Saturday analysis: Chelsea and Saints march on as Liverpool and City stutter

Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea
Burnley 1-0 Hulli
Man Utd 1-0 Crystal Palace
Southampton 2-0 Leicester
West Ham 0-0 Aston Villa
QPR 2-2 Man City

Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea

Having rested several of his 'first choice' players for Tuesday night's Champions League defeat at Real Madrid, Brendan Rodgers had rather put all of his eggs in one basket - he badly needed that gamble to pay off with a positive result against the league leaders. It didn't happen. Liverpool may have taken the lead, but they appeared to run out of steam and ideas far quicker than their visitors, and were eventually beaten.

Rodgers made seven changes from that loss at the Bernabeu, but just one from last Saturday's defeat at Newcastle. That change saw Emre Can come in for Joe Allen, and it was the former Leverkusen midfielder who put the Reds ahead on nine minutes, after an energetic and composed start from the Anfield side.

The German under-21 international's 25-yard strike appeared to take a slight nick off John Terry, then a sizeable one off Gary Cahill, which wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois and saw the ball nestle in the back of the net. Liverpool were bright and buzzing - could this be the game that kick-started their stuttering season?

No. No, because it was at around this point they stopped playing. Cahill just about bundled in an equaliser after Mignolet did well to save Terry's header, and the momentum suddenly swung in Chelsea's favour.

No player better symbolised the manner with which the Reds lost their way than Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian started brightly and showed great willingness to take the game to Chelsea, but he soon faded into the background, and by the time he was substituted on 70 minutes, he had become a peripheral figure.

Rodgers' decision to sub the playmaker may have been met with howls of derision by many in the Anfield crowd, but it was by no means an undeserved withdrawal. To highlight the point, Coutinho completed 6 of 7 attempted take-ons in the first 25 minutes - in his remaining 45 minutes on the pitch, he completed 0 of 2.

Speaking after the match, Rodgers claimed part of his game plan was to keep Cesc Fabregas quiet, with Jordan Henderson tasked with man-marking the Spaniard, a task Rodgers claimed the England midfielder "did very well". Yet, while Fabregas was notably quiet by his own standards, so was Henderson.

While Rodgers may have succeeded in quelling the threat of Fabregas, in doing so, he nullified one of his own key playmakers.

Fabregas may have been kept quiet, but then man who has benefited most this season from the former Arsenal and Barcelona man's creative wizardry still managed to make a telling impact.

Diego Costa scored his 10th goal in nine Premier League matches when he blasted home following good work from Cesar Azpilicueta down the right. The full-back cut inside and used the outside of his right boot to drill a dangerous ball across the six yard box. Mignolet parried, and Costa punished the Reds' hesitant defence.

Liverpool's shaky defence cost them the title last season. Four errors leading to Chelsea chances on Saturday suggest they're still a long way from resolving the problem.

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Facts

• Chelsea have now scored in 12 successive Premier League matches.
• Chelsea have netted 5 goals in the opening 15 minutes of matches this season, more than any other team in the top flight.
• Only Crystal Palace (8) have scored more goals from set-pieces than Chelsea (7) in the Premier League this season.
• Gary Cahill scored his first Premier League goal since December 2013, when he scored at Stamford Bridge against Southampton.
• Liverpool have only kept 2 clean sheets in their last 17 Premier League games.
• Diego Costa scored his 10th Premier League goal in his ninth appearance in the competition; Mick Quinn (6) is the only player to reach double figures in fewer (Mark Viduka and Papiss Cisse also took 9).
• It took Didier Drogba 23 Premier League games to reach double figures for Chelsea.
• All 10 of Diego Costa’s Premier League goals have been scored from inside the box.
• After a run of 4 successive Premier League wins against Chelsea, Liverpool are winless in 5 against the Blues (D2 L3).
• Only in 2 Premier League seasons have Liverpool had fewer than 14 points after 11 games (1992/93 and 2012/13 (both 12)).
• Meanwhile only 2 teams in Premier League history have ever had more than 29 points at this stage (Chelsea in 2005/06 and Man City in 2011/12 both had 31, and both won the title).
• Despite that, the only previous team in the Premier League to have exactly 29 points at this stage were Newcastle United in 1994/95 – they finished the campaign sixth.

Burnley 1-0 Hull

Having failed to win in their first 10 league matches of the season, this match felt like something of a 'must win' fixture for Sean Dyche's side. Fortunately for them, win it they did, although they had Hull's poor finishing to thank.

After a tense, scrappy first half, the Clarets took the lead when Kieran Trippier crossed from deep for Ashley Barnes to brilliantly head past Steve Harper. Former Manchester City full-back Trippier chipped in with 14 assists during Burnley's promotion season last term, but this was his first in the Premier League.

It was also Barnes' first Premier League goal - and it came from the only pass he received inside the box all match...

Hull were far less clinical. Tigers boss Steve Bruce instantly made changes in order to find a way back into the game. Sone Aluko and Tom Huddlestone were replaced by Stephen Quinn and Gaston Ramirez before the game had even restarted, then Hatem Ben Arfa was thrown on in place of James Chester. Hull banged hard at the door, but Mr Goal was out (or in the bath). Of Hull's 12 shots, only 1 hit the target.

