EPL Winners and Losers After Saturday's 2019/20 Week 28 Premier League Results
Liverpool fell to their first Premier League defeat of the season on Saturday, losing 3-0 to an inspired Watford at Vicarage Road, with Ismaila Sarr grabbing two goals and an assist.
Chelsea continue to struggle with their form, drawing 2-2 at Bournemouth after a tough test on the south coast that saw the visitors need a late equaliser from Marcos Alonso to avoid defeat.
Elsewhere, West Ham United gained a vital 3-1 victory over Southampton, Crystal Palace stole a 1-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley held Newcastle United to a 0-0 draw.
Saturday's Results
Brighton 0-1 Crystal Palace
Bournemouth 2-2 Chelsea
Newcastle 0-0 Burnley
West Ham 3-1 Southampton
Watford 3-0 Liverpool
Winners and Losers
Winner: Ismaila Sarr
The Watford starlet will be the name on the lips of Premier League fans tonight after his stunning display against Liverpool.
Sarr faced off against his more highly touted Senegal team-mate Sadio Mane, but it was the the Hornets attacker who shone brightest at Vicarage Road.
Watford were always the aggressors in the contest, and Sarr's willingness to run beyond the Reds' defence defined the outcome. After two years impressing at Rennes prior to joining Watford in the summer, the winger gave a glimpse of the talent he holds with a masterclass against the leaders.
Sarr prodded the ball home from close range after 54 minutes and added a second with a sublime finish over the onrushing Alisson on the hour mark.
Arsenal fans will likely be delighted by Sarr's performance, with the Gunners remaining the only unbeaten side in Premier League history:
Troy Deeney grabbed a third with 18 minutes left after being found by Sarr on the edge of the area with Alisson stranded following a poor back pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Loser: Dejan Lovren
The centre-back is no longer a regular starter for Liverpool, and his ninth league game of the season turned into a nightmare.
The Reds' defence lacked their usual organisation and control, but the Croatian was specifically exposed by Watford's pace and guile.
Lovren partnered Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the back four after Klopp opted to leave Joel Matip on the bench and with Joe Gomez missing because of injury.
However, the experienced duo were bullied by Deeney throughout the encounter. Liverpool appeared stretched across the back, allowing Sarr to exploit the open space.
OptaJoe highlighted the significance behind the display:
Lovren might struggle to find his way back into the starting XI after this result. His display wasn't the only poor performance for Liverpool, but the usual competition in his position could see him squeezed out.
Winners: The Invincibles
Arsenal's 2003-04 Premier League winners were big winners on Saturday, with Liverpool finally losing their first game of the season with only 10 matches remaining.
An unbeaten league campaign seemed well within reach for a dominant Liverpool side this season, but they ran into a Watford side who outclassed them on the day.
Presenter Gary Lineker recognised the importance of the result for the Gunners:
Liverpool's achievements from a magnificent season cannot be ignored. However, they will be incredibly disappointed to lose their unbeaten record in such circumstances.
Loser: Frank Lampard
Chelsea's manager was staring defeat in the face once again on Saturday, but his team collected a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.
The Blues playing legend has struggled to find the answers to his team's dilemmas, and the Stamford Bridge club look anything but a UEFA Champions League side.
Alonso's 33rd-minute opener had given the visitors control, but strikes from Jefferson Lerma and Joshua King within three minutes of each other flipped the game on its head.
Lampard will be thankful for Alonso's equaliser with only five minutes remaining, and Chelsea could have taken three points with better finishing.
The fourth-placed team have won just two of eight league games since the turn of the year, and Lampard must find a way to glue together his squad during the run-in.
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
