from Wolves, including a glorious back flick from Raul Jimenez, but the Portuguese full back put his shot agonisingly wide of the Watford post.

 

Jimenez himself missed a golden chance, an inch perfect free kick from Joao Moutinho finding the Mexican forward, but his free header was put wide of the target.

 

Wolves finally got their goal through a set piece, a corner moments after Jiminez’s miss was played short out to Marcal, and his cross was eventually bungled in by Watford defender Francisco Sierralta for a comical own goal sixteen minutes from time.

 

Bruno Lage’s men secured the win as they doubled their lead nine minutes later through debutant Hee Chan Hwang, who became the first Korean to score on his Premier League debut.

 

It was great work on the right hand side from Semedo and Podence, with Podence’s cross finding its way to Marcal whose goalbound effort was Troost Ekong, but neither Ekong or Bachmann could stop Hwang, with his second effort hitting the back of the net to remove all doubt.

 

It was fourth time lucky for Bruno Lage, with his first win as Wolves manager coming after another good performance, they face a tough test in newly promoted side Brentford.

 

"It was a good game. It was a good performance from our side. We began the game very well, the first 15 to 20 minutes we played our game; the way we play, the way we create, the way we find our spaces, the way that we create our chances, and after that, Watford had a good transition and had a little bit of the game."

 

"But after in the second-half, with the changes we did at half-time, and the changes we made with Podence and Hwang, I think the game came to us."

 

"The second-half was very good, we continued to create chances we scored the two goals and we deserved these three points. For sure, it’s a good result at this point, and a good result for what we did in these first four games."

 

Bruno Lage praised the impact of his substitutes when he spoke to Wolves TV.

 

 

Seagulls Down Bees

 

Brentford come into this game on the back of an agonising late defeat to Brighton, with a late Trossard goal settling the tie.

 

The Bees unbeaten start to the season was ended in cruel fashion by a Brighton side that scored the winner in the 90th minute at the Brentford Community Stadium.

 

Ivan Toney nearly pulled off the spectacular early on, with the forward spotting Robert Sanchez off his line and his audacious chip nearly saw Brighton pay dearly. To Sanchez’s relief the ball flew over the top.

 

Brighton’s first meaningful attempt came when Trossard and Welbeck combined down the left hand side but Welbeck hit his shot straight at goalkeeper David Raya.

 

Bryan Mbuemo had two chances in a minute at the other end but on both instances the ball sailed miles over the bar.

 

His third effort was much closer, with the forward showing his quick feet and turning the ball onto his favoured left foot, his effort curling the wrong side of the post.

 

It was a game of good football and great build up but the quality in the final third was missing, both sides produced eleven shots but only three of them were on target.

 

The game was decided on one bit of individual quality in the dying moments of the game, with Leandro Trossards turn and curling shot enough to secure all three points for the Seagulls.

 

It was great build up play from Brighton, with Alexis McAllister enjoying a one two with Jakub Moder before supplying Trossard, with the Belgian bending the ball into the bottom right hand corner in the 90th minute.

 

That's a tough defeat for Brentford to take but there's no shame in losing to Brighton, they have been in excellent form this season under Potter.

 

"I think that's a very good example of the Premier League, we played an extremely tight game for 75 minutes, I felt we were slightly on top in terms of creating a bit more."

 

"The last 15 minutes Brighton got a bit more on top without being dangerous, then the goal in the 90th minute. That's football."

 

"The performance again was solid, we looked very strong defensively again and we need to work on the actions in the offensive side of the game."

 

Thomas Frank told Sky Sports that the game perfectly summed up the leagues unforgiving nature.

 

Betting Tips

 

  • Total Goals - Under 2.5 Goals @ 8/15
  • Raul Jiminez to score first @ 10/3
  • Ivan Toney to score first @ 9/2

Brighton vs Everton - 15:00 - Saturday 28th August 2021

 

Brighton @ 7/5      Draw @ 85/40      Everton @ 11/5

Brighton: DWLWW

Everton: LLWDW

 

Brighton face Everton this weekend with the Seagulls in the top four after their opening two wins.

It's been a really impressive start to the season from Graham Potter's men, with two wins against Burnley and Watford in their two opening fixtures. That's the Seagulls best ever start to a Premier League season.

The Seagulls enjoyed a fast start and they were rewarded in the 10th minute when the returning Shane Duffy made it 1-0 with a bullet header into the top left hand corner.

Brighton doubled their lead four minutes before the break when Neal Maupay doubled their lead and his own goal scoring tally for the season.

Troost Ekong played the ball to captain Tom Cleverly who was pickpocketed by Yves Bissouma, and the Frenchman made no mistake as he made it 2-0.

Aaron Connolly could and should have made it three, as a Pascal Gross cross bounced back off Craig Cathcart and into the path of the Irishman, who should have scored with his left foot but blazed it wide.

Watford tried to respond through both Cleverly and Cucho Hernandez but they were unable to lay a glove on the Seagulls keeper.

That was another fantastic result for Graham Potter's men, with only Chelsea and Manchester City (13 each) keeping more Premier League clean sheets in 2021 than Brighton (10).

Neal Maupay, who has scored his 20th Premier League goal, has scored in both of Brighton's first two league games of 2021-22, this after having only scored in two of his final 18 league appearances last season.

“I thought we played well first half. Shane [Duffy] scored a great header and we had good attacks and scored two good goals."

"Shane has done really, really well, he’s been a breath of fresh air. It’s a credit to him and we just want to help him enjoy his football which he is doing."

"The second goal came from a good recovery, a pressing action which was positive. We deserved the lead and probably won the game with the scoreline at half-time."

