Are you ready for some Football (Associated)

[Jimmy Higgins]

Week 1 EPL
Liverpool v Ipswich Town - When I first started watching the EPL, Ipswich in the EPL was a thing. They hadn't been there in over 20 years now. Their home return saw a happy and energetic crowd watch their side take on Liverpool with their new manager in charge, in a season of lots of unknowns regarding top talent and where Fenway Sports Venture Group wants to go financially. Ipswich Town stifled the more talented Liverpool squad in the first half with a press that kept knocking Liverpool from developing offensive possession of any merit, leading to a particularly forgetful first half. Ipswich lacked the stamina to keep that up in the second half and Liverpool was able to dictate the game's pace and possession and managed a couple goals. Salah set an EPL record for 8th straight campaign scoring in the opening game of the season, a rather absurd accomplishment. Liverpool took the three points on the road 2-0.

Week 3 Championship
Plymouth Argyle v QPR - Wayne Rooney working on helping the Plymouth side recover from losing Schumacher to Stoke City mid-season last year. Both teams looking for their first victory. QPR opened the account first early on, but Plymouth was able to turn it around relatively quickly and were in the driver's seat and scored to tie the game. But just as soon as the Green Army was sitting back down, the game, however, will be defined by two sloppy Forshaw challenges that turned yellow to red and Plymouth Argyle would play a man down for an hour. The rest of the game saw Argyle playing on their backfoot, with QPR generally dictating possession and chances. It'd take deep into the second half for QPR to get some solid chances, but the Argyle keeper made a number of stops and not allow a second concession. QPR, at home, would drop two points as the game finished 1-1, but not before Ossako decided to make an overly ambitious attempt at a ball that led to a straight red card around stoppage time.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Week 3 Championship
West Bromwich Albion v Stoke City - An incredible first half. WBA see themselves up 1-0 quickly and then a WBA attacked sneaks behind the Stoke defense, shoots the ball towards the attacking Stoke keeper who gets just enough hand to the ball to give a defender enough time to slide and sweep the ball away... but it went to another WBA attacker who quickly shot, but only managed to see the shot deflected by another Stoke defender driving in to the play. Almost immediately after, Stoke City head up the field. A brilliant pass into Koumas who was now behind the defense was able to slot the ball into the back of the net at the Brtittania.... Bet 365. WBA would get up the first later in the half and catch the Stoke defense sleeping, and line up a shot that neatly found itself into the far corner of the net. Stoke City came close to drawing even again late in the first half, but Koumas's shot would find the post. The second half didn't have as much drama, but Stoke City took advantage of some sloppy ball handling to steal the ball and hit the woodwork once again. WBA takes the three away points.

Week 2 EPL
Liverpool v Brentford - LFC have their first match at home. They start a bit slow again, but an incredible counterattack saw Jota perfectly weight a pass to Diaz, who finished the shot clinically. Salah would double up on it by the half. That would be the end of the scoring, but Brentford kept at it, not falling apart and keeping LFC honest.

Wolves v Chelsea - I only caught the first half, but it was a cracker that finished 2-2. The final wasn't as kind to Wolves at 6-2, but the first half was a back and forth affair that kicked serious butt.