West Bromwich Albion’s Gareth Barry, Newcastle United and Liverpool all feature in HITC Sport’s look at the weekend’s heroes and villans.
Matchweek five in the Premier League may have only seen four teams score more than once, but it was undoubtedly still a very noteworthy weekend of action, with the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal amongst the teams to make it into this week’s heroes and villains video, while Gareth Barry of West Brom and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero also feature…
Hero: Jordon Ibe (Bournemouth)
Jordon Ibe finally proved why Bournemouth signed him last summer with an excellent display against Brighton on Friday night. Ibe contributed two assists for the Cherries to help them to a 2-1 win that has eased some of the pressure on Eddie Howe’s men after four defeats from four to kick off the season.
Villain: Crystal Palace
After swiftly replacing Frank De Boer with Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace may have hoped to pick up an important win against Southampton as they prepared to go into a horrible run of games. However, the Eagles lost 1-0 to the Saints, and Palace remain bottom of the table on zero points, and many are wondering how long Hogdson will get in the role if he cannot turn things around, especially with Crystal Palace’s upcoming run of games.
Hero: Gareth Barry (West Brom)
Gareth Barry is the joint all-time leading appearance maker in Premier League history, with West Brom’s game against West Ham seeing play in the top flight for the 632nd time. He helped the Baggies keep a clean sheet at The Hawthorns, and the early signs suggest that he could prove to be a bargain signing for West Brom following his summer move from Everton.
Villain: Liverpool
Liverpool make the list after a frustrating draw against Burnley, that threatened on so many occasions to be a vastly different result. The Reds’ attackers missed some glorious chances, and their defence continues to underwhelm, with Burnley having a couple of opportunities to score the goal that would have seen them leave Anfield with all three points, and leave Jurgen Klopp’s men facing up to back-to-back defeats.
Hero: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Sergio Aguero scored the sixth hat-trick of his Premier League career to inspire Manchester City to an emphatic 6-0 win over Watford at Vicarage Road. Watford went into the game with the Citizens undefeated in the league and with a goal difference on +4. Unfortunately for the Hornets, that goal difference is now negative, while City are at the summit with their fourth win in five games.
Villains: Referees
A number of questionable decisions throughout the weekend proved especially costly for the likes of Huddersfield Town, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle.
Hero: Newcastle
Since losing to Huddersfield in their second game of the season, Newcastle have won their last three league games and now find themselves in the top four. Rafa Benitez’s men’s latest win came against Stoke on Saturday, with the Magpies’ captain fantastic Jamaal Lascelles scoring yet again.
Villain: David Luiz (Chelsea)
While David Luiz’s first yellow will be debated given recent events, there can surely be no debate about the foul that led to the Chelsea defender being sent off against Arsenal. The Blues man put in a horrible challenge on Arsenal’s Sead Kolasinac, prompting the referee to issue a straight red rather than a second yellow.
Hero: Arsenal
Given Arsenal’s recent record at Stamford Bridge and against the title contenders in general, it was hardly a surprise that few Gunners fans appeared to give them a chance in their game with Chelsea on Sunday. However, a battling display from Arsene Wenger’s men saw them come away with a point after a goalless draw.
Villain: Sleeve sponsors
One of the main talking points before Everton’s game with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday was the fact that Angry Birds are now sponsoring the sleeves on the Toffees’ shirts.
Hero: Antonio Valencia (Manchester United)
The ever-reliable Antonio Valencia scored Manchester United’s first in their 4-0 win over Everton, and what a goal it was. The right-back hit a stunning volley that seemed to leave Everton’s Jordan Pickford with no chance to give United the lead.
Villain: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
Romelu Lukaku is the final name on this week’s list after celebrating during Manchester United’s win over Everton by putting his hand to his ear while running past the Toffees fans. Lukaku may have played the moment down, but some may suggest that it was a disrespectful move from the Belgian.
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