Premier League results: Gameweek 3
The Premier League is back in full swing and week three was full of thrills, spills, goals and misery – the latter if you’re a die hard Arsenal supporter.
There was a pulsating clash between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield, Spurs made it three wins out of three under Nuno, and it was another weekend to forget for Norwich’s Daniel Farke and beleaguered Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
Here’s 90min’s rundown of the weekend.
Manchester City 5-0 Arsenal
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ performance!
? 5-0 ? #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/QdjRLPlwsT
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 28, 2021
Manchester City romped to an easy Premier League win over a very poor Arsenal, who played more than half of the game with 10 players after Granit Xhaka was sent off.
Just as it was when they thrashed Norwich a week ago, the game was over for City as a contest in the first half. The champions cut through the Gunners far too easily and led 2-0 inside 12 minutes thanks to easy goals Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres.
Arsenal already had a mountain to climb, but Xhaka made it impossible with a moment of madness in the closing stages of the first half. The game was then buried by further strikes for Gabriel Jesus, Rodri and a second for Torres.
You can read 90min’s full player ratings here.
Aston Villa 1-1 Brentford
Aston Villa and Brentford played out a high tempo and fiercely contested 1-1 draw at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.
In a frantic opening fifteen minutes, two stars of last season’s Championship netted their first Premier League goals for their respective clubs. Aston Villa’s Emi Buendia swiftly cancelled out Ivan Toney’s opener to begin a breathless first half between two sides trying to close the other down.
The Villa Park crowd were treated to a fleeting sight of former Brentford forward Ollie Watkins – who arrived to applause from all four sides of the stadium – dovetailing with new signing Danny Ings, but that partnership, nor anyone else, could add to the early scoring.
You can read 90min’s full player ratings here.
Newcastle 2-2 Southampton
Newcastle were denied their first Premier League win of the season by a 95th minute penalty in a 2-2 draw with Southampton.
The Magpies were second-best for much of the game, and thought Allan Saint-Maximin’s last minute strike was enough to seal all three points, but James Ward-Prowse’s spot kick pegged them back.
It was Steve Bruce’s side who took the lead when Jacob Murphy’s header at the back post was directed perfectly into the path of Wilson to tap in, before Southampton found their first equaliser with 20 minutes remaining; Mohamed Elyounoussi firing home from Nathan Redmond’s cross.
You can read 90min’s full player ratings here.
Brighton 0-2 Everton
FT. Our unbeaten start continues! ? pic.twitter.com/RMvXshCD6F
— Everton (@Everton) August 28, 2021
Everton took their points tally at the start of the new Premier League season to seven from a possible nine, beating a Brighton side that never really got going at the Amex Stadium.
The Seagulls had plenty of possession in the opening stages but didn’t create much in the way of chances to score. The Toffees, meanwhile, were a clear threat with the speed of Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend on either wing.
It was Gray who made the breakthrough for the visitors, scoring his second goal of the season with a driving run into the penalty area and finish across the goal, before Everton made it two in the second when Seamus Coleman was fouled in the penalty area and Dominic Calvert-Lewin calmly converted from the spot.
You can read 90min’s full player ratings here.
Norwich 1-2 Leicester
Leicester City returned to winning ways on Saturday afternoon, condemning Norwich City to their third defeat in three games with a 2-1 win at Carrow Road.
The Foxes broke the deadlock on eight minutes, when Brandon Williams was caught napping in possession, and Ricardo Pereira picked out Jamie Vardy in the penalty area, who made no mistake curling a strike into the far corner.
Teemu Pukki levelled the scores from the penalty spot after Caglar Soyuncu brought down Pierre Lees-Melou in the box, but it was the visitors who found the winning goal – Marc Albrighton’s deflected effort fizzing past Tim Krul before Kenny McLean had a late header ruled out for the hosts.
You can read 90min’s full player ratings here.
West Ham 2-2 Crystal Palace
West Ham’s 100% start to the 2021/22 Premier League season came to an end on Saturday as Crystal Palace held them to a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium.
The Hammers twice took the lead through goals from Pablo Fornals and Michail Antonio, but both were responded to by fine strikes from Conor Gallagher.
The Hammers will certainly be annoyed as they miss the opportunity to go back on top of the Premier League table. For Palace, Saturday’s clash saw them get their first goals of the campaign and first point – a welcome relief for new boss Patrick Vieira.
You can read 90min’s full player ratings here.
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
The first real clash of two title contenders in the league this season didn’t disappoint – for most of the first half at least.
Chelsea visited Anfield and looked in a strong position after they took the lead in the first half through a Kai Havertz header, and they created opportunities to even add to their tally as Liverpool struggled to break through. Break through they did though, after Reece James was judged to have handled the ball on the line in an end-of-first-half goalmouth scramble.
Mohamed Salah converted emphatically from the spot, but the second half was a story of resolute defending from the 10-man visitors and relative struggles for Liverpool’s famed attack. A draw was perhaps a fair result in the end.
You can read 90min’s full player ratings here.
Tottenham 1-0 Watford
Sunday’s opening games weren’t quite as entertaining as Saturday’s closer, but Nuno Espirito Santo’s excellent start to life at Tottenham continued as his side edged past Watford.
Spurs dominated but found clear cut opportunities few and far between, with Son Heung-min’s slightly fortuitous free kick ultimately proving the difference. The South Korean curled a cross into the middle looking for a slight touch, but Hornets goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann stayed at home and watched the ball curl into the far corner.
The win means Spurs now top the Premier League table with three wins from three games, while Watford are down in 12th.
You can read 90min’s full player ratings here.
Burnley 1-1 Leeds
It’s been a pretty good week for Patrick Bamford.
The striker earned his first England call-up just days after signing a new contract with Leeds, and here he was their hero once again as he scored the equaliser to help Marcelo Bielsa’s side come from behind to earn a point at Burnley.
Chris Wood’s poached effort looked to have given the Clarets all three points, but Bamford popped up to stab in the leveller. Burnley haven’t won at home since a victory over Aston Villa in January, though the draw did at least give them their first point of the season.
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Wolves 0-1 Manchester United
Manchester United maintained their unbeaten start to the season on Sunday afternoon, although they had to ride their luck in the 1-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux.
The Red Devils survived an early scare when Francisco Trincao had an effort cleared off the line,
before Mason Greenwood failed to turn Daniel James‘ shot on target at the other end.
Wolves continued to create chances in the second half, with David de Gea producing a world-class double save to keep the game level, but it was Greenwood who settled the game with ten minutes to go – firing into the bottom corner from an acute angle to maintain United’s solid start.
You can read 90min’s full player ratings here