The Premier League continues to be one of the most unpredictable leagues in world football, and if you need any more proof of that, just take one look at this weekend’s results. As we speak Liverpool are 1-0 down to relegation candidates Fulham, but if they’re able to turn it around, they’ll be able to take hold of the title race after rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur both hit a big stumbling block in their own unique way.
If you want to look ahead to some of the other fixtures that are ahead of us then you can check out the betting page, but for now, it’s time to take a look at what the Blues and Spurs were able to produce.
Everton 1-0 Chelsea
There was a hefty amount of criticism being thrown in the direction of Frank Lampard after the full time whistle blew yesterday and it’s not exactly hard to see why. Everton were really up for the fight and they brought it to Chelsea at every available opportunity, and the visitors wanted absolutely no part of that. They were weak, they were frightened, and they just didn’t push back against Everton – even though they had chances to do so.
Players like Kante and Zouma didn’t fare too badly in the midst of all the chaos but the attacking options, who are usually so sharp, fell when they were called upon. Everton fully deserved the win and they did exactly what they did last season at Goodison Park – they pushed the pace and they made it a little bit ugly and they were rewarded for that. We don’t know whether it’s feasible to think that Chelsea can make a real surge for the title, but they definitely need to re-evaluate their current situation.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur had it in them to really put their foot on the throat of Crystal Palace when they had the lead, but the conservative style that Spurs have implemented under Jose Mourinho didn’t really work out for them at Selhurst Park. A lot of credit needs to go to Palace for their persistence and ability to fight their way back into the game, but Tottenham just waited far too long to really see the game out.
Every Tottenham fan wants to believe that they can win the title under Mourinho, and if it’s ever going to be plausible, this might be the year for it. If they want to do it, though, they have to learn how to find the right balance. If they want to be conservative and sit on the lead then they can, but they also can’t afford to get complacent – and Jose needs to share a big portion of the blame for what happened earlier today. The December schedule is going to be rough and Tottenham need to be able to bounce back from this because if they don’t, their ambitions could easily slip down from title challengers to top four hopefuls. It’s still a realistic goal, but it’d be a shame.
