Premier League — Matchweek 2 Recap (Day 2)

Nottingham Forest (1) vs. West Ham (0)

Man United fans are probably cringing after today and yesterday, as goalkeeper David De Gea’s continued starts have led to another loan move for the young Dean Henderson. Henderson made his mark a few years ago with Sheffield United, and after saving Declan Rice’s penalty today, he might become a hero once again. Although Forest were a little reckless with their tackles, they thrived in the offensive long game through crosses and through balls. Neco Williams was a standout performer for Forest with his 4 shots and 6 tackles during his time occupying the right flank. West Ham had no shortage of scoring opportunities though; Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma were denied by the post, alongside Tomás Soucek’s 4 shots and the obvious saved penalty from Rice. It’s been a disappointing start to the season for the Hammers, and the lack of clinical finishing needs to subside soon enough for them to return to form.

Chelsea (2) vs. Spurs (2)

It was a grimy battle today between the two London sides; double yellow, then red, cards for the gaffers, a possibly missed red card for Spurs’ Christian Romero, as well as an injury time tying goal for Harry Kane. Chelsea’s concluding set-piece disaster excluded though, Thomas Tuchel demonstrated that his positional tactics can operate on both offensive and defensive extremes, opting for a heavy press today rather than dropping back. This was likely why the Chelsea manager decided to start Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Marc Cucurella along the flanks, as they are much more physically and athletically suited for such roles, as opposed to Cesar Azpilicueta and Christian Pulisic. Regardless of Chelsea’s sustained control of the match though, Spurs managed to efficiently utilize their set-pieces, as well as opportunities outside of the penalty box, to execute goal scoring opportunities. Tottenham’s Christian Romero and Eric Dier were a dynamic duo, as Dier was a constant threat to Chelsea’s build-up play with his 5 interceptions. Romero’s now infamous aggression served as backup to Dier’s preemptive strikes, finishing the match with 7 total tackles.