With the weekend action getting over with the shock loss of Liverpool at the hands of Leicester City we round off the hectic round of matches with a look at the winners and losers.
WINNERS
MANCHESTER UNITED
Jose Mourinho-led Manchester United won the first major trophy of the season as they overcame a resilient and a superior Southampton side to win the match 3-2. The Red Devils were 2-0 up against the run of play but a Manolo Gabbiadini goal just before half-time swung the game’s balance and the Saints completely swamped United’s half after the restart and deservedly got back level through the brilliant Gabbiadini, whose goal was wrongly disallowed in the first half. With their tails up, United will now focus on the League where they are now just a point behind Liverpool with a game in hand.
They are clearly one of the winners of this matchweek even without kicking a ball in the Premier League. They will finally have a chance to leave the 6th spot and will be a buoyant side when next week commences.
LEICESTER CITY
The Foxes sprang a huge surprise when they came back from the dead and caught Liverpool completely unaware, thrashing them 3-1. A reaction was expected but a match against the Reds was expected to be too tough for them to garner 3 points. But Liverpool were back to their old self and slipped up once again. Leicester are now out of the relegation zone and will look to keep the momentum going.
LOSERS
LIVERPOOL
Another season entering its business end and another season where Liverpool are losing their steam at the exact same time. They got off to a flier but have lost steam since the turn of the year. Regularly losing vital points against struggling teams, they have made sure that a fantastic run is required for the team to remain in contention for a spot in the Top 4.
MIDDLESBROUGH
For all the flashy signings and money spent, Boro have failed to get their team going as a unit. They were leaking goals initially but a change in the formation made them solid and stemmed the flow of goals. But conversely, they lost their attacking edge and have failed to score on numerous occasions since then. They are now perilously close to the relegation zone and it is something which the club would not have anticipated after the sort of start they had. The loss to fellow strugglers Crystal Palace has only compounded matters and now they have to buck up before getting sucked into the dreaded bottom 3.
