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EPL Winners and Losers After Sunday's 2019 Week 3 Premier League Results
August 25, 2019
Defending Premier League champions Manchester City cruised to a 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Sunday, while Tottenham Hotspur suffered a shock defeat against Newcastle United and Burnley gave away a strong position late in a draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Sergio Aguero was the star for the Sky Blues, with two goals. David Silva provided two assists on his 400th match for the club.
Joelinton opened his Premier League account in north London, and Raul Jimenez converted a late penalty for Wolves.
Sunday Results
Bournemouth 1-3 Manchester City
Spurs 0-1 Newcastle
Wolves 1-1 Burnley
Here are some of Sunday's top winners and losers.
Winner: Raheem Sterling's Fantasy Owners
Sterling scored City's second goal on Sunday and his fifth of the season, continuing his run of scoring in every single match.
The former Liverpool star could have had more goals, missing two promising chances, and is taking full advantage of the fine passing form of Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. He's a crucial part of a high-scoring team and will undoubtedly remain a popular fantasy pick as long as he stays healthy.
Some of his fantasy owners wanted more from the England international on Sunday, and Sterling promised to try even harder in the future:
With five goals in three matches already, the thought of Sterling trying even harder against Brighton & Hove Albion in Week 4 is a scary one.
Loser: Spurs' Title Hopes
Tottenham were a popular pick as one of the Premier League's most improved teams after a summer that saw the arrival of the likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso. UEFA Champions League finalists last season, they were even seen as potential title contenders, but after a poor start to the season, those hopes have taken a major hit.
The draw against City in Week 2 was a solid result, but losing at home to Newcastle―who started the season with two straight loses―is a dreadful outcome and already puts Spurs five points behind Liverpool.
Per sports writer Andrew Gaffney, all is not well ahead of an early derby against Arsenal:
The Gunners have won two of three and could deliver an even bigger blow to their rivals' title hopes at home next Sunday.
Winner: Premier League's Competitive Balance
The gap between the Premier League's Big Six―City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and United―and the rest of the pack stood at nine points at the end of last season, and that was a campaign in which sixth-placed finishers United dropped points in their last five matches.
The gap doesn't look nearly as wide early in the 2019-20 season, however, and Week 3 saw plenty of upsets and close calls. Newcastle beat Spurs, Crystal Palace won away to United and newly promoted Norwich City nearly held Chelsea to a draw. Another promoted team, Aston Villa, beat Everton, highlighting the competitive balance isn't just limited to the top clubs and midfield.
It's still early in the season, and in all likelihood, the Big Six will recover and take up the top six spots in the standings by the end of the campaign. But for now, the Premier League looks a lot more balanced than it did last season.
Loser: Gabriel Jesus' Starting Bid
Jesus was a double loser on Sunday, starting with the news he'll be sidelined until after the international break with a hamstring injury:
The 22-year-old then had to watch veteran forward Aguero score twice, further justifying his spot as City's unquestioned top striker. The 31-year-old has scored in every Premier League match so far this season, showing no signs of slowing down.
Jesus has played second fiddle to Aguero since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium, and that won't change as long as the latter continues to find the target with remarkable consistency. Add to that an injury early in the season―opening the door for someone like Riyad Mahrez to push for a bigger role with a solid spell―and Jesus may be even further from a starting position when he gets back in September.