The Premier League 2020/21 season has been the most unpredictable for years. At the halfway stage, the title race is wide open and seven teams have occupied top spot at the end of a matchweek and only 12 points separate first and 11th.
We’ve had goals disallowed for a toenail or armpit offside, some mind-boggling handball decisions, interpretation changes to both the offside and handball laws, a teaser of what football felt like with fans, multiple coronavirus disruptions and celebrations reduced to a fist bump or light hug. But one thing’s for certain: the football this season has delivered some spectacular results.
This is It’s All Sport To Me’s Premier League mid-season review:
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta’s side came out all guns blazing and set the pace with victories in their first two games. The feel-good factor was back for the Gunners following FA Cup success the season before but, ironically, the tide began to turn after a 1-0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 1st November.
Following that away win, Arsenal went seven games without a win which included poor defeats against Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley. Performances on the pitch started to match the scenes off it. In the boardroom, the Arsenal hierarchy named club mascot Gunnersaurus in their redundancy list only for public enemy number one, Mesut Ozil, to agree to pay the mascot’s salary. It was a PR mess and the Ozil saga gathered pace again. Arteta will be relieved that the famous Arsenal clock has ticked to PM – Post-Mesut – and the German’s £350,000-a-week salary is off the wage bill at last.
In desperate need to shake things up to find some form, Arteta rolled the dice and went for the exuberance of youth against Chelsea. It worked. Emile Smith Rowe announced himself to the Premier League with a brilliant display and has added ammunition to the Gunners’ attack with three assists in six appearances. Since then, Arsenal have gone unbeaten in six, with five wins and a draw, to propel them back into the European conversation.
Best result: Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea. Winless in seven going into this fixture, Arsenal were desperate for a performance that would turn around their season and Arteta’s rotated squad delivered. Will go down as Smith Rowe’s breakthrough.
Worst result: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Arsenal. Arsenal fans look away now. This loss meant no North London derby win since December 2018 and piled early pressure on Arteta.
Key player: Bukayo Saka. His five goals and two assists has added valuable numbers to his obvious ability and the 19-year-old is leading by example on the pitch.
Aston Villa
Considering they avoided relegation by one point last season, Dean Smith’s side have bounced back in 2020/21 with a renewed energy and authority. The Villains sit in 10th with 29 points – only six points less than their entire 2019/20 total – and have games in hand due to rescheduled fixtures.
The late summer transfer window proved key to this success. Captain Jack Grealish waived away interest from Manchester United to commit to his boyhood club and new signings Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash, Ross Barkley, Bertrand Traoré and Ollie Watkins have added quality.
Watkins has made a decent transition from Championship level with eight goals and he leads the way ahead of Grealish (six), Anwar El-Ghazi (five) and Traoré (four). Despite all this attacking flair on display, Villa’s defence has been the hallmark to their impressive start having only conceded more than Arsenal, Manchester City and Spurs.
Defence was their Achilles heel last season so Smith made his team watch videos of Liverpool and Lazio defending to improve discipline. This technique has been a masterstroke with Villa only conceding once throughout December. Martinez’s performances have left Arsenal fans scratching their heads as to why they let him go, Tyrone Mings continues to improve and Ezri Konsa has emerged as a quality defender having only being dribbled past once this season by City’s Bernardo Silva.
Best result: Aston Villa 7-2 Liverpool. One of those games where everything clicks into place and Villa stunned the Reds to lead 4-1 at the break. Watkins scored his first hat-trick for the club and a superb Grealish proved too much for the holders.
Worst result: Aston Villa 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion. It was sixth against 16th and a home fixture against a side with only one win prior to this. An early injury to Barkley didn’t help and Villa struggled to convert chances against a stubborn Seagulls defence.
Key player: Jack Grealish. England are blessed with a generation of attacking midfielders at the moment and Grealish is leading the way. Adored by Villa fans, captain Jack has six goals and 10 assists already and has raised his game to another level.
Brighton & Hove Albion
It’s been a tough season for Graeme Potter’s Brighton. They’re a talented side, and are easy on the eye at times, but they’ve turned themselves into one point merchants having drawn nine of the 20 games played and are yet to win at The Amex. Their inability to convert draws into wins has sucked them into a relegation battle and inconsistent results have clipped the Seagulls’ wings to keep them below 16th since October 18th.
