A weekend for breaking ducks for Premier League forwards

Of the weekend’s Premier League goalkeepers, David de Gea was one of only two not to concede. Many people had even called the race over by November.

Hull would still have been relegated but would have finished the league bottom of the table on zero points. With an average of 4 goals per game, this round brings for football fans many interesting matches. Of course, by this stage of that campaign, manager Jose Mourinho had already been sacked. He’s certainly arrogant, but deservedly so. “I feel he will get so frustrated with it all“.

Manchester United are back on top of the Premier League after rivals City crumbled against Tottenham. French-born Mali midfielder Sako, 27, arrived in the summer from Wolves, where he scored 36 goals in 118 games and became Championship Player of the Year.

Chelsea’s undoing so far this season has been the depth of their squad, or rather the lack there of.

There is little question that the Liverpool manager remains under intense pressure, and little question that he deserves to be, the club having spent so much money but failing to improve their team. “He’s an fantastic player but he should be kept to the most important games”.

Do you think Chelsea will be able to turn their poor start around?

This is now starting to catch up with Chelsea.

Since then, however, Manuel Pellegrini’s men have lost three of their last four games, including a Champions League defeat against Juventus to suggest another disappointing European challenge is on the horizon and an alarming 4-1 capitulation at Tottenham on Saturday. Everything you think might happen does happen, and it’s enacted in a really tepid, boring way. “You’ve got to be on the ball, trying to create chances that work goalkeepers which they haven’t been doing all season”. The second is the problem Chelsea are now dealing with. They were pressing and there was an intensity to their play, it lifted the crowd. In three of those seasons when they started so poorly, they finished 11th or lower.

McClaren’s side are still searching for their first win of the season and last week were knocked out of the League Cup on home turf by Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday. They won the league for two reasons: they had built a big lead and because Manchester City couldn’t win down the stretch either. No sign of Messrs Costa, Rooney, Kayne and Aguero there. Yet. You knew he would score goals, but his hamstrings could also go at any second.

Here’s what they said in full.