Twitter rumours suggest Bruce has demanded his players turn up for extra training on Sunday morning - FFT reckons shooting practice will be pretty high on the bill.

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Facts

• 3 of Burnley’s last 4 Premier League games have been 0-0 at half-time.
• Hull have failed to score a first-half goal in 4 of their last 5 Premier League games.
• Ashley Barnes’ goal was his first ever in the Premier League and his first in any competition since April 2014, when he netted for the Clarets in a 2-0 Championship home win against Wigan.
• Kieran Trippier assisted a goal in the Premier League for the first time, after setting up 14 in the Championship in 2013/14.
• After scoring in each of their opening 8 Premier League games this season, Hull have now failed to score in their last 3.
• 5 of the last 6 league meetings between Burnley and Hull have ended with a 1-0 scoreline.
• The Clarets are the last team in the top four tiers to register a win this season.
• Sean Dyche’s side kept a clean sheet after conceding in each of their last 5, shipping 15 goals in total in those games.

Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea
Man Utd 1-0 Crystal Palace
Southampton 2-0 Leicester
West Ham 0-0 Aston Villa
QPR 2-2 Man City

Man United 1-0 Crystal Palace

After a narrow and somewhat unfortunate defeat in the Manchester derby last weekend, United were looking to return to winning ways against Crystal Palace, a team they twice beat 2-0 with relative ease last season, and one who suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Sunderland just five days previously.

Palace were also hampered by being without key midfielder Mile Jedinak, which somewhat made up for the fact Manchester United were unable to call on any of their senior centre-backs.

With midfielder Daley Blind and rookie Patrick McNair filling in at the heart of the defence, it was no surprise that United appeared to be taken a cautious, low-risk approach to the match.

They were very neat and tidy in the middle of the park, with Michael Carrick racking up 95 completed passes, and Wayne Rooney hitting 74. Very few of these were particularly expansive or imaginative, and that at times meant the Red Devils struggled to create decent openings at the sharp end.

Fortunately for United, they were able to throw Juan Mata into the fray after 63 minutes, and the Spaniard instantly looked to add that much-needed creative spark.

He was far more adventurous with his passing - even if most of it was in the middle third of the pitch - and scored the only goal of the game with a quickly-struck speculative effort from 25 yards.

It may not have been a classic United display, but the Old Trafford faithful will at least have been encouraged by the performance of Luke Shaw at left-back. The former Southampton youngster was impressive at both ends of the pitch - making 7 clearances at one end, attempting 2 take-ons and 2 crosses at the other. Ultimately, Shaw and his inexperienced defensive colleagues kept a clean sheet. Job done.

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Facts

• Manchester United have failed to score in the first half in each of their last 4 Premier League games.
• United’s last 4 Premier League games have produced a total of just 1 first-half goal (for West Brom – 20th October).
• Angel Di Maria has assisted 3 of the Red Devil’s last 5 Premier League goals.
• Indeed, the Argentinian has been involved in 4 of United’s last 6 Premier League goals (1 goal, 3 assists)
• Crystal Palace have shipped a league-high 13 second-half Premier League goals.
• Palace have failed to score in 9 of the 11 Premier League meetings with Manchester United.
• The Red Devils are now unbeaten in 5 league games at Old Trafford, winning 4 and and drawing 1. It’s their longest unbeaten home run since March 2013 (under Sir Alex Ferguson).
• The Eagles have registered a victory in just 1 of their last 7 Premier League games on the road, losing 3 and drawing 3.

Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea
Burnley 1-0 Hull
Southampton 2-0 Leicester
West Ham 0-0 Aston Villa
QPR 2-2 Man City

Southampton 2-0 Leicester

Ronald Koeman's side had substitute Shane Long to thank for a hard-earned three points against Leicester. The Irishman scored twice - in the 75th and 80th minutes - having only arrived on the pitch after 68, when he replaced the injured Sadio Mane.

Having largely operated through the middle in recent seasons, Long was deployed on the right wing, but that didn't stop him getting in to goalscoring positions. Twice he drifted inside and calmly slotted the ball past Kasper Schmeichel from just inside the penalty area.

Saints midfielder Victor Wanyama may have once been regarded as a defensive midfield brute, but the Kenyan has shown another side to his game this season. In Saturday's victory over Leicester, the 23-year-old not only made 7 successful tackles, but also completed 4 take-ons and made 60 passes - only 4 fewer than pass-master Morgan Schneiderlin. The pick of the bunch was a lofted ball through the middle which gave substitute Shane Long the opportunity to seal three points with the second goal of the afternoon.

