Leicester and Arsenal loses

Bojan Krkic put Stoke ahead and Marko Arnautovic added a superb second to condemn Manchester United to their third consecutive defeat in the Premier League.

Bournemouth and Crystal Palace played out a goal-less draw, a result which maintained the unbeaten run in December for both team.

Diego Costa put Chelsea ahead but Troy Deeney to level the score from the penalty spot. Odion Ighalo then put Watford ahead  only for Diego Costa to score his second of the match. Oscar has a chance to put Chelsea back in front but miss from the spot.

Remi Garde's winless run as manager of Aston Villa continues as the Villians were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham. Aaron Cresswell put the visitor ahead but Jordan Ayew converted his penalty to level things up.

Liverpool ended eicester City's 10 games unbeaten run with a 1-0 victory. Christian Benteke scored the only goal of the game.

Raheem Sterling opened the scoring for Manchester City before goals from Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony gave the home team a 3-0 half-time lead. Kevin de Bruyne added a fourth. Fabio Borini scored a consolation goal for Sunderland.

Sung-Yueng Ki scored the only goal in the match between Swansea City and West Brom. The result snapped the Swans' 7 games winless streak.

Tottenham defeated Norwich 3-0 with two first half goals from Harry Kane and another by Jonathan Howson in the second period.

A late goal by Tom Cleverley ensure Everton leaves St. James Park with all three points.

Southampton inflicted Arsenal's heaviest defeat of the season. Cuco Martina opened the scoring with a brilliant goal. Shane Long  added a second before Jose Miguel Fonte punished the Gunners sloppy defending from a corner. Long rounded off the scoring with his second of the night.
 

Top five performing team *

Arsenal: 7.09
Leicester: 7.03
Tottenham: 7.01
Man City: 6.99
Everton: 6.92

Top five performing players *

Riyad Mahrez (Leicester): 8.26
Mesut Ozil (Arsenal): 7.86
Jamie Vardy (Leicester): 7.69
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal): 7.68
Dimitri Payet: 7.68

* all statistics provided by WhoScored.com

Premier League still in pink health

A week ago, three Premier League clubs were facing the prospect of being knocked out of the Champions League group stage which sparked talks of a waning Premier League.

A week later, three of four teams managed to make it through to the next round with Chelsea and Manchester City topping their group. The only casualty being Manchester United who dropped to the Europa League.

So, is the Premier League still a force to be reckon with?

Based on WhoScored.com statistics, Olivier Giroud and Willian are tied as fourth highest goalscorers with 5 goals apiece.

With 4 assists and an average performance point of 8.39, Alexis Sanchez is fifth in both the assist and performance table.

Four players from the Premier League clubs appeared in the Group Stages Best XI, Petr Cech and Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal are joined by Chelsea's Willian and Cesar Azpilicueta.

This compared to three from La Liga, two from Russia, one each from Germany and France.

The question might have dies off for now, with Arsenal and Chelsea drawing old nemesis in Barcelona and PSG respectively, there are every chance that the only British club left in the competition is Manchester City. Expect it to come to the forefront in the quarter-final draw should this happen.

Leicester City, a breath of fresh air

Most would have predicted Leicester to struggle like last season where they looked set for relegation for most part of the season only to put in a strong end towards the end to drag themselves to safety.

A pre-season which saw three players sacked for racist orgy and the manager leaving as an aftermath of the fiasco, only strengthen the belief.

One can only rubbed their eyes in disbelief, even the most ardent of supporters, when they see the table with a third of the season gone. Top of the table and two points clear of the second place Arsenal.

So what happened that drastically change the club's fortunate?

First is the appointment of Claudio Ranieri. The "Tinkerman" has often been ridiculed for his habit of tinkering with the team's formation and lineup but fact is he ain't too bad a manager.

In his final season at Chelsea, he led the team to a second place finish with the least goals conceded. Most importantly, he laid the foundation, including identifying Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben as the players to sign, for title winning team the following season.

Second is the form for the players, especially Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. While the game is base on the entire team's effort, both are without doubts the standout stars.

Currently the top scorer in the Premier League with 14 goals, Jamie Vardy scored in 11 consecutive games, breaking Ruud Van Nistelrooy's record of 10 games. Vardy also became the first player to do so in a single season (Van Nistelrooy's 10 games was at the end of the 2002–2003 season and the beginning of the 2003–2004 season).

Riyad Mahrez contributed 10 goals to the cause and according to WhoScored.com, the Algerian scored an average point of 8.33, the highest performing player in the Premier League and second to Neymar in the European scene.

The question now is can they maintain the form and break the big four strangle-hold?

One argument is that the fixture list has been kind to Leicester and the litmus test is when they face the big 5. So far, they have only played Arsenal and Manchester United and the results read 1 lost (Arsenal) and 1 draw.

At the point of writing, they are scheduled to play Chelsea. Chelsea has been in such poor form whereby a Leicester won't send shockwave across the country but it will at least somewhat put rest the argument.

While the fans and purists will hope they can do the unthinkable, I guess is that they won't last the distance and I hope my prediction won't return to bite me.

Leicester goes top while Chelsea lost at home again

Marko Arnautovic scored twice within the first 15 minutes to condemn the Manchester City to their second defeat in three games.

Joel Campbell put the host ahead but Olivier Giroud's own goal ensure both teams went into half time on level time. The Frenchman scored on the right end to put Arsenal ahead and Aaron Ramsey ensure the victory.

When Manchester United hosted West Ham, it was the third best home record versus the third best away record. The result was both side cancelling each other out in a 0-0 draw.

Southampton was held to a 1-1 draw at home against Aston Villa. Joleon Lescott put the away team ahead before Oriol Romeu equalised in the second half.

Leicester moved to the top of the table with a 3-0 victory over Swansea City. Riyad Mahrez scored all three goals.

The match between two newly promoted teams saw the home team grabbing all three points. Troy Deeney put the home team ahead and Odion Ighalo added a second in the 90th minute.

FT West Bromwich Albion 1 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur

Spoils were shared between West Brom and Tottenham. Dele Alli put the visitors ahead but were held back when James McClean equalised for the home side.

Chelsea's dreadful season continues as they slumped to another home defeat, their fourth this season. Glenn Murray scored the only goal of the game.

Newcastle grabbed a much needed victory to move above cross-town rival Sunderland in the league table. Martin Skrtel put through his own net before Georginio Wijnaldum confirmed all three points.

Crystal Palace went ahead through Scott Dann before in-form striker, Romelu Lukaku, equalised for the home team.


Top five performing team *
Arsenal : 7.14
Leicester: 7.04
Tottenham: 7
Manchester City: 6.99
Everton: 6.94

Top five performing players *

Riyad Mahrez (Leicester): 8.33
Mesut Ozil (Arsenal): 7.86
Jamie Vardy (Leicester): 7.82
Mousa Dembele (Tottenham): 7.72
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal): 7.68

* all statistics provided by WhoScored.com

South American treats for Arsenal and Manchester City

Stoke got their second straight win as Marko Arnautovic scored the only goal of the game. The defeat leaves West Brom seeking their first home win of the season.

After a goal-less first half, Crystal Palace scored twice in the second half to clinch victory. Yannick Bolasie put this host ahead and Yohan Cabaye added the second with a late penalty.

Points were shared between the two newly promoted side. Glenn Murray puts the home side ahead but Odion Ighalo ensures the Watford went into the dressing room on level term. Murray had the opportunity to win the game for Bournemouth late on but missed his penalty.

Manchester City went into the game on the back of two consecutive defeats. The home supporters can be forgiven for feeling the worse when Aleksandar Mitrovic puts Newcastle ahead. But Sergio Aguero equalised just before half time. Two goals within 6 minutes of the restart from the Argentine hotshot puts Manchester City 3-1 ahead. Kevin de Bruyne added the fourth before Augero added two more to his tally.

Seeking a quick response to their first defeat last week, Leicester found themselves 2-0 up with goals from Jamie Vardy and Jeffrey Schlupp. Dieumerci Mbokani put a goal back for the home team.

Sunderland seems to be on their way to their first victory of the season when Steven Fletcher and Jeremain Lens put them 2-0 ahead. Carl Jenkinson put a goal back on the stroke of half-time and the comeback was completed when Dimitri Payet equalised for West Ham.

Willian put Chelsea ahead only for Steven Davis to equalise for Southampton. Further goals from Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle condemned Chelsea to their second home defeat.

Two late goals were the highlights of a rather dull Mersey derby. Danny Ings benefitted from some slack defending to put Liverpool ahead. But the lead lasted only 3 minutes when Romelu Lukaku took advantage of defensive mistake to level the score for Everton.

