Early Thanksgiving

By Tuesday night I had already been treated to two turkeys - one each from Newcastle and the Union.  Hope I still have room for another on Thursday.

The Newcastle 0-2 loss to Chelsea wasn't a surprise at all.  In some ways, it was the best we could have hoped for.  The first tally was an unfortunate own goal off the foot of Fernandez and the knockout blow didn't come until Tammy Abraham put away Timo Werner's excellent feed in the 65th minute.  Meaning they theoretical spent much of the match one set piece or counterattack away from getting back in the game.  Except the Magpies were mostly lifeless save for maybe the first 10-15 minutes of the second half.  Very difficult to watch.  

The Union 0-2 playoff loss to New England is another matter.  Yes, it's hard to beat a team six times in the same year (Union had four wins and a draw in the other five encounters this year) and the Union had a 16-day layoff between this fixture and their last game (ironically a 2-0 win over New England). Part of the problem here is the American obsession with playoffs, a fixation exacerbated by this year's decision to allow 10 teams into the playoffs.  However, like the Electoral College, this is the flawed process we are given and must live with.

Choose your caption:
Carles proves to be Union's Achilles Gil
or
Buchanan stands regular season on its head

The boys started brightly enough with some decent possession and a pretty good chance early; in other circumstances Aaronson's well-placed pass to Monteiro a few yards from goal could have given them the lead.  Except the pass was difficult to handle (it was bouncing) and Monteiro couldn't get himself over the ball to keep it from soaring over the crossbar.  Things shortly went downhill from there.  Completing short passes proved difficult, communication and coordination at the back broke down several times.  When the Revolution goals came at 26 and 30 minutes, well, you knew they were coming.  We would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge how much better NE are with Carles Gil (ex-Aston Villa player) in the lineup; he got the assists on both goals.

Unlike last year's playoff win over the Red Bulls, there was no coming back from this 0-2 deficit.  The Union did manage to get some shots on goal but none really tested NE keeper Matt Hunter.  Curtin did realize that it was not Martinez's night and subbed him out at half for Ilsinho, which did help a little.  I might have tried Fontana a little earlier, probably for Bedoya who seemed invisible for much of the game.  Not going to second guess Curtin too much here since he was mostly right all season.  They were flat, distracted, and frankly, undisciplined.  

Nice sum up from Matthew Ralph at The Brotherly Game:

That’s the MLS Playoffs for you. The place Supporters’ Shields go to die.

He also notes that all the crappy aspects of the MLS playoff format don't excuse this performance.  Let's hope they learn from it.  The good news is "We'll always have the Supporters Shield."

Entrees Besides Turkey

At least Oliver looked at it himself before overtuning the call

Fortunately, there was plenty of good stuff elsewhere in both EPL and MLS action.  While the final result at Villa Park is disappointing, the 1-2 loss to Brighton can't be labeled a turkey.  They fell behind early on a goal from Danny Welbeck (remember him?).  Rather than despair, both Dennis and I felt this would be a good test of the squad's resilience.  When Ngoyo leveled things early in the second half, I was thinking they might pull away from there.  Alas, the next goal came from Brighton on a solid strike from an unmarked Solly March.  But Villa kept up the attack and looked to be rewarded with a PK call in stoppage time.  Except after getting buzzed by the VAR, Mark Oliver checked the monitor and overturned the call.  Recognizing that both Dennis and I are biased here, our take was that while it was one of those weak fouls that you hate to see turn into PKs, it was a foul in the box.  The rules don't require the referee to distinguish how bad the foul was to award the PK; a foul in the box is a foul in the box.  We both thought March kicked Trezeguet in the shin. Oliver seemed to indicate that March had gotten the ball but he still looked like he made contact with Trezeguet.  A tough loss that for which Aston Villa at least deserved a draw.  Thoroughly entertaining for any neutral that happened to watch.

Michael B was certainly smiling after Spurs took the measure of Man City 2-0.  City have the statistics on their side - 66% possession, 22/4 shots, 5/2 shots on target and 2.4/.75 expected goals.  Tottenham have the points.  Good weekend for Michael as Atleti also beat Barcelona and he barely avoided a nasty, potentially life-threatening bike riding accident.  He hasn't yet ranked the three events in order of importance yet.