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Facts

• Graziano Pelle has scored 6 and assisted 2 in his last 9 Premier League games.
• Shane Long has scored 3 goals in his last 3 games in all competitions for Southampton, after not scoring in any of his first 10.
• Shane Long is the only player to have scored for 3 different Premier League clubs since the start of last season.
• Victor Wanyama did not score or assist a goal in 23 Premier League appearances last season; he has 3 goals and 1 assist in 10 this term.
• Southampton have won 8 out of 9 games for the first time in their top-fight history.
• 25 points from 11 games is Saints’ best ever start to a top-flight campaign.
• Ronald Koeman’s side are the 11th in Premier League history to have only conceded 5 goals or fewer from 11 games, though Southampton had this exact defensive record at this stage last season too.
• Leicester have failed to score in 5 of their last 6 Premier League matches (D1 L5).
• The Foxes didn’t have a single shot on target in this game.

Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea
Burnley 1-0 Hull
Man Utd 1-0 Crystal Palace
West Ham 0-0 Aston Villa
QPR 2-2 Man City

West Ham 0-0 Aston Villa

Frustrating days have been few and far between for West Ham this season, but this was certainly one of them. The in-form Hammers may have been expecting to make light work of an Aston Villa side who had lost their previous six Premier League matches, scoring just once, but Paul Lambert's side defended resolutely and just about clung on for a point.

It was a day when very little came off for Sam Allardyce's side. Of the 21 shots they attempted over the course of 90 minutes, only 5 warmed the gloves of Villa keeper Brad Guzan - of the rest, 7 were off target and 9 were blocked by the gathered ranks of the visitors' defence.

The frustration didn't end there. The Irons succeeded with only 5 of 15 attempted take-ons, and only 15 of 50 attempted crosses found a man in a claret and blue shirt (Villa were in their white away kit, naturally).

The most irked man in east London will have been the resurgent Stewart Downing. The former Villa man created 6 chances for team-mates, and also had 5 shots on goal of his own, none of which brought any joy.

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Facts

• The Hammers have won just 5 of the last 28 Premier League meetings with the Villans (W5 D14 L9).
• West Ham have played 37 times against Aston Villa in the Premier League without ever earning a red card, the most games by a team who has not picked up a dismissal against a certain opponent.
• Paul Lambert’s side have won 0 of their last 8 Premier League away trips to London (D2 L6).
• With 18 points and a goal difference of +5, West Ham have equalled their best ever start to a Premier League season (2005/06).
• Aston Villa have only scored 1 goal in their last 7 league games combined (D1 L6).
• Diafra Sakho started a Premier League game and didn’t score for the first time.

Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea
Burnley 1-0 Hull
Man Utd 1-0 Crystal Palace
Southampton 2-0 Leicester
QPR 2-2 Man City

QPR 2-2 Man City

Manchester City's derby win over United last Sunday should have been the start of a confidence building week for the Premier League champions - instead they've all but been eliminated from the Champions League and have fallen further behind in the title race.

The nervous manner in which they ended the match against Louis van Gaal's side was a sign of things to come.

Much of the post-match fall-out will focus on City's continuing strife, but QPR and Harry Redknapp deserve credit for turning around a season that had at one stage looked to be doomed from the off.

The west Londoners were by no means fortunate to take a point from this fixture, and will point to the clear handball by Sergio Aguero seconds before the Argentine scored his first of the evening as proof they could have taken all three.

This match was an archetypal tale of two strikers; your everyday tale of a £38 million superstar who was previously Diego Maradona's son-in-law, and a former bricklayer who five years ago was playing in the ninth tier of English football. Aguero (the former, in case you hadn't realised) scored twice, while QPR's Charlie Austin scored once, was denied by the referee twice and set up Rangers' second.

Austin showed the kind of composed finishing and intelligent, selfless support play that a) could well help QPR climb away from the drop zone, and b) should see him earn an England call-up sooner rather than later - after all, he's actually playing matches.

Both Aguero's goal involved a long ball upfield, a superb first touch and a composed finish. The first also involved a handball and, possibly, an offside, but there was no denying the technical brilliance.

Aguero may have spared City's blushes to an extent, but this result and performance did little but highlight how over-reliant the champions have become on their talisman.

An eight-point deficit is nothing over 27 matches, but City currently don't seem to have the required appetite to hunt Chelsea down. Something has to change, and soon.

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Facts

• Sergio Aguero has now scored 13 goals in his last 13 Premier League appearances, with 9 coming in his last 6.
• Only Les Ferdinand (13 in 1995/96) has bagged more goals in the opening 11 matches of a team’s Premier League season than Aguero has managed this season (12).
• Charlie Austin has scored 6 of QPR’s 11 league goals so far this season.
• Of the 10 shots on target in the match, 7 were fired in by Sergio Aguero (4) and Charlie Austin (3).
• Man City have lost 0 of their last 6 meetings with QPR in all competitions.
• Edin Dzeko is the third player to be subbed on and then subbed off in the Premier League this season.
• The Citizens have won just 1 of their last 6 in all competitions (D2 L3).
• QPR have netted exactly 2 goals in each of their last 4 home matches, winning 1, drawing 2 and losing the other.
• Only Sunderland (4) have scored more own goals this season than Man City (3).

Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea
Burnley 1-0 Hull
Man Utd 1-0 Crystal Palace
Southampton 2-0 Leicester
West Ham 0-0 Aston Villa