Premier League Round 10: The good, the bad and the ugly

The Good

Tyne-Wear Derby

Sunderland played host to arch-rival Newcastle in a matchup of the Premier League’s 18^th and 20^th placed teams.

Needless to say, despite being just the 10^th match of the Premier League season, this was a big three points on offer for both sides. The supporters of both clubs put a lot of stock into when these two sides square off against one another and this one was no different.

Sunderland entered the derby with zero wins in nine matches and Newcastle with just one. Recent history was on the side of Sunderland as they looked to continue a five match win streak against Newcastle.

Newcastle won their previous match 6-2 versus Norwich City and Sunderland lost 1-0 to West Brom.

From the start of the match Newcastle looked better than Sunderland. They created some decent chances and did not capitalize on them to grab an early lead.

The match was flipped on its head when a seemingly less than threatening ball was sent into the penalty area by Sunderland. The Newcastle keeper appeared ready to claim the ball as Fabricio Coloccino shoved Steven Fletcher.

This was a controversial play as match official Robert Madley decided to not only give the penalty, but also send the Argentine central defender off with a straight red card.

The decision to award the penalty was certainly not egregious, though one could argue that it should not have been given, but the red card seemed a poor decision. Not all of the blame should be placed on the referee, though, as Coloccini made a poor decision in putting his shoulder into the attacker. It was a needless action as Elliott would have claimed the ball and play would have continued with 11 men on the pitch and a level scoreline.

Adam Johnson smashed home the penalty and gave the hosts a 1-0 advantage over Newcastle.

The next scoring chance would come from Newcastle – despite being down a player – when Aleksandar Mitrovic cut inside of his defender and had a lot of the net to pick out, but Sunderland keeper Costel Pantilimon made a great save to keep the Black Cats in front.

The save of Mitrovic was yet another turning point in favor of the Black Cats as Billy Jones would redirect a shot from a corner kick to double the Sunderland lead.

Still attempting to get back into the match, Georginio Wijnaldum would force another good save from Pantilimon as the keeper was determined to keep a clean sheet.

Then, Adam Johnson smashed the bar with 72 minutes played before Steven Fletcher put the match away with a nice volleyed finish from a Younes Kaboul perfectly picked out cross – yes, Kaboul played a peach of a ball – to round out an excellently worked Black Cats counter attack.

With the 3-0 victory Sunderland extend their derby winning streak to six against Newcastle and this was a vitally important victory for the club. The victory sees Sunderland leap above Aston Villa, who now sit bottom, and Newcastle on account of goal difference.

This match had huge implications for both sides. Sunderland dropped a point due to a defensive mistake against West Brom during the previous round of fixtures, and needed to get something going with their new manager against their arch rival.

Defeating the club’s biggest rival in just the second game in charge will certainly endear Allardyce to the supporters very quickly.

As for Newcastle, this has to go down as a missed opportunity to continue the momentum gained from their 6-2 thrashing of Norwich City. The 6-2 win had Newcastle moving in the right direction as far as getting their goal difference in order, but that number took a serious hit with the 3-0 loss to Sunderland.

Newcastle now sit at a minus 10 goal difference, which ties them for the worst in the Premier League with Bournemouth. Sunderland are 18^th in the table and Newcastle are now 20^th.

Interesting facts: Sam Allardyce became the first manager to ever manage both Sunderland and Newcastle.

Also, Allardyce became the fourth consecutive Sunderland manager to lose their first game in charge before beating Newcastle in their second match.

"Sam Allardyce's face as he walked off after the derby, man."

The Table

This Premier League season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory as there are tight races throughout the table.

Five teams are presently within three points of topping the table. Manchester City and Arsenal sit on 22 points. West Ham and Manchester United are just two points back with 20, while Leicester City are on 19, just three points back of the leaders.

Tottenham sit sixth with 17 points and are tied with Leicester City for the fewest defeats in the Premier League with just one loss in 10 matches. Contrast that with Crystal Palace, placed seventh, who have lost more games (five) than any other side in the top 14. Only the bottom four sides in the table have lost more games than the Eagles.

Southampton, Liverpool and West Brom are all on 14 points, placed eighth through 10^th. Everton, Swansea City and Watford are on 13 points, which leaves them just one point ahead of Stoke City and two points ahead of Chelsea.

Who would have thought the defending Premier League Champions would sit 15^th in the table with more losses than victories, a negative goal difference and an 11 point deficit to the top of the table?

That is what has been so great about this season. Look at the table from last season and you will find that it was devoid of much drama for large portions of the year.

Chelsea led the table for almost the entire season and finished eight points above Manchester City. No race between clubs in the top four finished with a closer margin than four points. Tottenham finished six points behind Manchester United for the fourth position.

There was only marginal intrigue in the relegation battle last season, with only Hull City having a reasonable chance at escaping as the season drew to a close.

There is no guarantee that this season’s relegation battle will be any better, but it is unlikely that any club from the Bournemouth, Sunderland, Newcastle and Aston Villa group will find a rich vein of form to separate from the pack.

Aston Villa supporters should possibly be afraid, as they have to make the correct appointment to replace Tim Sherwood if they want any chance at survival.

Look back at the top of the table and it is reasonable to assume that the title race will be much closer than it was during the previous Premier League campaign. Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United have gone toe-to-toe thus far and it could be a slug fest through to the end.

Unlikely contenders currently occupy seats near the top of the table in West Ham and Leicester City. With West Ham holding victories over Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool this season, they cannot be discounted as a legitimate threat to finish in the top four.

Next: The Bad