West Ham came in for us once again last week, the second week in a row they have turned a win for us. This time a 2-0 win over Sheffield United doing the trick on a 15/2 win.
However last week’s results did see some unusual results. I can’t remember the last time that Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton all lost on the same weekend.
That means that the Premier League table is now tighter than ever with Manchester City now just a point ahead of Tottenham and Arsenal, with Liverpool a point further back in fourth.
We’ll have more on the controversial Tottenham v Liverpool game in our news items below!
Aston Villa were one of the big movers in the table, as they jumped up to 5th on the back of their superb 6-1 thrashing of Brighton, who drop to sixth, with West Ham 7th and Newcastle 8th.
Crystal Palace leapfrog Man Utd into 9th by virtue of their 1-0 win at Old Trafford. Check out the rest of the table by clicking here.
At the foot of the table Luton’s fine win over Everton moves them out of the drop zone and into 17rth with Sheffield United, Burnley and now Bournemouth occupying the bottom three spots.
There is a gap of three points between Luton and Everton on 4 points and 15th placed Wolves on seven and the Hatters and Toffees will not want that gap to grow any further.
Only Spurs and Arsenal remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season, while the bottom three are the only three teams yet to win this season.
We’ll be bringing you our latest tips from bet365 Sport for the games coming up this weekend. But first let’s take a look at the stories that have been on everyone’s lips this week.
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VAR Debacle At Spurs Invokes Furious Response From Pundits & Fans Alike
The introduction of VAR has been a contentious issue and in Sunday’s game between Spurs and Liverpool, anger at the process reached fever pitch.
First Liverpool were reduced to ten men after VAR recommended the referee check a foul by Curtis Jones, but then they only showed the foul in slow motion.
Then Liverpool had a goal disallowed for offside, when VAR showed Luis Diaz clearly onside, but due to a mix up in communication, the goal was still disallowed.
Then Diogo Jota was handed two yellow cards by the referee for two challenges that saw him barely, if at all, touch his opponent.
Spurs 2-1 win over nine men Liverpool is one thing, but the manner of how VAR influenced this game and only negatively, has left fans and pundits alike aghast.
Watkins Shines As Villa Humble Seagulls
Ollie Watkins outstanding record against Brighton continued last weekend as he netted a second hat-trick of the season in Villa’s 6-1 win over the Seagulls.
It was a rare poor performance from Brighton, who were well off the pace in the game and were punished for it by some clinical Aston Villa finishing.
Roberto De Zerbi cut a forlorn figure on the sidelines as his team fell apart against the Midlanders. Not ideal preparation in a week which sees them face Marseille in the Europa League on Thursday and then Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
Goodison Deflated As Magic Hatters Land First Win In EPL
After a fine win at Brentford, Everton had the chance to move well clear of the drop zone over a Luton Town team without a win.
However, it was the Hatters who were celebrating at the final whistle as they defeated their hosts 2-1 to record their first ever Premier League win. Not only that, the victory saw them jump out of the drop zone, pushing Bournemouth into the bottom three.
It was another terrible home result for Everton who are now very much in the thick of things at the bottom of the table once again, but few could argue that Luton deserved the three points on the day. A fact that will be sobering for Everton boss Sean Dyche.
EPL Fixtures And Tips for Week 8
All kick off times are 3pm on Saturday or 2pm on Sunday unless otherwise stated.
Saturday 7th October
- Luton Town v Tottenham Hotspurs (12.30pm)
Luton face Burnley in midweek in their cancelled Premier League clash from Week 2 and they then face another home game against Spurs. By kick off on Saturday, Luton could be well out of the drop zone, or could still be on the fringes of it. Spurs remain unbeaten after their 2-1 VAR gifted win over Liverpool but Ange Postecoglou’s team are showing real fight and they should have too much for Luton here. Tip – Luton Town 0-2 Tottenham Hotspurs – 8/1.
- Burnley v Chelsea
Burnley have a busy week with a game against Luton on Tuesday night followed by Chelsea at home on Saturday. The Clarets have just one point this season and would have been confident on picking up more here but for the fact Chelsea earned a much needed win away at Fulham on Monday night. Is this the start of the Pochettino comeback at Stamford Bridge? Another win here suggests it could be even for a team as injury hit as the Blues. Tip – Burnley 1-2 Chelsea – 8/1.
