Premier League Notebook: Chelsea extends lead at top of table

Halloween was certainly scary for Premier League bettors as a few well fancied favorites were turned over, ruining plenty of parlays. But forget the goblins and the ghouls, it was all about goals and glory this weekend as Chelsea extended their lead at the top.

You can’t touch Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel’s impact at Chelsea was immediate last year as he guided them to Champions League glory, and the Tuchel effect hasn’t stopped yet. Chelsea were missing strikers Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku for the trip to Newcastle, but still came out 3-0 winners at St James’ Park. They’ve now won eight of their opening 10 league games, picking up 25 points from a possible 30, and they’ve kept clean sheets in 70% of their games.

That is a dominant start, and their weekend was made even better as their main title rivals dropped points. Manchester City were incredibly beaten 2-0 at home by Crystal Palace, while Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead and drew 2-2 at home to Brighton.

Chelsea are now three points clear at the top of the table but still represent a great bet at +215.

Shot-shy Spurs looking for a new coach?

Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester United was not pretty, and the home fans let their team know about it at the final whistle. One of the most worrying elements of the match was that Tottenham did not manage a single shot on target against the Red Devils – a team fresh off the back of getting hammered 5-0 at home to Liverpool.

It’s now nearly two-and-a-half hours of football since Spurs last had an attempt on goal and they rank 20th in the league for shots per game this season with just 10.3. Norwich are the only side to have scored fewer goals in the top flight than Tottenham.

That performance leaves Spurs five points adrift of the top four already, and they are now +800 to finish in a Champions League spot this year. It’s looking ever so likely that Halloween defeat will be Nuno Espirito Santo’s last game in charge.

Bettors take note ahead of the Manchester Derby

That 3-0 win for United might cost Nuno his job, but it simultaneously eased the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer whose team managed to avoid a fifth straight game without a win. The United manager was told he had three games to save his job according to the press, and the next one up is a Manchester Derby on Saturday.

United’s win combined with City’s shock 2-0 loss at home to Crystal Palace may lead some bettors to think this game will be close, but do not let a knee-jerk reaction to those results alter your thinking. United beat a very poor Tottenham side while Pep Guardiola’s men had a bad week at the office, crashing out of the League Cup before losing in the league.

All the pressure remains on Solskjaer’s team, who have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their eight games at home in all competitions. It would be no surprise to see City take advantage of United’s leaky defense, and bettors can jump on the -129 for a City win.  

In-form West Ham on a top four charge

David Moyes’ West Ham side dished out a 4-1 beating to Aston Villa on Sunday which gave them their fourth win in the last five. That run includes gritty 1-0 wins against Everton and Tottenham as Moyes has his side playing some superb football. The Hammers rank third in the league for shots per game and have combined an attacking flair with defensive stability, as only four teams have conceded fewer goals than the Hammers.

West Ham now sit fourth, level on points with Man City and three points clear of Man United in fifth. It’s been nearly six years since West Ham beat Liverpool in the Premier League – could that change this weekend?

Norwich need a miracle

Finally, a word for Norwich. The Canaries lost a hugely important game with Leeds United 2-1 at home on Sunday, meaning they are now eight points adrift of safety already. They are rock bottom of the league with just two points from a possible 30 and they’ve conceded a whopping 25 goals.

Norwich fans might as well get used to the fact they’re getting relegated. It’s just a question of when it becomes a mathematical certainty.