One glimmer of hope is that seven out of eight defeats have been against teams in the top nine which means they haven’t dropped points against those around them. In Neal Maupay they have a decent goal scorer and his seven goals has helped the Seagulls score the most of the current bottom six. The talented Ben White has impressed alongside Yves Bissouma in midfield and Lewis Dunk continues to perform well in Potter’s favoured back three.
The deciding factor to Brighton’s survival will be turning draws into wins – especially against teams in the bottom half. They drew with West Bromwich Albion, Burnley, Fulham and Sheffield United in the first half of the season so turning one point into three in these fixtures will be crucial.
Best result: Aston Villa 1-2 Brighton. Not Brighton’s biggest win by any means but it was significant. This away win against a favoured Villa side ended a six-game winless run which they backed up with a draw against Liverpool.
Worst result: Brighton 1-1 West Bromwich Albion. Relied on a Jake Livermore own goal to take the lead and conceded an equaliser seven minutes from time in a lacklustre home display against relegation favourites West Brom.
Key player: Yves Bissouma. The Mali international is having his best season for the Seagulls and his performances have reportedly caught the attention of Arsenal and Liverpool.
Burnley
Daniel Hall
After a shaky start, Burnley appear to have found form at the right time. They currently sit 15th after 19 games and have pulled away from the bottom three with a nine-point cushion – overtaking Newcastle United and Brighton in the process.
Goals are still a problem. The club have drawn a blank in half their games and have the second lowest goals scored – one ahead of bottom side Sheffield United.
However, after striker Ashley Barnes ended a 13-month run without a goal in December against Arsenal, Burnley can begin to tentatively look up rather than down for the rest of the season. As long as injuries don’t hit their paper thin squad.
Following the recent takeover by American investment firm ALK Capital, it’s a happy place at Turf Moor and long-serving manager Sean Dyche has not ruled out some late transfer activity. It seems the Clarets are mainly looking to bolster their backline and are keeping tabs on Stoke City’s Nathan Collins, Everton’s Jonjoe Kenny and Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall, according to the Burnley Express.
Best result: Liverpool 0-1 Burnley. Ashley Barnes’ late penalty ended Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten Premier League record at Anfield. More importantly, it put daylight between Burnley and the relegation zone.
Worst result: Manchester City 5-0 Burnley. A fourth consecutive 5-0 defeat at the Etihad is one the fans would rather forget.
Key player: Ben Mee. The Clarets look vulnerable without Mee and James Tarkowski at the back, but their captain has been instrumental in their upturn in form since the November international break.
Chelsea
Daniel Hall
Time is a luxury rarely afforded in football management. Less than two months ago Chelsea went top after dispatching Leeds United 3-1 at home and the good times were aplenty at Stamford Bridge. Since then, Chelsea had only two wins in eight and found themselves in ninth – enough for Roman Abramovich to axe fan favourite Frank Lampard.
Kneejerk reaction? Yes. Surprised? No. The Chelsea faithful are adamant Abramovich has made the wrong decision in replacing Lampard with German coach Thomas Tuchel. Despite now sitting eighth, it does seem like a huge gamble from an owner playing Russian roulette with managers once again. One positive for Tuchel is that the bigger picture isn’t so bleak with Chelsea only five points off fourth and they remain in the FA Cup and Champions League.
Chelsea’s hierarchy are hoping that the incoming German speaking manager will be able to coax form out of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner – two players which have blown a £142m hole in the purse with little to show for it. Tuchel is a talented coach but that talent comes with its limitations – particularly around managing up with the hierarchy. It’ll be intriguing to see if a manager with no Premier League experience can turn around their fortunes.
Best result: Burnley 0-3 Chelsea. A fourth clean sheet in a row in all competitions showed signs that Chelsea had fixed their leaky defence.
Worst result: Leicester City 2-0 Chelsea. A bad result and a woeful performance, this was the match that highlighted how much pressure Lampard was under.
Key player: Edouard Mendy. Chelsea hadn’t kept a clean sheet before Mendy’s debut against Crystal Palace (4-0) and the Senegalese international now has eight clean sheets to his name. Brought in to replace the out-of-form Kepa, he has cemented the number one spot and looks like the real deal.
