{"id":1204,"date":"2022-10-18T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=1204"},"modified":"2022-10-19T09:49:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T09:49:13","slug":"pl-first-quarter-21-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/pl-first-quarter-21-22","title":{"rendered":"Premier League: Fast and furious first quarter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Premier League is living up to its reputation as the elite league competition in world football, however its officiating and usage of VAR continues to rank among the worst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

365Scores<\/em> discusses five talking points on the campaign up until this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

97 matches in, the 2022\/23 Premier League is unravelling with twists and turns aplenty. With the season now 25 per cent complete all 20 teams in the English top flight have lost at least once each, and the same cannot be said of the Italian Serie A nor LaLiga in Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahead of the upcoming midweek fixtures there have been 283 goals scored<\/mark> this Premier League season, an average of 2,9 goals per game, and one goal more than there was in the first 100 games of 2021\/22. These 97 matches have also produced 48 home wins<\/mark>, 12 more than in the first 100 games last term.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u2013 Citizens stumble at Anfield again<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reigning champions Manchester City have endured a satisfactory start to their second successive title defence. Pep Guardiola’s forces had seven wins from nine before a showdown away to Liverpool last time out. Sunday saw the Reds inflict a first defeat on Man City, a result which J\u00fcrgen Klopp desperately needed to kickstart Liverpool’s campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

City have only ever won twice at Liverpool in the Premier League era and, not for the first time, Anfield proved their undoing. Mohamed Salah notched the decisive goal and he has now scored seven times against the Sky Blues; only Ian Rush (8) has found the net more against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far the Citizens’ title challengers have predominantly hailed from North London with Arsenal top of the table and Tottenham level on 23 points with the PL holders. City have 3 points more than after 10 games last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result at Anfield proved a threefold victory for the league-leading Gunners, who not only won at Leeds Utd but also extended their gap over City to 4 points. Moreover, defeat for City means that Arsenal remain the only unbeaten side in Premier League history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guardiola and his side have three home games and one away before the season goes on pause for the FIFA World Cup. They host Brighton, Fulham, and Brentford, surrounding a trip to Leicester City at the end of this month. The Citizens have won all five home fixtures and are averaging 4,8 goals per game at the Etihad Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erling Haaland has scored a league-high 15 goals in 10 matches and the Liverpool game was the first in 11 (all competitions) that the 22-year-old failed to hit the target. Kevin De Bruyne has registered 9 assists this term \u2013 more than double anyone else in the league \u2013 and he recently soared into the top five for most assists in PL history, with 95 to his name.<\/p>\n\n\n

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De Bruyne & Haaland have 16 goals and 12 assists between them.
(Photo by Visionhaus\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u2013 Liverpool at sixes and sevens<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up until they claimed a massive 3 points against Man City, Liverpool had been the obvious underachievers in the Premier League. Klopp’s men took just two wins from their opening eight league outings and they were in the bottom half of the table before meeting the champions. Following that result Liverpool climbed to 8th on the table, 10 points shy of 4th-placed Chelsea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the most part of this season, Klopp’s star players in recent years Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have been shadows of their former selves, but both players were on top form against Man City. Salah scored the winner while Van Dijk successfully stopped a rambunctious Haaland in his tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The very fact they grinded out a result against the best team in the land \u2013 after failing to beat the likes of Brighton, Crystal Palace, Everton, and Fulham \u2013 is telling of the strength of character in the Liverpool dressing room. Now Klopp ought to jell his squad together again for an important run-in before the season interval next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last season Liverpool’s first nine matches saw them unbeaten and one point off the league summit, but now the Reds are 8 points worse having picked up half the amount of wins. That crucial victory last time out could be the exact confidence booster Liverpool have needed, and this period leading up to the World Cup can be of utmost importance to the Merseysiders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liverpool entertain West Ham on Wednesday evening before travelling to newly-promoted Nottingham Forest at the weekend. The Reds then tackle Leeds at Anfield, followed by a trip to Spurs and the visit of Southampton in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liverpool have a fortune of ground to make up on the chasing pack but won’t yet discount themselves from the fight for top four. They are just 3 points adrift arch rivals Man United in 5th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salah. Anfield. Man City. Inevitable.#LIVMCI<\/a> | @LFC<\/a> | @MoSalah<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4ftAmnmlFo<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Premier League (@premierleague) October 16, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>