The Sunday fixtures of Matchday 8 of the Premier League witnessed some riveting action on the football turf. All eyes were on the marquee clash between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.
The game kicked off in a typical end-to-end action between the two sides before Sadio Mane earned his team a penalty in the 13th minute. Kyle Walker was the culprit for Cityzens, who blocked the Senegalese winger inside the box through a rough tackle.
Mohd. Salah made no mistake in converting from the spot, giving the Reds an early lead. On return from injury, City striker Gabriel Jesus announced his arrival with his equalizer in the 31st minute.
City captain Kevin de Bruyne had the perfect opportunity to take the lead for his side, through Joe Gomez’s handball inside the box. Surprisingly, the Belgian central-attacking midfielder missed from the spot before half-time.
The rest of the match saw several attempts from both teams but none onto the target. In the end, Pep Guardiola’s men had to settle for a draw at home.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa continued with their reputation of being giant-killers. They beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, with the scoreline reading 0-3.
Playmakers Jack Grealish and Ross Barkley were simply sensational in the midfield, as they chipped in with an assist each.
The game was evenly poised until the 71st minute, after Bukayo Saka’s own goal in the 25th minute. Moreover, Ollie Watkins’ (72’,75’) brace took the game out of reach for the hosts.
Meanwhile, West Brom hosted Tottenham Hotspurs, who fielded a three-pronged attack of Harry Kane, Heung-Min-Son and Gareth Bale. Spurs captain’s 150th goal in the Premier League was enough for Jose Mourinho’s side to pick three more points.
That said, the talk of the town in the Premier League was the involvement of VAR in the modern-day game. Numerous penalties were awarded to teams due to handballs inside the box. Even, in the game between Leicester City and Wolves, the telling difference was the penalty awarded to James Vardy early in the game, off a handball. The consensus amongst fans was that VAR is ruining the ‘beautiful game’.
Matchday 8 results:
West Ham 1 – 0 Fulham
West Brom 0 – 1 Tottenham
Leicester City 1 – 0 Wolves
Manchester City 1 – 1 Liverpool
Arsenal 0 – 3 Aston Villa
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