A fast start from Arsenal saw them went 3-0 ahead within 20 minutes. Alexis Sanchez put the home team ahead and Mesut Oezil added the second a minute later. Sanchez got his second of the day to ensure the Gunners leapfrogged Manchester United into second place.

Andre Ayew put Swansea ahead only for Christian Eriksen to equalised for Tottenham. A Harry Kane own goal restored the home team advantage only for Eriksen to spare his team-mate blushes with another equaliser.

Top five performing team *
Arsenal: 7.18
Manchester City: 7.1
Tottenham: 6.97
Leicester: 6.95
West Ham: 6.94

Top five performing players *
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester): 8.46
David Silva (Manchester City): 8.04
Jamie Vardy (Leicester): 7.87
Dimitri Payet (West Ham): 7.85
Santi Cazorla (Arsenal): 7.77

* all statistics provided by WhoScored.com

 

Leicester moved to second while Newcastle condemned to the bottom

Leader Manchester City face an in-form Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park without David Silva or Raheem Sterling. To make thing worse, they lost Sergio Augero on the 25th minute through injury. The game seems to be heading for a draw until Kelechi Iheanacho came up with the winner to preserve Manchester City 100% start to the season.

Champions Chelsea poor start to the season just got worse as they lost 3-1 to Everton at Goodison Park. Steven Naismith scored twice in 5 minutes to give the home team a 2-0 lead. Nemanja Matic gave Chelsea hope of a fightback when he thumped in from distance. However, Naismith hat-trick ensure all three points for Everton.

The game of the weekend sees Manchester United hosting their fierce rival, Liverpool. After an uninspiring first half, Danny Blind opened the scoring 4 minutes after the restart. Ander Herrera added a second from the penalty spot. Christian Benteke scored a brilliant bicycle kick to give Liverpool a glimmer of hope which was extinguished within 2 minutes. Making his debut, Anthony Martial beat three defenders before sliding the ball into the net.

Despite their near total dominance, the Gunners went into the half-time only 1-0 ahead, courtesy of a Theo Walcott goal. Stoke had goalkeeper Jack Butland to thank for keeping the scoreline down but he is unable to stop Olivier Giroud from adding a second.

Two teams who were winless faced off at the Stadium of Light and Tottenham came away with the three points with Ryan Mason scoring the only goal of the game.

In the battle between the newly promoted sides, Norwich defeated Bournemouth 3-1 at the Carrow Road. Cameron Jerome opened the scoring with Wesley Hoolah and Matt Jarvis adding further goals. Steve Cook scored the consolidation goal for the visitor.

Watford got their first win of the season, beating Swansea 1-0. Odion Ighalo scored the winner but the home team had to play with 10 men after Valon Behrami was shown a straight red on 64th minutes.

Leicester completed a remarkable comeback to defeat Aston Villa. Jack Grealish and Carles Gil put the visitor 2-0 ahead. Ritchie De Laet pull one goal back before Jamie Vardy equalised for The Foxes. The comeback was completed when Nathan Dyer scored with 1 minute left.

West Brom and Southampton played out a goal-less draw at The Hawthorns.

Over at Boleyn Ground, Dimitri Payet scored twice to condemn Newcastle to the bottom of the table.

Top five performing team *
Manchester City: 7.23
Arsenal: 7.13
Leicester: 6.99
West Ham: 6.96
Everton: 6.94

Top five performing players *
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester): 8.76
David Silva (Manchester City): 8.03
Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City): 7.88
Bakary Sako (Crystal Palace): 7.86
Yaya Toure (Manchester City): 7.86

*Statistics provided by WhoScored.com 

The Legend - Wayne Rooney

For 45 years, since 1970, Bobby Charlton was England's top scorer with 49 goals. Many had tried unsuccessfully to eclipse the record, with Gary Lineker coming close at 48 goals.

But on 6th September 2015, history was rewritten when England hit San Marino 6-0.

Wayne Rooney scored from the penalty spot to put the Three Lions 1-0 ahead and in the process, he equaled Bobby Charlton's 49 goals feat.

Three days later, again via a penalty, Rooney broke the record and became the greatest goal scorer for England.

 Here is a timeline of Rooney's England career thus far. You can catch all the 50 goals at the end of the article.

• 2003

  • Feb 12
    Aged 17 years and 111 days, Rooney became the youngest player to play for England when he earned his first cap in a friendly defeat against Australia at the Boleyn Ground.
  • Sep 06
    Aged 17 years and 317 days, became the youngest player to score for England, equalising in a 2–1 away victory over Macedonia in a UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying match.

• 2004

  • Jun 17
    His first tournament action was at UEFA Euro 2004. Became the youngest scorer when he scored twice against Switzerland. But record was topped four days later.
  • Jun 24
    Suffer an injury as England were eliminated by Portugal in the quarter-final, via penalty shoot-out.
  • Jul
    Named in UEFA's Team of the Tournament for Euro 2004.

• 2006

  • Jun 15
    Came on as a substitute in England's 2006 FIFA World Cup opening match against Trinidad and Tobago despite suffering a foot injury in April 2006.
  • Jun 20
    Started the next game against Sweden.
  • July 01
    Red-carded in the 62th minute of the quarter-final match against Portugal, again on penalty kicks. Cristano Ronaldo, Rooney's teammate at Manchester United played a big part in the sending off.

• 2009

  • Oct 14
    Top scored for England in their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with nine goals; one behind the UEFA section's overall top goalscorer, Theofanis Gekas of Greece.
  • Nov 14
    Captained England for the first time in a pre-tournament friendly with Brazil.

• 2010

  • Jun 27
    England was knocked out in the second round and Rooney finished the tournament with no goals.
  • Sep 07
    Scored England's first goal in their 3-1 win over Switzerland.

• 2011

  • Sep 02
    Scored twice against Bulgaria in their UEFA Euro 2012 qualification.
  • Oct 07
    Sent-off against in the last qualifier against Montenegro. Punished with a three game ban, meaning he will miss all the group stage matches. Reduced to two games after appeal.

• 2012

  • Jun 19
    Return for the last group stage match against Ukraine and scored the only goal.
  • Oct 12
    Became England's 5th highest goalscorer after scoring twice in a World Cup qualifier against San Marino.
    
    Captained England for the first time in a competitive game.

• 2013

  • Feb 06
    Scored in the 2-1 win against Brazil in a friendly game.
  • Mar 03
    Scored once in the 8-0 win over San Marino.
  • Mar 26
    Opened the scoring in England's 1-1 draw againt Montenegro.
  • Jun 02
    Scored against Brazil in a 2-2 draw in the official re-opening of the refurbished Maracana Stadium.
  • Oct 11
    Scored in the 4-1 World Cup qualifier against Montenegro to become England's all-time top scorer in competitive international with 27 competitive goals.
  • Oct 15
    Ended the qualification campaign with a goal agqinst Poland.

• 2014

  • Jun 19
    Scored to briefly equalised for England against Uruguay.
  • Aug 28
    Named as England's new captain after Steven Gerrard's international retirement.
  • Sep 03
    Scored a penalty against Norway in his first match of his captaincy.
  • Nov 15
    Won his 100th international cap against Slovenia. Scored a penalty to equalise in a 3-1 win.

• 2015

  • Jun 14
    Score the winner against Slovenia, putting him joint second alongside Gary Lineker in England's all time goal scorers.
  • Sep 05
    Scored a penalty against San Marino to equal Bobby Charlton's record of 49 goals.
  • Sep 08
    Broke the record by netting a penalty against Switzerland.
    
    Equalled Ashley Cole's as his country 5th highest capped player.
  
  

Home comfort no longer an advantage

Whether the club is fighting for the title or fending off relegation, home results are important. With familiar surroundings and the home crowd roaring the team on, the home team certainly has the advantage.

But is this the case? Not, if one look at the results from the first 40 games in the Premier League. It reads, played 40, 9 wins, 14 draws and 17 defeats.

Among the casulties, Chelsea and Stoke City, who have gained a reputation of being hard to beat at home. Between them, they have garnered just a single point.

So, did the teams performed better away from their comfort zone?

