Gameweek 4
Gunning the Red Devils: A three goal thriller. Arsenal invited Manchester United for a classic game on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium. From the fronted lineups, questions were already floating: from the Gunners side, Partey was sidelined due to injuries while the coach’s strategy on picking Havertz to start over Jesus and even Trossard puzzled many, Ten Hag was also not left out having no Sancho and McTominay though the latter was left out due to injury. Sancho was deemed to have failed to inspire during the training. The game begun with Arsenal pressing very high in the pitch while Manchester United controlled the game by possessing during most of the first half. The first chance came when Martinelli rushed down the left side and lifted a cross which was cleared but kindly fell upon Havertz who again fell to take the golden chance. Havertz would then go to become Manchester United’s hero after he lost the Ball which Eriksen snatched and passed to a goal-bound Rashford, he showed Havertz how it’s done, 1-0. Arsenal picked themselves up and barely two minutes before the dust had settled, Nketiah passed the ball to Martinelli inside the box and he seeing Odegaard unmarked a little ways from the penalty spot assisted the captain to make it 1-1. Manchester then got a chance during the start of the second half, Martial tried rifling one past Ramsdale but he punched it and Rashford was only able to the back of Saliba’s foot on the rebound. Martinelli tried curling one to no avail, Saka failed to score past Onana and the game seemed headed for a draw. Havertz appeared to have been brought down but the VAR judged that he had fallen upon touching Wan Bissaka and not the other way round. Manchester thought they had won when Garnacho was picked out from a quck counter but was deemed offside by the VAR. There was drama at the tail end, a Corner by Arsenal fell to Rice at the far post and he was unmarked, he took a shot at the near post which touched a United player’s foot as it travelled past Onana. Barely seconds from the dead, Arsenal countering a United attempt at revival hit again, this time as super Vieira picked Jesus who floored a defender by cutting in and scoring. The devils continue to fall from grace, 3-1 their sorry fate.
Seventh heaven for Haaland as City outshine Fulham. Fulham travelled to the Etihad stadium at the back of their draw with Arsenal and it was visible as they put up a fight against the formidable City side. Fulham’s Reid lifted a nice cross at the tenth minute but Akanji cleared it well. Foden then lifted a nice cross from the right side but it did not reach Haaland who was in the box. Jeremy Doku who debuted in the place of Grealish then put a deep cross that met Foden but was tackled away by Robinson. Foden then almost put City ahead after some nice interchange between himself, Kovacic and Alvarez before he attempted to tee up Haaland but the Fulham defense stopped the effort. Haaland beat the offside trap to assist Julian Alvarez. Barely two minutes later (de ja vu), Fulham came back from a corner effort courtesy of Ream. Ake Scored a header right at the dead of the first half from a corner. When they came back, Haaland put his mark by scoring rather comfortably from a through ball by Alvarez. Haaland scored from the penalty spot since Alvarez had been brought down in the box. Sergio Gomez then snaked past a couple of defenders to assist a rushing Haaland who scored his first hat-trick of the season and his seventh for City. It ended 5-1.
Liverpool quiet Aston Villa with three goals. Szoboslai scored his first goal of the season at Anfield following a corner which was not cleared well and he volleyed it in. Trent then lifted his long crosses from behind to find Salah who passed it to Darwin whose shot couldn’t help but meet Matt Cash before going in. Leon Bailey should have pulled one back after a clear cut-in but somehow he missed. Liverpool almost scored another when Darwin and Saheaded with power but misjudged the target. During a corner, Salah scored on finding the back post unattended.
Tottenham fly past Burnley, five in the Moor. Forster scored early on from a Koleosho pass in what was a simple forward run by the recently promoted side. Son then played on Solomon and having pulled some defenders away, he returned it to Son who now had acres of space, he chipped the goalie to pull one back. Spurs then took a corner which pingponged a couple of times before Romero struck with power. After the break, Maddison got on the score sheet after delivering a fine shot to the bottom right corner. Solomon would then pick the ball and run with it before assisting Son again for their fourth. Maddison then passed Pedro Porro who spotted Son and assisted him to a hat-trick. Brownhill scored a consolation goal as the game ended 5-2.
Trees galore at the bridge. Nottingham Forest arrived at Stamford after a tumultuous start to their season, their rivals for the day no different. It was going to be tough for the latter as an inspired Chelsea pressed high and almost went ahead from efforts by Jackson and Sterling in quick succession. Galagher also rifled a shot that was aimed for the top left corner but it went higher and to the fans. Forest also got a chance from a freekick that they failed to make the most of. Fernandez was urged by the home fans to shoot when the ball fell kindly to him outside the box but was unable to find the target. After the break, Awoniyi set up Anthony Elanga who scored for the visitors in the 48th minute. From then on, both sides squandered many clear cut chances; Jackson, Sterling and Elanga all missing their chances and so it ended 1-0.
