Five games in and there’s a familiar look at the Premier League summit with many of the regular frontrunners making decent starts to the new campaign.
Another weekend of Premier League highlights again provided plenty of talking points.
Yet two stories stand out for me.
A true legend departs the stage
One was the passing of arguably the finest marksman the game has ever seen.
Jimmy Greaves may have played in the era well before there was such a razzmatazz about the top flight of English football.
Yet his world class talent and statistics match that of anyone who has ever graced the game in any generation.
Football will never see his like again and it is this SBOTOP writer’s belief that there has never been a better striker.
Perhaps a few can claim to be his equal but better – I don’t think so!
The emotion in the air at Spurs before their clash with Chelsea – two clubs who Greaves graced with charisma and success – was tangible.
A striking phenomenon – an alluring combination of talent and fearlessness.
It was most fitting that a host of Spurs legends lined the pitch inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as a minute’s applause was held before kick-off.
During the applause, some Spurs fans held flags and banners to remember the club’s record goalscorer.
The other tale of note was how fitting it was that the modern day equivalent in the English game, as far as scoring records is concerned, netted on a dramatic afternoon in east London.
Of course, the headlines will not be about Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal following the frantic finish at the London Stadium in which Jesse Lingard scored a late winner for Manchester United before David de Gea produced an even later save to keep out a Mark Noble penalty deep in stoppage time.
A key moment that preceded it, however, was in the 34th minute of the contest when Ronaldo stabbed towards goal.
Goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski was in the way but the ball ran free and the rebound was gobbled up by the Portuguese genius, surviving a VAR check for offside.
His reactions to draw his team level, just four minutes after falling behind to West Ham, epitomised his character and how he can inspire this Manchester United team.
All of Ronaldo’s four goals since returning have been scruffy: he will not remotely care. Greaves, you suspect, would approve.
Runners-up look stronger than champions
It already looks like it will be a long season for Norwich City – very long. Again!
In their defence, they faced a daunting start with clashes against Liverpool and Manchester City. Since then, however, things have barely improved for the East Anglians.
With survival the aim of the game, a home match against another side tipped to struggle was clearly one to target to secure key points.
It was Watford though who won the clash of the newly promoted sides at Carrow Road – Norwich won the Championship last term – which highlighted the uphill task facing Daniel Farke and his Canaries.
The Canaries become only the fourth side to ever lose their opening five Premier League games and Farke is the first manager to lose 15 consecutive matches in the English top flight.
Villa more than one man
Three goals in nine second-half minutes underlined how Aston Villa continue to go places – despite selling their talisman this summer – and ended Everton’s unbeaten start to the campaign.
A Matty Cash thunderbolt for the hosts broke the deadlock before an own goal and a Leon Bailey strike sent the home fans into raptures.
Granted, Everton were missing their main frontmen in Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin but didn’t help themselves in defence. Indeed. Everton have now scored 54 own goals in the Premier League – more than any other side in the history of the competition.
Bees are a-buzzing!
What a start to the season Brentford are having. Their latest success story came at Wolves and, make no mistake, it was no fluke. They even held on with a degree of comfort, despite playing the final 25 minutes a man short.
The newly-promoted London side, who arrived in the West Midlands with an unbeaten away record, took a first-half lead with a well-struck Ivan Toney penalty.
The Bees forward then turned provider to shrug off the challenge of Max Kilman and find strike partner Bryan Mbeumo at the back post for his first top-flight goal.
The Premier League betting odds on their survival improve with each passing week.
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