Let us take a look at the statistics, provided by WhoScored.com


Shots per game / Possession (%) / Pass Success (%) / Aerials Won / Rating

Manchester City
[home] 18 / 53.2 / 87.9 / 12 / 7.31
[away] 18 / 58.4 / 88.5 / 14 / 7.29

Swansea
[home] 14 / 50.5 / 84.0 / 12.5 / 7.10
[away] 18.5 / 53.8 / 81.8 / 19 / 6.90

Arsenal
[home] 20.5 / 60.8 / 85.4 / 26 / 7.03
[away] 21 / 62.5 / 88.7 / 14 / 7.05

Leicester
[home] 16 / 42.6 / 70.8 / 16 / 7.00
[away] 7 / 40.9 / 65.7 / 20.5 / 6.85

Watford
[home] 14.5 / 55.3 / 79.5 / 21 / 6.93
[away] 9 / 40.9 / 79.7 / 16 / 6.77

Manchester United
[home] 14.5 / 56.6 / 86.1 / 10.5 / 6.91
[away] 10 / 57.7 / 84.0 / 20 / 6.80

Southampton
[home] 20 / 56.0 / 84.9 / 18.5 / 6.90
[away] 14 / 47.9 / 77.2 / 22.5 / 6.99

Aston Villa
[home] 13 / 52.2 / 82.5 / 20.5 / 6.88
[away] 9 / 47.4 / 78.6 / 22 / 6.94

Tottenham
[home] 16.5 / 50.8 / 82.9 / 16.5 / 6.86
[away] 14 / 55.4 / 82.3 / 18 / 6.69

Crystal Palace
[home] 13.5 / 46.8 / 79.8 / 19.5 / 6.75
[away] 12 / 40.7 / 74.0 / 11.5 / 7.04

Chelsea
[home] 18.5 / 55.1 / 82.2 / 17.5 / 6.74
[away] 12.5 / 53.1 / 82.1 / 18.5 / 6.58

Everton
[home] 10 / 53.8 / 81.3 / 15.5 / 6.69
[away] 9 / 48.6 / 81.6 / 14 / 7.06

Sunderland
[home] 8 / 43.1 / 68.6 / 15.5 / 6.63
[away] 9 / 47.9 / 76.3 / 23.5 / 6.68

Liverpool
[home] 15.5 / 56.7 / 83.7 / 20 / 6.60
[away] 11.5 / 45.5 / 75.8 / 25 / 7.10

Newcastle United
[home] 5 / 42.7 / 79.9 / 11.5 / 6.57
[away] 5.5 / 37.1 / 75.4 / 10 / 6.62

Norwich
[home] 18.5 / 51.6 / 80.9 / 10.5 / 6.56
[away] 12 / 48.0 / 76.7 / 16.5 / 6.64

Bournemouth
[home] 8 / 54.9 / 80.0 / 21.5 / 6.52
[away] 14 / 49.6 / 74.5 / 22 / 6.78

Stoke
[home] 10 / 48.0 / 78.8 / 14 / 6.46
[away] 10.5 / 52.1 / 82.8 / 11.5 / 6.75

West Ham
[home] 10 / 54.7 / 78.1 / 23 / 6.45
[away] 10 / 40.9 / 72.1 / 16.5 / 7.28

West Brom
[home] 12 / 40.6 / 78.6 / 11 / 6.43
[away] 10.5 / 45.4 / 79.4 / 18 / 6.96

Looking at the numbers, this is definitely so, with only 7 teams managed a better average home ratings.

Why is this so? A theory is that the home teams have to take the game to the oppositions and in the process, exposed themselves to the counter-attack which the away teams usually deployed.

But whatever the reason, one can be sure that as the season progress, it will be business as usual.

Manchester United and Chelsea lost further ground

Manchester City continue their winning start to the season with a victory over Watford. Raheem Sterling scored his City goal shortly after half time and Fernandinho added a second to ensure that City goes into the international break with a three points lead at the top of the table.

Champions Chelsea stuttering start continues as their lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, only the second time in 100 home games under Jose Mourinho. All the scoring came in the second half with Bakary Sako putting Palace ahead only for Radamel Falcao to equalise. But it took the visitor only two minutes to restore their lead through Joel Ward.

Liverpool and Manchester United suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of West Ham and Swansea respectively.

Manuel Lanzini making his premier debut, got a dream start when he put West Ham ahead in the third minute. Mark Noble made in 2-0 after Lovren's mistake. Any hope of a fight-back was extinguished when Philippe Coutinho was sent off for two yellow card offenses. The numbers was even out when Mark Noble joined the Brazilian for an early shower. Diafra Sakho added a third just before the final whistle.

Over at Liberty Stadium, Juan Mata put the Red Devils ahead but the home team hit back in quick succession with goals from Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis.

Arsenal's poor conversion rate in front of goals continue as they struggled to beat Newcastle who had to play 74 minutes with 10 men, after Aleksandar Mitrovic got his marching order. The Gunners needed an own goal from Fabricio Coloccini to ensure they came away from St. James' Park with all three points.

Callum Wilson followed up his hat-trick the previous weekend with another goal to put Bournemouth in front. Jamie Vardy equalised from the spot on the 86th minute to maintain Leicester's unbeaten start to the season.

Yann M'Vila put Sunderland ahead at the Villa Park only for Scott Sinclair to hit a double before half-time. Jeremain Lens equalised for the visitor to share the spoils.

Tony Pulis, who was given a warm reception on his returned to Britannia Stadium, left his old hunting ground will all three points. Jose Salomon Rondon scored the only goal of the games after Stoke had Ibrahim Afellay and Charlie Adam sent off.

Southampton finally got their first win of season, a 3-0 victory over Norwich. Graziano Pelle scored on the stroke of half-time before Dusan Tadic added two more in the space of three minutes.

Tottenham was still searching for their first win as they were held to a 0-0 draw against Everton.

Top five performing team *
Manchester City: 7.3
Arsenal: 7.04
Swansea: 7
Southampton: 6.94
Leicester: 6.92

Top five performing players *
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester): 8.46
Bakary Sako (Crystal Palace): 8.36
Yaya Toure (Manchester City): 8.08
Pedro (Chelsea): 8.07
Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City): 8.04

*Statistics provided by WhoScored.com 

Liverpool and Manchester United lost perfect record

Before the start of the weekend ganes, there were four teams who had 100% from their first 2 games. At the end of it, only Manchester City gets to keep their perfect start in tact.

The Citizens follow up their 3-0 success over Chelsea with another impressive victory at Goodison Park with Aleksandar Kolarov and Samir Nasri scoring the goals.

Liverpool and Manchester United were held to goal-less draw against Arsenal and Newcastle respectively. Both Aaron Ramsey and Wayne Rooney had goals wrongly ruled out for outside.

Leicester and Riyad Mahrez continued their brilliant start to the season with the Algerian equalising after Dele Alli had given Tottenham the lead 60 seconds earlier.

Champions Chelsea finally got their first win of the season at The Hawthorns. Debutant Pedro Rodriguez opened the scoring and Diego Costa put Chelsea 2-0 ahead. James Morrison made up for his earlier missed penalty by pulling a goal back before Cesar Azpilicueta restored the Blues 2-0 advantage. James Morrison got his second of the night but West Brom could not find an equaliser against ten men Chelsea after John Terry was sent off.

Bournemouth scored their first Premier Leagues goals when Callum Wilson scored twice to put the newly promoted side 2-0 ahead. Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate levelled the score for the Hammers before Marc Pugh and Callum Wilson restored Cherries' 2-0 lead. Modibo Maiga pulled one back but forcing a draw proved too much for the home side who had Carl Jenkinson sent off.

Crystal Palace players scored all three goals in their 2-1 win over Aston Villa. Scott Dann put home side ahead only for Pape Ndiaye Souare to put through his own goalkeeper. Bakary Sako pops up with the winner to spare the Senegalese's blushes.

Watford got their third consecutive draw, helding Southampton 0-0 at Vicarage Road.

Matches between Norwich City vs Stoke City and Sunderland vs Swansea ended in a 1-1 draw.

Mame Biram Diouf put Stoke ahead in the 11th minute and Norwich replied through Russell Martin 17 minutes later.

Swansea scored on the stroke of half time, courtesy of Bafetimbi Gomis. Jermain Defoe replied to ensure Sunderland got their first point of the season.

Top five performing team *
Manchester City: 7.33
Liverpool: 7.12
Arsenal: 7.04
Swansea: 7.02
Watford: 7.01

Top five performing players *
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester): 9.22
Bakary Sako (Crystal Palace): 8.51
David Silva (Manchester City): 8.25
Pedro (Chelsea): 8.21
Yaya Toure (Manchester City): 8.14

*Statistics provided by WhoScored.com 

Liverpool, Man City and Man Utd wins

Finally the big kick off is here and normal service for weekends resumes.

The big four / five endured mixed results with only Manchester City making an early statement. The Citizens put West Brom to the sword with Yaya Toure (twice) and Vincent Kompany scoring the goals.