Crystal Palace
The Eagles were flying high to begin with. Back-to-back wins against Southampton and Manchester United saw them in the European places but inconsistency has crept into performances and they haven’t won back-to-back games since. Defence is the biggest concern at the moment and their 36 goals against is the second worst in the league.
In attack, Palace are still far too reliant on Wilfred Zaha. His nine goals in 18 games is triple that of the next best on the list, Christian Benteke. One breakthrough talent is 22-year-old Eberechi Eze who has impressed in his debut Premier League season having joined from Queens Park Rangers. The Englishman is still finding his feet in the top flight but his natural ability to drift past defenders with ease shows he has what it takes to add to his two goals and two assists.
Best result: Manchester United 1-3 Crystal Palace. Zaha came back to haunt his former side with two second half goals which gave Palace back-to-back league wins at Old Trafford.
Worst result: Crystal Palace 0-7 Liverpool. A match they didn’t expect to win but to lose by seven is rather unforgettable. It was dubbed the ‘worst scoreline’ many of the players had experienced by manager Roy Hodgson.
Key player: Wilfred Zaha. Where would Palace be without Zaha? The Ivory Coast international has nine goals and two assists which has him soaring above his fellow Eagles.
Everton
Daniel Hall
Few would have been predicted Everton to be one point behind their Merseyside rivals going into the final week of the January transfer window. It’s no accident though – smart recruitment and the managerial nous of Carlo Ancelotti have made a massive improvement. Let’s not forget the Toffees were top for three weeks having won their first four and then drew 2-2 in the Merseyside derby.
What followed wasn’t so sweet and three defeats in a row all but ended their early title challenge. However, they did recover in December with another four wins on the bounce to keep their European qualification hopes alive and their away form has them sitting third in the form table.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has flourished under Ancelotti, with 11 Premier League goals so far, while Michael Keane has been especially solid at the heart of defence.
Injuries and ill-discipline have cost Everton this season. Richarlison, Allan, James Rodriguez, Calvert-Lewin, Seamus Coleman, and Lucas Digne have all spent time on the treatment table or have been suspended. If they can keep key players fit and free from suspension, then there’s no reason why they can’t start to dream about Champions League football next season.
Best result: Everton 5-2 West Bromwich Albion. Calvert-Lewin’s first Everton hat-trick and a glimpse of what Everton’s attack can do when fit and firing.
Worst result: Southampton 2-0. The first of a three-game losing run which saw Everton lose to Newcastle and Manchester United. Ancelotti was very unhappy about Digne’s late red card.
Key player: Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Rodriguez may have captured the fans’ imaginations but the England international has been the main man up front. Ancelotti’s influence on the striker’s movement is clear to see with Calvert-Lewin scoring more one-touch goals and being a real presence up top.
Fulham
No win in their first six games had the Cottagers rock bottom until November. In his first full season as a Premier League manager, Scott Parker made a bold decision to drop experienced defenders Michael Hector and Tim Ream to stop the defensive rot which had conceded 10 goals in the first three games.
It’s refreshing to see Fulham’s hierarchy showing patience in their young manager and a run of five draws in a row through the festive period – including against Liverpool, Southampton and Spurs – has given them a fighting chance at survival. Parker is a straight talking manager and his post-match interviews have been a hit due the similarities with The Streets’ lead singer, Mike Skinner.
Best result: Leicester City 1-2 Fulham. A massive away win against a team in fourth at the time and it lifted Fulham out of the relegation zone to 17th thanks to goals from Ademola Lookman and Ivan Cavaleiro.
Worst result: Fulham 0-3 Aston Villa. This home defeat left Fulham rock bottom having lost the first three games and conceding 10 in the process.
Key player: Ademola Lookman. The 23-year-old has put his embarrassing panenka miss against West Ham United behind him and looks like Fulham’s most threatening forward in every match of late.
Leeds United
After a 17-year wait, Leeds are finally back in the big time and the Marcelo Bielsa blockbuster continues to entertain. Bielsa’s genius was long talked about before his Premier League introduction and he has duly delivered with some scintillating attacking football on display.
Barking orders from his bucket or down on his haunches may seem bizarre but whenever you watch Leeds you’re guaranteed goals – they’ve only drawn a blank on three occasions this season. The Argentine has also turned Patrick Bamford into a striker who can score double figures at the top level.
