Premier League

Chelsea and Manchester City are highlighting matchday two in the Premier League and it will surely be a match not to miss. The two English giants have squads that would make anyone salivate over the sheer power and strength they share. Even the players themselves get nervous lining-up across the field from those who are considered the most elite in the sport, and Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany is looking for any possible way to stop Eden Hazard.  

During the opening weekend of the Premier League season, Chelsea striker Diego Costa once again found himself as the center of the attention in the Blues' match against Swansea, as he was involved in two prominent penalty shouts while on the attack. He did not get either call and was quick to show just how upset he was that a penalty was not awarded. Which begs the question: is Diego Costa his own worst enemy at this point?

Aston Villa will host Manchester United this weekend in their first home opener match at Villa Park and will look for a second win despite many pivotal players leaving the club. At least Christian Benteke will start for Villa as a striker, right? As far as Neil Warnock is concerned, Tim Sherwood will play Benteke up front with Fabian Delph right behind him in central midfield. 

With all the glee you’d expect from a British tabloid reporting a sex scandal, the Daily Mail broke the news yesterday that Miss Belgium “hopeful” Emily Vanhoutte claims to have had an affair with Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois shortly before last year’s World Cup.

The summer transfer window in England is usually syncopated by splashy arrivals at Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and/or either of the Manchester powerhouses. But with lucrative TV deals in place, clubs a little further down the Premier League table now have the resources to woo the most talented footballers to England.  

Yaya Toure's second goal against West Brom Monday was nice, but he didn't get Manchester City's best goal of the week. That went to Toni Duggan, who became the first woman to win Manchester City's "Goal of the Season" award with this volley against Chelsea last year:

Liverpool have a very exciting year set out before them with new players, new attitudes, and a high chance of succeeding in Europe. Roberto Firmino is one of many new additions to the Liverpool squad that has excited fans to watch the link-ups between him and his Brazilian compatriot Philippe Coutinho.  

West Ham have put in a bid for Manchester United striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, according to The Daily Star. The Star reported that the club have already had an 8.5 million pound bid rejected, and the new bid will be somewhere in the range of 12 million pounds.

The Premier League has renewed its deal with NBC for the right to broadcast its games, according to New York Times columnist Richard Sandomir. 

NBC renews Premier League deal for six years

— Richard Sandomir (@RichSandomir) August 10, 2015

Rightly or wrongly, the English are stereotyped for their politeness. In the case of Doncaster Rovers vs. Bury, however, that stereotype came to life magically.

In soccer, when a player gets injured it's considered good manners to kick the ball out of bounds so the player can get looked at by the training staff. The other team then throws the ball in and kicks it to the goalie of the team that kicked the ball out of bounds originally, and play resumes again.