Holder Chelsea was held to a 2-2 by Swansea at Stamford Bride. The Blues led twice and had Courtois sent off.

Arsenal was humbled by West Ham at the Emirates Stadium. Both goals were results of Cech's mistake, the signing that many said tilt the title in the Gunners' favour.

Liverpool and Manchester United were hardly inspiring in their 1-0 victory. Liverpool needing a Coutinho superb goal and the Red Devils had Kyle Walker to thanks for the three points.

Steve McClaren's tenure as manager of Newcastle began with a 2-2 draw against last season surprise package, Southampton.

Leicester will try to avoid last season scrap and did their cause no harm with a opening 4-2 victory over Sunderland.

None of the newly promoted team manages a win. Watford earn a point with at 2-2 draw at Everton, while both Bournemouth and Norwich lost their home game against Aston Villa (0-1) and Crystal Palace (1-3) respectively.

Top five performing team *
1) Manchester City: 7.70
2) Leicester: 7.55
3) West Ham: 7.52
4) Watford: 7.42
5) Crystal Palace: 7.42

Top five performing players *
1) Riyad Mahrez (Leicester): 10.00
2) Marc Albrighton (Leicester): 9.31
3) Yaya Toure (Manchester City): 8.80
4) Adrian (West Ham): 8.78
5) Jamie Vardy (Leicester): 8.31

*Statistics provided by WhoScored.com

Six new faces to look out for

With the season to start in a couple of days, let us look at some of the new faces that could light up the Premier League.

View image | gettyimages.com

Jordan Ayew
Striker, Aston Villa

The man tasked with replacing Christian Benteke has goals in him. He scored 13 times in the Ligue 1 for FC Lorient.

His pace will offer Villa options on the flank as well.

Appearance: 29
Goals: 11
Assist: 5
WhoScored.com rating: 7.07

View image | gettyimages.com

Yohan Cabaye
Midfielder, Crystal Palace

Possibly the transfer coup of the summer, Cabaye will be linking up once again with manager Alan Pardew, after the pair enjoyed a successful stint together at Newcastle United from 2011 to 2014.

A great passer of the ball, Cabaye will also be adding goals to the London club. He scored 18 times in 93 appearances for Newcastle.

Appearance: 13
Goals: 1
Assist: 1
WhoScored.com rating: 7.06

View image | gettyimages.com

Memphis Depay
Forward, Manchester United

One of the most promising young players in the world, Louis Van Gaal was so eager to sign him up that a deal was done before the end of last season.

Top Scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie with 22 goals, Depay is a good dribbler with plenty of pace and packed a power long shot.

Appearance: 30
Goal: 22
Assist: 5
WhoScored.com rating: 7.92

View image | gettyimages.com

Georginio Wijnaldum
Midfielder, Newcastle

Newcastle third most expensive player, after Michael Owen and Alan Shearer, Wijnaldum captained PSV to the Eredivisie title last season and was crowned Dutch Footballer of the Year 2014/15.

The attacking midfielder had 19 caps for Netherlands and scored 56 goals in 152 appearances for PSV before arriving on Tyneside.

Appearance: 32
Goal: 14
Assist: 3
WhoScored.com rating: 7.47

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Dimitri Payet
Midfielder, West Ham

A sensational swoop. Payet was the star in the Marseille side that finished four in the Ligue 1 last season.

He topped the Ligue 1 assist chart with 17 assists and wasted no time in winning the fans over with his man-of-the-match performances in the pre-season friendlies against Southend United and Norwich.

Appearance: 35
Goals: 7
Assist: 17
WhoScored.com rating: 7.62

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Roberto Firmino
Forward, Liverpool

Firmino will add creativity and goals to Liverpool.

Known for his attacking prowess and dribbling ability, Firmino will add creativity and goals to a Liverpool side who was very dependent on Coutinho as a playmaking outlet last season.

The Brazilian can play across the front three.

Appearance: 33
Goal: 7
Assist: 10
WhoScored.com rating: 7.79

MOAN-inho at it again

A master of the mind game, Jose Mourinho had started his game before the season gets underway.

First he took a swipe at Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool for spending more money than his Chelsea and buying their way to the title.

He might have selective memory but to put records on the table, over the period between 2004 and 2014, no manager in the world has spend more money than the Portuguese during his spells with Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. His total spending, nearly €1bn, €22m more than his closest rival Carlo Ancelotti who succeeded him at Real

Second, after the Community Shield defeat at his nemesis Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, he said, "My opinion is the team that defends very well, that leaves their philosophy in the dressing room, changes their attitude, plays all the second half with nine players in front of the box, doesn’t concede and scores one goal, from that perspective they deserve to win.

"This is football. This is very good tactical organisation. Congratulations to them."

While Mourinho might seem to be praising Arsenal, it does not mask the fact he is critising Wenger for deploying the park-the-bus tactics, something which Mourinho has perfected and used frequently during big games en-route to the league title last season.

But is Arsenal really that bad?

Based on WhoScored.com statistic, the Blues' manager is far from being true.

Total Shots
Arsenal - 11
Chelsea - 14

Shots on Target
Arsenal - 5
Chelsea - 2

Pass Success
Arsenal - 75%
Chelsea - 80%

Aerial Success
Arsenal - 39%
Chelsea - 61%

Dribbles
Arsenal - 5
Chelsea - 11

Tackles
Arsenal - 11
Chelsea - 18

Possession
Arsenal - 43%
Chelsea - 57%

Knowing Mourinho, he will usually try to unnerve opponents whom he thinks is a threat to his Chelsea team. For him to pay such "tribute" to Arsenal, one can be sure that he sees Arsenal as a genuine contender.

Sterling and Delph, to play or be benched

Something unusual is happening over at the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City is stockpiling their squad with "English players"!

Looks like the "homegrown" rule is hitting Manchester City hard.

After the departure of James Milner, Micard Richards, Frank Lampard and Scott Sinclair, only Joe Hart, Richard Wright and French left-back Gael Clichy (due to his formative years at Arsenal) meet the criteria.

So unless they sign more British footballer, they have to operate with a smaller squad.

And sign they did. First was Raheem Sterling followed by Fabian Delph.

But one has to ask, are the signings out of necessities or requirements, necessary for the club to be competitive or required by the law of the game?

Lets see how the duo measure up against the direct competitors for a place in the team.

Looking the table tallied by WhoScored.com, Yaya Toure is the sure shoo-in. With more goals scored, more tackles and interceptions per game, Fernandinho has the slight edge. Unless Manuel Pellegrini move away from his favoured 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 formation, Delph might have to spend some considerable time on the bench.

Raheem Sterling - Played: 34(1) / Goals: 7 / Assists: 7 / WhoScored.com ratings 7.27

David Silva - Played: 32 / Goals: 12 / Assists: 7 / WhoScored.com ratings 7.53

Samir Nasri - Played: 18(6) / Goals: 2 / Assists: 6 / WhoScored.com ratings 6.94

Sergio Aguero - Played: 30(3) / Goals: 26 / Assists: 8 / WhoScored.com ratings 7.67

Edin Dzeko - Played: 11(11) / Goals: 4 / Assists: 2 / WhoScored.com ratings  6.63

Wilfried Bony - (Swansea)Played: 16(4) / Goals: 9 / Assists: 2 / WhoScored.com ratings: 7.22

Wilfried Bony - (Man City)Played: 2(8) / Goals: 297 / Assist: 2 / WhoScored.com ratings: 6.88

Jesus Navas - Played: 23(12) / Goals: - / Assists: 8 / WhoScored.com ratings: 6.98

Stevan Jovetic - Played: 9(8) / Goals: 5 / Assists: 3 / WhoScored.com ratings: 6.87

David Silva and Sergio Augero, not only are they fans' favourites, their statistics make it very hard for Pellegrini to drop them.

Transfer rumours regarding Nasri, Dzeko and Jovetic should be music to Sterling's ears but if Man City manage to offload them, it will means they will have extra spots for some world class "foreign" players.

Assuming the situation remains the same, Sterling's should make it to the first team, partnering Silva, Augero and Navas in one of the fastest and mobile attacking quartet.

Will the duo follow in the footsteps of Milner and Sinclair? Only time will tell. My guess, looking purely at playing time, they will regret moving to the blue half of Manchester.

Who should Arsenal go for? Benzema or Llorente?

Having watched the Barclays Asia Trophy and the Emirates Cup, I have to say Arsenal is looking very good.

The defence seems much calmer with Petr Cech in goal and the movement of the midfielders look very promising, especially the inter-play between Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey.

