Saturday was a see-saw day in the Premier League title race. Chelsea started the day on top, were overtaken first by Liverpool, then later by Manchester City. Each of the three teams occupied the top three positions at some point during the day, but it was Man City who finished it at the top. In what is developing into a really fascinating title race, we can expect a rotation in those top spots every week. The gap between the three is as small as it can be and there’s no room for any slip-ups.
For Chelsea, the slip-ups are worryingly mounting. A Jorginho error gifted Jadon Sancho a goal last week, and he again was culpable in the West Ham defeat. Thomas Tuchel has told that Jorginho is playing with a hip-injury amidst an injury crisis in midfield. While that is brave of him, such individual errors can prove to be costly in such an unrelenting title race. Chelsea dropped three vital points despite leading twice at the Olympic Stadium.
The pair of Jorginho and Edouard Mendy made careless errors to gift Hammers the win. After the match, Tuchel confirmed that Kai Havertz and Marcos Alonso were withdrawn due to injuries. The unforgiving fixture list coupled with perhaps Tuchel’s training sessions are taking their toll on the players. Their squad depth is being tested to the full and with long-term injuries to Ben Chilwell, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante, these are indeed worrying times for the Blues.
The Blues would be punished twice later that day. First, in stoppage time by Liverpool. A resolute Wolves side did well to keep free-scoring Liverpool quiet for 90 minutes. The match seemed to be headed for a stalemate, until Divock Origi came from the cold to rescue three points for the visitors. Origi’s stoppage time winner took a sub-par Liverpool top of the table for a few hours. But one of many qualities of a champion is to win games even if not playing well. That’s what Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool did deep into stoppage time.
Chelsea’s second punishment came in Saturday’s late kick-off. Standing in Pep Guardiola’s way were Watford, who weren’t given much chance of causing an upset. City often have a habit of running riot at the Vicarage Road. On Saturday, it wasn’t a thrashing, but a stroll. Man City comfortable 3-1 victors with their player of the season Bernardo Silva adding two more to his tally. It’s incredible how without a recognized striker or a playmaker like Kevin De Bruyne, City are able to penetrate defenses at will. They could have scored many more and that’s the case every single match. If Pep were to add a striker in his squad in January, imagine what this City team could achieve.
So, in this ever-changing Premier League scenario, it’s the defending champions who are top. There are no midweek Premier League matches, as European group-stages draw to a close. Next week, the trio have eye-catching home fixtures. City entertain Wolves, who have caused Guardiola troubles in the past. At Anfield, Steven Gerrard will make an emotional return with his Aston Villa side. Meanwhile, Chelsea resume a fierce rivalry when they entertain Leeds United.