Despite all the attacking endeavour, Leeds’ defence has been plagued by injury and they seem very vulnerable when defending set pieces. The Whites have conceded four or more on four separate occasions and so Bielsa needs to lean on his experience to strike the right balance between attack and defence to improve the leaky defensive stats.
Best result: West Brom 0-5 Leeds. When everything clicks in true Bielsa-ball fashion it produces devastating attacking displays that tears teams to shreds as the Baggies found out at The Hawthorns.
Worst result: Crystal Palace 4-1 Leeds. After getting dispatched 4-1 at home to Leicester the week before, Leeds needed a response at Selhurst Park but ended up conceding four again which dropped them to 15th on 10 points.
Key player: Kalvin Phillips. The 25-year-old has made the transition from Championship to Premier League look easy and Leeds look best when Phillips is pulling strings in midfield. Has shown his versatility to fill in at centre-back and performances have earned him an England debut.
Leicester City
Can the Foxes repeat their 2015/16 title winning feat? On current form there’s no reason why not. Brendan Rodgers’ side occupied top spot after eight games and looked good value in victories against Manchester City and Leeds. They have slipped to third but are still only three points behind leaders Manchester City.
Results on the road have set the tone and their away form is bettered only by Manchester United. They have amassed 23 points out of an available 30 away from the King Power Stadium with the only defeat coming at Anfield. Star striker Jamie Vardy has travelled well this season and nine of his 11 goals have been away from home but he missed the away fixture at Goodison Park and is out of the trip to Craven Cottage due to a hernia injury.
Rodgers has a nicely balanced squad and experienced pros in Vardy, Marc Albrighton, Jonny Evans and Kasper Schmeichel have complimented the excellent form of Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, Youri Tielemens and James Justin. Barnes’ six goals has matched his 2019/20 goal tally and Maddison is influencing games more this season chipping in with six goals and four assists to support Vardy’s numbers.
If Leicester are going to mount a serious title challenge, they’ll need to turn the King Power into a fortress and improve on the below par 1.6 average points-per-game (five wins, one draw and four losses in 10 games).
Best result: Manchester City 2-5 Leicester. Vardy’s second hat-trick against the Citizens gave the Foxes an emphatic win at the Etihad Stadium and proved they were to be taken seriously this season.
Worst result: Leicester 1-2 Fulham. Sitting fourth going into this fixture, the Rodgers’ side had a home tie against a Fulham team with only one win before this match but put in a toothless display.
Key player: Jamie Vardy. No Vardy, no party. After winning the 2019/20 Golden Boot, Vardy has backed that form up again with 11 goals and five assists in 18 appearances. So much for a one season wonder.
Liverpool
Lewis Frain
At Christmas the Champions were exactly where they wanted to be: top of the Premier League. Whilst it had not been plain sailing, including a remarkable 7-2 drubbing from Aston Villa, Liverpool looked set for a second successive title and a continuation of their outstanding record in recent years.
Since then, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have gone through their worst run in a long time and failed to score in the four games prior to Spurs away on 28th January – the longest goal drought in the German’s tenure. Not only did the 3-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium supply much needed goals for two of the front three but also moved them into fourth and four points off the top.
Injuries have played a part in Liverpool’s dip in form. World class defender Virgil van Dijk has been out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury since October. His partner Joe Gomez has also been sidelined and Liverpool have lost influential signing Diego Jota and not seen much of Thiago Alcantara. Whilst Mohamed Salah still leads the scoring charts with 13, the prolific Egyptian has been uncharacteristically quiet and hasn’t scored a league goal in 483 minutes. If he can find form after Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino got back amongst the goals against Spurs then the Reds could go on an unstoppable run.
No team has run away with the league yet and unpredictable results elsewhere have kept Liverpool in the title picture. Write them off at your peril.
Best result: Crystal Palace 0-7 Liverpool. It was seventh heaven at Selhurst Park in a superb attacking display which sent them top at Christmas.
Worst result: Liverpool 0-1 Burnley. The Reds were winless in four and goalless in three and another dismal display ended their unbeaten league home record that stretched back to April 2017.