The only area that needs improvement is in the attacker department. While Oliver Giroud and Theo Walcott had scored in both the tournaments, they too missed quite a few good chances, too many in fact.

The Gunners might be able to overcome this against weaker oppositions where they will create tons of chances but against defensive strong outfits like Chelsea, where chances are at a premium, they have to find the back of the net whenever they have a sniff of the goal.

And it seems like Arsenal is keen to address the issue and have been linked with a few strikers, among them, Karim Benzema and Fernando Llorente.

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Benzema is believed to be the number one choice after been linked with Arsenal for a few seasons. Even thou Benitez had stated that Benzema is not for sale, it had not stop rumours of the Frenchman being unsettled at the Bernabeau.

It is believed that the Gunners are prepared to up their initial bid of £31 million to £35 million for the Real Madrid striker and if the deal fails to materialise, Wenger will turn his attention to Fernando Llorente.

Over the weekend, Arsenal were reported to offer Serie A champions, Juventus, £8 million for the 30-year-old.

Llorente had proved invaluable to Juventus' domestic and international success the last two seasons. Despite his age, it is hard to believe that the Old Lady will let him go for that sum of money.

But how does the Benzema and Llorente measured up to Giroud and Walcott?

Fernando Llorente - Played 25(6) / Goals 7 / Assist 1 / WhoScored.com ratings 6.70
Karim Benzema - Played 29 / Goals 15 / Assist 10 / WhoScored.com ratings 7.56
Olivier Giroud - Played 21(6) / Goals 14 / Assist 3 / WhoScored.com ratings 7.23
Theo Walcott - Played 4(10) / Goals 5 / Assist - / WhoScored.com ratings 6.61

Based on statistics, Benzema is an upgrade while Llorente isn't going to improve the squad much.

And to finally end their 10 years wait for the Premier League title, Arsenal have to go for only the best.

Minus 16.5 million man likely to solve Liverpool woes

In January 2011, Liverpool completed the most expensive transfer between British club when they agreed to sell Fernando Torres to Chelsea for £50m. In replacement, they got the minus £15m man, Andy Carroll.

How did both transfers turned out? The lesser said the better.

Fast forward to now, the Reds had just completed another massive deal, shipping out contract rebel Raheem Sterling to Manchester City for a cool £49m.

And if rumours is to be believed, Liverpool had triggered the £32.5m release clause for Christian Benteke and the move will be completed on Wednesday.

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For the best part of the 2014 / 15, Benteke looked like an one-season wonder, scoring just 2 goals in 27 games. However, his form took a massive upturn with the appointment of Tim Sherwood, scoring 11 goals in 9 games. Like they say, form is temporary, class is permanent.

But how did Benteke compare to Sterling, the player he is suppose to replace?

Raheem Sterling - Played 34 Goals 7 Assist 7 *
Christian Benteke - Played 26 Goals 13 Assist 2 *

In the 2014 / 15 season, creating chances was not a problem for Liverpool. Putting it in the back of the net was. Looking at the statistics of both players, Rodgers looked to have solve the issue that derailed them last season.

Both are big. Both are powerful. But can the minus £16.5m Belgian surpass the minus £15m man? There is every chance he will.

* Players' statistics provided by WhoScored.com

Manchester United looks set and ready to go

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When Louis Van Gaal was appointed manager of Manchester United, the objective is simple, to return the Red Devils to the heady days under Sir Alex Ferguson.

In the first part of the Dutchman revamp, he brought in the likes of Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind, Victor Valdes.

While the new recruits did not set the Premier League alight, they did just enough to secure a Champions League spot.

Not satisfied with just that, Van Gaal went out and get more reinforcements, great reinforcements.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Matteo Darmian, Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin.

Some had questioned the logic for getting Schweinsteiger, especially after the German had suffered a few injuries in recent seasons. But in 21 appearances, 6 of them as substitute, the midfielder had scored 5 goals and had 4 assists to his name, averaging a score of 7.42. Very good returns indeed.

Schneiderlin did not have a statistics as impressive as the German but he is no slouch. 4 goals and 1 assist in 21 Premier League appearances for Southampton. But the Frenchman is more of a defensive central midfielder compared to his new club-mate.

A strikeforce of Van Persie and Falcao will send fear down the spine of any defenders. But the pair had such poor season that Van Gaal had decided to let both go. In came Depay to partner Rooney up front. From a forward left position, Depay scored 22 goals in 30 appearances for PSV Eindhoven. If Depay can match his fellow country-man, a certain Ruud Van Nistelrooy, the Red Devils will be purring.

Any opposition team will dread to see a Man Utd lineup of Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger and Fellani in the middle of the park and an attacking trio of Rooney, Depay and Di Maria. If this is not frightening enough, they will see the likes of Blind, Herrera, Mata on the bench, waiting to be unleashed.

If LVG can keep hold of De Gea and get one more world class defender, the fans will be singing Glory Glory Man United soon.

* All statistic provided by Whoscored.com

Messi, is the wait going to end soon

Going into Copa America Final, I was torn between rooting for the Chileans or to support the Albicelestes.

I always have a soft spot of Argentina because of players like Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Claudio Canniga and now Lionel Messi. Some of them might be controversial but they are all brilliant players.

On the other hand, the Chileans have in their ranks, players like Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Bravo, Gary Medal and Eduardo Vargas. A golden era for Chilean football.

Instead of choosing side, I decided to remain neutral and enjoy the final.

120 minutes could not separate the two teams and it was down to the penalty shoot out which Chile prevailed.

While the host nation celebrates, the camera panned in on Lionel Messi. Like a year ago in the World Cup final, the downcasted magician from Argentina ends up as a loser in a major tournament.

Will Messi follow the footsteps of Zico and Johan Cruyff as one of the best players of their generation to have never won any major international honours?

Here is the team of the tournament, made up of players with the highest rankings.

Liverpool overhaul squad

After the disappointment of last season, Liverpool wasted no time seeking new additions to try and grab the Champions League spot back.

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The main problem with the Reds last season was the lack of goals and they addressed the issue by signing Roberto Firmino and Danny Ings from Hoffenheim and Burnley respectively.

Despite Bunrley going down, Ings had a breakthrough season and was the shining light for the Clarets. From some of the clips on Youtube, Firmino looks a promising addition. Then again who doesn't look good on Youtube.

If Daniel Sturridge can stay clear of injuries, together with Coutinho and Raheem Sterling (if he is still around), the five of them have the capabilities to set the Premier League on fire.

Beside the attacking duo, Liverpool has also recruited goalkeeper Adam Bogdan (Bolton), midfielder James Milner (Manchester City), defenders Joe Gomez (Charlton) and Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton).

Clyne performed brilliantly last season, so much so that if Calcum Chambers was still at Southampton, he would find it hard to dislodge Clyne from the right back position.

As for James Milner, while he is not regular at Manchester City, he did reasonably well when called upon. He belongs to one of those players that do not come with a high profile but consistently performed beyond what is required of him.

Exciting times for Liverpool? For his own sake, Brendan Rodgers can only hope.

Roberto Firmino
Position: Attacker
Nationality: Brazil
Transfer fee: €41million
Bundesliga: 33 (appearances) / 7 (goals) / 10 (assist) / 7.79 (whoscored.com ratings)
Copa America: 3 / 1 / - / 6.56

Danny Ings
Position: Attacker
Nationality: England
Transfer fee: Free
Premier League: 35 / 11 / 4 / 6.89

James Milner
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: England
Transfer fee: Free
Premier League: 18 / 5 / 7 / 7.02
UEFA Champions League: 6 / 1 / - / 6.60

Nathaniel Clyne
Position: Defender
Nationality: England
Transfer fee: €17.6million
Premier League: 35 / 2 / - / 7.04

Adam Bogdan
Position: Goalkeeper
Nationality: Hungary
Transfer fee: Free
Championship: 10 / - / - / 6.83

Joe Gomez
Position: Defender
Nationality: England
Transfer fee: €4.9million
Stats not available

* Player statistics provided by WhoScored.com

Cech to replace Ospina?

While the transfer window does not open until 1st July, the rumour mill has been in overdrive.

One potential deal of the summer could be the transfer of Petr Cech from Chelsea to Arsenal.

After losing his first team spot to Thibaut Courtois, Cech looks set to leave the Champions. The Czech's preference is to remain in London and that puts Arsenal in pole position to sign the stopper.

The transfer, if it does happen, would mean one of David Ospina and Wojciech Szczesny leaving the club. According to various reports, Ospina will be sacrificed.

