The 2020/21 Premier League lived its eleventh day with an extraordinary football menu that left a multitude of details and stories. But, above all, above any high-flying game, surely the image of the weekend was the return of the public in some stadiums officially. Normality, little by little, wants to start making an appearance again.
In summary, here are some stories from matchday 11 of the Premier League:
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A wonderful afternoon from Nick Pope.
The Burnley is in trouble, but within its negative sports context, it has great news with names and surnames: Nick Pope. Considered one of the best goalkeepers in English football since last season, the Clarets goalkeeper signed an extraordinary (yet another) performance against Everton. Ancelotti’s side made an unexpected setback at Turf Moor, among other things, due to the brilliant performance of the British goalkeeper.
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Kevin De Bruyne and a City at half throttle were enough.
To speak of Kevin De Bruyne as one of the best players in the world is to say something obvious, but his quality is natural, and when the Belgian has the afternoon, Pep Guardiola will most likely have an innate smile on his face. It is true that Manchester City did not sign a brilliant or excellent game, but the context did not call for it. The classic victory of the Manchester in automatic mode to reborn their sporting aspirations. In this context of pure sporting quality and squad inequality against Fulham, the wonderful performance of De Bruyne appeared, who assisted and scored in both goals for the Sky Blues.
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Why did Solskjaer leave Bruno Fernandes on the bench?
It is perhaps one of the most serious questions to ask the Norwegian Manchester United manager after the West Ham game. The Red Devils signed two very different halves. It almost looked like two teams. But at the break, 1-0 in favor of the Hammers, Bruno Fernandes came into action. The Portuguese star has managed to resume his best sports version (with which he already fell in love and shone last season) and the meeting at the London Stadium was his last great example. Magic, pure quality, pure determination. His confidence has as a consequence that he becomes the great leader of the final meters and, almost automatically, he manages to persuade the rest of the players. Manchester United managed to come back and win comfortably, but all from the break. The question is, why was he not a starter?
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Olivier Giroud’s magic week.
Chelsea managed to beat Leeds to continue signing their fantastic start to the season. Despite the initial scare with Bamford’s goal, Lampard’s men turned the score around to add 3 more points in the table. One of the scorers was Olivier Giroud, who has had one of his best weeks as a Chelsea striker. With Timo Werner as the star signing of the attack and with Tammy Abraham as an alternative, the figure of the French attacker had been seen in the third plane that had already made him the number 1 candidate to leave the team next January. However, your week has been excellent. His 4 goals in the Champions League against Sevilla and his important goal against Leeds, have apparently changed his situation and have given him the full confidence to look at his future at Stamford Bridge with different eyes. Lampard smiles, and it is not for less.
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How Zaha’s face changes at the Crystal Palace …
It always sounds to leave, to leave the club, but it always continues. An eternal dilemma that presents the question of whether you really want to leave, since at the Crystal Palace it performs perfectly. Zaha returned after being absent the previous day and the Eagles signed a resounding defeat against West Bromwich Albion. Chance? Many point to the presence of the star as the great argument for sports improvement. His quality is such, his determination is so high, that he ends up infecting the rest of his colleagues. It is true that the expulsion of Pereira before the break marked the context and outcome of the game, but not for that reason the fantastic performance of Zaha is less remarkable.
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Jamie Vardy is having a party… again.
It seems tireless. The news that Vardy is Leicester’s fittest striker no longer generates big headlines, but his scoring level and the importance of his goals should not be forgotten. Vardy is once again one of the best strikers in the Premier League and, beyond his numbers, the importance of his performances for the overall team make him a basic, almost vital piece. It happened again against Sheffield United. It was in the 90th minute, on the horn, in a house-brand play into space. A goal that allows the Foxes to continue dreaming of Europe. Those of Brendan Rodgers are still up in the table and the figure of Vardy continues to shine with its own light.
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North London is still ‘white’
It was the big game of the weekend. Tottenham and Arsenal met in the long-awaited North London’s Derby in a classic match whose value is usually higher than 3 points. In fact, for many, winning to the maximum and eternal rival can already make sense of a full season. Tottenham de Mourinho took him to continue leading. Arsenal was more protagonist with more possession, with more presence in rival field, but it generated little danger that, on the other hand, the Spurs did create. The Kane-Son duo once again did their thing so that North London, as usual in recent years, continues to be ‘white’ with Tottenham dyes.
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Are Chelsea and Tottenham real candidates?
It is one of the great questions that exists on the British terrain. Liverpool and Manchester City started with the poster of favorites for their last years, but the start of the season of Chelsea and Tottenham allows them to be, for now, candidates to present a sports battle in the classification. Those of Mourinho are, right now, leaders tied with Liverpool, while those of Lampard are third, but only 2 points. All this with blocks that, in terms of strength and scoring figures, do seem more serious than Liverpool and Manchester City. Therefore, what seemed like a new battle from Anfield and Etihad Stadium, has new guests. The main question is to know if it is something temporary that will end in an anecdote or, instead, it is a reality imposed on the sporting context of this campaign in England.
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Liverpool hold the pull.
Those of Klopp knew that Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City had won, and closed the Sunday day against a Wolverhampton that did not arrive at Anfield as the most affordable guest of the championship. However, zero pressure, zero doubts. Fast-track victory beating Nuno Espiritu Santo’s Wolves. They endure the pull and continue to defend with their statistics the current throne of champions that they have in their favor.
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The Premier League has viewers again.
Only with 2,000 fans in its stands and only in the stadiums selected and allowed by the British Government, according to the different health zones in the United Kingdom. Therefore, it was not generalized, it did not happen in all matches, but the first day with a face-to-face audience (and not virtual simulations) was officially confirmed in the 2020/21 Premier League. It happened at West Ham-Manchester United, at Chelsea-Leeds, at Tottenham-Arsenal, at Liverpool-Wolverhampton and at Brighton-Southampton. With a slow and leisurely pace, but English football wants to recover a normality that is beginning to take its first steps.
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