Let's face it: Fulham is bad this season, like, really bad.
The Cottagers have lost 3-0 to Arsenal, 4-3 to Leeds and 3-0 to Aston Villa. Through three matches, Fulham is on pace to allow 126 goals, which would break the record of 100 goals conceded by Swindon Town in 1993-94.
Fulham has barely even looked competitive this season, allowing goals in the first 10 minutes of all three matches so far.
Aston Villa got their season up and running with a labored 1-0 home win against 10-man Sheffield United on Monday as Ezri Konsa's second-half header proved enough to settle a dour game.
All eyes were on Villa's new record signing Ollie Watkins but it was defender Konsa, a former teammate of Watkins' at Brentford, and debutant goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez who earned their side three points.
It’s time. Our annual English Premier League preview arrives a month later than usual, but the world’s most popular competition is back with the 2020-21 season beginning this weekend.
It all begins with Arsenal visiting newly promoted Fulham on Saturday morning, and the action continues with defending champion Liverpool welcoming Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United to Anfield later in the day. You’ll also want to tune in on Sunday as José Mourinho’s Tottenham gets the first glimpse of new Everton signing James Rodríguez at Hotspur Stadium.
Last year, Liverpool had the Premier League title all but clinched during the second half of the season, which meant that much of the focus landed on the lower reaches of the table. The battle against relegation went down to the final kick of the season, as an Aston Villa draw against West Ham ensured that Bournemouth, Watford and Norwich City were relegated.
Liverpool will begin defending their Premier League title on Sept. 12 at Anfield, according to a fixture list for the new season, when they play newly promoted Leeds United, who return to England's top-flight for the first time in 16 years.
Our 2020/21 @PremierLeague fixture list
Aston Villa preserved its Premier League status with a nerve-racking 1-1 draw at West Ham United on Sunday — a result that meant they finished one point above the relegation zone.
Captain Jack Grealish thought he had won it for Villa when he fired past Lukasz Fabianski in the 84th minute but West Ham hit back almost immediately through Andriy Yarmolenko.
The final day of the Premier League season on Sunday promises to be a nerve-racking one for fans of clubs at both ends of the table as three teams vie for two Champions League spots and three more look to avoid relegation.
At the top, champions Liverpool and second-placed Manchester City have already sealed their spots in the Champions League while Manchester United (63 points), Chelsea (63) and Leicester City (62) fight it out for the two remaining places.
The Arsenal vs. Aston Villa match on Tuesday was trending — and for several reasons. Arsenal beat Liverpool and Man City in the last week but fell to Aston Villa 1-0. This win for Villa pulled them out of the bottom three.
A MASSIVE goal in Aston Villa's quest to stay up! #MyPLSummer pic.twitter.com/Y4BLfFewyJ
With the cost of relegation from the Premier League estimated to be more than $100 million, EPL survival is more important than ever to club solvency, and a drop in divisions can often have disastrous repercussions for a club.
Liverpool made it 17 wins out of 17 at Anfield after goals by Sadio Mane and Curtis Jones handed the champions a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday which pushed Dean Smith's side deeper into trouble.
Following their 4-0 mauling at the hands of Manchester City on Thursday, Juergen Klopp's side struggled to break down a determined Villa. Klopp fielded another strong side but with the ground empty and the title already in the bag, there was a lack of edge to Liverpool's play.