"At that stage you know the opposition are going to respond and they did, we had to defend at times in the second half but we did that well. I am really happy with the three points and the performance, but obviously there are things to work on to improve."

"You have to attack well, because if the game turns over too quickly it favours them and the quality of their front three is high as we saw last week when they beat Aston Villa."

Graham Potter was pleased with his side but still said there was room for improvement when he spoke to My Albion TV.

Toffees Held At Leeds

Everton come into this game on the back of an entertaining 2-2 draw at Elland Road last weekend.

Rafa Benitez's side maintained their unbeaten start to the new season, this despite dropping two points in their away game against Marcelo Bielsa's men.

Everton started well and there was a great early chance for Dominic Calvert Lewin after a magnificent run down the right hand side by Demarai Gray.

The Toffees did eventually take the lead in the 30th minute when they were awarded a penalty after poor defending from Leeds skipper Liam Cooper, who blatantly tugged on the forwards shirt when a cross came in from the left, leaving VAR with no choice but to recommend the referee check the monitor and give the penalty.

Dominic Calvert Lewin stepped up and smashed the ball into the bottom left hand corner past the outstretched Meslier to make it 1-0 to Everton.

Leeds sprung into action and eleven minutes later they equalised, with Mateus Klich on hand to finish past Pickford in the 41st minute after Patrick Bamford slotted the ball through to him.

Everton retook the lead five minute after the break (50), with the impressive Demarai finishing into the bottom right hand corner, his first PL goal for Everton.

The Toffees had two golden chances to double their lead, with Dominic Calvert Lewin and Demarai Gray combining on the right of the Leeds penalty box but the forward could only hit the ball straight at Meslier.

The second chance saw Dominic Calvert Lewin foiled again by Meslier after a superb through ball from Alex Iwobi.

Leeds made them pay, with Raphinha levelling the scoring with a stunning curling effort 18 minutes from time (72).

Kalvin Phillips crossed the ball into the Everton box, the skipper Cooper made amends by keeping the ball alive and supplying Raphinha, who finished emphatically with his left foot, curling it into the bottom left hand corner past Pickford to make it 2-2.

He becomes only the second Leeds player to score in three successive games against the Toffees.

That was a mixed performance from Everton, they will be delighted to have remained unbeaten but they will feel that they dropped two points, especially with Calvert Lewin enjoying two chances at 2-1.

"I think Leeds were pushing from the beginning, but we reacted well, especially in the second half – we had, little-by-little, more chances."

"We had the chance to score the third goal and maybe we could be talking about something different."

"I am really pleased, because of the way we did in the first game, the reaction of the players [Everton beat Southampton after trailing 1-0], and today, the way we were pushing and working so hard from the beginning until the end."

"We were adjusting our position on the pitch to control the match better. Then, we had more chances, the positions were more dangerous, and we were maybe close to winning the game."

"But, overall, I think the result is fair. We could see [against Southampton] how good our fans were for us."

"And we could see, today, how good Leeds’ fans were for them. In terms of the mentality, the way our team was battling against all the things around, I am really pleased with that."

Rafa Benitez told EvertonTV that his sides intensity and character was deserved of a point, if not all three.

Betting Tips

  • BTTS @ 5/6
  • Neal Maupay to score first @ 9/2
  • Dominic Calvert Lewin to score first @ 4/1

Newcastle vs Southampton - 15:00 - Saturday 28th August 2021

 

Newcastle @ 31/20      Draw @ 12/5      Southampton @ 7/4

Newcastle: WLWLL

Southampton: WWLLD

 

Newcastle face Southampton this weekend with the Magpies looking for their first points of the season.

Steve Bruce will be hoping it's third time lucky in the Premier League as they look to record their first points of the season. They come into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Dean Smith's Aston Villa.

Callum Wilson missed a glorious early chance for Newcastle, the forward easily turning Tyrone Mings to end up one on one with Martinez but he chipped his shot wide of the post.

The returning Joe Willock also caused problems for Villa, with his ball drilled along to the back post luckily finding Matty Cash, who cleared to spare the hosts blushes.

Villa did open the scoring in first half injury time, with Danny Ings making it 2 goals in 2 games for his new side. A long throw from Matty Cash found skipper Tyrone Mings who nodded it on, with Ings producing an incredible acrobatic bicycle kick to make it 1-0 to Villa.

Dean Smith's men doubled their lead shortly after the hour mark (62) in fortuitous circumstances as they were awarded a penalty after a Tyrone Mings header struck the arm of Jamal Lascelles. It wasn’t initially spotted by David Coote but VAR did spot it and recommended the referee overturn his decision.

Anwar El Ghazi stepped up ensured there was no mistake as he smashed the ball into the Newcastle net to make it 2-0 to Villa.

The Magpies were awarded a penalty late on after a clumsy foul from Martinez on Callum Wilson, but the Newcastle man was offside in the build up, adding insult to injury for Steve Bruce and the Magpies.

It's an unlucky defeat for the Magpies, who had no luck whatsoever, with two VAR decisions going against them at opposite ends of the pitch.

"I don't think both goalkeepers made a save, really. It was the fine margins of the Premier League, and I thought big decisions went against us. I thought the offside decisions, where all of a sudden I didn't think we were looking at lines from armpits anymore." "The penalty… Jamaal Lascelles, with his foot is above his head. If he's going to get his foot up, he's going to lift his arm, too. I don't think anybody in the ground thought it was a penalty."It looks as if this week we'll have a strong squad to pick from." "I'm disappointed with VAR, because that's two or three decisions in the last week that have proved costly. I thought we were erring on the side of the attacker? He's offside by, what, a toe again?" "If those lines are not joining, I don't know what is. I'm really frustrated. We feel aggrieved, in a game that could have gone either way."Steve Bruce was disappointed with VAR when he spoke to Sky Sports following his sides defeat.