Crystal Palace squeeze past Wolves. Crystal Palace invited Wolves at the Selhurst Park looking to continue their good form. Wolves looked to bounce back after their last showing. This was almost put to a halt when the Wolves defense was caught playing from the back, it was only that Ayew and Edouard failed to capitalize on their mistake. The latter would go on to score at the 56 minute to put his side ahead. Nine minutes later, the substitute Hwang Hee Chan equalized by heading in a cross from a freekick to level things. Eze who had been exceptional in the first half scored with flare in the 78 minute to restore their lead. Mateta would then set Edouard up with a backheel flick for his second and Palace’s third. Pedro Neto assisted Cunha at stoppage time to finish it 3-2.
Seagulls stun Newcastle at the Amex Stadium. Brighton continued their bright start to the season when they faced a Newcastle side desperate for a win. Isak almost put the visitors ahead but was blocked by Van Hecke from scoring. Nick Pope had stepped outside the box to clear the ball but only as far as Estupinan who rushed towards goal before passing it to Mitoma down the left side, he shot it but was saved by Pope; the ball then wound up outside the box where Gilmour fired it towards goal; Pope punched it away but Ferguson was up close and he scored at the far post to make it 1-0. Gilmour then slipped one to Fergusson from the back and the Brighton man turned, positioned himself well and hit the ball into the bottom corner for his and his team’s second goal. Kaoru Mitoma then created another chance and just as the ball fell to Evan Ferguson’s feet, he shot it towards goal and on deflecting on a Newcastle player, wrong-footed the goalie to make it a hat-trick. Calum Wilson pulled one back clipping a long ball past the goalkeeper but it was only a consolation goal as it ended 3-1.
Blades chop Everton’s points to one. Everton went ahead early on from a corner by Ashley Young which Abdoulaye Doucoure failed to put in but scored on the rebound. Cameron Archer on his Sheffield debut equalized in a spectacular fashion, putting one past a transfixed Pickford from a Mcburnie assist. Cameron Archer then almostgot on the scoresheet again when his curling shot met the woodwork at the far right but it ricocheted on Pickford for an own goal. Ten minutes later, Everton worked from the back and Danjuma scored his first Everton goal to restore parity. At the dead end, Sheffield almost went up from a corner but were denied once by the woodwork and twice by Pickford in quick succession. 2-2 was the final scoreline.
Bees drop points against the Cherries. Mathias Jensen opened the game with a freekick which he placed at the near post with power which appeared to have been saved off the line but was in fact not. Both sides then traded missed efforts during the first half before Dominic Solanke dribbled past a defender and put one in from right beneath the keeper. In the second half, Thomas Frank’s side would be made to rue a flurry of missed chances, three which bounced off the post. A small mistake was all it took when a Brentford player lost the ball deep in his half and David Brooks turned the game on its head by scoring for the Cherries. Bryan Mbeumo’s stoppage-time goal secured a thoroughly deserved point for Brentford which meant the Bees continue their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions.
Hammers manage a win away to Luton Town. The other champions of Europe faced the side promoted from the championship for a league game. Areola almost gifted the Luton side a goal when he failed to catch a floated cross with a player behind waiting to score it but it was cleared away. Ross Barkley lifted a cross from a corner to the far post but Andersen placed it wide. Bowen then created a chance that was well defended to deny him, Paqueta or Benrahma their first goal. However, West Ham would not be denied again when Paqueta spotted Bowen hovering unmarked at the far right side of the post, he crossed directly and Bowen made no mistake heading it in. Morris beautiful header looked to dip in but only found the roof as the first half drew to a close. During the second half, Emerson scored when Antonio had held back a player to leave it to him but it was overturned because Antonio had been offside. West Ham nearly went up when Ward-Prowse sped past a challenge from a Luton player and crossed into the box but Barkley cleared it before it was put in. Nakamba floated a cross towards Adebayo and he would have made Areola pay for his reluctance to attack it in the air, luckily he was blocked as his chance missed the post narrowly. Ward-Prowse then took a corner at the 85th which Kurt Zouma headed in to increase their margins by two. Mads Andersen sent the stadium erupting in elation when he scored a goal for Luton Town at the 92nd minute despite the loss- it was a historic goal nonetheless. The game almost ended in drama because the ball touched Ward-Prowse’s hand but it was not a penalty. Westham 2- Luton Town 1.
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