Rather surprising when the Colombian just joined last season and has done admirably since taking over the gloves, scoring an average rating of 7.06*.

Meanwhile, Wojciech Szczesny had a rating of 6.46* and Petr Cech averages 6.99* in 6 appearances.

It does not make sense to sell your statistically better player, doesn't it? Then again, this is nothing but rumours.

P.S - Anyone remember Lukasz Fabianski? With a rating of 7.09*, he was the 4th best performing goalkeeper in the Premier League.

* stats provided by whoscored.com

Season 2014/15 in review

Chelsea won the double of League title and cup. Arsenal retained their FA Cup. Hull, Burnley and QPR were relegated to the Championship and Manchester United snatched back their Champions League position.

We look back at the 2014/15 season and give our verdicts on the performances for the teams.

Chelsea - Led the table from day 1 and never relinguish the position, clinching the title with 3 games to spare. Beside the title, the Blues was won the League Cup. Our verdict: Excellent. Whoscored.com rating: 7.28

Man City - As the saying goes, "Winning the title is hard, retaining it is harder". Manchester City season prove just about right. The collective lost of form from the core players like Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero was their achilles heel. Our verdict: Good. Whoscored.com rating: 7.29.

Arsenal - Poor start means their title challenge was over by November. Put together an amazing run of 9 wins in 11 games towards the end. But gap proved too huge to overcome. Retain the FA Cup in emphatic style. Our verdict: Good. Whoscored.com rating: 7.38.

Man Utd - The appointment of Louis Van Gaal and new signings like Angel Di Maria, Macros Rojo, Luke Shaw, Danny Blind and Ander Herrara gave the fans plenty of look forward to. But, the Red Devils proved to be very much a team in transition. More importantly, they wrestle back their Champions League spot. Our verdict: Good. Whoscored.com: 7.20

Tottenham - Touted as the team to break the big four stranglehold but ended up as the bridesmaid yet again. The emergence of Harry Kane was the highlight of their season. Our verdict: Good. Whoscored.com rating: 7.08

Liverpool - After coming to within a whisker of finally ending their 25 years wait for the league title, Reds' fans started the season with high hopes. But the sale of Luis Suarez and the injuries substained by Daniel Sturridge dashed all hopes. Managed to make it to the semi-finals of both the FA and Capital One Cup but fans expected more. Our verdict: Poor. Whoscored.com: 7.06

Southampton - After the mass exodus of players, many predicted that Southampton will struggle. However, they exceed all expectation and remain in the top four for most part of the early season. Falter towards the end but still, managed to qualify for Europe next season. Surprise team of the season. Our verdict: Excellent. Whoscored.com rating: 7.08

Swansea - A mid table club who is not expected to challenge the big boys. However, they managed to overcome the lost of star striker Wilfried Bony, who joined Manchester City in the January transfer window, to stay in the top half of the table. Our rating: Good. Whoscored.com rating: 7.03

Stoke - Another of the mid table team, without any high hopes going into the season. Did well to retain their 9th position. Our verdict: Average. Whoscored.com: 7.04.

Crystal Palace - "One man's poison is another's meat". You can said that about Crystal Palace and Alan Pardew. Much hatred at the St James' Park, Pardew left the Magpies to join a Palace stuck in relegation zone and guided them to 10th position, their highest ever position in the Premier League. Pardew became the only manager to take over a club in relegation zone and eventually guided them to the top half of the table. Our verdict: Good. Whoscored.com rating: 7.00.

Everton - This is the season whereby we were suppose to see the rise of Ross Barkley after his breakthrough season the previous year. However, he did not really set the league on fire. So too did Everton. Our verdict: Average. Whoscored.com rating: 6.96.

West Ham - The highlight of an otherwise average season is their qualification to the Europa League first qualifying round after finishing top of the Premier League Fair Play table. Our verdict: Average. Whoscored.com rating: 7.01.

West Brom - Another of the mid table club who managed to meet what must be their main objective, which is to stay in the Premier League. Our verdict: Average. Whoscored.com rating: 6.91.

Leicester - Started the season brilliantly but lost their way. Look set for relegation until they went on an amazing run, collecting 22 points out of a possible 30 to secure their survival. Our verdict: Excellent. Whoscored.com: 7.02

Newcastle - Appointed John Carver in January after Alan Pardew left to join Crystal Palace. Under Carver, Newcastle only managed to collective 12 points in 18 games. A win on the last day of the season secured their survival. Our verdict: Poor. Whoscored.com rating: 6.89.

Sunderland - Draw specialist (17) and joint-second lowest goal scoring team, Sunderland spent the entire season hovering around the relegation positions. The club parted way with Gus Poyet and Dick Advocat was named as the replacement. The Blacks Cats eventually did just enough to retain their Premier League status. Our verdict: Poor. Whoscored.com rating:  6.89.

Aston Villa - Joint-second lowest goal scoring team, Aston Villa parted way with Paul Lambert in February. The appointment of Tim Sherwood coincide with an upturn in form. They managed to fend off relegation and made it in the FA Cup. Our verdict: Average. Whoscored.com: 6.82.

Hull - After the highs of playing in the Europa League as a losing finalist in the 2013-14 FA Cup, Hull was brought back to earth with a heavy landing. After a relatively good start, The Tigers managed only 5 points out of possible 30 during the Nov-Dec period. They tried to fight against the odds but was unable to reverse it, Newcastle's final day victory condemn Hull to the Championship next season. Our verdict: Poor. Whoscored.com rating: 6.92

Burnley - One of the favourites for the drop, Burnley put on a valiant fight but the difference in class was simply too great. Our verdict: Poor. Whoscored.com rating: 6.91

QPR -  The London club only managed to get their first away win, and indeed the first away points, in their 11th attempt. With such absyml away record, it is no wonder that they have been around their relegation zone. And their fate was sealed when they got hammered 6-0 by Manchester City. Our verdict: Poor. Whoscored.com rating: 6.91

Premier League opening day fixtures 2015/16

The pick of the opening day fixtures is at Old Trafford whereby Manchester United will take on Tottenham Hotspurs.

Champions Chelsea will start against Swansea City and Manchester City will face West Brom.

A London derby will see FA Cup holder Arsenal playing host to West Ham.

For the promotees, Watford will travel to Goodison Park to face Everton while Bournemouth and Norwich will play host to Aston Villa and Crystal Palace respectively.

Opening day fixtures - August 8, 2015

Bournemouth v Aston Villa
Arsenal v West Ham United
Chelsea v Swansea City
Everton v Watford
Leicester City v Sunderland
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
Newcastle United v Southampton
Norwich City v Crystal Palace
Stoke City v Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City

The Legend - Frank Lampard

Born in June 20 1978, 16-year-old Lampard joined West Ham as an apprentice and made his first team debut in January 31 1996, coming on as a substitute for John Moncur.

He secured a place in the first team by the 1997-98 season and the following year, helped West Ham finish 5th in the Premier League, their highest-ever Premier League placing.

In 2001, he moved to rival London club Chelsea for £11 million and established himself as a prolific scorer at the west London club and was a key part of the sides which won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004–05 and 2005–06 and a domestic cup double in 2007.

In his 13 years with Chelsea, he has won 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 2 Community Shields, 1 Champions League and 1 Europa League.

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A three-time Chelsea Player of the Year, Lampard is Chelsea's all-time top scorer with 211 goals in all competition and one of seven players, only midfielder, to have scored 150 or more goals in the Premier League.

He is second in the Premier League's all-time assists table, behind Ryan Giggs.

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Personal accolades includes FWA Football of the Year 2005, runner-up in both FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or. In 2010, he received the FWA Tribute Award.

Internationally, Lampard was capped 106 times by England and scored 29 international goals. He was voted England Player of the Year for two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005. He was named in the team of the tournament for Euro 2004 after scoring three goals in four games. He was top scorer for England in their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals, and played at three World Cups. He is England's most prolific penalty taker with nine goals, surpassing the previous record holders, Ron Flowers and Alan Shearer.

See below for his career timeline.

• 1978

  • Jun 20
    Born in Romford, London.

• 1994

  • Joined West Ham United's youth team as an apprentice.

• 1995

  • Signed professional contract.
    
    
  • Oct
    Went on loan to Second Division Swansea City.

• 1996

  • Jan 31
    Made debut for West Ham against Coventry City, coming on as a subsitute for John Moncur.
  • Aug 17
    Made his first start in a 2-0 away defeat to Arsenal.

• 1997

  • Mar 15
    Broke his leg in a 0-0 home draw against Aston Villa. Claimed to have been jeered from the pitch by West Ham United supporters and considered leaving football.