Saints Hold United

Southampton come into the match having secured their opening point of the season at home against Manchester United.

The last time these two sides met Manchester United ran rampant at Old Trafford but the Saints clawed back some pride as they held Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's men to a 1-1 draw at St.Mary's.

Manchester United had an early chance, with Bruno Fernandes’ superb free kick causing all sorts of problems, with Lindelof, Maguire and Pogba all missing with headers and the ball landing on the bar, before Martial’s header was cleared off the line by Salisu.

Despite United enjoying the best of the early exchanges it was the Saints who opened the scoring. Che Adams thought he had opened the scoring for the Saints, as his shot deflected off Fred into the United net to make it 1-0. Fred was later awarded the own goal.

There was a huge question mark over a foul on Bruno Fernandes in the build up but VAR sided with the referee.

It took United until ten minutes after the restart to find the equaliser, with Mason Greenwood making it two goals in his last two starts, with the young forward finding a way through McCarthy’s legs after great build up play on the left by Paul Pogba.

David De Gea spared United blushes late on, after Harry Maguire was pick pocketed by Ward Prowse, with the Spaniard producing a stunning save to deny Adam Armstrong, who should have scored.

It means Southampton remain winless in 10 home league games against Man Utd (D4 L6), despite taking the lead in six of those games.

That's a great result for the Saints who get their campaign off and running with a gritty draw against a United side that were full of confidence after their opening win against Pennines rivals Leeds.

"I am very happy I must say because we deserved to get something today. We had a fantastic first half and then changed everything in the second half, which is not so easy to do at half time."

"The first 15 minutes [after half-time] we were a little bit struggling, but then I’ve seen a team get adapted to it."

"The way we played the last 30 minutes was very good. We didn’t give them a lot of chances and had a few very good ones and could’ve won the game today, but in the end, overall it was a very good performance."

"I think we’ve shown that we can be the team that can take something and the first time at home to do it with the crowd is amazing."

"I cannot imagine more – yes, a win would’ve been fantastic – but we take the point and keep on going."

Ralph Hasenhuttl told SFC Media that his side were good value for their point against Manchester United.

Betting Tips

  • BTTS - No @ 13/10
  • Callum Wilson to score first @ 7/2
  • Adam Armstrong to score first @ 5/1

Norwich vs Leicester - 15:00 - Saturday 28th August 2021

 

Norwich @ 16/5      Draw @ 27/10      Leicester@ 17/20

Norwich: WWLLL

Leicester: DWWWL

 

Norwich host Leicester this weekend with Daniel Farke's side gaining some confidence in the league cup after two tough opening fixtures.

The fixture gods weren't kind to Norwich opening up, with the Canaries facing Liverpool, Man City and now Leicester in their opening three matches. They lost their last outing against Man City 5-0 but did register a 6-0 win over Bournemouth in the league cup in midweek.

Man City's opener came in bizarre fashion, with Tim Krul turning the ball into his own net in just the 7th minute. It was great build up play from City, with a brilliant ball over the top chested down and controlled by Jesus, his dangerous ball into the box led to Grant Hanley clumsily hitting the ball into his own goalkeeper for 1-0.

City thought they had made it 2-0 shortly after, but they were denied a quick second from Ferran Torres after VAR spotted a foul in the build up on Norwich's number 17 Milot Rashica.

City did have their second moments later (22), when £100 million pound man Jack Grealish scored his first City goal in his home debut.

It came after more great work on the right hand side between Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazillian crossing to Jack Grealish on the edge of the box, with the ball ricocheting off the City man and bouncing in for 2-0.

It took City until midway through the second half to get their third goal (64), with reported want away defender Aymeric Laporte making it 3-0, a scramble from a corner leaving the Spain international free to comfortably slotting past Krul on the edge of the six yard box.

Norwich had a chance in the second half through Max Aarons, his cross nearly bundled in by Gundogan.

Substitute Sterling came on to make it 4-0 to City seven minutes later (71), with Walker and Jesus combining again down the right, with the Brazilian securing his second assist after his pinpoint pass found Sterling, who slotted it into the Norwich net for City’s fourth.

Another substitute in Riyad Mahrez completed the romp for City, with a glorious ball from Diaz finding the Algerian in the visitors box, with a smart finish making it 5-0 to Guardiola's men.

That was a poor performance from Norwich, who based on the evidence of the last two matches will be heading straight back down to the Championship. They have faced two of the best sides in the league but their defence was non existent and they produced just one attempt and that wasn't on target.

"We knew before the season started that these games were not the games where we would have to make sure we stay in the league."

"It was a tough day today to face Manchester City in the first time in two years they are allowed to play in front of an excited home crowd, and the first time after they won the title."

"They presented their silverware today and were highly motivated with a point to prove after an unlucky result in the first game day for them."

"Nevertheless, we are disappointed with the result and especially with the way that we conceded four times the same goal - their players getting in behind my left-back for an easy tap-in."

"We were a bit unlucky with the second phase after the set piece for Laporte’s goal, but I’m disappointed with how we conceded the other four goals."

"We prepared the whole week because City always plays like this with a chipped ball or low pass behind the last row and the right winger tries to be there with the movement."

"I wish we defended those situations with a bit more individual quality but we didn’t today so we have to accept the loss."

Daniel Farke told Canaries TV that his sides loss to Man City will be a learning experience for his players.