- Everton v Bournemouth
Everton remain near the foot of the table despite playing a number of teams in the bottom half including Wolves, Sheff Utd, Luton and on Saturday Bournemouth will be the next team into Goodison Park. The Cherries are without a win this season, picking up their 3 points through three draws. Everton must start picking up winning results, especially against teams around them and especially at home. I just can’t quite see them doing that here. Tip – Everton 1-1 Bournemouth – 13/2.
- Fulham v Sheffield United
Fulham have picked up just one win in their last five games in the Premier League and Marco Silva has seen his team drop down the table to 13th. They face bottom placed Sheffield United at Craven Cottage on Saturday desperate to pick up three points to move them back into the relative safety of midtable. The Blades are struggling in the Premier League and do look out of their depth, which is why I am backing Fulham to pick up a nervy win here. Tip – Fulham 1-0 Sheff Utd – 13/2.
- Manchester United v Brentford
Manchester United have officially had their worst ever Premier League start under Erik Ten Had this season with four defeats in seven games. Three wins has kept them in mid-table. Their long-standing unbeaten home record went against Brighton a couple of weeks back and they face a Brentford side who are without a win in five. The Bees look dangerous on the counter attack at times, but I think United will get this one right. Tip – Manchester United 3-1 Brentford – 12/1.
- Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest (5.30pm)
Roy Hodgson’s team earned a brilliant away win at Old Trafford last week to move into the top half of the table, while Forest could only manage a draw at home to Brentford on Sunday. A win for Forest here though would see them move above Crystal Palace in the table. With the venue of the game being Selhurst Park though, I think that is a big ask. Palace’s form of late is good with one defeat in their last five and I think they should have enough to claim another key three points here in a close one. Tip – Crystal Palace 1-0 Nottingham Forest – 6/1.
Sunday 8th October
- Brighton v Liverpool
Both these teams come into this game on the back of a defeat. Brighton were thrashed 6-1 at Aston Villa, while Liverpool had VAR controversies aplenty in their 2-1 defeat at Spurs. Both teams will therefore be seeking to bounce back here. Brighton have lost just one of the last seven against Liverpool and have won three in that period, with three draws. The Seagulls have won both the last two home games between the two, but I think Liverpool may be motivated to get a big result from this game after what happened last week. Tip – Brighton 1-3 Liverpool – 16/1.
- West Ham United v Newcastle United
This game has every chance of being a fantastic game of football between two teams who have started the season ok, but who are looking to improve still further. Newcastle’s bump in the road of three losses in a row has ended in recent times, but West Ham is a tough place to go and pick up a result. That said, after beating Man City in the Carabao Cup, they won’t be afraid of anything here. Newcastle won 5-1 in this fixture last season. I can’t see that happening again but I do think they may do enough for the win. Tip – West Ham United 1-2 Newcastle United – 17/2.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers v Aston Villa
Both these teams enjoyed superb wins last week, Wolves becoming the first team to earn a win over Manchester City this season, while Villa smashed six past Brighton at Villa Park. This Midlands derby therefore promises to be an exciting one. Wolves have the better of things in recent games between the two winning five, drawing two and losing just one of the last eight. 5 of the last 7 games between the two have seen under 2.5 goals and I feel this one may be similar. Tip – Wolves 1-1 Aston Villa – 6/1.
- Arsenal v Manchester City (4.30pm)
The biggest game of the weekend sees Arsenal and Manchester City lock horns at the Emirates Stadium in what could be one of the crucial games in deciding the title come May. City have not lost to Arsenal in the Premier League since December 2015 and in the 21 games since, Arsenal have won two FA Cup ties, Drawn twice in the EPL and won the Community Shield on penalties. City have won the other 16 matches. However, City are not playing at their best and Arsenal are. Which is why I think this time, the Gunners may have more to celebrate at the final whistle. Tip – Arsenal 3-2 Manchester City – 28/1.