Liverpool showed how much they missed Salah with a 3-0 win over Leicester that might not have been even that close.  Diogo Jota is one reason the Reds can afford to be without Salah. Check out this goal; a perfect cross from Robertson to catch Jota on a diagonal run finishing with a clinical header.  This may also explain why Wolves aren't as lethal as last year.

Speaking of Wolves, they did manage to eke out a 1-1 draw against hot Southampton. That was enough to knock the Saints out of the top four and keep themselves in the top half of the table.  Had hoped for more scoring but it was still worth watching.

The predicted "most competitive match" of the week did indeed turn out 1-0 as West Ham edged out Sheffield United.  The Blades stay winless, with just one point from nine matches.  They didn't lose ground to West Brom, who also stayed winless after falling 0-1 to Man United.  The Red Devils hardly looked impressive beating the Baggies at Old Trafford; sorry Jeff H but a solitary soft PK goal against this team isn't encouraging.  I didn't see Everton slip by Fulham 3-2; the Cottagers missed a PK there and have a slight edge on the stats so that was probably a good watch.  Burnley's sort of surprise 1-0 win over Crystal Palace took them past Fulham and out of the relegation zone.

Speaking of unimpressive, Arsenal aren't exactly chewing up the competition either.  They could only manage a 0-0 versus Leeds and the stats (possession, shots, shots on goal, expected goals) and my own eyes tell me they were lucky to walk away with a point.

Not saying things will end this way but I know Newcastle have been less than impressive and yet they are just one point behind Man City and two behind Man United and Arsenal.  

A Hot Mess

The MLS playoffs so far have been a car crash that you cannot take your eyes away from.  The two top seeds in the East are gone (Toronto lost 0-1 to Nashville in extra time and Toronto were lucky they even got to extra time).  Three of the eight first round matches went to PKs (more on that below).  The Sporting KC - San Jose match featured a stoppage time goal for each that sent that one to extra time and eventually PKs.  We note that Chris Wondolowski got the San Jose equalizer (seen here) in the 97th minute and wonder where that was in the 2014 World Cup.  No, we're not bitter or anything.

For total madness though we must go to the Orlando - NYCFC PK shootout.  For those so inclined, you can see the whole thing here, this week's  YouTubeableMoment    YouTubeable22Minutes.  That it even got that far is a little amazing since Orlando played a man down from 85 minutes on.  Things proceed well through the first eight kicks.  When Orlando's keeper Pedro Gallese stops Castellano's shot, Orlando appears to have won 4-3.  There was much rejoicing and Orlando manager Oscar Pareja sprints down the tunnel.  Except if you listen closely, you can hear referee Allen Chapman's whistle blow multiple times within seconds of the stop.  His call is that Gallese has left his line too early and the kick must be retaken.  Given how quickly the whistle came, that suggests to me this was Chapman's own call, not the VAR's.  The replay is tight but looks to me like he got it right; I don't think Gallese has a heel on the line when the ball is struck.  I assume the first delay is waiting for VAR to confirm the call on the field. 

The next step is that Chapman shows Gallese a yellow card for encroachment.  Normally that might be a formality except Gallese is already on a yellow card for wasting time.  So he is gone.  Except there is confusion by the announcers about whether a yellow card is required as the 20/21 rules say that the keeper is merely warned for the first encroachment infraction.  Except MLS has not adopted the 20/21 rules yet, presumably because the competition began under the 19/20 rules.  So far, Chapman is in the clear from my perspective, despite what the announcers say.  He thought, on his own, there was encroachment, VAR did not overturn it, and the yellow card was correct and thus the sending off is correct.  The announcers sound annoyed, questioning whether Chapman should have made the encroachment call in the first place.  Stop it.  Gallese came off the line early, it doesn't matter if it was close, and the sanction is the kick is retaken and the keeper gets a yellow.