Hammers Flatten Foxes

Brendan Rodgers' men come into this match on the back of a hefty 4-1 defeat to West Ham, with Perez's sending off crucial.

The Foxes come into this game on the back of their worst performance of the season against West Ham, with a red card for Ayoze Perez not helping their cause.

Pablo Fornals opened the scoring for West Ham in the 26th minute, after a well worked goal from the Hammers. Said Benrahma continued his impressive start to the season with his second assist of the season to go with his opening game goal.

Ayoze Perez was given a straight red card for his challenge on the opening scorer Fornals, but the Spaniard wasn’t helped by his goalkeeper, with the Foxes caught playing out from the back. VAR had to intervene with the referee having to look at the monitor.

Benhrama went from provider to scorer as West Ham doubled their lead in the 56th minute, with Michail Antonio providing the vital assist.

But it all stemmed from a horror mistake from Caglar Soyuncu, with his backpass finding Antonio and drawing Schmeichel out of goal, leaving Benhrama to tap into an empty net!

Leicester did pull one back through Youri Tielemans in the 69th minute, giving the Foxes a faint hope of salvaging something from the game.

West Ham extinguished those thoughts with two goals from Michail Antonio in four minutes. Declan Rice’s cross found Antonio in the box and he turned Soyuncu before finishing in the bottom right hand corner for his 50th West Ham goal.

Four minutes later he had his 51st goal and West Ham’s fourth of the night after great work on the right from Vladimir Coufal.

The right back’s cross found Antonio on the edge of the box and his dinked touch and finish past Schmeichel cemented his spot at the top of West Ham’s Premier League scoring charts.

That was a tough day at the office for Leicester, who struggled to cope with the pace and power of West Ham with eleven men but the task became impossible with the sending of off Perez.

"We’re obviously disappointed with the result. The spirit of the team was really good. We kept fighting."

"The mentality of the team was really good. With 20 to 25 minutes to go, we were 2-1 [down], and then just as we were about to make the changes to try and make a go for it in the last 20 minutes, we obviously conceded the third."

"We had good possession [early on]. We worked the ball, I just felt that technically, we were too slow on it. We needed to be cleaner in our possession but smoother in our passing, and that would have got us through quicker. It’s something to take forward into the next game."

"The first two goals [we conceded] were mistakes. We were in good possession of the ball, but we gave it away. That’s obviously not so good."

"Then, the other goals, of course, we didn’t defend so well, but it’s also really good play by Michail Antonio. He finishes them really well."

Brendan Rodgers told LCFC TV that his side were disappointed with the result but happy with the spirit.

Betting Tips

  • Total Goals - Over 2.5 Goals @ 31/40
  • Teemu Pukki to score first @ 5/1
  • Jamie Vardy to score first @ 7/2

West Ham vs Crystal Palace - 15:00 - Saturday 28th August 2021

 

West Ham @ 11/20      Draw @ 3/1      Crystal Palace @ 11/2

West Ham: WWWWW

Crystal Palace: DWWLD

 

West Ham host Crystal Palace this weekend with the Hammers enjoying an impressive start to the season.

David Moyes men enjoyed another impressive win, this time beating Leicester 4-1 at the London Stadium to move top of the table after their opening two matches.

Pablo Fornals opened the scoring for West Ham in the 26th minute, after a well worked goal from the Hammers. Said Benrahma continued his impressive start to the season with his second assist of the season to go with his opening game goal.

Ayoze Perez was given a straight red card for his challenge on the opening scorer Fornals, but the Spaniard wasn’t helped by his goalkeeper, with the Foxes caught playing out from the back. VAR had to intervene with the referee having to look at the monitor.

Benhrama went from provider to scorer as West Ham doubled their lead in the 56th minute, with Michail Antonio providing the vital assist.

But it all stemmed from a horror mistake from Caglar Soyuncu, with his backpass finding Antonio and drawing Schmeichel out of goal, leaving Benhrama to tap into an empty net!

Leicester did pull one back through Youri Tielemans in the 69th minute, giving the Foxes a faint hope of salvaging something from the game.

West Ham extinguished those thoughts with two goals from Michail Antonio in four minutes. Declan Rice’s cross found Antonio in the box and he turned Soyuncu before finishing in the bottom right hand corner for his 50th West Ham goal.

Four minutes later he had his 51st goal and West Ham’s fourth of the night after great work on the right from Vladimir Coufal.

The right back’s cross found Antonio on the edge of the box and his dinked touch and finish past Schmeichel cemented his spot at the top of West Ham’s Premier League scoring charts.

That was an excellent win for the Hammers who head into this match looking to make it three from three.

"The red card did play a part in the game, because it was tight until then. We had got a goal in front, but the game was still very tight and I think Pérez was really unlucky with the tackle."

"I think the tackle was a sending-off in the end but I don’t think he meant to do it. That’s part of football."

"We scored some great goals. We put some lovely crosses in, and Mick had a header which Schmeichel made a great save from in the second half, so we played some really good football."

"I enjoyed it, it was exciting for myself and it felt like a really big game tonight. Leicester won the FA Cup last year, they’ve just won the Community Shield, finished above us and just missed out on the Champions League."

David Moyes hailed his players and the supporters when he spoke to West Ham TV after an excellent win over the Foxes.

First Point On The Board

Crystal Palace come into the game having secured their first point of the season courtesy of a 0-0 draw against Brentford.

Patrick Viera's new era at Palace has got off to a slow start but given the mass turnover of players and the new management it's understandable. There will be worries about their form in front of goal, especially when they face a Hammers side top of the league and scoring for fun.

Palace started well and it was nearly a dream debut from Conor Gallagher, with his strike rattling the inside of the post but crucially bouncing out.

