Familiar ring
The 2014-15 season is only one game old, and yet the fledgling league table already has a familiar ring to it, with the top three places meeting my prediction for the final placings in my season preview last week.
Last season, Spurs won their first game of the season, which was also away to a fellow london club, and also a 1-0. I said then that I'd take 38 1-0 wins through a Soldado penalty, and I'll certainly take more of the late, late winning drama we had at Upton Park last Saturday! I'd prefer more comfort though, truth be told.
Like Soldado before him a year ago, Eric Dier has scored on his debut. Unlike Soldado, Dier does not carry the burden of goal-scoring expectation from the fans, and he has already been accorded hero status for such a wonderful winner. Credit too to Harry Kane for his pass, and did you notice that Nabil Bentaleb offered the penetrating through ball which was adroitly advanced by Kane? As I mentioned in my match report, both Kane and Bentaleb, who were considered by many to have been given too much game time by Tim Sherwood, seem to have won the favour of our new head coach.
I wonder too if the bottom three might feature two of the current teams at the end of the season? I did make a cheeky prediction of all three claret and blue teams getting relegated!
The least said about referee Chris Foy, the better on this occasion. In fairness, since that horrible Stoke game of three years ago, he hasn't had a bad average for us.
As usual the spursometer for the game can be found here. Eric Dier had to share man of the match honours with heroic goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who made that excellent close range save from Stewart Downing.
Results 16-18.08.14
Man Utd 1-2 Swansea
Leicester 2-2 Everton
QPR 0-1 Hull
Stoke 0-1 A. Villa
West Brom 2-2 S'derland
West Ham 0-1 Spurs
Arsenal 2-1 C. Palace
Liverpool 2-1 S'hampton
Newcastle 0-2 Man City
Burnley 1-3 Chelsea
Barclays Premier League
P W D L F-A GD Pts
1. Chelsea 1 1 0 0 3-1 2 3
2. Man City 1 1 0 0 2-0 2 3
3. Arsenal 1 1 0 0 2-1 1 3
4. Liverpool 1 1 0 0 2-1 1 3
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5. Swansea 1 1 0 0 2-1 1 3
6. A. Villa 1 1 0 0 1-0 1 3
7. Hull 1 1 0 0 1-0 1 3
8. Spurs 1 1 0 0 1-0 1 3
9. Everton 1 0 1 0 2-2 0 1
10. Leicester 1 0 1 0 2-2 0 1
11. S'derland 1 0 1 0 2-2 0 1
12. West Brom 1 0 1 0 2-2 0 1
13. C. Palace 1 0 0 1 1-2 -1 0
14. Man Utd 1 0 0 1 1-2 -1 0
15. S'hampton 1 0 0 1 1-2 -1 0
16. QPR 1 0 0 1 0-1 -1 0
17. Stoke 1 0 0 1 0-1 -1 0
18. West Ham 1 0 0 1 0-1 -1 0
19. Burnley 1 0 0 1 1-3 -2 0
20. Newcastle 1 0 0 1 0-2 -2 0
