Barclays Premier League Table: 2015 EPL Outlook After Saturday's Week 5 Results
Anthony Martial scored on his Premier League debut to give Manchester United a 3-1 win over Liverpool in Saturday's marquee clash between historic rivals.
Defending champions Chelsea suffered yet another loss, their third of the season, as Everton beat them 3-1 at Goodison Park. Combined with Manchester City's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, it looks as if the Blues have already been knocked out of the title race.
Arsenal easily took care of business against Stoke City, meanwhile, winning 2-0.
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Here are the results from Saturday's fixtures:
| Everton | 3-1 | Chelsea |
| Arsenal | 2-0 | Stoke City |
| Crystal Palace | 0-1 | Manchester City |
| Norwich City | 3-1 | Bournemouth |
| Watford | 1-0 | Swansea City |
| WBA | 0-0 | Southampton |
| Manchester United | 3-1 | Liverpool |
The current Premier League standings:
| 1 | Manchester City | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | +11 | 15 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 10 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 10 |
| 4 | Crystal Palace | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 9 |
| 5 | Leicester | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 8 |
| 6 | Everton | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 8 |
| 7 | Swansea | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 8 |
| 8 | Norwich | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 7 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | -3 | 7 |
| 10 | West Ham | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 6 |
| 11 | Southampton | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 12 | Watford | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 6 |
| 13 | West Bromwich Albion | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 5 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 4 |
| 15 | Bournemouth | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 4 |
| 16 | Chelsea | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 4 |
| 17 | Tottenham | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 2 |
| 19 | Sunderland | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 2 |
| 20 | Stoke | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 2 |
Recap
Martial's late goal wiped out all hopes of a Liverpool comeback, despite a stunning goal from Christian Benteke, as the Red Devils hung on for a 3-1 win over the Reds.
The two rivals served up a dreadful first half, which saw the majority of play take place near the centre circle and little in terms of chances.
As shared by Squawka Football, neither team tried even a single shot on target:
Fortunately, the second half provided more excitement. Daley Blind gave the hosts the lead after 49 minutes, scoring an absolute beauty after a Juan Mata free-kick, and Ander Herrera doubled United's advantage from the penalty spot.
Liverpool played absolutely dreadful for much of the second half, but Benteke restored some hope with a stunning overhead goal, an early contender for Premier League goal of the season. It was an absolutely stunning goal, but ultimately, it didn't matter much, as Martial scored his first goal for United minutes later to secure the win.
Daniel Storey of Football365 put it this way:
The win sees United rise to second place on the table, five points behind Manchester City, and, while the Red Devils still look unlikely to challenge for the Premier League title this season, a top-three finish seems plausible, given the spotty form of Liverpool and Chelsea.
Substitute Steven Naismith came off the bench to score all three goals for the Toffees, and, per Squawka Football, the 28-year-old became the first player to score a Premier League hat trick against a team managed by Jose Mourinho, as Everton beat Chelsea 3-1:
Naismith gave the hosts a two-goal cushion with two strikes in five minutes, and, while Nemanja Matic restored some hope for the Blues' faithful, another Naismith goal late in the second half sealed the visitors' fate.
Chelsea have now lost three of their first five matches, and at the time of writing, the defending champions occupy 16th place in the standings―just two spots and two points above the relegation zone.
According to Mourinho, a lack of confidence is killing the team:
Chelsea's start to the campaign has been a disaster, and with title favourites Manchester City charging out of the gates, the Blues' bid to repeat as champions already seems over.
The gap between the two sides is now 11 points following the Citizens' 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, with 18-year-old Kelechi Iheanacho scoring the winner late in the match.
The Eagles gave City a tough challenge and had several chances to take the lead, but Iheanacho took advantage of one defensive miscue to win his side the match. Samir Nasri's shot was blocked back into traffic, and the defenders were too slow to react, allowing the attacker to prod home from close range.
BBC's John Bennett wasn't surprised the youngster made such an impact, given his record when playing on the youth level:
Kevin de Bruyne made his City debut midway through the first half, replacing the injured Sergio Aguero, and the Belgium international looked solid in his first Premier League appearance in years. His passing was as crisp as ever, and it's hard to see anyone stealing the title from the Citizens once he becomes a starter.
Their main competitors right now appear to be Arsenal, which climbed to second place in the standings by beating Stoke City 2-0. Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud took care of the scoring, while pass-master Mesut Ozil put together another vintage performance.
As shared by OptaJoe, the Germany international is in a league of his own when it comes to creating chances:
With Ozil in fine form, Arsenal will present any team with a challenge, and the Gunners will challenge City for the title this season. The Citizens still appear to have the edge in overall quality, particularly in defence and attack, having scored more goals and conceded less than any other team in the league.
In Saturday's other results, West Bromwich Albion held Southampton to a scoreless draw, Watford beat Swansea City 1-0 and Norwich City recorded a 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