Brentford responded quickly through striker Ivan Toney, with his shot hit narrowly wide of the Palace goal.

Bryan Mbeumo nearly broke the deadlock in fine fashion, with his left footed free kick hitting the cross bar. Frank Onyeka also tested Vicente Guaita just before the break with a long range effort.

Ivan Toney had another chance from a corner in the second half, but he failed to make proper contact, the ball hitting his shoulder before being punched to safety by Guaita.

Palace responded at the other end with Joel Ward’s cross finding the head of Christian Benteke, the striker heading over powerfully.

Toney had another glorious chance to put Brentford ahead from a corner, but despite the forward timing his run and jump beautifully the ball narrowly flew past the Palace post.

David Raya produced a stunning save at the other end as his fingertip save helped ensure James McArthur’s effort flew over the Brentford bar.

That was a solid point for Palace who will be delighted with the clean sheet. They face another stern test in the form of the Hammers and they will need to break their duck in front of goal.

"I think Conor had a really good game. I think he was unlucky not to score the chance that he created. He was full of energy on the field."

"The club worked really hard to bring him to Palace, and there was a couple of clubs around him. I was really pleased we convinced him to come to us, he will be an important player for this football club."

"This was his first game – I think at times he was up and down physically, but overall I think he had a really solid performance and I was really happy in the first and second-half."

"But this is a side of the game we need to work on. Looking at the way we approach the game, the way we play with intensity, we try to get out from the pressure and play the second ball. I think the teams performance was positive."

"I think it’s working on the last 30-yards, on our positioning inside the box, having more players inside the box. So that element of the game will need to improve, and we’ll work on that."

Patrick Viera praised the performance of Conor Gallagher and pinpointed areas for improvement when he spoke to Palace TV.

Betting Tips

  • BTTS - No @ 19/20
  • Michail Antonio to score first @ 7/2
  • Wilfried Zaha to score first @ 15/2

Liverpool vs Chelsea - 17:30 - Saturday 28th August 2021 - Sky Sports

 

Liverpool @ 6/4      Draw @ 23/10      Chelsea @ 15/8

Liverpool: WDWWW

Chelsea: WWDWW

 

Liverpool host Chelsea this weekend in a blockbuster fixture, with both sides coming into this on the back of two wins.

Jurgen Klopp's men come into this match on the back of a 2-0 win over Burnley, a gritty performance that saw them have plenty of chances, but it wasn't until Mane's late goal that the result was confirmed.

Burnley had an early chance that hit the woodwork from Dwight McNeil, any goal would have been chalked off due to a Westwood offside in the build up.

Liverpool did take the lead at Anfield in the 18th minute, with Diogo Jota scoring his 11th PL goal after a brilliant cross from Tsimikas was headed in by the Portuguese to make it 1-0.

Diogo Jota's opener for Liverpool was his first Premier League goal at Anfield since November 2020 versus Leicester, each of his previous six goals in the competition had come away from home.

Liverpool could have had a second as Mo Salah tucked the ball into the Burnley net with his favoured left foot but it was chalked off by VAR, with the Eygptian straying offside in the build up.

Burnley had their own offside goal in the second half, with Ashley Barnes failing to time his run before blasting the ball into the Liverpool net.

The Reds confirmed the win in the 69th minute through a brilliant goal by Sadio Mane. The Liverpool move was started by Van Dijk, with his cross field pass finding Harvey Elliot, who combined with Trent Alexander Arnold to unleash Mane, who finished with aplomb.

Alisson made sure that the clean sheet remained intact with an excellent save from Ashley Barnes, with the Burnley forward only able to smash the ball right at the Liverpool keeper when through on goal.

That was another excellent performance from Liverpool, who maintained their 100% start to the season with the win here, they now face a Chelsea side who are serious contenders for the Premier League title.

Virgil van Dijk has now made 48 Premier League appearances for Liverpool at Anfield, losing none of those games (W43 D5). Only Lee Sharpe played more home games for one club in the competition without losing any of them (59 with Manchester United).

"Everybody was really looking forward to this football festival, to this game, and I think nobody leaves this place today with any kind of disappointment because I think all of our dreams were fulfilled today, atmosphere-wise. That was, for sure, the best 12.30pm atmosphere we had."

"It was pretty special, really special. How the game was as well, pretty special, because Burnley are Burnley – and Burnley cause you problems. And Burnley caused us problems."

"Obviously, the new idea about football, let the game flow more or whatever, I think we will talk about that quite frequently over the year, but we won the game. We played a good game, we scored two, could have scored more."

"Yes, needed Ali in moments as well, even when the best save he had was offside before, but it was anyway a sensational save."

"Harvey was part of this performance. Everybody wants to talk to me about Harvey and I understand absolutely – when an 18-year-old boy plays such a mature game I can understand why everyone was asking, but I was not surprised he played like this."

Jurgen Klopp hailed the special Anfield atmosphere when he spoke to LFCTV.

Blues Hammer Gunners

Thomas Tuchel's side come into this match in excellent form, having overcome London rivals Arsenal by 2-0 at the Emirates.

It was men against boys as Chelsea swept Arsenal aside by 2-0 at the Emirates, with new signing Romelu Lukaku making an instant impact on his second Chelsea debut, marking the occasion with his first ever goal for the club.

Despite the end result the Gunners did make a positive start to the match, with Emile Smith Rowe having an early shot on goal.

But it wan't long before the Blues and their new number nine made an immediate impact. In the 15th minute Romelu Lukaku crowned his second debut with his first goal for Chelsea.

After great build up play from the Belgian, Kovacic unleashed Reece James with a ball over the top and the right back slid the perfect ball into Lukaku who finished into an empty net for 1-0.

