The second week of the Premier League presented more grief for Ronaldo & Co. The London derby delivered blue-white fireworks. Haaland did his thing. Here’s the lowdown on all the action you may have missed. Or not.
Brighton 0-0 Newcastle
For Brighton, Danny Welbeck was active but not as sharp as in Week 1. Since Neal Maupay appears to be leaving, the Seagulls must have a comprehensive plan to address their two-year-old finishing issue. Callum Wilson is a very talented centre striker for the Magpies, but he’s not the focal point they’ll need as their project picks up speed. It is absurd to believe Chris Wood and other young players could adequately cover Newcastle, given his injury history.
Wolves 0-0 Fulham
Should a newly promoted side want to play in the Premier League for another season, it must win all three points on penalties when given a golden opportunity with 10 minutes remaining. Although gaining a point is satisfying on a moral level, three points were easily within reach with only one kick of the ball. Points lost in August hurt just as much as they did in March, April, and May.
Nottingham Forest 1-0 West Ham
While under pressure, West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski shone throughout the first half, but his counterpart Dean Henderson answered the call when Tomas Soucek’s rebound was headed toward goal by Pablo Fornals. Later, he would block a Declan Rice penalty to help Forest win and put their Premier League campaign on a secure course. Henderson played well against Newcastle the week prior, and it is obvious that he will be just as important to Forest’s efforts to survive as he was to Sheffield United’s a few years ago.
Chelsea 2-2 Spurs
Richarlison was added when Spurs switched to a 4-2-4 style and Harry Kane needed a partner up top, and it was successful. They produced a couple significant chances and equalized (twice), which gives Conte a nice alternative when Spurs are having trouble producing chances. The change to a 4-2-4 provided them the opportunity to really maintain the ball higher up the pitch after they had trouble finding any sort of rhythm throughout the game. With this strategy, they will have a field day against defences that are weaker than Chelsea’s. After Chelsea’s second goal, there was further chaos as Tuchel rushed along the sidelines in celebration. Spurs scored from the ensuing corner in the 96th minute to secure a point after VAR did not penalize Romero for pulling Romero’s hair. Conte and Tuchel then began fighting after the final whistle as they shook hands and a huge brawl ensued. Rarely does this London derby disappoint.
Brentford 4-0 Man Utd
Give every Premier League manager the chance to find a starting place for practically any player from this Manchester United team. The manager will almost always jump at the chance to add players like Marcus Rashford, Fred, and Harry Maguire. But under various managers, each of these players has exhibited a diminished sense of self while wearing a Manchester United jersey. Doesn’t that appear to be pointing toward the club? There’s a problem going on behind the ears. There are allegedly too many cliques at Old Trafford, according to some.
Arsenal 4-2 Leicester
Gabriel Jesus was undoubtedly successful in Pep Guardiola’s system, but Mikel Arteta is in charge of a setup that offers a little bit more freedom, and, well, it’s working really well for Jesus. Jesus could have had a day for the record books, even for an Arsenal team that has racked up incredible stats throughout club history, so it says something that he left the field feeling a little defeated. Although Leicester’s defense is currently not very effective, it is not to be written off.
Aston Villa 2-1 Everton
Even though it was just Week 2, the fervour on the side-lines made it clear how important a season this is for the ex-England teammates and friends. This time, Gerrard defeated Lampard, and his Villa team thoroughly deserved to win. A top-10 finish would represent success for Villa, while Lampard would be thrilled if Everton could maintain their midtable position and avoid a relegation battle. They play for very comparable clubs, so it will be interesting to see if they both have the ability to motivate their squads.
Man City 4-0 AFC Bournemouth
Erling Haaland gave Manchester City, a consistent contender for the title of finest team in the world, a little preview of what he may be as a generational talent who can replace its final gap in week one. Compared to his debut, the large Norwegian striker was quite quiet on Saturday. Nevertheless, Man City continued to barrage Mark Travers’ goal with goals. Haaland contributed by assisting Ilkay Gundogan with the game’s first kick, attempting to dispel the impression that he is exclusively a goal scorer (albeit statistics like these won’t help). He’s expected to keep dominating bigger clubs in the Premier League who can have a little bit more possession, creating opportunities for counterattacks.
There won’t be much opportunity for Haaland to manoeuvre when Man City plays a likely relegation candidate and they have about 70% of possession, so he may temporarily go silent.
Southampton 2-2 Leeds
The Saints were all over the place defensively, and it appeared like they would once more suffer the consequences. Southampton’s defence was the fourth worst in the Premier League last season, and if they want to move up the standings this year, they need to do better. They have now given up six goals in two games.
