Expectations were high for the first North London Derby of the season, and Arsenal and Tottenham did not disappoint. Twice the Gunners took the lead, only to be pegged back by a Spurs side who have shown a new, real resilience under Ange Postecoglou. Mikel Arteta’s squad had the best of the early going and deservedly took a lead via a Cristian Romero own goal. Arsenal nearly held on until halftime, but Son-Heung-min netted the first of his two goals just before the interval. Romero was involved in the second goal as well, with his handball leading to Bukayo Saka’s penalty. The Gunner’s lead was short-lived however, as Tottenham pounced on Jorginho and Son slotted home his second. A draw was ultimately fair, and this match was just another reminder of why this Derby almost always delivers.

Sheffield United fans knew going into the season that there would likely be a few challenging days for the Blades. They would have assumed an occasional drubbing by an established Premier League side. I doubt any of them were prepared for an 8-0 humiliation at home. The Blades had - up to this point - looked the most solid of the promoted clubs, nearly winning last time out against Tottenham. But then Sunday came, and Newcastle rocked up with danger in their hearts. After a balanced beginning to the match, where Sheffield United even crafted a few opportunities of their own, the Magpies struck, and struck, and struck: ultimately hitting the back of the net 8 times through 8 different goal scorers. By the end it was a near constant procession by the Geordie club. While I won’t go into each goal, Anthony Gordon’s stood out, and his performance further entrenched the young player as one of Newcastle’s key men. He has both extreme quality and a budding mastery of the dark arts, both of which have earned his club points this campaign. Newcastle will be buoyed by this; Sheffield United will want to forget this day at Bramall Lane as soon as possible.

While the score looked quite different at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea also found themselves tipping towards crisis after their loss to Aston Villa. Despite a long injury list and major squad turnover as mitigating factors, Maurcio Pochettino is beginning to feel pressure in West London. Chelsea and Aston Villa played a finely poised first half with both clubs crafting good opportunities. Only great saves from Emiliano Martínez and Robert Sánchez kept Nicolas Jackson, Lucas Digne, and Nicolò Zaniolo out. However, in the second half, Malo Gusto was sent off following a challenge on Digne and Aston Villa’s exceptional counter attack came to play. Following a set piece, Moussa Diaby and Ollie Watkins used their devastating pace to score the game’s only goal. While things look bleak for the Blues, Pochettino’s men did win in their midweek Carabao Cup match, which they hope will start their turnaround. 

Manchester United took a step in the right direction at Turf Moor on Saturday evening, leaving Burnley’s ground 1-0 winners. While the result is exactly what Erik Ten Hag needed to course correct on the early part of the season, it was not exactly a comfortable win. Burnley created some great chances, hitting the inside of the bar in the first half and never looked truly beaten. However, Jonny Evans rolled back the years and - after having a header disallowed - delivered a sumptuous assist for Bruno Fernandes, who hit one of the volleys of the season so far. For Burnley, this result adds to the mounting pile of evidence that they may yet compete in the league - though their quality and ingenuity have yet to truly translate on the pitch. For United, it’s not exactly a corner turned, but - just like a striker sometimes just needs a goal to go in off his backside - it was a badly needed win which fans will be happy to accept without too much analysis.

Everton began to reverse their fortunes as well, finally winning - and looking good doing it - in West London. Brentford came into this match as overwhelming favorites, and they were previously unbeaten at home. However, Sean Dyche had other plans, and the Merseyside club came away fully deserved winners (they then followed that up by dumping Aston Villa out of the League Cup on Wednesday). Abdoulaye Doucouré, who was excellent throughout, opened the scoring early before Mathias Jensen equalized for Brentford. You could be forgiven for assuming that the Bees would go on to humble the Toffees. But, Everton showed their quality and took the lead via James Tarkowski before settling the matter with a very welcome Dominic Calvert-Lewin strike. It’s too early to say if the Toffees have truly turned a corner, but the win and - more importantly - the performance are tremendously encouraging to a fanbase who has had precious little to be excited about. Similarly, it’s too early to fear for Brentford, but they’ve suffered from a dip in form and need to find a win soon.

While they’re still without a win, Luton earned their first point of the season after drawing at home to Wolves. The Hatters will be happy to get the ball rolling, but will definitely be disappointed that they couldn’t come away with all three points - especially considering that Wolves were reduced to 10 men when Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was sent off. Carlton Morris hit the inside of the post, Jacob Brown produced chances, but it was Wolves who scored just after halftime through Pedro Neto - who continues to be central to their campaign. Luton would get a penalty through a questionable deflected handball, and Morris sent it home. The Hatters would go on to have the better of the late chances, which will only sharpen their regret at not finding a winner.

Only one other match ended all square, Crystal Palace versus Fulham. In what was a mediocre London Derby, the Eagles and Cottagers ended up 0-0. Fulham had the better of the first half, while Palace shaded the second. Ultimately a draw is a fair result, and both these clubs look to be entrenching themselves in the safety of midtable. Eberechi Eze looked lively but lacked his typical clinicality, and Willian forced the two best saves of the day. The teams will be happy with the point, but I doubt neutrals will be circling the return fixture on their calendars.

Manchester City racked up yet another win, extending their perfect start this season to 6 games. While the result was predictable, the match does set up a few problems for the Champions. After powering to a 2-0 lead behind Phil Foden and Erling Haaland, City went into halftime comfortably ahead. However, immediately after halftime, stalwart defensive midfielder Rodri lost his head and earned a straight red card for grabbing Morgan Gibbs-White by the neck. City, despite a flurry of late pressure from Forest (whose attack now has significant depth of quality), were able to hold on - but they face the prospect of their next three matches without a key cog in their machine. You’d absolutely back Pep Guardiola to solve the problem, but, after being popped out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle midweek, City may be facing their first speed bump in the young season.

Finally, while the title race and cup tournaments will understandably be the most followed competitions this year, a new contender is rising - the race for 3-1 supremacy. Both Brighton and Liverpool seem to have decided that this scoreline is the most desirable result possible. Brighton hit their mark by winning 3-1 over Bournemouth behind an own goal and two wonderful strikes from Kaoru Mitoma, who came on as a second half substitute and hit his first within 16 seconds. The Seagulls had fallen behind after their keeper lost control and Dominic Solanke lofted the scraps into the net. However, after De Zerbi’s side leveled just before the interval, there could be little doubt as to who would take home all three points. Bournemouth’s wait for a Premier League victory goes on, and the Cherries host Arsenal this weekend. 

Liverpool tallied their own 3-1 win over West Ham, which, after defeating Leicester 3-1 in the cup midweek, means they’ve had the same scoreline in their last 4 matches in all competitions (and in 5 of their 8 outings so far). The Reds survived a handful of gilt-edged chances in the early going, some saved some missed, and went on to pull ahead through a penalty won and converted by Mohamed Salah. The Hammers pulled level before halftime via an exquisite diving header by Jarrod Bowen and the match was finely poised for the second period. However, as has been the case in many Liverpool matches this year, the Merseyside club came out of the dressing room with a plan and they dominated proceedings. Darwin Núñez finished acrobatically and Diogo Jota secured the points from a nodded down corner. This result leaves Liverpool in sole possession of second place. Optimistic fans will see this as a sign that the Reds can challenge City for the title, but - with matches against Tottenham and Brighton upcoming - the club still have to prove their rebuild is for real.