Unfortunately for Chapman, things are going to get weirder and his handling of the situation from here on out is going to get him in trouble.  Gallese appears to know the rules as he hands his gloves to Rodrigo Schlegel, a defender on the field.  After some further delay, Chapman allows back up keeper Brian Rowe into the match and things proceed to the point where Castellano is preparing to retake the kick with Rowe standing in goal.  But wait, someone is talking in Chapman's ear again, likely telling him the substitution is not permitted.  Further delay, after which it looks like the substitution is going to be allowed.  No, he's sent back and Schlegel is putting on the gloves.  I cannot explain the reason for the confusion over the substitution.  There are temporary rules regarding additional subs in extra time but they do not apply to shootouts.  The players on the field at the end of extra time are the only ones who can participate in the shootout.  Also, the rules do allow for replacement of a keeper but only in the case of injury.  Rowe should never have been allowed on the field and this is Chapman's undoing.  It looks terrible and gives the announcers additional fodder.  

Wait, how'd it turn out?  Kind of cool.  Castellanos converts the retake.  Won't matter if Nani makes his but of course he doesn't so we go to a sixth round of kicks.  Both score.  Then Schlegel stops the NYC shot.  (Side note to announcers who were confused as to why the match wasn't over at that point: please to STFU about rules as you didn't understand that Orlando still had to make their kick.  No, I'm not bitter.)  Finally, the thing ends with Benji Michel burying his attempt, sending Orlando on to the next round.  MLS indicated that the officiating crew will not be doing any more playoff matches.  Harsh but probably fair.  I somehow doubt that, despite all their mistakes during the incident, the announcing crew will also be suspended for the rest of the playoffs.  

Too Soon?

Diego Maradona passed away on Wednesday at age 60.  His talent was undeniable.  So was his ability to find controversy.  We'll simply note that that he had two memorable goals within the space of just minutes in the 1986 World Cup quarter final against England.  In the first, known as the "Hand of God," Maradona essentially punched the ball into the goal with his fist.  This being pre-VAR, the goal was allowed to stand.  For the second, often cited as the Goal of the Century, he made a 70-yard solo run with the ball beating multiple English defenders along the way.  If you think about it, there was the talent and controversy of Maradona on display in a just four minutes.

Michael sent a text shortly after the news came out.

Michael:  Argentina will observe 3 days of mourning

Don: Actually, with stoppage time it will be 3.2 days

Snow Days?

Dennis and I had the same thought about ESPN's chyron.  With most of the information now about postponements and cancellations of college and professional contests, it's taken on the flavor of announcing school closings after a heavy snow.  Seton Hall - Baylor, closed.  Steelers - Ravens, closed.  Tulsa - Houston open two weeks late.  Cowboys - Washington Football Team, cancelled but staff should report.  

The good news from the EPL is that there were only eight positive tests this week, down from 16 last week.

Yellow Balls

Though it sounds like it could be an English schoolyard taunt, we refer here to the "winter" ball that the EPL uses from November to March.  More details here.  Presumably, the ball is more visible on those darker and or occasionally snowy days.  Frank Zappa's advice regarding snow probably applies here too.

  

Second, Third and Fourth Helpings

Sunday looks tasty enough.  The Southampton - Man United contest at 9 (all matches NBCSN unless otherwise noted) is an interesting test for both.  For the Saints, the question is are they as good as they seem; United will be trying to prove they aren't as mediocre as their record suggests.  Put Arsenal Wolves at 2:15 in that same category.  Best/most important match of the weekend is Chelsea - Spurs at 11:30.  Despite not really having found their feet, Tottenham are top of the table.  Chelsea have actually looked more dominant in working their way to third place but have also had some unsteady moments.  At 538, Chelsea are healthy favorites (50/26/24); Spurs have proved resilient in getting results.  

Black Friday has Newcastle at my second favorite venue - Selhurst Park - as underdogs against Crystal Palace (3 pm).  We'll hope for some glimmer of a competitive effort before we even start to think about a result there.  

Saturday's most interesting fixture is a relegation special - 19th West Brom vs 20th Sheffield United (3 pm).  At 538 they have each side at 35% chance of winning with 30% chance of draw, meaning little to choose between the two.  Everton hosting Leeds (NBC feature match at 12:30), who sometimes put up a pretty good effort, might be okay .  But Brighton - Liverpool (especially at 7:30 on Peacock) and Man City hosting Burnley (10 am) don't offer much hope for competitive matches.