Chelsea doubled their lead ten minutes before the break (35) as James went from provider to scorer as his fine right footed strike flew past Leno to double the Blues lead. The Blues full back was picked out by Mason Mount on the vacant right hand side and James emphatic finish made it 2-0.

Arsenal thought they had a penalty six minutes later, with James clattering into the side of Saka in the penalty box, it was checked by VAR and they stuck with the referees original decision.

The Gunners had another chance in a rain soaked second half, with Bukayo Saka’s long range drive negotiated behind by Benjamin Mendy.

Rob Holding missed the Gunners best chance of the match, with his header going half a yard wide from close range, after an excellent header back into the box from Pablo Mari.

Bernd Leno produced a stunning save to keep the scoreline respectable for the Gunners, with his left hand saving a strong Lukaku header from close range.

The German produced another save late on from his compatriot Havertz, the Chelsea man trying to guide the ball through Leno's legs into the Arsenal net for three but it wasn’t to be as Leno did enough.

That was an excellent win for Chelsea who have put down a marker in terms of their title ambitions for the season. A win at Anfield would be another serious statement and Tuchel will be keen to win the battle of the German managers.

"I had the feeling in the first half that we lacked a bit of sharpness and activity. We were a bit passive in some moments and we had a long training week where we trained very hard with double sessions so I had the feeling we were a bit leggy."

"In the second half, we overcame some minutes in the beginning and then we controlled it very well. We created more chances and I think we deserved to win but still room to improve."

"I’m very happy with the way he has integrated already. He’s a very smart guy, he likes to be in the group and he’s a very democratic leader so he talks to everybody."

"He is very friendly, humble and totally competitive so he gives something to our game that we did not have so much to protect balls and play very direct up front into the last line."

"He cannot start better than with a goal. He almost scored a second one but for a big save from Bernd Leno and he assisted some half-chances and chances as well so it’s a good start. Now we have to improve from here."

Thomas Tuchel hailed his sides perfect start to the season when he spoke to www.chelseafc.com

Betting Tips

  • BTTS @ 4/6
  • Mohamed Salah to score first @ 4/1
  • Romelu Lukaku to score first @ 7/2

Burnley vs Leeds - 14:00 - Sunday 29th August 2021 - Sky Sports

 

Burnley @ 2/1      Draw @ 5/2      Leeds @ 13/10

Burnley: WWWLL

Leeds: LLDLD

 

Burnley host Leeds at Turf Moor this weekend with both sides still searching for their first win of the new season.

The Clarets come into this match on the back of a second successive defeat, this time a 2-0 defeat at Anfield. They will have been encouraged by the performance as they made Liverpool work and had a few chances of their own but ultimately they came away from Anfield with nothing.

Burnley had an early chance that hit the woodwork from Dwight McNeil, any goal would have been chalked off due to a Westwood offside in the build up.

Liverpool did take the lead at Anfield in the 18th minute, with Diogo Jota scoring his 11th PL goal after a brilliant cross from Tsimikas was headed in by the Portuguese to make it 1-0.

Diogo Jota's opener for Liverpool was his first Premier League goal at Anfield since November 2020 versus Leicester, each of his previous six goals in the competition had come away from home.

Liverpool could have had a second as Mo Salah tucked the ball into the Burnley net with his favoured left foot but it was chalked off by VAR, with the Eygptian straying offside in the build up.

Burnley had their own offside goal in the second half, with Ashley Barnes failing to time his run before blasting the ball into the Liverpool net.

The Reds confirmed the win in the 69th minute through a brilliant goal by Sadio Mane. The Liverpool move was started by Van Dijk, with his cross field pass finding Harvey Elliot, who combined with Trent Alexander Arnold to unleash Mane, who finished with aplomb.

Alisson made sure that the clean sheet remained intact with an excellent save from Ashley Barnes, with the Burnley forward only able to smash the ball right at the Liverpool keeper when through on goal.

That was a tough result for Burnley but they face a Leeds side who they will fancy scoring against but they will need to nullify the attacking threat posed by Marcelo Bielsa's men.

"We did make it difficult. I thought we handled the atmosphere – because it was electric before the game."

"I thought we handled that well and I thought we handled our performance well. We created chances, as well as defending, and could/should have had a penalty in my opinion."

"We come away at half time 1-0 down scratching our heads a little bit from a soft goal from our point of view."

"In the second half we started really well and then they just started to get a control of the game and scored a second."

"When you got 2-0 down it’s tough at places like this but we kept going to the end, so I was very pleased with the mentality."

Sean Dyche told www.burnleyfootballclub.com that he was pleased with his sides approach despite the result.

Leeds Secure Point

Leeds kick started their second season and their first home game with a well deserved point against Everton.

It took a spectacular goal from Raphinha late in the game for Leeds to secure the 2-2 draw against Everton, it means that the Whites have now managed to get off the mark this season.

Everton started well and there was a great early chance for Dominic Calvert Lewin after a magnificent run down the right hand side by Demarai Gray.

The Toffees did eventually take the lead in the 30th minute when they were awarded a penalty after poor defending from Leeds skipper Liam Cooper, who blatantly tugged on the forwards shirt when a cross came in from the left, leaving VAR with no choice but to recommend the referee check the monitor and give the penalty.

Dominic Calvert Lewin stepped up and smashed the ball into the bottom left hand corner past the outstretched Meslier to make it 1-0 to Everton.

Leeds sprung into action and eleven minutes later they equalised, with Mateus Klich on hand to finish past Pickford in the 41st minute after Patrick Bamford slotted the ball through to him.

