WHY SAY ANYTHING?

Mike Dean is recognised as a top referee. He is awarded many of the pivotal games in the Premier League. What is less well known is which team he actually supports.

Well, all can now be revealed because, on the evidence of the game at The Vitality stadium, he is a Bournemouth fan. Having spurned two very good, (and obvious), opportunities to send off Bournemouth players he eventually sent off Raheem Sterling for celebrating a goal!

It seems that, with Mike in charge, players are more likely to be sent off for a non-sending-off offence than for one which would merit that punishment.

To be fair he did book five players from each team for minor offences but ignored an obvious sending off for Nathan Aké, preferring, to everyone’s amazement, to give him a yellow card for blatantly preventing a goalscoring opportunity.

This was another game which saw City go behind and, as against Everton at The Etihad, they struggled to create chances. They did, in fairness, equalise quite soon after losing the lead, but it was to be a very long time before they scored the winner.

When it came it was a little fortuitous as it appeared to be a mis-kick from Sterling which floated, as though in slow motion, into the net. Up until that moment Sterling had, in truth, been one of City’s worst players and it was a little surprising that he was still on the pitch.

Anyway, cue wild celebrations from the travelling City fans which Sterling, against his better judgement, saw fit to join in meaning he did leave the game before the end.

So Pep Guardiola has solved his full backs problem by buying some new ones, now all he needs to do is solve the goalscoring problem. He has the players, he just needs the chances to be put in front of them.

When this happens, as it inevitably will, City will kick on and start winning regularly.

Manchester United kicked off against Leicester City later in the day with an expectant crowd hoping for another four goals from the home team. They were to be disappointed in that respect.

Leicester City are undoubtedly a better team than either West Ham United or Swansea City and their defending was proof of this fact for long periods of the game.

When United did eventually score, having already missed an earlier penalty, the expected opening of the floodgates didn’t happen. The game did open up slightly as Leicester had to come out to try and score but United only managed one more goal which was actually marginally offside.

So a 2-0 win keeps the reds at the top of the table and, until tomorrow at least, they are two points clear of the rest.

As José Mourinho likes to keep reminding everybody, United won their first three games last season and finished sixth so nobody needs to get carried away just yet.

Now we just await the results from Sunday’s games where we are hoping that Everton can “do a Burnley” against Chelsea. We also hope that Burnley can “do a Burnley” but this time against Tottenham Hotspur and that the expected goal fest from Anfield results in either a draw or a Liverpool win.

That would round off a perfect weekend and, if it happens, may there be many more of them.