Key player: Alisson. Given Liverpool’s defensive injury woes this season, having a world class goalkeeper behind their backline has bailed them out on many occasions. It’s no surprise their heaviest defeat this season (Aston Villa, 7-2) came whilst the Brazilian was out with a shoulder injury.
Manchester City
The Blue Moon is close to being full once again. Unbeaten in 10 and six wins in a row has lifted the Citizens to the summit and Pep Guardiola’s side are in ominous form for those around them.
It’s hard to believe City were ninth after 10 games but, such is the unpredictability of this 2020/21 season, a slow start has not hampered their title challenge.
Ruben Dias looks like a world class defender and, on current form, so does John Stones playing next to him. Partnered together in the season opening 2-0 win at Aston Villa, it took Guardiola eight matches before he played both again and since that first clean sheet another eight have followed when paired at the heart of City’s defence.
Kevin De Bruyne has 10 assists already this season and has been City’s most influential player once again. However, the Belgian international could be out for up to six weeks and sidelined for key fixtures against Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal, West Ham and maybe even the Manchester derby. Ilkay Gündogan has stepped up in De Bruyne’s absence though and the German has seven goals in his last seven appearances including a brace in the latest 5-0 win against West Brom.
Best result: Chelsea 1-3 Manchester City. Steamrollered Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with first-half goals from Gündogan, Phil Foden and De Bruyne making it 3-0 at the break. Highlighted the gulf in class and form between the two sides.
Worst result: Manchester City 1-1 West Brom. This wasn’t in the script. A Dias own-goal levelled the score before half-time and City failed to score again with 26 shots and 77% possession. Two words: Sergio Agüero.
Key player: Kevin De Bruyne. World class. His 2019/20 figures were phenomenal – 13 goals and 20 assists – but that was helped by staying injury-free. The Belgian has three goals and 10 assists this season but a recent hamstring injury has set him back. A fully fit and in-form De Bruyne is the best midfielder in the league, if not the world, and so City will have to manage him carefully.
Manchester United
Declan Hatchell
Many fans, pundits and ex-players never expected United to be title challengers this season but they have surpassed expectations and are making a serious claim to win the title for the first time since 2012/13. The football hasn’t been the most entertaining at times but they have an infectious winning mentality that has helped them win ‘ugly’.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves all the plaudits for the job he’s done. His man management has been first class – look no further than the way he expertly handled the Mino Raiola and Paul Pogba situation – and that has created a squad unity with a never say die attitude.
It helps when you have a world class player in Bruno Fernandes with an exemplary attitude and a player who transcended football to win the nation’s hearts off the pitch in Marcus Rashford. Going head-to-head with the world’s best defenders is bread and butter for the striker but it’s his ongoing battle with the government to provide free school meals that has united a nation.
There is still a lot of football to play but United have come a long way since they lost to Liverpool and were 30 points behind the league leaders at a similar stage last season. They now find themselves three points ahead of the champions but a recent slip up against bottom side Sheffield United denied them a chance to reclaim top spot from local rivals Manchester City. The Red Devils faithful should be happy with the overall progress they’ve made in the league which has softened the blow of being knocked out of the Champions League.
Best result: Everton 1-3 Manchester United. Without a doubt the turning point in Manchester United’s season. After coming back from a goal down, Ole said after the game: “They’re not going to have the pleasure of seeing us lose again.” United then went on a 12-game unbeaten run.
Worst result: Manchester United 1-2 Sheffield United. The home side were unbeaten at home since November 1st and missed a golden opportunity to regain top spot from local rivals City against the rock bottom Blades.
Key player: Bruno Fernandes. Some say no single player can change a team. As for Fernandes, no player has transformed a side in such a short amount of time quite like the Portuguese midfielder. A leader on the pitch, the 26-year-old has 19 goals and 15 assists in 34 league appearances and has been the catalyst for United’s rise to the top.
Newcastle United
Daniel Hall
When Newcastle went 1-0 up within a minute against West Brom and won 2-1 back in December, it looked as if a solid but unspectacular mid-table finish was within their reach. However, eight games later and the picture is far more bleak.
Since the West Brom game, it’s no Premier League win in eight and they sit precariously in 16th on 19 points after 20 games. To add salt to the wounds, they’re also out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup – crashing out of the latter with a particularly insipid display against a weakened Championship Brentford outfit.