Everton retook the lead five minute after the break (50), with the impressive Demarai finishing into the bottom right hand corner, his first PL goal for Everton.

The Toffees had two golden chances to double their lead, with Dominic Calvert Lewin and Demarai Gray combining on the right of the Leeds penalty box but the forward could only hit the ball straight at Meslier.

The second chance saw Dominic Calvert Lewin foiled again by Meslier after a superb through ball from Alex Iwobi.

Leeds made them pay, with Raphinha levelling the scoring with a stunning curling effort 18 minutes from time (72).

Kalvin Phillips crossed the ball into the Everton box, the skipper Cooper made amends by keeping the ball alive and supplying Raphinha, who finished emphatically with his left foot, curling it into the bottom left hand corner past Pickford to make it 2-2.

Marcelo Bielsa will be satisfied with the point but he'll be looking for his side to kick on and secure their first win of the season at the first time of asking.

"The game was a big test for the team and this was multiplied as we were behind twice."

"To have been able to draw the game and to have dominated it for so many moments are aspects to value."

"Given the amount of minutes that we dominated, we should have created more chances at goal and we should have conceded less chances at our goal."

"We played against an opponent that didn’t need to dominate against us to create danger. The contribution of the fans is something which always makes the game grow."

Marcelo Bielsa gave his thoughts to LUTV on the performance of his side against Everton.

Betting Tips

  • BTTS @ 11/20
  • Chris Wood to score first @ 7/2
  • Patrick Bamford to score first @ 4/1

Tottenham vs Watford - 14:00 - Sunday 29th August 2021

 

Tottenham @ 2/5      Draw @ 18/5     Watford @ 15/2

Tottenham: WWWWW

Watford: DDLWL

 

Tottenham face Watford this Sunday with Nuno's men looking to make it three successive wins.

Spurs have received another huge boost as Harry Kane committed his future to the club despite the ongoing transfer speculation linking him to Manchester. Combine that with two hard fought wins to kick off the Nuno era and thing suddenly look rosy in the Tottenham Hotspur garden.

Their previous Premier League game saw Nuno return to his old stomping ground Wolves and secure a 1-0 win. Harry Kane was on the bench amid continued speculation about his future, this is the first time he’s started on the subs bench since December 2018.

Tottenham began the game well and consolidated that early pressure with a penalty after a clumsy foul on Dele Alli by Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sarr. VAR did have a look and confirmed it. Alli stepped up in the 9th minute to convert the penalty and make it 1-0 to Spurs.

It was his first goal since February in the Europa League and he’s proven to be a lucky charm for Spurs, they have only lost one of their previous 44 when he has scored.

Wolves had their own penalty shout, with Nelson Semedo coming together with Oliver Skipp but referee Stuart Atwell waved their appeals away and VAR agreed with him.

Jimenez nearly scored a dream goal on his first start at Molineux since his head injury, with Adama Traore causing all sorts of problems down the left hand side and his cross found Moutinho, and his inventive lay off set up Jimenez who fired just over.

Wolves pushed for an equaliser in the second half, with Nelson Semedo launching a long range effort into the hands of Lloris, before the full back crossed perfectly for Trincao, who hit it straight at the France international.

Adama Traore spurned the best chance of the match, with Nevez perfectly weighted ball behind the defence finding the winger but he hit the ball straight at Lloris when he should have scored.

Kane came on as a substitute late on and he had a chance to double Tottenham’s lead after great work from Steven Bergwyn, but Jose Sarr blocked the England captains strike.

That's another excellent win for Tottenham who have yet to concede in their opening two games against Manchester City and Wolves, two tricky opening fixtures for any side.

"Yes, this action of Dele, and the actions of many more. We defended well against a tough team that can cause problems, but in the final situations we managed to keep a clean sheet, Hugo did amazing, the boys did amazing, hard work."

"We had the chance to kill the game, we didn’t do it, and then it’s until the last minutes bodies in front of the ball to take what we came here for."

"You have to stay concentrated. Molineux is a tough place. We started well, good dynamics, but then we lost a little control. They are relentless, but we showed more, I think. I’m very proud of the team because we went until the end. We knew it was going to be a hard task and the boys did amazing."

"We are trying to be solid, compact and the good games will come, the good situations will come."

"It was an emotional day, of course. It was a long time, four years, and there is only love and respect I have for this club.'

Nuno shared his verdict on Sundays win over Wolves with Spurs TV.

Watford Beaten By Seagulls

The Hornets come into this game on the back of their first Premier League defeat of the season against Graham Potter's Brighton.

Watford opened the season with a stunning win over Aston Villa but their second game didn't quite go to plan as they were beaten by an organised and ruthless Brighton side at the Amex stadium.

The Seagulls enjoyed a fast start and they were rewarded in the 10th minute when the returning Shane Duffy made it 1-0 with a bullet header into the top left hand corner.

Brighton doubled their lead four minutes before the break when Neal Maupay doubled their lead and his own goal scoring tally for the season.

Troost Ekong played the ball to captain Tom Cleverly who was pickpocketed by Yves Bissouma, and the Frenchman made no mistake as he made it 2-0.

Aaron Connolly could and should have made it three, as a Pascal Gross cross bounced back off Craig Cathcart and into the path of the Irishman, who should have scored with his left foot but blazed it wide.

Watford tried to respond through both Cleverly and Cucho Hernandez but they were unable to lay a glove on the Seagulls keeper.

It'll be a disappointing defeat for Watford but as they'll find out over the course of the season winning away is difficult, but this would have been a game that they would have identified as one to pick up points from.

"The Premier League does not give second chances. This is the level. Today it was like this."

