Man City remain title favourites

AFRICAN FLAIR
The Hornets made it consecutive league wins at St James Park courtesy of two more strikes from the Nigerian international. Ighalo has scored 20 goals in 24 league appearances in 2015 – more than any other player in the top four tiers this year. The 26-year-old’s contribution this term has accounted for four of his side’s five strikes, propelling Quique Sanchez Flores’ side into the top half of the table.

Newcastle 0 Chelsea 2
Jose Mourinho returns to St James Park keenly aware of his poor record there. Chelsea are staggering from one crisis to another, with the sweetness of victories over Arsenal and Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League watered down by Diego Costa’s three-game ban and Dr Eva Caneiro’s acrimonious departure. I am tipping the champions because Newcastle are a shambles.

Tottenham 1 Man City 1
In recent years, Spurs have suffered badly in this fixture. City were back to their lethal best mid-week during a Capital One Cup fixture in which they dismantled Sunderland with consummate ease. Kevin de Bruyne has surprised me with the ease with which he has fitted into English football. He will once again be the man to watch.

West Brom 0 Everton 0
West Brom have had their best results away from home because they are built to counter-attack. I can’t see how a striking line that has mustered four goals is going to puncture a back four marshalled by the trio of Seamus Coleman, Phil Jagielka and John Stones.

Liverpool 2 Aston Villa 1
The Villains have repeatedly tormented the Kop in recent duels courtesy of man-mountain Christian Benteke. I expect him to quickly forge a devastating partnership with the returning Daniel Sturridge to put Villa to the sword. Liverpool created chances aplenty against Norwich. A repeat performance will deliver the three points to assuage the pressure on manager Brendan Rodgers.

Watford 1 C. Palace 1
Odion Ighalo is another of those players making light work of bridging the gap between the Championship and EPL along with Callum Wilson and Bakary Sakho. He will be a key player as the Hornets confront a Palace side that has lost only two of their last 11 away English Premiership games. This should be a physically draining thriller as Watford are no pushovers.

Man Utd 3 Sunderland 1
Teenage sensation Anthony Martial’s dream start to his Utd career is papering over Wayne Rooney’s poor league form. His arrival has given Utd real muscle to trouble opposition defenses. The elements of a Sunderland revival exist as players like Fabio Borini, Jeremain Lens, Yann M’Villa and Ola Toivonen will eventually come good. But this game has come too early.

Leicester 1 Arsenal 2
Isn’t it possible to field both Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott? I don’t buy into the idea that Arsenal cannot play both simultaneously. Leicester City are the only unbeaten side in the division, which implies they won’t be minced meat but they had close shaves at home to Villa and away to Stoke. I think this time they are caving in.

Southampton 1 Swansea 1
Swansea have lost some of the mojo with which they approached games in the opening four games. Ronald Koeman’s Saints are, on the other hand, slowly rediscovering the form which made them the surprise team of last season. Italian Graziano Pelle and Sadio Mane should be the difference.

Stoke City 2 B’mouth 1
The wait cannot go on any longer. Stoke must start winning games and I think newcomers Bournemouth would be a good starting point. The Potters are usually impenetrable at the Brittania Stadium, so manager Mark Hughes will instruct his charges to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s clumsiness.

West Ham 3 Norwich 2
I was genuinely impressed by the resilience the Canaries showed at Anfield where they cost punters by grabbing a share of the spoils. The newcomers will therefore have no fear when they travel to Upton Park to face Slaven Bilic’s well-chiselled Hammers. Home advantage and the Dmitri Payet factor should tip the game in the Hammers’ favour.