If last weekend made the 2023-24 Premier League season’s stakes all the more real, this weekend showed the fine margins that have the table showing a race that is there to be won by a number of teams.
It’ll take peerless play and a run of luck — something Spurs got this week and Liverpool decidedly did not — but Man City can, in fact, be beaten. Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool, and more than a few others will be daydreaming about what 31 more weeks of top effort can deliver at the end of the campaign.
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Yes it was a fun weekend of football with apologies to ardent Liverpool fans and fans of officiating.
And that’s with a pretty juicy, gritty fixture — Fulham vs Chelsea — set for Monday at 3pm ET (Watch live on USA Network and stream online via NBCSports.com).
Our writers Joe Prince-Wright, Nick Mendola, and Andy Edwards got stuck into analysis on the nine games played in England’s top flight.
Incredible Alisson denied as Spurs get rub of the green (and then some)
We’re going to be talking about several big points in this one for a while, but let’s start with what has become an almost-unquestioned opinion. Alisson Becker is the best goalkeeper in the world right now. The Brazilian made eight more saves and it can be argued he was about to be responsible for a fourth unexpected point of the season before Matip’s unfortunate clearance attempt resulted in a match-defining own goal.
Alas, the controversy. Two red cards, at least one of which carried real controversy (See: Diogo Jota’s first yellow), and the Luis Diaz wrongly-disallowed goal that would’ve given then then 10-man Reds a 1-0 lead over Spurs with about an hour to play (More on that here). It’s difficult to say anything about this game except that Tottenham got the rub of the green, something’s that’s benefited their visitors so many times over the past few seasons. Spurs got a win, but it feels wrong to say they won the game. Liverpool gave it to them with plenty of help from coin-flip calls and a VAR review that went very, very wrong. -Nicholas Mendola
Manchester City defense exposed without Rodri
Wolves are hardly the first side to think they could defend deep and hit Man City on the counter, but they are the first to try so against the champs without Rodri (suspension), the linchpin of Pep Guardiola’s side, in the team. Though they had just three shots in the game, Wolves found lots of joy on the counter and forced City into a number of emergency defensive situations on Saturday. Without Rodri marshaling the midfield and defense, Man City defended in a reactive manner rather than proactively winning the ball back and restarting their probing possession. Even when they managed to clear the danger, it was still a small victory for Wolves as they made Man City’s midfield and wide attackers come all the way back into their defensive half to put out the fire. As a result, Erling Haaland was left on an island (15 touches in 90 minutes), and the side’s 21 shots amounted to all of 0.80 xG (0.04 per attempt). - Andy Edwards
Team spirit strong as Gunners warm up for City showdown with stroll in the sun
The way Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard decided to give the ball to Kai Havertz for Arsenal’s second penalty kick of the game says it all. Not only did they know the game was done and dusted because they were on another level to the Cherries, they also thought about the bigger picture. Providing more confidence for their teammate, who has had a slow start to life at Arsenal, would benefit the team in the long run and Arsenal’s young side, epitomized by the excellent Odegaard and Saka, are an extremely unselfish bunch. That team-first attitude is the only way they’re going to get past Manchester City this season. It was a small, classy act to get Havertz to take the penalty kick but in a title race which is expected to be even tighter this season than last season, it is the small margins which can make the difference. The way this Arsenal side continues to grow up on and off the pitch makes you believe they’re going to get even closer to City this season. If not overtake them. Things are set up perfectly for the mammoth Arsenal vs Manchester City clash next weekend as we will get to see just how much this Gunners side have improved over the summer.- Joe Prince-Wright
Eagles count blessings, one of whom is Joachim Andersen
Roy Hodgson didn’t expect possession, nor did he expect a win if we’re honest, but what he did know for certain is that he had the most unheralded defender in the Premier League on his side. Joachim Andersen has starred all over London — and England — and the fact that he scored a marvelous goal to drive this 1-0 win over Crystal Palace feels like just desserts. There’s a heaping helping of good fortune in this win, as Man United held 77% of the ball and attempted 19 of the game’s 27 shots, but Palace played brave, desperate defense with and without the lead as Andersen and Marc Guehi registered 28 defensive actions in front of Sam Johnstone. -Nicholas Mendola
Personnel issues a huge problem for Manchester United
There’s been a lot of talk about a culture problem at Manchester United, but that’s leaning really hard on the old lazy tired a lot of exhausted narratives that are seemingly driven by the opinion that Sir Alex Ferguson is the only good manager in the world. Period, no qualifiers. But right now, the side is just really poor on the wings. Antony is not playing due to serious domestic abuse allegations, while Erik ten Hag is choosing culture over pragmatism by continuing to bench Jadon Sancho. That’s exactly what the Man Utd old guard is arguing for, right or wrong. Facundo Pellistri is 21, wasn’t even a regular starter on loan to Alaves for 1.5 seasons (2021-22), and has zero Premier League or La Liga goals. And Alejandro Garnacho has one goal this season against Palace’s B team. It’s illogical to expect inexperienced kids to draw attention away from Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes and/or get service to Rasmus Hojlund. But Antony’s legal issues and the culture call on Sancho are leaving Man Utd thin and young at right wing. Stronger coaches than Ten Hag have used a player like Sancho in situations like this, but those who are decrying the club’s culture are being lazy given the current state of availability. -Nicholas Mendola