"We need to keep going and always try to give all the support to our players because we have an amazing challenge and we need to keep going with the same attitude and prepare for the next game."

"I’m disappointed in the first half. In the first half we didn't give our best performance but I want to think of the positive things. I think the reaction of the second half was good."

"We need to learn quickly about the Premier League. I think in the second half we had our chances. I’m disappointed only about the first half because we had a few problems, but the most important thing is the reaction."

Xisco Muñoz told www.watfordfc.co that he was disappointed with his sides first half performance.

Betting Tips

  • Total Goals - Under 2.5 @ 1/1
  • Harry Kane to score first @ 12/5
  • Ismaila Sarr to score first @ 17/2

Wolves vs Man United - 16:30 - Sunday 29th August 2021 - Sky Sports

 

Wolves @ 18/5      Draw @ 13/5      Man United @ 4/5

Wolves: LDWLL

Man United: LDWWD

 

Wolves host Man United in the final game before the international break with Wolves looking for their first points of the season.

Wolves come into this game on the back of two defeats and have yet to score in those games as well. They face a Man United side that will be looking to avenge their 1-1 draw at the hands of Southampton.

Tottenham began the game well and consolidated that early pressure with a penalty after a clumsy foul on Dele Alli by Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sarr. VAR did have a look and confirmed it. Alli stepped up in the 9th minute to convert the penalty and make it 1-0 to Spurs.

It was his first goal since February in the Europa League and he’s proven to be a lucky charm for Spurs, they have only lost one of their previous 44 when he has scored.

Wolves had their own penalty shout, with Nelson Semedo coming together with Oliver Skipp but referee Stuart Atwell waved their appeals away and VAR agreed with him.

Jimenez nearly scored a dream goal on his first start at Molineux since his head injury, with Adama Traore causing all sorts of problems down the left hand side and his cross found Moutinho, and his inventive lay off set up Jimenez who fired just over.

Wolves pushed for an equaliser in the second half, with Nelson Semedo launching a long range effort into the hands of Lloris, before the full back crossed perfectly for Trincao, who hit it straight at the France international.

Adama Traore spurned the best chance of the match, with Nevez perfectly weighted ball behind the defence finding the winger but he hit the ball straight at Lloris when he should have scored.

Kane came on as a substitute late on and he had a chance to double Tottenham’s lead after great work from Steven Bergwyn, but Jose Sarr blocked the England captains strike.

That's another tough defeat for Bruno Lage's side, if Adama Traore has scored they'd be coming into this game at least with the scoring duck off their back.

"I’m very happy. A big welcome for Nuno, because the fans know the hard work he did here and after the whistle I felt the support for 90 minutes behind the team, to help us to do the performance like that."

"I knew the environment before because I was here before. It was a full house to support us and since the first minute I felt that support, not just for me, but for the players to do this performance."

"In the last 24 games we created 42 chances. I use the same words as before, unhappy with the result, but confident about the work we are doing and the way we play, for sure, the future will be good."

"I’m confident with our process. When I came, I challenged the players to play in this way. They accepted, they’re training hard to play like this, so we’re training all together, so this is the result of four or five weeks all together."

"That’s the challenge, to change and to play like we are playing and create the chances we created against, don’t forget, both teams Leicester and Tottenham, they won against the champions Manchester City. So, confident in the process."

Bruno Lage thanked the supporters when he spoke to Wolves TV.

United Held By Saints

Man United endured a frustrating afternoon at St.Mary's as they were held to a 1-1 draw.

It was a frustrating afternoon for the Red Devils who will feel that it's two points dropped rather than a point gained, particularly with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea securing maximum points.

Manchester United had an early chance, with Bruno Fernandes’ superb free kick causing all sorts of problems, with Lindelof, Maguire and Pogba all missing with headers and the ball landing on the bar, before Martial’s header was cleared off the line by Salisu.

Despite United enjoying the best of the early exchanges it was the Saints who opened the scoring. Che Adams thought he had opened the scoring for the Saints, as his shot deflected off Fred into the United net to make it 1-0. Fred was later awarded the own goal.

There was a huge question mark over a foul on Bruno Fernandes in the build up but VAR sided with the referee.

It took United until ten minutes after the restart to find the equaliser, with Mason Greenwood making it two goals in his last two starts, with the young forward finding a way through McCarthy’s legs after great build up play on the left by Paul Pogba.

David De Gea spared United blushes late on, after Harry Maguire was pick pocketed by Ward Prowse, with the Spaniard producing a stunning save to deny Adam Armstrong, who should have scored.

That was a poor draw for United, who showed the same weaknesses as they have in previous seasons with poor initial defending and then an inability to break the low block.

"We did well to get the goal, a good goal, having built pressure. We had another good spell for five or six minutes then lost our way a little bit."

"Maybe tiredness and sloppiness came in and we gave their crowd things to cheer about, they had some counter-attacks and a few dangerous moments. The whole team fell away a little bit and we didn't play particularly well in the last 15 minutes."

"We should do better, if you don't get a foul you have to make sure you block the shot, put your body on the line and make sure they don't put a shot on target. That being said, it's a foul."

"He [Stephens] goes straight through Bruno, his hip and arm come across him. I'm not worried but we have to look at it because we cannot go from one extreme, like basketball last season, into rugby now. I like the more lenient interpretation, it's more like men's football, but that is a clear foul."

Ole told Sky Sports that despite the positives his side needed better reactions after the goal they conceded.

Betting Tips

  • Total Goals - Under 2.5 Goals @ 37/40
  • Raul Jiminez to score first @ 5/1
  • Bruno Fernandes to score first @ 7/2