EPL 2016/17: 10 things we learned from Gameweek 18
We’re well into the holiday season but there is no break for the stars in England. Gameweek 18 of the Premier League i.e. the Boxing Day week ended with Liverpool picking up a fantastic 4-1 victory over Stoke City in what was a slightly predictable week of football.
Big teams Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool all picked up 3 points to pile the pressure on Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side, who play on Thursday. Meanwhile, Sam Allardyce made a much-awaited return to the Premier League.
Here are 10 things we learned from Gameweek 18:
#1 Sam Allardyce makes a promising start on his return
The former England manager is back to Premier League management replacing Alan Pardew as the manager of Crystal Palace and has already made them a better team in just one game. Palace looked like a much more solid and resilient side, just like most of Big Sam’s teams have been in the past.
The Eagles were frustrated after Christian Benteke missed a penalty and a chance for Palace to take the lead. However, Yohan Cabaye put them ahead a few minutes later only to have his goal cancelled out by Troy Deeney. While the defence looked organised, Sam Allardyce will surely need more time to instil some real steel into the team.
#2 Burnley at home are tough to get points off
The champions of the EFL Championship have been the best of the newly promoted teams in the Premier League this season but all of their points bar one against Manchester United at Old Trafford have come at home. A solid and gritty performance from Sean Dyche’s side yet again at home gave them 3 points to put the Clarets on 20 points this season.
Turf Moor is certainly a daunting place to play football and Liverpool have themselves lost here. Striker Andre Gray has recognised his side’s performances at home and reckons that their home form could be good enough to keep them in the top flight.
Gray showed fantastic pace and positioning throughout the game and bagged the winning goal.