Premier League play is heating up. A golden chance slipped through Liverpool’s fingers, but how did the rest of the league fare?
20. Swansea (LW:18)
Two own goals in less than 15 minutes in the second half derailed any hope the Swans had of an upset. Despite creating several decent opportunities, nothing broke Swansea’s way.
19. Crystal Palace (LW: 19)
It’s easy to picture an alternate result in which Palace score first, and then score often, but after West Ham broke through, the Eagles seemed to be at a perpetual loss for inspiration. The final chipped goal can’t have felt enlightening for Wayne Hennessey.
18. Sunderland (LW: 17)
Once again, the sole bright spot for the Black Cats was Jermain Defoe, who sliced through the Stoke defense for his 12th goal of the season. Otherwise, Sunderland faced many of the same problems which have ruined them all season, including broken defensive spacing and troubling recoveries.
17. Leicester (LW: 16)
Ahmed Musa had a terrific jaunt into the box that was cut just short, but aside from that the Foxes couldn’t measure up to their league-leading opponents. Too often the Leicester defense lost track of a Chelsea runner, allowing for looks like the one which afforded Pedro his goal.
16. Hull (LW: 20)
In Marco Silva’s first league game at the helm, the Tigers played with noticeable inspiration, especially after Abel Hernandez’s first of two equalized before halftime. From there, Hernandez added another, and an own goal gave Hull their first league win in over two months.
15. Watford (LW: 15)
The Hornets had more, and better, chances on the day, and any one of them could have netted Walter Mazzarri and company three points. Unfortunately, the finishing touch was the only missing piece in a day of otherwise wonderful execution.
14. Middlesbrough (LW: 13)
To put it plainly, Boro got away with one in this match. Too many poor defensive lapses gave way to multiple openings for their opponents, and Victor Valdes is exceedingly lucky to crawl away from Vicarage Road with a clean sheet, even if not a victory.
13. West Ham (LW: 14)
The first half was tense, with Andy Carroll mincing a golden chance before the Hammers nearly went down themselves. Carroll had his redemption in the second half with a top-class bicycle kick, but only after a marvelous run from Michail Antonio which led to a Sofiane Feghouli goal.
12. Southampton (LW : 11)
The Saints had more shots on goal and much more of the ball, but they could not piece together many truly good passing sequences in the final third. Oriol Romeu’s foul should have been merely an incidental bit of play, but it proved to make all the difference when Joey Barton, of all people, sunk Southampton.
11. Bournemouth (LW: 9)
Junior Stanislas gave the Cherries the lead with his drilled penalty early, but the seams began unraveling when they relinquished that lead a little over half an hour into proceedings. Contrary to their typically fearless approach, Bournemouth played with trepidation, culminating in Tyrone Mings’ own goal to seal their dismal fate.
10. Burnley (LW: 12)
In a fiercely competitive match, it ended up being walking one-match ban Joey Barton who delivered the decisive blow for the Clarets. His free kick from just outside the box found a sliver of space through which to fly, giving Burnley a fine victory.
9. West Brom (LW: 7)
Falling to the Premier League’s hottest side is nothing of which to be ashamed. The Baggies, however, appeared sloppy and lifeless, seemingly content with containing rather than attacking. Tony Pulis expects more out of this club, as do fans.
8. Stoke (LW: 10)
Following Vito Mannone’s initial save, Marko Arnautovic recovered well enough to score his first. Seven minutes later, Arnautovic was at it again, and Peter Crouch added another before halftime to seal the deal for the Potters.
7. Everton (LW: 8)
Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lukaku showed off, but the best goal of the day belonged to Tom Davies, who split the City defense and fell to the ground before finishing what he had begun. It was, perhaps, Everton’s most complete showing of the season, and they have now won three of their past four in league play.
6. Manchester City (LW: 4)
Having now lost two of their previous three, City appear to be on the brink of a potential collapse. It would be unbecoming of a Pep Guardiola side to allow that to happen, but City simply had no response, particularly in the second half. John Stones, of course, continued his disappointing form for the Blues.
5. Manchester United (LW: 6)
I picked Paul Pogba in my team of the half-season, alongside a column in which he was nominated for biggest disappointment among players. Sunday’s tie showed more flashes of the latter: he missed a cracking opportunity on goal, and his hand ball led to Liverpool’s lead. Fortunately for Jose Mourinho’s men, Zlatan Ibrahimovic cannot help but score these days, salvaging an otherwise underwhelming display at home.
4. Arsenal (LW: 5)
No strangers to pressure, the Gunners went into Wales needing a win after drawing with Bournemouth in their previous league match. Alexis Sanchez was everywhere for Arsenal, scoring one and setting up another, and Arsene Wenger’s men took the three points with ease.
3. Liverpool (LW: 2)
One point on the road against an increasingly stubborn Manchester United side is good, but it should have been three, and Jurgen Klopp knows it. With Paul Pogba’s handball, the Reds received a gift, which James Milner fulfilled on his penalty.
2. Tottenham (LW: 3)
Now winners of six consecutive league games, Spurs have re-established themselves as a side full of firepower. Potential always seems to overwhelm Tottenham, but a Harry Kane hat-trick will always give Spurs an edge.
1. Chelsea (LW: 1)
On the road, Chelsea rebounded from a loss to Tottenham on Jan. 4 with a complete, well-rounded victory over Leicester on Saturday. The Blues routinely beat the Lions down the wings, opening passing lanes in the middle, and exploited defense breakdowns the way a, dare we say it, champion-to-be must.