Manchester United fans saved from further boredom by Jesse Lingard

Manchester United are still a bore, but Jesse Lingard is trying to do something about that. Thanks to a combination of injuries and Memphis Depay’s poor form, the Red Devils academy product has been thrust into the lineup, and he delivered with a stunning goal against West Bromwich Albion that was perhaps the highlight of Saturday’s action.

And then there’s Chelsea. Poor Chelsea. They lost again, and Jose Mourinho will be livid, since they were denied a clear penalty late in the second half. West Ham and Everton entertained as well, while Sunderland continued to be Sunderland.

Saturday scores

It’s not obvious what’s wrong with Chelsea. It’s also not obvious if firing Jose Mourinho will fix anything. But what’s coming increasingly clear is that they are going to have a very, very difficult time getting back into the top four. They’re currently 13 points behind fourth, and if you don’t believe in Leicester City at all, nine points behind Tottenham Hotspur and six behind Liverpool. Last season’s top four teams all lost eight games or fewer. Chelsea have already lost seven.

This skid is not just unprecedented for Chelsea, but just about any top team in the Premier League era. And pretty soon, they’re going to have to start planning for what a summer without Champions League football looks like.

Here’s your likely goal of the week, though there’s another contender below. Manuel Lanzini hasn’t been terribly consistent for West Ham, but the goals and assists he does record have generally been outrageous.

Sunderland and Bournemouth both lost again, and like Chelsea, they’re slipping into a place where they’re going to find it difficult to avoid the drop unless an unsuspecting contender for the drop emerges. Leicester City clearly aren’t going down this year, while Watford have racked up an impressive 16 points so far. The only team close to the bottom three that was predicted to be in a relegation scrap this year is Norwich City, and they just snapped their losing streak against Swansea City. It would be somewhat surprising to see a big shake-up in the bottom three.

Meet 22-year-old Manchester United academy product Jesse Lingard. He’s been impressing on preseason tours and loans for quite some time, but much to the dismay of fans, he hasn’t gotten much of a chance in the first team. He got a start on Saturday, and this is what he did with it. Bravo.