Newcastle are sleepwalking into relegation and fans are calling for Steve Bruce’s head. The team are lacking identity, creativity, and are bottom when it comes to most attacking metrics except goals.
Mike Ashley has never been one to act quickly and decisively, but if he hasn’t learned from the Steve McLaren catastrophe in 2015/16, Newcastle United could be set for a third relegation under his tenure.
Best result: Crystal Palace 0-2 Newcastle United. A deflected goal gave Joelinton his first Premier League goal of the season in a snatch-and-grab win at Selhurst Park.
Worst result: Sheffield United 1-0 Newcastle United. Gift-wrapped a winless team their first victory. It’s hard to see where Newcastle’s next point is coming from.
Key player: Karl Darlow. His shot-stopping has been crucial this season given the Magpies have faced the second highest shots-on-target and he has kept the number one spot despite Martin Dubravka’s return from injury.
Sheffield United
The Blades marked their Premier League return in 2019/20 with a top 10 finish and were an outside bet at securing a European spot. A dogged spirit, overlapping centre-backs and a jovial manager created an affinity with the Sheffield side.
One season on and Chris Wilder’s side have made the worst start in Premier League history – not even the infamous Derby County 2007/08 side went winless for as long and they were relegated on a lowest ever 11 points. Sheffield United’s 17 games without a win was an unfortunate record before beating Newcastle and they sit rock bottom with two wins and two draws and are 10 points from safety.
The only notable absentee from last season’s squad is Manchester United loanee Dean Henderson who has proved a huge loss in goal. Bournemouth’s Aaron Ramsdale was signed for £18.45m to fill the void as part of a transfer window spending spree that included Max Lowe, Jayden Bogle, Oliver Burke and Rhian Brewster with the five players costing £54.64m.
Goals have dried up at Bramall Lane and record signing Brewster is yet to score in 16 league appearances. Only David McGoldrick has reached five this season with Burke, Oliver McBurnie and Billy Sharp adding to Wilder’s striker woes. To extract some positivity out of their torrid start, 10 of 16 losses have been by one goal which shows they never down tools and won’t go down without a fight.
Best result: Manchester United 1-2 Sheffield United. No one gave the Blades a chance. The Red Devils were unbeaten at home since November and the visitors had only one win all season. It was an inspired display from an injury ravaged Sheffield United – who named only six substitutes and started 38-year-old Phil Jagielka – to win at Old Trafford for the first time since 1973.
Worst result: West Brom 1-0 Sheffield United. The less said about this game the better. With ex-Baggies boss Slaven Bilic under the pump, this was a big chance to claim a first league win at fellow strugglers West Brom but they couldn’t hit a barn door despite 22 shots.
Key player: David McGoldrick. The Republic of Ireland forward is enjoying his best Premier League season with five goals and one assist. The one bright spark in a blunt Blades attack.
Southampton
It’s rare to see outbursts of raw emotion from managers but it was refreshing to see Ralph Hassenhuttl fall to his knees in tears after the Saints beat Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool 1-0 at St Mary’s Stadium. The Austrian had struck up a friendship with Klopp in their early 30s when completing their coaching badges in Cologne, Germany. It was a beautiful moment for Hassenhuttl – who decided to learn management the hard way in Germany’s third and second tier before taking over at RB Leipzig then Southampton – and this win was an emotional realisation of how far he’d come as a top class manager.
Hassenhuttl’s high pressing 4-4-2 propelled Leipzig to finish second in their debut Bundesliga season and he has imposed the same relentless philosophy at Southampton. It was 32 years in the making but the Saints found themselves momentarily top of the league following a 2-0 win against Newcastle and the club’s official social media jumped on the US Election hype with a Tweet which officially won football Twitter:-
Kyle Walker-Peters has been a superb acquisition from Spurs and James Ward-Prowse’s magic right foot and endless stamina offers both set pieces on a sixpence and intensity in midfield. Jan Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard looked a solid centre-back partnership before the latter’s injury and a two striker combination in Danny Ings and Che Adams has supplied 11 goals.
Southampton have emerged as strong candidates for best of the rest and an outside shot at a European place isn’t out of the question with them five points behind fifth-placed Liverpool.
