Premier League Matchday 7 is officially in the books, with the Premier League season continuing to take shape.
Premier League Matchday 7 began Saturday, October 17, with Chelsea defeating Everton 2-0, giving the Toffees their first loss of the season. It concluded on Monday with Tottenham’s first win of the season, as they beat Coventry City 3-1. Manchester City remain the only team to have won all their games this season and still lead the Premier League by three points.
As teams find their form after the two-week international break, Premier League Matchday 7 showed which teams are building momentum and which are showing flaws. From exciting drama to tight contests, here are my biggest takeaways from Premier League Matchday 7.
Three Key Takeaways From Premier League Matchday 7
1. Arsenal Lack a Difference-Maker in Hard-Fought Win Over Nottingham Forest
Arsenal did what they were supposed to do this week, taking an away win over Nottingham Forest to stay within three points of Manchester City for now, pending the Cityzens’ future punishment. However, they had to fight harder than they should to win.
It wasn’t a pretty win for the Gunners in Premier League Matchday 7 as they struggled to threaten and break down Nottingham Forest for most of the game. Nottingham Forest have been one of the worst Premier League teams this season, with only one win, a -4 goal difference, and no home goals in any competition. Yet Arsenal struggled to break them down, despite having 74% possession.
Arsenal had fewer shots, corners, duels won, and shots on target than Nottingham Forest, and David Raya made two critical saves to keep the game scoreless. They were also very lucky on their goal, as Noni Madueke’s shot in the 80th minute was deflected off Nottingham defender Jair Cunha’s knee into the back of the net.
In the end, this Premier League Matchday 7 result spoke more to Arsenal’s lack of a difference-maker in attack.
The attack lacked quality throughout, as they didn’t get a single shot on target in eight attempts before scoring the winner with their only shot on target. They looked disjointed in the first half, and Mikel Arteta didn’t hesitate to make changes, bringing on Madueke for Eberechi Eze at the start of the second half to inject energy.
The team looked better in the second half but still struggled, as Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz combined for two shots before Arteta took Havertz off in the 66th minute.
Arteta deserves credit for his substitutions, as his four subs combined for four of the team’s nine shots. However, the attack struggled again: Havertz struggled in the No.9 role, Saka didn’t take a shot, Viktor Gyokeres continues to lack confidence, and despite scoring the game-winner, Madueke hasn’t made much impact this season. He’s scored only two goals and provided one assist in 10 games across all competitions.
This team has relied heavily on their midfield and defence to grind out wins, including last season, but that’s starting to catch up, as four of their six Premier League wins have been by only one goal.
This has also been evident in the Champions League, as they still haven’t scored a first-half goal. If Arsenal want to repeat as Premier League champions or even avenge their Champions League final defeat last season, they’ll need to win games more convincingly.
Someone in the attack must step up and become a consistent difference-maker. Otherwise, Arsenal may have to turn to the January transfer window to address the problem.
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2. Chelsea Look Like Title Contenders After Away Win Over Everton
Before the international break, Chelsea looked like a team with many issues, having conceded the most goals in the Premier League and failing to win a league game in September. However, the Blues appear to have turned things around, as shown by their win over Everton in Premier League Matchday 7, which makes us wonder whether they are ready to challenge for the Premier League title.
Chelsea looks to have solved their defensive fragilities during the international break. Since returning from the break, they have conceded just one goal in two matches, including a clean sheet in their Premier League Matchday 7 win over Everton. In the win, the defence played their best game of the season, limiting Everton’s offence, which has scored a goal or more in every game except one, to six shots, five on target.
The Toffees finished with an expected goals rate of 0.45, their season low, and had less possession at 47%. This was Chelsea’s first clean sheet in their last 23 Premier League games.
The Blues’ attack also performed well in the second half after both teams struggled to break through in the first. Pedro Neto played his best game of the season for the Blues, scoring both goals, and the team looked more threatening, with 18 shots, five on target. The midfield also controlled the game, with 12 of the team’s 18 shots, more possession, and the most duels won.
Despite losing goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to a head injury, Chelsea delivered its best and most complete performance of the season, with everything clicking. The defence finally looks stable, while the attack remains one of England’s best. Losing Martinez for the foreseeable future is concerning, but Chelsea should be fine with backup goalkeeper Mike Penders, who has shown flashes of brilliance at Genk.
If Premier League Matchday 7 was any indication, Chelsea looks ready to challenge for the Premier League title, with Xabi Alonso’s squad sitting fourth on 13 points and eight behind Manchester City.
3. Tottenham Show Signs of Life in Win Over Coventry City
For five matchdays, Tottenham looked like one of the worst teams in the Premier League, failing to win a game and taking until Matchday 5 to score their first goal. However, the team has looked much better after the international break and now looks set to find their form, as they got their first win of the season over Coventry City in Premier League Matchday 7.
Spurs put in their best performance of the season in Premier League Matchday 7, doing many things they hadn’t done this season. They not only scored their most goals in a Premier League match this season, but they also took their first lead, with a goal from James Maddison in the 14th minute.
This was Spurs’ first goal of the first half this season, and they went into halftime with the lead. Madisson’s first start in 526 days after back-to-back injuries sparked the team, as they looked dangerous in attack and didn’t allow any shots on target in the first half.
Coventry City responded quickly in the second half, tying the game four minutes in. Unused to losing a lead, the Spurs showed resilience and retook it in the 58th minute. Even though it got nervy for Tottenham toward the end, they managed to kill off the game, with Ben Davies’ stoppage-time goal clinching the victory. For a team that had failed to find momentum this season, this was a strong, pressure-tested response.
Despite an expected goals rate of only 0.87, Tottenham made the most of their chances, scoring three goals from five shots on target. They dominated possession, holding 65%, and allowed Coventry City only one shot on target. Their summer signings made an impact, as Omar Marmoush scored his first goal of the season in Premier League Matchday 7.
It’s too early to tell whether Tottenham have turned a corner after a disastrous start to the season. However, this Premier League Matchday 7 win was an encouraging sign, as Spurs finally looked clinical in attack and conceded only one shot on target to a Coventry City side that had won back-to-back games before this match.
This win will keep Roberto De Zerbi off the hot seat for a while, as Tottenham are out of the relegation zone, sitting 16th, and it should give them momentum heading into next week’s showdown with Chelsea.
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Extra Time Notes
After seven matchdays, every Premier League team has won a game, as Bournemouth, Fulham, and Tottenham were the only teams that hadn’t won a game heading into Premier League Matchday 7. The gap between sixth and last is six points, making the stretch before the new year critical as teams look to pull away in the standings.
Premier League Matchday 7 showed that some teams have turned a corner this season, as Chelsea and Liverpool got big wins this week to move into the top five, showing they can make a run at the Premier League title, especially with Man City facing foreseeable punishment. Aston Villa are also playing better, with an unbeaten run in their last three Premier League games as they look to rebound from their slow start to the season.
However, it also showed that teams like Manchester United continue to struggle, as they have now gone five consecutive Premier League matches without a win and sit 13th in the table. Unexpected teams that got off to a fast start this season are cooling off; Hull City, for example, have now gone three consecutive games without a win, including their loss to Fulham in Premier League Matchday 7.
For now, Brighton still look like Arsenal’s biggest title threat, with no signs of slowing down after blowing out Crystal Palace 5-0. However, Chelsea and Liverpool look like teams that can get back into the title picture if things keep clicking and they stay consistent. The Premier League table should get interesting as teams look to gain separation.
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