Ranking All 20 Premier League Teams' Performances on Matchday 8
The Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano used to say: "A game without a goal is like a day without sunshine." There was no sun spotted on English shores as Storm Boelo washed across the nation, coating every match in a wall of rain powered by an unrelenting wind. But, fortunately for those of a Di Stéfano persuasion, there was only one 0-0 draw.
Some managed to tiptoe between the raindrops while others were caught in the deluge on a Premier League weekend which could have lasting ramifications. The illusions of a pre-appeal title race took a twist on Saturday before Manchester United sunk to a new nadir 24 hours later.
Liverpool's signings actually started clicking and Tottenham Hotspur even managed to win a game at Stamford Bridge. Ranking Criteria Performance: This is the crux of the exercise: How well did each team play when considering the flow of a game divorced from the final score.
If it was simply a judgement of scoreboard statistics you may as well go straight tothe table. Expectations: Not all results are equal.
Teams that upset the odds with their display are rewarded more favorably. Venue: As the behind-closed-doors season of 2020-21 proved, playing in front of your home fans is a huge advantage, so any away results are given a little extra bonus.
Bournemouth) It didn't go Mason Mount's way. Any whisper of threat which the hosts were able to muster came long after the result had been decided, with United-shorn of their divisive creative lynchpin Bruno Fernandes-resolutely devoid of any attacking spark.
Bournemouth, by contrast, could afford to miss half of the Opta -defined "big chances" they created and still romp to a comfortable 3-0 win. Tottenham) Xabi Alonso oversaw Chelsea's first home defeat to Tottenham since 2018.
At times, it was reminiscent of two bald men fighting over a comb. Neither team had much use for the ball, which scarcely looked like finding the back of the net until Chelsea's stand-in goalkeeper Mike Penders handed Tottenham the lead.
Cole Palmer capped off a night of infamy with two entirely needless yellow cards.