• 1998

  • Nov 19
    Scored his first hat-trick against Walsall in a League Cup fourth round game.
  • Made 42 appearances in all competitions, scoring nine goals.

• 1999

  • Ever present for the season, helping West Ham United to fifth place and qualification for the Intertoto Cup.
  • July 24
    Scored his first European goal in a 1-1 away draw with Finnish side FC Jokerit.
  • July 28
    Scored in the semi-final of the Intertoto Cup to put West Ham into the final.
  • Aug 24
    Among the goalscorers as West Ham won the Intertoto Cup.
  • Sept 16
    Scored his goal in the UEFA Cup against NK Osijek.
  • Oct 10
    Made his England debut in a 2-1 friendly win over Belgium.

• 2000

  • Finished the season as West Ham's third top scorer with a total of 14 goals.

• 2001

  • Finish season as West Ham's third top scorer with 9 goals.
  • Jun 14
    Joined Chelsea for £11 million.
  • Aug 19
    Made his Chelsea debut in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United.
  • Sep 16
    First red card in Chelsea's colour came in a match against Tottenham Hotspur.

• 2003

  • Aug 20
    Scored his first England goal in a 3-1 win over Croatia.
    
    
    
    
  • Sep
    Named Barclays Player of the Month.
  • Oct
    PFA Fans' Player of the Month.

• 2004

  • Named in the 2004 PFA Team of the Year as he reached double figures (10) in league goals.
  • Came in second for the FWA Footballer of the Year award, behind Thierry Henry.
  • Participated in his first international competition, scoring against France and Croatia in the group stages and in the the quarter-final against Portugal. Named in the team of tournament by UEFA.
  • Voted England Player of the Year by fans

• 2005

  • Feb 27
    Chelsea won the Football League Cup, in which Lampard scored twice in six matches, which included the opening goal against Manchester United in the League Cup semi-final.
    
    
    
    
  • Mar 09
    Scored one of the goals in Chelsea's famous 4-2 win over Barcelona to progress to the quarter-finals for the Champions League.
    
    
    
    
  • Mar 19
    Scored a long-range goal from 30 yards against Crystal Palace in the Premier League which Chelsea won 4–1 in their quest for the Premier League title.
    
    
    
    
  • Apr 06
    Scored 3 goals in 2 legs in the semi-final tie against Bayern Munich as Chelsea won 6-5 on aggregate. His second goal in the first leg was a spectacular one.
    
    
    
    
  • Apr 30
    Scored both goals against Bolton Wanderers in a 2–0 win which clinched the Premier League title for Chelsea, ending the London's club first top-flight title in fifty years.
    
    
    
    
  • Named as Barclays Player of the Season and Footballer of the Year. Finished the season with 13 goals (19 in all competitions) and led the league in assists with sixteen.
  • Sep
    Selected as a member of the inaugural World XI.
  • Dec 28
    His record of consecutive Premier League appearances ended at 164 (five better than previous record-holder David James) when he sat out a match against Manchester City due to illness.
  • Voted England Player of the Year by fans.
  • Finished runner-up to Ronaldinho for Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.
  • Voted FWA Player of the Year.

• 2006

  • May
    Chelsea's top scorer with 16 goals as they won back-to-back Premier League title.
  • England's top-scorer in their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign with 5 goals.
  • Jul 01
    One of the three England players who missed their penalties in the shootout against Portugal, alongside Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
    
    
    
    
  • Dec 17
    Scored his 77th Chelsea goal in a 3-2 win over Everton. Overtook Dennis Wise as Chelsea's highest scoring midfielder.
    
    

• 2007

  • Spent much of season as team captain in John Terry's absence.
  • Jan 06
    Scored his first Chelsea hat-trick in the FA Cup third-round tie against Macclesfield Town.
    
    
    
    
  • May 19
    Provided the assist for Didier Drogba to score the winning goal in the 2007 FA Cup Final.
    
    
    
    
  • Finished season with 21 goals in all competition, including a career-high six FA Cup goals.

• 2008

  • Feb 16
    Scored twice in the 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round win over Huddersfield Town to became the eighth Chelsea player to score 100 goals for the club.
    
    
    
    
  • Mar 12
    Scored four goals in a 6-1 rout of Derby County.
  • Apr 30
    Grieving the loss of his mother a week earlier, Lampard decided to play in the second leg of Chelsea's Champions League semi-final against Liverpool, scoring penalty in the 98th minute of extra-time to eliminate Liverpool on a 4-3 aggregate.
    
    
    
    
  • May 21
    Equalised for Chelsea in the 45th minute against Manchester United in the Champions League Final before eventually losing 6-5 on penalties.
    
    
    
    
  • Named UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year.
  • Aug 13
    Signed new five-year contract with Chelsea worth £39.2 million, making him the highest-paid Premier League player.
  • Sep 13
    Scored 150th club career goal against Manchester City.
    
    
  • Oct
    Named Premier League Player of the Month for the third time.
  • Nov 2
    Scored 100th Premier League goal in a 5-0 victory over Sunderland.

• 2009

  • Jan 17
    Scored a stoppage time winner against Stoke City in his 400th Chelsea appearance.
    
    
  • Finished the season with 20 goals and 19 assist.
  • Named Chelsea's Player of the Year for the third time.
  • Aug 09
    Scored in the Community Shield and also in the penalty shootout which Chelsea won 4-1.
    
    
    
    
  • Oct 21
    Scored his 133rd goal for Chelsea in a Champions League match against Atletico Madrid to move him up to 5th among the club's all-time goalscorers.
  • Oct 30
    Nominated FIFA World Player of the Year Award for the sixth straight year.

• 2010

  • Mar 27
    For the second time in his career, hit four goals in one match against Aston Villa to bring his goal tally past 20 for the fifth consecutive season. With 151 goals, it put him as Chelsea third highest scorer.
  • Apr 25
    Scored twice in Chelsea's 7-0 win over Stoke City to bring his tally to 20 league goals for the first time.
  • May 09
    Scored one and assisted two others in the final match of the season where Chelsea thrashed Wigan Athletic 8-0 to clinch the Premier League title.
    
    
    
    
  • May 15
    Ended his season by lifting the FA Cup.
  • England exited the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Lampard achieved the record of having made 37 shots on goal without scoring in a World Cup tournament, more than any other player since 1966.
  • Received the FWA Tribute Award.

• 2011

  • Jan 09
    Scored twice and gave an assist in a 7-0 win against Ipswich Town to reach 201 career club goals.
    
    
    
    
  • Feb 08
    Captain the national team against Denmark in a friendly.
  • Nov 12
    Captained England to a 1–0 friendly victory over World Champions Spain where he scored the only goal.
    
    

• 2012

  • Feb 25
    Scored in Chelsea's 3-0 win against Bolton to become the only player to score at least 10 goals in nine consecutive seasons in the Premier League. His 149th league goal.
  • Mar 14
    Provided one assist and then equalising the aggregate score against Napoli.
  • Apr 04
    Converted a crucial penalty to give Chelsea a 2-1 win over Benfica to advance to the Champions League semi-finals.
  • Apr 09
    Scored his 150th Premier League goal in a 1-1 draw against Fulham.
  • Apr 24
    Trailing 2-1 on aggregate against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, assisted Ramires' goal with a through-pass which levelled the aggregate score at 2–2. Fernando Torres added another goal in stoppage time to give Chelsea a 3–2 victory overall.
    
    
    
    
  • May 05
    Assisted Didier Drogba's winning goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup Final.
    
    
    
    
  • May 19
    Captained Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League Final due to John Terry's suspension. Converted his team's third spot-kick, helping Chelsea win 4-3 on penalties.
    
    
    
    
  • Ended season as Chelsea's topscorer with 16 goals in all competitions.
  • May 31
    Missed Euro 2012 with a thigh injury.
  • Dec 23
    Marked his 500th appearance in the Premier League by scoring in an 8-0 win over Aston Villa.

• 2013

  • Jan 06
    Lampard's agent Steve Kutner announced that Lampard would not be offered a new contract with Chelsea and would leave when his contract expired in June 2013.
  • Jan 12
    Scored a penalty in the 4-0 win over Stoke City to move to second spot on Chelsea's highest goal scorer list with 194 goals.
    
    
    
    
  • Feb 17
    Scored his 199th goal in a 4-0 FA Cup victory over Brentford. Became Chelsea's all-time leading FA Cup goalscorer with 26 goals.
    
