Old Trafford played host to the result of the weekend, where Manchester United fell 3-1 to Roberto De Zerbi’s flying seagulls. While it looks awful on paper, it’s even worse for the Red Devils when you take a deeper look. They could have let in more, and their consolation goal failed to spark any serious attempt at a comeback. To add insult to injury, Aaron Wan-Bissaka will now be missing for several weeks, and Erik Ten Hag appears to be losing some of his poise. Brighton’s quality shouldn’t get lost in all the fuss, however, and the Seagulls head into their first ever European match buoyant after claiming yet another win off a side competing for the biggest prizes. Simon Adingra made his full debut for the club and looked remarkably sharp - add him to the list of Brighton’s astute additions. 

While United’s continued struggles understandably got the most airtime, the real hero of the weekend was the comeback win. Tottenham Hotspur pulled off the most dramatic of the lot, winning against newly-promoted Sheffield United via two goals deep into stoppage time. Wes Foderingham could prove crucial to any Sheffield survival, as the keeper provides a very solid base from which the club can attack, which they did. The Blades took the lead in the 73rd minute, through a smart strike from Gustavo Hamer, and they managed to hang on for quite awhile. However, part of that hanging on involved delaying tactics, which meant 12 minutes of posted stoppage time. That was more than enough for Richarlison, who came on as a sub following his public struggles with his mental health.The Brazilian nodded home an excellent header and provided the ball for Kulusevski’s winner. It was a great moment for the player, and it was wonderful to see him performing. The good vibe parade of early Ange-ball marches on - fans are happy in North London. 

Aston Villa and Crystal Palace’s match ended in similarly dramatic fashion, with Villa finding 3 late goals to win. The Birmingham side was unlucky to fall behind, after Odsonne Édouard slotted home following a slip by Emiliano Martínez. Villa also had a Moussa Diaby goal disallowed after VAR spotted it was narrowly offside. Unai Emery’s side would go on to equalize, however, when Jhon Durán proved that hitting it in the top corner is for the weak - and blasting it as hard as possible past the goalie is the stuff of champions. Palace held on for a stretch, but eventually conceded a contentious penalty. After watching the highlights from several angles, I’m still not 100% sure if Chris Richards made contact with man or ball first, which I suppose means upholding the on field decision is fair. Eagles fans will be aggrieved, and Villa rubbed salt in the wound by adding a late 3rd via Moussa Diaby’s pace and Leon Bailey’s strike.

Pep’s City continue their worryingly professional perfect start to the season, earning all three points away at the London Stadium. There were a few tingles of worry for City fans when West Ham went ahead through James Ward-Prowse’s diving noggin, and for a moment it seemed as though the Champions were mortal. However, that was relatively short-lived and Jérémy Doku bagged a debut goal, followed by Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland grabbing one each. Surely Manchester City will falter at some point, but it’s increasingly feeling like only they can stop themselves from walking away with a fourth consecutive title. 

In the midlands, Liverpool came away from Molineux with all three points - coming from behind to win for the third time in this young campaign. The Reds produced a limp first half which saw them fall deservedly behind to a Hwang Hee-chan strike. Pedro Neto, who provided the ball for Wolves’ goal, was lively throughout and looks to be taking the reins of the club’s attack after struggling with injuries over the past few seasons. He was electric throughout and constantly threatened to bury Klopp’s side. Unfortunately for the good people of Wolverhampton, it was not to be. Liverpool made several adjustments in the second half, finding an early equalizer through Cody Gakpo. The Reds continued to threaten and Andrew Robertson netted a rare goal to give them the lead. Harvey Elliott’s strike forced an own goal, and the Merseyside club traveled back north with a victory.

While 3-1 was the most popular scoreline, narrow 1-0 wins also came to the party this match week with 3 such results. Newcastle United’s close win over previously undefeated Brentford was likely the most significant, as the Magpies halted their run of three successive defeats before a midweek trip to San Siro. The goal came via a borderline penalty - Anthony Gordon was certainly not getting to the ball when Brentford’s keeper, Flekken, made contact. The Bees will feel (I wanted to write stung) frustrated by the loss, but should be able to recover their nerves before this weekend’s match against Everton. Newcastle are still adrift in 12th place but look to have righted their ship after a difficult run to begin the young campaign.

Arsenal earned a narrow win of their own against Everton at Goodison Park. The goal took a while to come, but the Gunners deserved the win which put them in the top four. Mikel Arteta popped the lid off of some fresh discourse for pundits and fans everywhere by benching Aaron Ramsdale in favor of David Raya, and the Spaniard performed well on his debut. The club will be sweating the fitness of Gabriel Martinelli, who came off in the first half with a hamstring injury. However, his replacement, Leandro Trossard, was more than adequate, scoring the winner in the second half. The goal was beautifully constructed, and this year’s Arsenal team is full of confidence - quite the opposite of Everton, who continue to sink into a deep, blue malaise. Something has got to improve quickly, and it’s worrying for a club with Everton’s history that an away match this weekend to Brentford already feels like a guaranteed loss. 

In the final 1-0 of the weekend, Fulham continued to rack up points in the early stages of this campaign. The Cottagers had the best of the early chances, but Luton grew into the match. Both Carlton Morris and Jacob Brown had great chances to score, and this was the first time the Hatters didn’t look fully overmatched this season. Many people are already writing Rob Edwards’ side off, but with how the table is shaking up, now isn’t the time to lose ambition. There are still 4 sides on 1 or fewer points, so there’s potential for a very low points return to equal safety. To give Fulham their due, Carlos Vinícius finished smartly and is bolstering his claim to lead the line over the struggling Raúl Jiménez. Marco Silva managed the tail end of the game well, and the Cottagers will be happy with all 3 points.

The Monday night game brought late drama of its own, with Nottingham Forest grabbing an equalizer through debutante Callum Hudson-Odoi - who was one of a few new faces showing out for the club. While Forests’ supporters might have expected a win over a flailing promoted side, the steel that their team showed to claw back a point is encouraging. Burnley, to their credit, looked up for it and came close on a few occasions to finding a late winner. Vincent Kompany’s side finally looked as though they were comfortable playing at this level, and will rue not taking a chance to earn a victory. If the Clarets can build on this performance, they could be the team that pulls away from the bottom scrum first. 

Finally, after weeks and weeks of waiting, we have what we’ve all been waiting for - nay what we’ve been begging for: A nil-nil daw! Bournemouth and Chelsea provided the longed for treat in the early game Sunday and the result adds to the mounting pressure on Mauricio Pochettino. While it’s doubtful his position is in any real danger, the Argentine manager could really use a positive result. Despite hitting the woodwork and a slew of good chances, the West London club had to settle for the draw. Bournemouth created a few opportunities of their own, and Andoni Iraola will likely look at the result as a solid step forward. In particular, the man who dresses like an adjunct English professor whose novel just won’t sell will be encouraged by the clean sheet and the beginnings of his tactics taking shape.