A sensational second-half performance helped Chelsea beat Spurs whereas Manchester United came from a goal down to beat West Ham United in the late stages of the game.
The Blues jumped to the top of the queue following a dominant second-half display against rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Thomas Tuchel’s men sustained intense pressure from Spurs during the first half, with the latter pressing extremely high at times.
While Spurs were aggressive during the first forty-five, they hardly created any clear-cut chances for themselves. Son Heung-min came closest to opening the scoring for his team when he ran in behind the Chelsea defence only to have his angles closed off by stand-in Kepa Arrizabalaga.
N’Golo Kante’s introduction after the interval in place of Mason Mount helped Chelsea take control of the midfield. Soon after, they scored the first of their three goals, courtesy of Thiago Silva, who flicked Marcos Alonso’s delivery from a corner into the net. Kante himself got on the scoresheet three minutes before the hour mark, albeit with a huge slice of luck; the Frenchman’s shot took a massive deflection off of Eric Dier and beat Hugo Lloris.
Antonio Rudiger scored third in stoppage time, peeling away from his marker before firing a low shot past the goalkeeper. His strike ensured Chelsea moved to the top of the table, surpassing Liverpool in terms of away goals scored despite the two teams sharing an identical record.
In the earlier match, Manchester United came from a goal down to beat West Ham United 2-1. The Hammers’ newcomer Nikola Vlasic led the line in the absence of Michail Antonio, but it was attacker Said Benrahma who opened the scoring for the Hammers with a deflected strike from range.
Benrahma gave West Ham the lead in the 30th minute, but, five minutes later, Manchester United were level courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s close-range finish.
Jesse Lingard, who spent last season on loan at West Ham, came off the bench to score a sensational winner in the 89th minute, but the match featured yet more late drama as the Hammers were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time.
Mark Noble, who was substituted to take the spot-kick, saw his effort saved by David De Gea, and Manchester United held onto the points.