    
    
    
  • Mar 17
    Scored his 200th Chelsea goal against former club West Ham.
  • Mar 22
    Scored his 28th international in a 8-0 win over San Marino to surpassed David Platt as England's highest scoring midfielder.
    
    
    
    
  • May 11
    Scored two goals against Aston Villa to break Chelsea's all-time scoring record.
    
    
    
    
  • May 15
    Captained Chelsea in the Europa League Final against Benfica, winning 2-1 to secure the 11th major trophy of Roman Abramovich era.
    
    
    
    
  • May 16
    Signed a one-year extension with Chelsea.
  • Sep 10
    Became only the eighth English player to earn his 100th England cap, doing so in a World Cup qulifier against Ukraine.
  • Dec 04
    Scored against Sunderland to become 4th on the all-time Premier League goal-scoring list, beating Robbie Fowler's 164 goals.

• 2014

  • Apr 02
    Played his 100th Champions League game, losing 3-1 to PSG.
  • Apr 05
    Scored his 250th goal of his club career in a 3-0 win against Stoke City.
  • May 12
    Named in the 23-man England squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and a week later, named vice-captain.
  • May 23
    Included on the list of players released by Chelsea.
  • Jun 03
    Chelsea confirmed Lampard would leave the club.
  • Jul 24
    Signed a two-year contract with New York City FC as a free agent.
  • Aug 03
    Manchester City, NYCFC's parent club, announced that Lampard would join the club on a six-month deal ending in January 2015.
  • Aug 26
    Announced retirement from international football. He earned 106 caps, scoring 29 goals.
    
    
  • Sep 13
    Made his Manchester City debut in a 2-2 away draw with Arsenal.
  • Sep 21
    Came on as a substitute and scored his first Manchester City goal to level the scoreline at 1-1 against Chelsea.
    
    
    
    
  • Sep 30
    Made his Manchester City Champions League debut against Roma.
  • Dec 31
    Initially reported as a loan, reports emerged that Lampard had signed a short-term contract with Manchester City as a free agent with his MLS contract not to start until the end of his stay in Manchester. The same day, it was announced that Lampard would extend his contract with Manchester City until the end of the English season and it was confirmed that that Lampard had never been an MLS player with his arrival date in MLS unclear.

• 2015

  • Jan 09
    Manchester City admitted that Lampard had never signed a two-year contract with NYCFC having instead originally signed a non-binding "commitment" to join the team.
  • Jan 10
    Confirmed intention to begin playing for NYCFC at the end of the 2014-15 Premier League Season.
  • Mar 14
    Made his 600th Premier League appearance, becoming the second player to do so after Ryan Giggs.
  • May 24
    Captained Manchester City in their final match of the season and scored his 177th Premier League goal to give City the lead.

The Legend - Steven Gerrard

On May 17 2015, Anfield bade her farewell to one of the best players to have wear donned the red jersey.

View image | gettyimages.com

It marks the final Anfield appearance for Steven Gerrard, ending an almost 26 years association. 

Fans, team-mates and players from opponents of the day, Crystal Palace, gave a guard of honour to the captain, richly deserving to a player who had won almost every silverwares available in club football.

View image | gettyimages.com

Gerrard joined Liverpool Academy at the age of nine, made his first-team debut in 1998 and replaced Sami Hyypia as captain in 2003.

He made his England debut in 2000 and was appointed permanent captain for England at Euro 2012.

When he retired from the international scene, he had 114 caps to his name, third most capped players after Peter Shilton and David Beckham.

He is tied on fifth place with Robbie Fowler in the all time list of goalscorers for Liverpool and is one of only three players to have played more than 500 Premier League games for one club.

His other accolades includes being the only player to have scored in the the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup and Champions League Finals and Liverpool's first ever player to score in 15 successive league campaigns.

See below for his career timeline.

• 1980

  • May 30
    Born in Whiston, Merseyside

• 1989

  • Join Liverpool Academy

• 1994

  • Trials with various clubs, including Manchester United

• 1997

  • Nov 5
    Signed first professional contract with Liverpool

• 1998

  • Nov 29
    Made first-team debut in a Premier League match against Blackburn Rover, coming on as a last-minute substitute for Vegard Heggem. Made 13 appearance in debut season.

• 1999

  • Sep 27
    Received first red-card for a foul on Everton's Kevin Campbell
    
  • Dec 12
    Scored his senior goal in a 4-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday

• 2000

  • May 31
    Made international debut against Ukraine.

• 2001

  • Made 50 starts and scored 10 goals as he won his majors honours with Liverpool; FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. Named PFA Player of the Year.
  • Aug 12
    Won Charity Shield.
  • Aug 24
    Won UEFA Super Cup.
  • Sep 01
    Score first international goal in the 5-1 win over Germany.

• 2003

  • Mar 02
    Scored the opening goal in club's 2-0 win over Manchester United in the League Cup Final.
    
  • Oct 15
    Replaced Sami Hyypia as Liverpool captain.

• 2005

  • May 25
    Scored the first goal and won the penalty for the third as Liverpool came back from a three-goal deficit to tie the final at 3-3. Liverpool claimed their first Champions League trophy in twenty years after truimphing 3-2 in the penalty shootout. Named Man of the match and later received the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award
    
  • Jul 05
    Rejected club record £100,000-a-week offer new contract. Made U-turn the next day and signed a new four-year deal.

• 2006

  • May 13
    Scored twice in the FA Cup final which Liverpool won 3-1 in the penalty shootout. Became the only player to score in the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup and Champions League Finals.
    
    
  • Jun
    Played in his first World Cup, scoring two goals. Missed one of England's spotkick as the Three Lions was knocked out by Portugal.

• 2007

  • Oct 13
    Captained England for the first time in a competitive game.
  • Oct 28
    Scored in his 400th game for Liverpool against Arsenal.

• 2008

  • Apr 13
    Made his 300th Premier League appearance, scored opening goal against Blackburn.
    
    Selected for PFA Team of the Year and one of nominees for PFA Player of the Year award.
  • Oct 01
    Scored his 100th career Liverpool goal against PSV in a Champions League group stage game.

• 2009

  • Mar 10
    Made 100th appearance in European club competition for Liverpool, scoring twice in their 4-0 win over Real Madrid.
  • Mar 22
    Scored his first ever hat-trick in the Premier League against Aston Villa.
  • May 13
    Named Footbll Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.
  • Dec 05
    Made his 500th apperance for Liverpool in a 0-0 draw against Blackburn Rovers.

• 2010

  • Jun
    Appointed England's captain for the World Cup.
  • Sep 07
    Scored his second career hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Napoli in the Europa League.

• 2012

  • Mar 13
    Made his 400th Premier League appearance, scoring thrice to give Liverpool a 3-0 victory over local rival Everton.
  • Jun
    Made permanent captain for England at Euro 2012. Only England player to be named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament.
  • Nov 14
    Won his 100th cap for England in friendly against Sweden.

• 2013

  • Sep 16
    Captained Liverpool for the 400th time in a 2-2 draw at Swansea City.
  • Oct 05
    Scored in a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace, becoming Liverpool's first ever player to score in 15 successive league campaigns, overtaking Liverpool legend Billy Liddell.
  • Oct 19
    Scored his 100th Premier League goal against Newcastle United.

• 2014

  • Apr 06
    Scored two penalties against West Ham United to go top of the Premier League table with 5 games to go. Double took him above Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool's sixth-top scorer of all time.
  • Apr 27
    Top with three games to go, Gerrard slipped while receiving a pass to allow Demba Ba to score the opening goal for Chelsea. Chelsea went on to win 2-0 and Liverpool's title hope were no longer in their hands.
  • May
    Finish season with 13 goals and league most assist at 13. Nominee for the PFA Player of the Year award. Won the 2014 Liverpool Echo Sports Personality Award.
  • Jul 21
    Announced retirement from international football. With 114 caps, he is the third most capped player after Peter Shilton (125) and David Beckham (115).

• 2015

  • Jan 01
    Announced that he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.
  • Feb 04
    Made his 700th appearance for Liverpool in the the FA Cup tie against Bolton.
  • Feb 10
    Scored from the penalty spot in 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspurs. Goal put Gerrard equal with Robbie Fowler in fifth place in the all time list of goalscorers for Liverpool.
  • Mar 22
    Sent off after 38 seconds after coming on as a half-time substitute in a match against Manchester United.
  • Apr 25
    Made his 500th league appearance for Liverpool, becoming only the third player to achieve 500 or more Premier League appearances for one club, after Ryan Giggs and Jamie Carragher.
  • May 17
    Given a guard of honour by his Liverpool teammates and Crystal Palace players ahead of his Anfield farewell.