A 1-0 win over Arsenal combined with Leicester City being held to a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth opened the door for the Gunners to make their move at the top of the table this past weekend in the Premier League. Arsenal climbed two points clear at the top and while there is still a long way to go they have to be considered the favorites with the perfect balance of firepower up front and an improved back end. The Gunners moving in to sole possession of first place wasn’t the only impressive storyline this past week. Here is a quick look at some of the important news and notes from around the Premier League.
Vardy Sidelined With Injury
After taking the Premier League by storm with his incredible goal scoring run, Leicester’s star striker Jamie Vardy will miss the next two weeks after undergoing minor surgery to address a nagging hamstring injury that had hampered his level of play over the past couple of games. Vardy leads the Premier League with 15 goals this season but he will likely be forced to miss the team’s next game against Tottenham and with Arsenal leapfrogging them in the standings this past weekend it’s clear Leicester’s contention at the top is suddenly in doubt. The majority of soccer experts expected that Leicester would stumble eventually and Vardy’s injury could lead to at least a minor stumble with a tough test against Spurs coming up. Leicester is currently second in the EPL table with 40 points. They have scored a total 37 goals in 20 games this season, which is the most in the league.
Mourinho Gets Unlikely Job Offer
Former Chelsea bench boss Jose Mourinho has reportedly been hotly pursued as a free agent since his dismissal from the Blues but there was some funny news out of Brazil with the most unlikely of teams making an offer to him. Ibis Sport Club became known as the worst team in the world after failing to win a single game between 1980 and 1984 and their offer to Mourinho was pretty hilarious when you consider it included being paid in food. For what it’s worth, the offer was made on Brazil’s equivalent of April Fool’s Day but as long as Mourinho is out of work it’s hard to imagine him finding much humor in it.
Chelsea Breaks Through On The Road
Ibis Sport Club’s offer likely didn’t make Mourinho smile and neither did Chelsea’s success after they found a way to break through on the road with a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace. The victory was the first on the road for the Blues since August and with four straight games with at least a point it looks like Chelsea is suddenly climbing since Mourinho’s dismissal. The Blues have two wins and two draws over their last four games and every point they collect must feel like salt in the wounds for Mourinho. The Blues are now sitting in 14th place in the EPL table with 23 points. They have already allowed 29 goals in 20 games this season after allowing just 32 in 38 games all of last season.
Hazard Will Have MRI
It wasn’t all good news for Chelsea over the weekend as Eden Hazard was forced from their win over Crystal Palace with a groin injury and will have an MRI after tweaking a muscle inside his groin. Hazard, like pretty much every other player for the Blues this season, has struggled so far this year but he remains a world-class player that has the potential to produce and Chelsea fans will hope to have him back soon as they look to make a push up the standings over this next stretch. They need him in the lineup as they’ve scored just 26 times in 20 games, which is a stark contrast to the 73 goals they tallied in 38 games last season (almost 2.0 per game).