The four-day weekend concludes on Monday with Leicester - Fulham (12:30) and West Ham - Aston Villa at 3 pm.  Wouldn't expect the Foxes to be tested at home against Fulham.  The Villans won't be expected to have an easy time against the Hammers but I'd like to think there's a good chance they come home with something.  

And again, while the EPL plays, so does the MLS.  Sunday has the Eastern Conference semi-finals.  Orlando host New England at 3 pm on ABC and Columbus have Nashville at home at 8 pm on ESPN.  The home squads are solid favorites but that hasn't mattered too much so far.  Seattle and Dallas play Tuesday at 9:30 on FS1 while Sporting KC host Minnesota Wednesday at 9 pm, also on FS1.  Again, the home sides are big favorites.    With the Union out, I can now totally hope for more chaos.

Dennis offers the following advice for the Thanksgiving meal.  Have as much as you can but don't eat so much that you end up hating yourself.  We recommend you follow the same advice with respect to watching football.  

Back to Work

Didn't take in much during the international break because 1) I needed a break, 2) still way too busy 3) the Masters was on and 4) even I'm not falling for the idea that the Nations League contests are that much better than friendlies.  I did see Scotland get a Euro 2020 2021 202? berth with a shootout win over Serbia and the USMNT 0-0 draw with Wales.

BFS USMNT Correspondent Philip S took in both the US friendlies (0-0 with Wales and 6-2 over Panama).  After the Panama match he noted "we look strong, quick, skilled, and a little mean.  This is headed in the right direction."  The key adjective there for me was "skilled."  US teams have rarely lacked athleticism but haven't always been the most skilled. Philip spoke highly of Brooks, Dest and Reyna.  The latter definitely stood out for me from what I saw of the Wales match.  Looking forward to the next WC qualifying process.

EPL and Covid 

Not that I really want to follow this but Dennis notes that the resurgence could easily force officials to suspend play again.  So I checked the EPL website and got the following the numbers of positive tests (players and staff) for the weeks ending 9/6 through 11/15:

3,4,3,10,9,5,8,2,4,4,16

Really hope that 16 is not part of a trend.  BTW, one of those 16 is Mo Salah, who will miss Liverpool's next match.  Also, this is another reason we do not need international breaks for friendly matches.

Now, Where Were We?

Right, we're into an intriguing season in which the top four going into this weekend are Leicester, Spurs, Liverpool and Southampton.  Aston Villa are 6th but Man United 14th.  Good to get back to the action.  And once again, if you're so inclined (reclined?) you can take in every match live.

The two stand-out fixtures are Spurs - Man City Saturday (NBC feature match on NBC at 12:30) and Liverpool - Leicester on Sunday (2:15 on NBCSN).  Tottenham have struggled all season; they drew Newcastle and have beat West Brom, Brighton and Burnley by one goal apiece.  Yet they still have only the opening day loss to Everton and sit second in the table.  Same for City.  They are 9th in the table and have some strange results of their own (draw with Leeds and West Ham, struggled to beat Sheffield United) but also have just one defeat.  Intriguing matchup still.  

Newcastle will likely remain stuck on 11 points as they host Chelsea at 7:30 Saturday morning (Peacock).  The only thing better than watching your team lose is getting up early to do so.  Dennis is likely to have a better day with his Aston Villa side having a home match with Brighton (10 am Saturday on NBCSN).  

Another fixture catching my eye is Wolves vs Southampton.  Though Wolves are definitely not as good as last year, they are still fun to watch and Southampton are playing attractive football as well.  Check that one out on Monday at 3 pm on NBCSN.  

According to 538, the most competitive match of the weekend will be Sheffield United - West Ham (Sunday at 9 on Peacock).  We note that competitive does not always translate into high quality, just that the likelihood of a blowout is low.  Speaking of blowouts, that is what Man United should do to  West Brom on Saturday (3 pm Peacock).  Early season upstart Everton, now coming off three straight losses, will try to find their mojo against Fulham at Craven Cottage (7 am Sunday on Peacock).  Rounding out the schedule is Leeds - Arsenal on Sunday at 11:30 (the Gunners have four wins and four losses?) and Burnley - Crystal Palace on Monday at 12:30 (Burnley, like West Brom and Sheffield united, are still winless).

And this EPL schedule will play out on top of the MLS playoffs.  Play-in matches are Friday evening, with the first round getting underway on Saturday running through Tuesday.  Looking around at various predictions, the Union get some love.  But, these brackets from MLS.com writers are scaring me ;  four of the six pick the Union.  I do think they have as good a chance as anybody but don't see it as inevitable.  Unfortunately, the weekend matches coincide with the EPL so something will have to be dvred.  Here's the bracket with times and TV options.  The Union will play an as yet unknown opponent Tuesday night at 8 on ESPN.

So for the moment, we still have plenty to watch.

  

Jungite aut Perite

I took two years of Latin in high school and believe that loosely translates to “we won the Supporters Shield bitches.”  Most satisfying in that the U did not back into the trophy but took a decisive 2-0 win over New England.

Curtin made the change to the youngster Matt Freese over Joe Bendik in goal; this is generally consistent with his approach to personnel decisions – give youth a chance.  Prospects were also improved with M & M (Monteiro and Martinez) both in the lineup.  The U started out okay, looking like the more interested side, but not by much.  The news from Harrison was helpful with the Red Bulls taking an early 2-0 on Toronto.  A goal in the 43^rd minute from Santos was a big step towards making that result academic.  A few chances in the second half but it wasn’t until Burke deposited a low cross from Martinez into the net that the victory felt secure.  It's a high quality goal by itself but the context (sealing the first trophy in Union  history) makes it this week's YouTubeableMoment.

Freese wasn’t seriously pressed in goal.  BFS Goalie Consultant Graham R suggests that either Freese was really good at organizing the defense or the defense was particularly diligent knowing they had an untested keeper.  Either way, a solid performance in the back.

Did MLS get this "trophy" from Marvel Comics?

The win means that the Union win the Supporters Shield, the trophy (? – see picture) that goes to the club with the best regular season record.  This was a shortened season, so comparisons have to be done on a points per game basis.  The Union’s record of 2.04 points per game is good for equal 4^th in the all-time list.  Thrilled for everybody involved though two that I’m really happy for are Jim Curtin and Ray Gaddis, both long-serving troopers who have been maligned (largely unfairly IMHO) on occasion for their performances.  Also pleased that the Union get a trophy independent of how they do in the playoffs.

Speaking of the playoffs, if I read this right, the Union will play on Tuesday 11/24 against the lowest seed coming out of the play-in round, which could be (in order of seeding) Nashville, New England, Montreal, or Miami.  All signs point to Blake being back in goal for that match.  Also looks like Martinez has not been called up for international duty so he should be available as well.  Not as sure about Monteiro and Mbaizo, who got call-ups from Cape Verde and Cameroon; the mandated 10-day quarantine could mean they won’t be available for the first match.

 

Yellow not Black and White

The Magpies looked lifeless in their canary-colored kits against Southampton.  They spent most of the match down 0-1 until a late goal made the final 0-2.  It wasn’t that close.  The Magpies could have played for three days and not threatened to score.  Very disappointing after the big win over Everton.  Also possible that Southampton are pretty good; the Saints are sitting fourth in the table after eight weeks.

Black not Claret and Blue

Aston Villa did well in their all-black away kits, handing Arsenal a nasty 3-0 defeat, a score that does not flatter the Villans.  They had an early goal pulled back on a VAR offside decision (correct under the rules but harsh in that Barkley was in the keeper’s line of vision but there’s no way it mattered), then went up on an own goal.  A second from Watkins in the 72^nd minute (played out in slow motion between Grealish and Barkley ending in a wonderful cross into the box) provided some insurance.  Watkins added a third minutes later to seal the deal. Aston Villa have 15 points from seven matches and sit 6^th in the table.  Yeah, I’m jealous.

Yellow not White

Spurs spent 88 minutes looking lower mid-table-ish in their yellow away kits before Matt Doherty put a pinpoint cross into the box which Harry Kane nudged over the West Brom keeper for the only goal in a undistinguished 1-0 win.  The good news for Spurs is that this was not an undistinguished 0-0 draw.  The bad news is that this was West Brom (still winless) for crissake. 

Worst PK Evah

Best viewing strategy for West Ham – Fulham was to head directly to second half stoppage time.  That would allow you to see Soucek put in the seeming game winner for West Ham at 91 minutes, Benrahma foul Cairney in the box at 95 minutes and then Lookman’s incredibly bad PK attempt at 98 minutes.  Check out that botched attempt here.  This kind of stuff tends to keep you in the relegation zone.

Speaking of relegation zone, the 0-0 draw between Burnley and Brighton did nothing to alter their relegation prospects.  And Sheffield United stayed winless with a 1-4 loss to Chelsea.  The Blades had an early lead but watched it slowly turn into another defeat.

Jesus Saves Scores

 Man City – Liverpool was great for a half but the second half of the 1-1 draw wasn’t particularly inspiring.  Salah's PK gave the Reds a 1-0 lead at 15 minutes but Jesus leveled things at 31 minutes.  Then we had the rarest of rare events - Kevin deBruyne missing a PK.  Frankly, I thought the handling call was really soft and didn't mind that he missed.  Ball don't lie?  I had higher hopes for Leicester-Wolves but that was decided by a Jamie Vardy PK in the 15^th minute.  Everton- Man United was a good watch, though not necessarily due to high quality football.  The Toffees had an early lead thanks to Bernardo but Fernandes leveled things within minutes.  United took the lead on a Fernandes cross that found its way into the net.  We can give him high marks for the cross, but it was clearly not a shot.  Rashford was close to heading it but didn’t make contact.  Still counts of course.  Very chippy game with plenty of snarl and six yellow cards.  It stayed 2-1 until Cavani added an insurance goal in stoppage time.  Decent viewing.

After a hot start, Everton are looking quite ordinary.  Missing Richarlison maybe?  That seems hard to believe.  Also looking quite ordinary after an interesting start are Leeds, who fell 1-4 to Crystal Palace and sit 10^th in the table.

 

International Break

League play stops again for international contests.  These have been quite disruptive, creating a chopped up feeling to the action in MLS and EPL plus exposing players to covid risk. 

Will be back next week with league play and MLS playoffs.

 

 

 

No Title For U (Yet)

Press of other things will keep this shorter.

Title Delayed

The Union were unlucky, not awful, in a 1-2 loss at Columbus.  With Andre Blake in goal, this would have been at worst a draw.  His replacement, Joe Bendik, did make a mistake on the game winner and it's not ridiculous to think Blake might have stopped the first one too.  The stats say the Union were the better side.  Given that this squad has had its share of good luck, we can't complain too much about being on the other side of good fortune.

Results elsewhere mean Toronto is the only challenger left for both Eastern Conference title and the Supporters Shield.  Though the latter loses a bit of luster due to the shortened season and minimal inter-conference play (in fact at one point they weren't going to award it this year), I'll argue it's still an important target for a franchise that doesn't have any trophies in its history.  To get there, all the Union must do is manage a better result against New England (at Subaru Park) than Toronto can muster against the Pink Cows in Harrison.  Both matches are Sunday at 3:30.  No Blake for that one either but Martinez might be back.

The playoff prospects are clouded by a crowded international calendar and covid.  At various points, the Union could be missing Monteiro, Martinez, Mbaizo.  The word on Blake is that he might be back for the start of the playoffs.  Also not clear is whether the playoffs will be moved to a bubble, which would diminish the home field advantage that the Union has accrued with their regular season play.  For me, this uncertainty just adds to the importance of nailing down that trophy on Sunday.  No matter what else happens, we'll always have the Supporters Shield.