Best result: Southampton 1-0 Liverpool. Just ask Hassenhuttl. Ings’ second minute lob over Alisson haunted his former side as impressive rear-guard action helped the Saints keep Liverpool at bay for over 88 minutes.
Worst result: Southampton 2-5 Tottenham Hotspur. The Saints lost the season opener to Crystal Palace and up next was a home tie against José Mourinho’s Spurs. Despite leading at half-time, a second half capitulation allowed Son Heung-Min to score four and make it back-to-back losses to start the season.
Key player: James Ward-Prowse. Are we witnessing the new Premier League free-kick king? The set-piece specialist became the ninth Premier League player to score two free-kicks in one game in Southampton’s 4-3 win against Villa. His four goals and five assists is a solid return and he’ll be hoping for an England call-up come Euro 2021.
Tottenham Hotspur
Daniel Hall
Spurs are another team that have spent time at the Premier League’s summit. Despite losing 1-0 in the season opener against Everton, they went on an 11-game unbeaten run and were in the box seat for four matchweeks in late November and December.
Back-to-back losses against Liverpool and Leicester ended the run and then came two 1-1 draws against Wolves and Fulham. At this stage, Tottenham sit in sixth place but are only eight points behind leaders Manchester City.
Everyone questioned whether José Mourinho could get the best out of Harry Kane but England’s captain has been in fine form with 12 goals and 11 assists. Kane’s goal tally is matched by fellow strike partner Son Heung-Min and the two enjoy a telepathic partnership on the pitch. One surprise package has been Tanguy Ndombele’s form with the Frenchman flourishing alongside impressive new signing Pierre-Emile Højbjerg in midfield this season.
Thanks to Kane and Son’s numbers they are still very much in title contention. To capitalise on that chance, they’ll need to keep the duo fit and stop throwing away points. They’ve dropped 10 points from winning positions this season due to their tendency to sit back when going ahead.
As well as the Premier League, Tottenham have a Carabao Cup final against City, an FA Cup Fifth Round tie against Everton and a Round of 32 Europa League knockout match-up against Austrian Bundesliga side Wolfsberger AC to look forward to. Mourinho is a serial winner and has won trophies in every club he’s managed throughout an illustrious career. The ex-Chelsea boss may have been an unpopular choice to replace the adored Mauricio Pochettino but he’d win over the fans should he bring major silverware to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Best result: Tottenham 2-0 Manchester City. A tactical masterclass from Mourinho was a bigger statement than the 6-1 win at Old Trafford. City had 22 shots as Spurs soaked up relentless pressure which makes the result and the clean sheet all the more impressive.
Worst result: Tottenham 0-2 Leicester City. A penalty and own goal showed a lack of concentration and they were leapfrogged by Leicester into second place.
Key player: Harry Kane. Kane just edges it over Son due to the number of goals and assists. The devastating duo have combined for 33 league goals and only need four more combinations to surpass the Premier League record set by Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
West Bromwich Albion
Daniel Hall
Slaven Bilic won the managerial sack race after he mustered seven points from 13 league games despite a surprise 1-1 draw against Manchester City in what would be his last game. The Baggies opted for an experienced relegation escape artist as his replacement and, so far, the appointment of Sam Allardyce hasn’t had the desired effect.
A 1-1 draw against Liverpool looked like he’d gone some way to shoring up the Premier League’s worst defence but, since then, West Brom have conceded 18 goals in the last five games including two 5-0 losses at The Hawthorns against the Citizens and Leeds respectively.
January signing Robert Snodgrass has added Premier League experience, while Mbaye Diagne’s incoming loan may give them the cutting edge they’ve been lacking up front. However, without defensive reinforcements in the final days of the January window, it’s hard to see Allardyce avoiding his first Premier League relegation.
Best result: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-3 West Brom. After heavy home defeats against Leeds (0-5) and Arsenal (0-4), West Brom showed grit and spirit to come from behind against their Midlands rival and to win away for the first time this season.
Worst result: West Bromwich Albion 1-5 Crystal Palace. Worryingly, this is one of three occasions WBA have conceded five goals at home this season. The other two against Leeds and Manchester City.
Key player: Matheus Pereira. The 24-year-old Brazilian nabbed eight goals and 16 assists as West Brom were promoted from the Championship. He hasn’t been as effective this season but has shown he is capable of producing some magic that can change a game.
