Premier League

Two stats stood out ahead of today’s Premier League match between Sheffield and Newcastle United at Bramall Lane: (1) Andy Carroll was handed his first Newcastle start in almost nine years and (2) Martin Dúbravka was busy making his 65th straight EPL appearance for the Toon, a run which began directly following his move from Sparta Prague back in January of 2018.

Both players played massive roles in Newcastle’s bizarre 2-0 victory. 

Sadio Mané, who leads Liverpool in scoring this season, was recently called out by a teammate for not passing enough. 

“Something that Sadio and Mo (Salah) have in common is that they don’t pass us the ball much,” Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain said, possibly joking but with a sting of truth. “They like shooting a lot!” 

Two momentous matches, two heavenly touches. 

In the 31st minute of Liverpool’s Merseyside derby with Everton, Divock Origi gave the Reds a 3-1 lead after cushioning a long ball from Dejan Lovren straight into his own path. His second touch was a looping effort over the despairing Jordan Pickford.  

Origi’s first touch was softer than Charmin. 

Divock. Origi. pic.twitter.com/ltWk97jtGb

On Saturday, the impossible transpired: Miguel Almirón recorded his first major contribution for Newcastle United (an assist) in his 24th Premier League appearance. Also, EPL strugglers Newcastle recorded a 2-2 draw with the champions Manchester City. 

Joking aside, it was another performance that showcased why Newcastle fans have been so patient with the 24-year-old Paraguayan (apart from the fact that the squad’s not exactly brimming with potential replacements).

Former Red Jonjo Shelvey gave Liverpool a gift earlier in the day, scoring a late equalizer to hold Manchester City to a draw. Then the goalkeeper nearly threw it all away with a remarkably stupid Alisson red card against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Ultimately, Liverpool held on to win 2-1, going 11 points clear of Manchester City after the Citizens drew 2-2 with Newcastle United earlier on Saturday. But it was unnecessarily nervy at Anfield because of some boneheaded goalkeeping.

Oh, so that’s how you beat Newcastle United. Aston Villa nullified the attacking threat of Newcastle’s high-scoring defenders on Monday, instead forcing them to actually defend, and utilized a couple of bumbling fouls on the effervescent Jack Grealish to twice unleash dead-ball specialist Conor Hourihane in a 2-0 victory at Villa Park.

Sheffield United and Manchester United played out a sensational 3-3 draw at Bramall Lane on Sunday evening with the Red Devils overturning a two-goal deficit and looking certain of three points themselves before Oli McBurnie’s late equalizer in the 90th minute.

Sheffield’s early period of dominance could’ve been more pronounced on the scoreboard but for the brilliance of David de Gea, who recorded five saves on the night, including this incredible double save to keep things at 0-0 in the 11th minute.

Manchester City defeated Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday in an enthralling Premier League match that was ultimately decided by City’s midfield quality. While Jorginho failed to exert his influence for 74 minutes on the pitch, City showcased its style with commanding displays from Kevin De Bruyne, Rodrigo and deputizing center back Fernandinho.

Charged with shutting down one of the Premier League’s hottest strikers — Tammy Abraham entered the match with 10 goals and two assists in 11 games — it’s difficult to explain just how good the 34-year-old Brazilian is at reading the game.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has escaped any sanctions from the Football Association for turning himself into the Meme Lord during Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool.