(Football news) The clash between two of the most recent Premier League champions showed us exactly why England’s top flight is the most entertaining in the world. Both sides arguably boast the best managers in the league with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp at the helm but it was Manchester City that started strongly with a dominant first half display with a focus of target to exploit the right back where veteran James Milner was standing in for Trent Alexander-Arnold. However, the game was there for the taking at half time and Liverpool emerged as a transformed side in the second half which led to Sadio Mane’s 99th Premier League goal at the hour mark.

However, City were never going to give up easily and Phil Foden proved why he’s one of the brightest talents in the Premier League with a precise finish 10 minutes later to level the scoring. The highlight of the match was Mohamed Salah’s goal when the Egyptian beat four City defenders and ended the majestic run with a powerful shot past Ederson in the 76th minute. Anfield erupted after seeing a wonder goal from perhaps one of the most in-form and best players in Europe at the moment but the jubilation was short lived after Kevin De Bruyne’s shot deflected off Joel Matip and into the back of the net for City’s second equalizer in the 81st minute. Liverpool now find themselves in second place behind Chelsea in the Premier League table while Manchester City are one point behind Liverpool in third position.

Chelsea got back to winning ways to move on top of the Premier League table with a 3-1 win over Southampton at Stamford Bridge. Academy product Trevoh Chalobah put the Blues ahead in the ninth minute but a goal from the penalty spot by James Ward-Prowse in the second half equalized the scoreline for the Saints. However, Ward-Prowse was sent off in the 75th minute for a reckless tackle and Chelsea took full advantage of the situation with goals from Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell in the last 10 minutes. With this result, Thomas Tuchel’s men look firmly in the driving seat, especially considering that title rivals Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United dropped points this weekend.

Poor results continued for Manchester United as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made controversial changes to his starting line-up which saw Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, Jadon Sancho, Alex Telles, Jesse Lingard and Donny Van De Beek on the bench. The selections were surprising considering that the international break is on the horizon and there is no reason to rest players. Ronaldo, who has been the main source of goals so far, Alex Telles put on a stellar performance midweek against Villarreal and even scored a goal and Jesse Lingard, who has been impactful this season were the most surprising omissions. 

Anthony Martial’s selection after extremely dire performances this season finally paid dividends when the Frenchman scored in the 43rd minute. However, the same old problems were there for all to see as another disjointed performance with a poor structure out of possession meant Andros Townsend grabbed an equalizer in the 65th minute. The biggest concern for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is that his side have failed to keep a clean sheet in 18 games and now face a tough challenge after the international break with fixtures against Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal before the end of November as well as important Champions League matches. The pressure is on Solskjaer to bring home silverware this season but as things stand, that dream is looking further away with every passing weekend.

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