Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United maintained their fearsome pace at the top of the Premier League at the weekend but early pacesetters Tottenham stumbled again.
Jurgen Klopp’s men beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on Saturday before United responded with a drama-filled 2-1 win at West Ham and Chelsea beat Spurs 3-0 to leave all three clubs locked on 13 points.
Manchester City squandered two points at home to Southampton in a 0-0 stalemate while Brighton continue to impress, beating Leicester 2-1 to sit fourth in the table.
AFP Sport picks out three talking points from the action in the English top-flight. Liverpool still the real deal
— Jurgen Klopp’s side enjoyed a storming end to last season as they clinched a Champions League spot, even in the absence of talismanic defender Virgil van Dijk, who was injured.
But they look even better now with the Dutchman back at the heart of their defence and senior centre-backs Joe Gomez and Joel Matip also fit again.
The Reds have conceded just once in their opening five Premier League matches — in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea — winning their other four games with an aggregate score of 11-0.
The 2020 champions had a quiet transfer window as their rivals splashed the cash and they could come to regret the departures of midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and forward Xherdan Shaqiri, particularly in light of an injury to teenager Harvey Elliott.
Liverpool do not boast the squad depth of some of their rivals but their first team is a match for anybody, with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scoring freely.
If they can keep their main men fit they will feel confident they can win the Premier League for the second time in three years and equal Manchester United’s record of 20 top-flight titles. Thomas Tuchel can do no wrong at Chelsea.—AFP
