Arsenal in decline


Key Opta Stat 1: Only West Ham United (10) have conceded more Premier League goals this season than Arsenal (8).

Key Opta Stat 2: Arsenal didn't attempt a single shot on target in this match - the first time they haven't had one in a Premier League game since October 5th 2014 (vs Chelsea).

Key Opta Stat 3: Arsenal have lost nine of their last 14 Premier League away matches (W4 D1 L9) - their previous nine away defeats in the competition came over a period of 47 games (W25 D13 L9).

A 4-0 defeat is never a good result but those Opta stats above highlight just how bad Arsenal's Sunday afternoon capitulation at Anfield was and point to a wider, more worrying malaise at the north London club.

That Lorus Karius was never even called upon to make a proper save across an entire 90 minutes of action damns an attack containing last year's 24 goal hero and supposed key man, Alexis Sanchez, and for the final 30 minutes the £52.7m summer signing, Alexander Lacazette.

Liverpool are clearly good for goals and there will be other teams on the wrong end of heavy defeats at Anfield this season, but it's quite shocking that Arsenal's backline has the second worst record in the Premier League so far (admittedly only through the first three games).

But perhaps the worse aspect to the current Arsenal fiasco is the final stat - one that points to genuine erosion of their former superiority and scotches any hope of an unlikely title assault from Wenger's men.

The Gunners have tasted defeat in nine of their last 14 top-flight games across this season and last, a record to rival only those in the bottom half of the table if widened out to cover an entire campaign.

Last season saw the Gunners finish outside the top four for the first time since 1995-96, and everyone at the club must have craved a positive start to this campaign. But save for an opening day defeat of Leicester, itself achieved via two goals scored after the 80th minute, it's been disheartening stuff and quotes of 30.00 to win the league do not look outlandish or overpriced in any way.

No August goals for Kane but so what...


Key Opta Stat 1: Harry Kane has failed to score in every Premier League match he has played in August (13 games), despite attempting 42 shots in those games.

Key Opta Stat 2: Dele Alli has been involved in 23 goals in his last 25 Premier League games (17 goals, 6 assists).

Key Opta Stat 3: Spurs dropped their first points after going ahead in a Premier League game since losing 2-1 to Chelsea in November 2016 - they had won 21 consecutive matches when taking the lead before today.

After finishing as the Premier League's top goalscorer for the last two seasons Kane has been matched at a low of 4.00 to be the Top Goalscorer this term, but once again he's failed to find the net in the month of August. But punters needn't worry. Despite not scoring during August in his short career so far Kane still notched 25 league goals in 2015/16, and 29 last term.

The good news then is that Kane not scoring in August isn't a negative at all, and yet he can now be backed at 5.40 to take top goalscoring honours this season.

In the same market Dele Alli can be backed at 60.00 yet the young Englishman has one of the best goals per games ratios in the Premier League in 2017. Tottenham's brilliant attacking midfielder has scored 17 goals in his last 25 matches, and if he can carry on at the rate over a 38-goal season he'd be notching somewhere close to 26 goals.

So if goalscoring isn't expected to be a concern for Tottenham and their star players after the international break then perhaps Spurs' form at Wembley is. After going the whole season unbeaten at White Hart Lane last term Mauricio Pochettino's men have already dropped five points in just two games at their temporary home.

Failing to beat Burnley was a big surprise on Sunday afternoon, especially after Tottenham had taken the lead in the game. It's the first time in 22 matches. that Spurs had taken the lead and yet failed to win a Premier League game. Pochettino's men are out to 19.00 to win the title, and they can be backed at 2.04for a Top 4 Finish.

Morata key to any Chelsea success


Key Opta Stat 1: Alvaro Morata is the first player in Premier League history to both score & assist a goal in each of his first two home games.

Key Opta Stat 2: Eight of Alvaro Morata's 17 league goals since the start of 2016-17 have been headers (47%).

Chelsea have bounced back from their opening day defeat to Burnley with two impressive wins over top six contenders Tottenham and Everton, and all talk of a crisis at Stamford Bridge has gone quiet.

But while the Diego Costa saga rumbles on, his replacement Alvaro Morata has made an impressive start to his Chelsea career, as the Opta stats above suggest.

You can do no more than make history, and the former Real Madrid man has done exactly that suggesting that he's going to be key to everything good Antonio Conte's men do this season. After being matched at 11.50 following that defeat to Bunley, the Blues are now 6.60 to win the title while Morata can be backed at 12.50 to be the season's Top Goalscorer.

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