Chelsea and Manchester City didn't tract a recognized striker betwixt them for their English Premier League games connected Saturday.
It didn't halt them combining for 11 goals successful ominous displays by the 2 rubric contenders.
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Missing injured strikers Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, Chelsea inactive powered to its biggest triumph of the play — 7-0 against Norwich — with playmaker Mason Mount scoring a chapeau trick.
City doesn't person an out-and-out striker successful its squad aft failing to motion a like-for-like replacement for Sergio Aguero successful the offseason but that isn't stopping the champions scoring freely this season.
A 4-1 triumph astatine Brighton, secured chiefly acknowledgment to 2 goals by Phil Foden, followed a 5-1 triumph astatine Club Brugge midweek successful the Champions League. It was the sixth clip successful 14 games successful each competitions that City has scored 3 oregon much goals.
Chelsea volition walk different week starring the league — it is 2 points up of City and 4 wide of Liverpool, whose crippled successful manus is astatine Manchester United connected Sunday — and the spot successful extent successful the squad should guarantee Thomas Tuchel's squad maintains a rubric situation this season.
There person been 16 antithetic scorers for Chelsea successful each competitions this season, with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James and Ben Chilwell besides netting against last-place Norwich alongside Mount's archetypal Premier League chapeau trick.
That bodes good for the leaders portion Lukaku (ankle) and Werner (hamstring) are retired of enactment aft sustaining injuries successful midweek.
City is successful a affluent vein of form, too, particularly with Foden taking connected the scoring and originative mantle portion playing successful the false-nine role. The 21-year-old England planetary converted a walk from Jack Grealish astatine the extremity of a breakaway, past saw a changeable from Gabriel Jesus deflect successful disconnected his bottommost to marque it 3-0 astatine halftime, with Ilkay Gundogan having acceptable City connected its mode with the opener astatine fourth-place Brighton.
Foden acceptable up Riyad Mahrez for the 4th extremity successful second-half stoppage time.
RANIERI’S FIRST WIN
It has been rather the thrust for Claudio Ranieri truthful acold astatine Watford.
Having started with a 5-0 nonaccomplishment astatine location to Liverpool past weekend, Ranieri — who turned 70 connected Wednesday — saw his caller squad bushed Everton 5-2 acknowledgment to a chapeau instrumentality by Josh King that was completed amid a unreserved of 4 goals from the 78th infinitesimal for Watford astatine Goodison Park.
“It was important to amusement the character, the strength, and to respond to the result," Ranieri said. "We were playing good but abruptly we people successful 9 minutes 3 times — it was amazing.”
Joy for Ranieri but despair for Everton manager Rafa Benitez, whose squad was jeered disconnected the tract aft a 2nd consecutive location loss. It mightiness not beryllium agelong earlier supporters crook against Benitez, a contentious assignment for immoderate fixed his links to section rival Liverpool.
“I recognize the vexation of the fans," helium said. “We person to marque definite we amusement thing successful each game, much character, much personality.”
OVERHEAD KICK
Newcastle is inactive waiting for a archetypal triumph nether the club's caller Saudi ownership.
A archetypal constituent arrived, though, acknowledgment to a extremity from an overhead footwear by Callum Wilson successful a 1-1 gully astatine Crystal Palace. Christian Benteke had fixed Palace the pb and had a precocious extremity disallowed for a foul successful the build-up.
Newcastle is successful next-to-last spot and facing a relegation combat this season.
LATE GOAL, BIG INJURY
Leeds was waiting to observe the grade of a concerning-looking near ankle wounded to prima winger Raphinha that helium sustained successful a 1-1 gully against Wolverhampton.
The Brazil planetary was already disconnected the tract with his wounded erstwhile Rodrigo earned Leeds a constituent with a punishment successful the 4th infinitesimal of stoppage time. That canceled retired Hwang Hee-chan's 10th-minute opener for Wolves.
Raphinha was wounded successful a situation from Wolves defender Romain Saiss and looked successful symptom arsenic helium was helped down the passageway astatine Elland Road, seemingly incapable to enactment afloat value connected his ankle.
Leeds lone has 1 triumph successful its opening 9 games amid wounded issues for manager Marcelo Bielsa.
In the day's different match, Ivory Coast winger Maxwel Cornet scored 2 goals for Burnley — including the equalizer — successful a 2-2 gully astatine Southampton.
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