Beware the Toon Army

Bournemouth connection in Newcastle:
Wilson puts away cross from Fraser (r)

Early signs Tyneside that maybe this won't be a relegation fight.  Witness the surprise 2-1 win over Everton.  After a non-committal 0-0 first half, Callum Wilson converted a PK at 56 minutes and added an insurance goal at 84 minutes (using a perfect cross from former Bournemouth teammate Ryan Fraser).  That meant that Calvert-Lewin's stoppage time goal just meant a few minutes of "squeaky bum" time.  The Magpies played the Toffees pretty much even up so I'll argue that they deserved at least a draw and taking all three points was not completely outrageous.  Everton were missing James Rodriguez and Richarlison so maybe they weren't at full strength.  Yeah, well we were still missing Shelvey so there's that.  Newcastle have 11 points from seven matches and sit 11th in the table.  More importantly, they may have a Premier League goal scorer to go with a solid defense.  

I did watch most of the games and they are now a blur.  Here's what I can remember.

Gareth Bails out Tottenham - Spurs needed a late goal off the bench from the Werewolf of London to best Brighton 2-1.  To be fair, I still haven't figured out why referee Graham Scott, even after looking the monitor himself, allowed the Brighton goal to stand after what looked like a clear foul in the build-up.  We'll make Bale's goal this week's YouTubeableMoment.

Better Late Than Never (Not So Much) - The 4-3 final score between Southampton and Aston Villa suggests a classic offensive duel.  Until you look at the timeline.  The Saints were up 3-0 at halftime and 4-0 by 58 minutes.  Villa's two goals in stoppage time after Mings got one back at 62 minutes meant they had at least 30 seconds to try and rescue a draw.  What's even weirder is that on the stat sheet, this looks like a blow out in favor of Aston Villa,  They had 56% possession, outshot Southampton 19-9 (10-4 on target) and had 2.1 expected goals vs .8.  Not much consolation because it definitely felt like a beat down the other way.  Dennis wonders who was the bigger early season fraud - Everton or Aston Villa.  The contest also featured the classic Mings-Ings matchup. 

The Classics?

Not feeling so bad about underplaying this matchup in last week's preview.  A 1-0 win for the Gunners after a Pogba foul in the box.  Highlight for me was when an Man United player got whistled for holding holding midfielder Holding.

LiVARpool had another goal overturned by VAR (correctly) as they struggled to beat West Ham 2-1.  Same with Man City; all they could manage was a 1-0 win over Sheffield United.  Chelsea looked okay smashing poor Burnley 3-0.  Fulham got its first win at the expense of West Brom, who still don't have a victory.  Leicester made short work of early season surprise Leeds with a 4-1 thumping.  And Wolves looked better beating Crystal Palace 2-0.  Except for Liverpool - West Ham, hard to say any of this was scintillating viewing.

Sequential Viewing Again

I'll confess that I at least looked in on every match last weekend.  Sometimes it was a fast forwarded viewing on dvr (looking, or rather not looking at you, Fulham - West Brom).  Maybe not the smartest thing, although the steady rain on Sunday sure made it an easier choice.

You can do the same this weekend.  And there are some tasty fixtures.  Sunday at 11:30 is the big one, Man City vs Liverpool.  Certainly City have been underwhelming to this point yet they only trail Liverpool by five points with a game in hand.  This will be a chance to see where they really are.

Good test for Newcastle as they travel to face Southampton.  Our vaunted defense will be tested by a squad that has 11 goals in the last four matches.  That's Friday at 3 on Peacock.  Aston Villa will also be tested, traveling to face Arsenal (2:15 Sunday on Peacock).  They are tied in the table on points (bet you didn't expect that) but may be heading in opposite directions.

I would normally like the Everton-Man United match (Saturday 7:30 NBCSN) but I've cited the Red Devils' last two fixtures as ones to watch and they have been enormous busts.  Dark horse fun match could be Leicester - Wolves Sunday at 9 on NBCSN; both those sides play some attractive football.  For those looking for something in a relegation matchup, try Brighton - Burnley Friday at 12:30 on Peacock.    Spurs and Chelsea will look for easier wins, facing West Brom and Sheffield United respectively.  

Don't forget the Union at 3:30 on Sunday afternoon.