Ruthless Villa are ‘best of the rest’ thanks to intensity and clinical edge
Aston Villa are a wonderful team when they’re in full flow and that was the case on Saturday as they blew Brighton away early. Unai Emery’s side are set up to swarm on loose balls, to attack directly and with ferocity, and the Seagulls just couldn’t handle the forward runs and pace of Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby in particular. There is a lovely balance about this Villa team and they’re better when Emery sets them up in a more risky 4-4-2 which almost became a 4-2-4 against Brighton. Despite some big injuries early in the season, Villa’s overall squad looks stronger than Brighton’s and Emery will be able to rotate throughout the season to try and give Villa success in the Europa Conference League and Premier League. But the Premier League could be the main focus now as there’s a real chance of Villa breaking into the top five (remember, fifth place could be a Champions League spot for next season), so perhaps Emery will prioritize the league with Villa surprisingly beaten at home by Everton in the League Cup in midweek and away at Legia Warsaw in Europe last week. Villa still need to improve defensively but as long as they’re this devastating in attack, they’ll be challenging to finish in the top six. - Joe Prince-Wright
Hatters prove they belong in the big time
Luton Town have taken the next step in their Premier League journey impressively; They should have beat Wolves last time out and they were deserved victors at Everton. The Hatters took tentative steps in their first few games in the Premier League but they seem to have realized they are were they belong. There is no fear in this Luton side and they are solid, focused, and now making the small margins swing in their favor. Tom Lockyer and Carlton Morris getting the goals from set-pieces summed up their attention to detail and the skipper and star forward are key to the Hatters’ hopes to staying in the top flight. Morris is a menace and ran himself into the ground, while Lockyer also had to come off as his heroics at the back helped Luton stay organized and calm. Hats off to the Hatters.- Joe Prince-Wright
Newcastle’s defensive acumen more impressive by the week
The Magpies did not have Sven Botman (injury) and Sandro Tonali in the Starting XI, and still ran their clean sheet streak to 470 minutes despite a dicey first 5-6 minutes. Eddie Howe’s forward-thinking, aggressive tactics have never been in question, but how the Magpies boss has cleaned up the Newcastle defense is remarkable. The Magpies entered the game having conceded the second-fewest expected goals against and the fifth-fewest goal against despite already meeting Man City, Liverpool, and Brighton in Premier League play. They held City to a goal and then blanked the Premier League leaders at midweek in League Cup play, joining a clean sheet against AC Milan at the San Siro as ultra-impressive focal points of this 470-minute run without conceding a goal. Bruno Guimaraes continues to flex his muscles as a midfield general, the sort of game-reading genius who can register 12 recoveries and five chances created and call it close to standard. Yes, Pope was required but there are times that Newcastle looks like the early stages of Liverpool’s late 2010s rise up the table. They need their world-class keeper to do some world-class things on occasion, but the system becomes clearer and clearer — and more difficult to beat — on a weekly basis. -Nicholas Mendola
Early days, but situation already dire for Sheffield United
Not only are they bottom of the table and without a win, with the PL’s worst goal difference after seven games (-14), but the advanced numbers are just as harsh on Sheffield United. Coming into Week 7, only Burnley, who had played one less game due to postponement, had generated less xG; The Blades were a full 2.0 worse than anyone else in terms of xGA; and their xGD (-10.8) dwarfed Fulham (-7.6) in 19th. Those numbers will only reflect worse at weekend’s conclusion. - Andy Edwards
Brentford teetering over real worry, Forest shows mettle
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Brentford
Thomas Frank’s Brentford have been very, very good since the Bees moved into the Premier League, to the extent that there’s been real talk about whether they’ll be just fine selling Ivan Toney when he returns from suspension. The team’s lack of cutting edge during a now five-match winless streak — seven if you count the penalties win over Newport County in the League Cup as a draw over 90 minutes — proffers a hearty, “Not if you want to look like the Brentford we love.” That the Bees struggled to score at 11v11 at a tricky — pun intended — Forest is not a cause for alarm but looking second-best while down a man for 34 minutes plus 13 minutes stoppage? Oof. Brentford is 1W-5D-3L since beating Fulham and their opponents list is a bit worrying: Palace, Newport County, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Arsenal, Everton, Forest.
And that’s without noting a real uneasy performance from until-now steady Forest keeper Matt Turner! Forest, meanwhile, should be buzzing from their performance, especially the midfield. Nicolas Dominguez, Orel Mangala, and Ibrahim Sangare justified the exclusion of Morgan Gibbs-White when it came to midfield control, but the super sub job done by ‘MGW’ — the entry pass to set up Tyler Toffolo’s assist and a game-saving, lung-bursting, slide-tackling backtrack to stop a late Brentford counter were everything to the earned point. -Nicholas Mendola