TS Eliot wrote that April is the cruellest month, and certainly the month has proved trying for some already.
But who found the first day of the month to be the cruellest, and who made fools of their opponents?
Results
Liverpool 3-1 Everton
Burnley 0-2 Tottenham
Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace
Hull City 2-1 West Ham
Leicester City 2-0 Stoke City
Manchester United 0-0 West Brom
Watford 1-0 Sunderland
Southampton 0-0 Bournemouth
Is there anybody left?
Seriously, the next batch of football boots need to have some kind of cotton wool/bubble wrap lining or something, because it seems just about everyone has injured themselves.
Harry Winks and Victor Wanyama were both taken off in Tottenham’s game at Burnley, with the former’s injury looking the most serious, while Victor Moses was ruled out of Chelsea’s defeat against Crystal Palace.
And unsurprisingly, injuries and knocks were the talk of Merseyside, too – Adam Lallana was ruled out, while Sadio Mane came off needing treatment. Emre Can and Dejan Lovren both suffered nasty looking tackles as well.
Cancel the trophy parade… for now
Yes, Chelsea’s party poppers might have to go unpopped for a while longer, with some suggesting they might even need a full refund on them after Palace’s surprising victory at the Bridge.
That result means there are just seven points between the Blues and Tottenham, with Antonio Conte’s men hosting Manchester City on Wednesday. Put the cake back in the cupboard, Cesc Fabregas.
Giving ‘relegation form’ a new meaning
Just a few weeks ago, things looked very gloomy indeed for Hull City, Crystal Palace and Leicester City, who all tasted the bitterness of the relegation zone.
After this weekend however, things are looking up for the group. The Foxes and the Eagles have incredibly both won all of their last four league games, while Hull beat West Ham 2-1 to bring themselves just goal difference away from safety.
Could all three survive?
‘Draw me, like one of your United games’
19 - This is now Jose Mourinho's longest unbeaten run in the Premier League since October 2005 with Chelsea (40 games). Solace. pic.twitter.com/seLVLoxfXk
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 1, 2017
Manchester United have drawn 11 league games out of 28 so far this season, an incredible stat.
The latest of those came at home to West Brom, in a 0-0 thriller against Tony Pulis’s side – Jose Mourinho’s men are unbeaten in 19 games, but have tied nine of those. You could go unbeaten all season and still go down…
Stat of the day
4 - Sam Allardyce is the first manager to win a Premier League game against Chelsea in charge of four different clubs. Scope. pic.twitter.com/oiqXAieUjf
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 1, 2017
And last but not least, we quite enjoyed this – wins against Chelsea with four different teams isn’t something many have done, but then not many have managed four Premier League clubs either.
What happened to the 19th century football, Big Sam?