West Ham United
The Hammers have made a big claim for this season’s surprise package – for all the right reasons. David Moyes’ side occupy fifth and have four wins on the bounce with the experienced Scottish manager adamant they’re yet to realise their full potential.
Things got off to a bad start with back-to-back losses against Newcastle and Arsenal with many thinking they’d be sucked into another relegation fight this season. It was looking increasingly grim as Moyes tested positive for coronavirus and was forced to orchestrate tactics from his home. However, this kicked the squad into gear and they rallied with convincing wins over Wolves and Leicester before two spirited draws against Spurs and Manchester City.
West Ham’s positive results against the mid to lower table sides have been the big difference this season and their recent 3-2 away win at Crystal Palace stretched their unbeaten run to six. Moyes has kept the same core squad and bolstered it with Czech Republic duo Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek from Slavia Prague and Brentford’s Saïd Benrahma. Soucek has been a revelation and his aerial threat from set pieces and ability to arrive late in the box from midfield has proved fruitful with seven goals so far. West Ham’s English contingent have also upped their game. Despite missing eight games, Michail Antonio has five goals and continues to be an effective lone striker. Keeping skipper Declan Rice away from Chelsea’s clutches has been crucial and 31-year-old Aaron Cresswell has produced five assists from left-back.
Can the Hammers achieve Champions League qualification for the first time in their 125-year history? Well, they’ve exceeded all expectations so far and confidence does crazy things to teams – just look at Leicester in 2015/16. As underdogs it’ll be a big ask but a return to the Europa League since 2016/17 should be in their sights.
Best result: Leicester 0-3 West Ham. Despite scoring three through Antonio, Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen, it was the Hammers’ steely defence that impressed as they limited the Foxes to only four shots to keep an away clean sheet.
Worst result: West Ham 0-2 Newcastle. An opening day defeat to Newcastle looked like doom and gloom for Moyes but it appears the Hammers got the worst out of the way early.
Key player: Tomas Soucek. What a signing. West Ham spent just shy of £15m for the Czech international and he has repaid every penny. Not only has he played 90 minutes in every league game so far but he’s also the club’s top scorer with seven after his brace against Palace. He can also supply some wholesome social media content too.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Since Wolves returned to the top flight in 2018/19, this is the first time question marks have been raised about manager Nuno Espírito Santo’s future. After over-achieving to secure Europa League qualification in their first season back, the squad were stretched in 2019/20 with a busier schedule and made a sluggish start but recovered to finish seventh again.
With no European distraction this season, Nuno has fewer excuses and results have been inconsistent at best. Despite losing Diogo Jota to Liverpool and Matt Doherty to Spurs, Wolves had a busy summer transfer window and brought in Nélson Semedo, Rayan Aït Nouri (loan), Ki-Jana Hoever, Marçal, Vitinha (loan) and Fábio Silva to add strength in depth. However, a long-term head injury to star striker Raúl Jiménez has thrown 18-year-old Silva in at the deep end and the young Portuguese striker has a meagre two goals in 14 appearances.
Adama Traoré is another player who has failed to impress this season. The Spanish winger looks a shell of the player that scored four and assisted nine last season and his one assist in 19 games has added to Nuno’s attacking problems. The most recent front three: Traoré, Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto have seven goals between them – with Neto top of the charts on just four.
Wolves fans will hope Willian José’s January loan move from Real Sociedad can relieve the pressure off Silva and provide better cover for Jiménez who they can’t afford to rush back from a fractured skull. In 13th on 23 points, Nuno’s side have a 10-point buffer above the relegation zone but goals and results must improve to re-ignite their season.
Best result: Wolves 2-1 Chelsea. A superb comeback victory that was clinched with a 95th minute stoppage time winner from Neto.
Worst result: Wolves 2-3 West Brom. It’s been grim reading for Wolves in Midlands derbies this season as this shock defeat to the Baggies added to the 1-0 loss against Villa at Molineux.
Key player: Pedro Neto. His electric pace and superb dribbling ability make the Portuguese forward Wolves’ most dangerous attacking threat with Jimenez out long-term and Traore not producing this season. The 20-year-old is also joint-top scorer with Jimenez on four and has three assists.
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