Monday, 7 October 2013
Week 7 of the English Premier League schedule didn't pull any punches.
Liverpool had the lead in the EPL table following Saturday's action,
but both Arsenal and Tottenham had a chance to cut into that lead based
on the results of their Sunday matches.With all 20 clubs in action, there was no shortage of storylines or excitement surrounding the various matches on the schedule. From Manchester City looking to rebound to Manchester United even more in need of a win, nearly every match offered something for the casual and diehard fan.
Those contests are now officially in the book, so we'll take a look at the current table and recap all the action from Week 7 below.
Current Premier League Table
| Pos | Team | MP | W | D | L | GD | Points |
| 1 | Arsenal | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | +6 | 16 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | +6 | 16 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | +6 | 14 |
| 4 | Southampton | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | +5 | 14 |
| 5 | Man City | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | +9 | 13 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 13 |
| 7 | Everton | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | +1 | 12 |
| 8 | Hull City | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 11 |
| 9 | Man United | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | +1 | 10 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | +1 | 10 |
| 11 | Newcastle | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | -3 | 10 |
| 12 | West Brom | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 9 |
| 13 | West Ham | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | +2 | 8 |
| 14 | Cardiff City | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -2 | 8 |
| 15 | Swansea City | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 7 |
| 16 | Stoke City | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 7 |
| 17 | Fulham | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 7 |
| 18 | Norwich City | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 7 |
| 19 | Crystal Palace | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | -8 | 3 |
| 20 | Sunderland | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | -11 | 1 |
Week 7 Scores
Saturday, Oct. 5
Manchester City 3, Everton 1
Fulham 1, Stoke City 0
Liverpool 3, Crystal Palace 1
Hull City 0, Aston Villa 0
Cardiff City 1, Newcastle United 2
Sunderland 1, Manchester United 2
Sunday, Oct. 6
Norwich City 1, Chelsea 3
Southampton 2, Swansea City 0
West Brom 1, Arsenal 1
Tottenham 0, West Ham 3
*via PremierLeague.com.
Recap of Week 7 Action
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
According to BBC Sport, Januzaj might have earned himself a long-term contract with the Red Devils after just one career EPL start:
Some might think United are jumping the gun, but the first part of the season has revealed that David Moyes' outfit doesn't quite have the depth across the board that a few of its EPL counterparts do. If nothing else, Januzaj earned himself another look in the starting lineup and helped his teammates avoid a disastrous start in the process.
Sunderland remained winless on the year in the defeat.
Elsewhere, Manchester City bounced back from consecutive losses with a big victory over Everton, and Liverpool positioned themselves at the top of the table with a convincing victory over Crystal Palace at Anfield.
Striker Luis Suarez scored his first home goal since the suspension for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic was lifted, and the Reds looked very much the part of a club poised to contend for the league trophy.
As noted from this MostarLFC tweet, it's clear the Reds are way ahead of where they were this time last season:
Fulham won just their second match of the 2013-14 season behind a Darren Bent second-half strike to beat Stoke City, while Hull City and Aston Villa played to a goalless draw at KC Stadium.
Hull City are surprising performers through Week 7, currently ahead of a number of expected contenders in their first season of Premier League football since the 2009-10 campaign.
Newcastle took down Cardiff City in the other Saturday match.
Stu Forster/Getty Images
The Gunners were able to accomplish the task, and Arsene Wenger's outfit has to be happy with a road draw against West Brom after a first-half goal from Claudio Yacob made it look like zero points were to be had in the match.
Fortunately, Jack Wilshere's goal at 63 minutes allowed Arsenal to keep pace with Liverpool and avoid a total setback in the process.
Michael Regan/Getty Images
Spurs completely dropped the ball against the Hammers, surrendering three goals—all in the second half—at White Hart Lane. As noted by ESPN FC's Twitter account, it was an afternoon to remember for West Ham:
Andre Villas-Boas' men still have 13 points in the table, while Chelsea were able to make a move past Spurs with a road win over Norwich City. Oscar, Eden Hazard and Willian all had goals for Jose Mourinho as the Blues won their fourth match in five tries since losing back-to-back outings versus FC Basel and Everton.
An international break in the action might have some fans reeling for the upcoming weekend, but patience will be rewarded when play resumes in two weeks.
A number of intriguing matches loom in Week 8, including those same Saints traveling to Old Trafford for a big showdown with Manchester United. Elsewhere, Liverpool will prepare for a tough road match with Newcastle, and Manchester City will do the same with a red-hot West Ham side.
Source: BleacherReport
