Premier League review: City cruise to Manchester derby success
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The dust has settled on another dramatic weekend of Premier League football, with plenty of twists and talking points to be debated.
Manchester City won the derby with Manchester United, while Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur recorded wins. Chelsea and Arsenal dropped points and Newcastle United may have found their new hero up front.
Here’s your one-stop review of the weekend…
Old foes Silva and Aguero too good for United
Manchester United have been trying to stop David Silva and Sergio Aguero for more than seven seasons, but it appears they still can’t quite do it.
The City pair were in sensational form, bagging a goal apiece to help Guardiola’s men win the Manchester derby 3-1.
Aguero may have died his hair blond, but his rasping finish at the near post was a vintage strike. It was his eighth goal against the Red Devils, and only Alan Shearer has more. City’s win keeps them two points above Liverpool, and they’re a confident 1/4 to win the league this season.
As for United, Jose Mourinho bemoaned a fixture list which saw City play their third home game in a row on Sunday, while his side faced their third straight away game.
Either way, the visitors offered little at the Etihad, despite an Anthony Martial penalty, and they’re now 12 points behind their noisy neighbours. There’s 150/1 about them winning the league this term, with odds of 10/3 for a top-four finish.
Rondon evokes Shearer spirit
You wait three months for your first win of the season, then two come along in successive weeks. That’s how things have gone for Newcastle this term.
The Magpies bagged another three points on Saturday, thanks to a double from an inspired Salomon Rondon.
The on-loan West Bromwich Albion striker was too hot for Bournemouth to handle, firing in his first two Premier League goals in a Newcastle shirt.
His second was a thundering header, straight out of the Shearer collection. The Toon Army are 10/3 to go down, but if Rondon he can stay fit and sharp, Rafa Benitez’s Magpies could soon erase thoughts of a relegation battle.
Gunners losing their fight?
After a bright start to the season, Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Wolves on Sunday extended their winless run in all competitions to four games.
The Gunners have shown increased drive and vigour under new manager Unai Emery this season, but that was sorely lacking in a drab display at the Emirates.
Wolves were good value for the point, and missed a number of chances to win it.
Emery’s side still haven’t led a game at half-time, and now the Spaniard has the international break to consider what went wrong.
Arsenal are 6/4 to finish in the top four, but their next trio of games are a trip to sixth-placed Bournemouth, followed by the north London derby, and a visit to Old Trafford.
And in the rest of the world…
We can’t not mention some of the remarkable scorelines elsewhere this weekend.
A sensational display saw Real Betis win 4-3 at Barcelona, to hand Lionel Messi and co a first home La Liga defeat in two years. Barca remain 4/11 favourites to win the league, with Real Madrid at 7/2.
In Germany, Borussia Dortmund are now seven points ahead of title rivals Bayern, after a remarkable turnaround saw BvB win Der Klassiker 3-2 having twice gone behind. The two teams are each 10/11 to be crowned Bundesliga champions.
Thierry Henry’s reign as Monaco boss took another sour turn on Sunday, as Edinson Cavani bagged a hat-trick to help Paris Saint-Germain wallop the principality outfit 4-0. It was Henry’s sixth game without a win as Monaco boss.
And in South America, the first leg of the much-anticipated Copa Libertadores final between arch-rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate ended 2-2. The second leg takes place on Saturday 24th November.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
