We got to witness another thrilling weekend of the Premier League and all big teams caught my eye. Tottenham opened up Saturday by a slim 1-0 win over the Wolves thanks to Harry Kane and Manchester United finished Gameweek 3 by defeating Liverpool in front of a 75,000 fan Theatre of Dreams. Per usual, the weekend was full of surprises and did not disappoint at all.
Arsenal played at Bournemouth Saturday afternoon and now they sit top of the table after 3 weeks. In contrast to last season, this season they have started perfect and they look like a totally different team. They’re averaging 3 goals a game, have two clean sheets, and have taken 9 points out of 9 in 3 games. Jesus was a perfect addition to this team and it was the striker they were looking for. He is extraordinary with his feet and he sets up other players. He attracts players to him and then that frees up space for his teammates. This forward group with Jesus, Martinelli, and Saka will be quite threatening and they’re going to create a lot of problems for the opposition.
Early Sunday morning, Chelsea took on Leeds United at Elland Road. It was a rejuvenated and fresh Leeds United team while Chelsea looked slow. Jesse Marsche has done an incredible job with Leeds and after he helped them fight off relegation last season, he has started this season in flying colors. The forwards were everywhere and the Leeds high press really got to Chelsea. They locked Chelsea in and the ball recovery was superb. Brenden Aaronson started the goals by snatching the ball from Mendy and tapping it in. He caught the goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in trouble and he made him pay for his horrible mistake. Rodrigo added another goal after he knocked in the header from the free kick. This guy is a natural goalscorer and he leads players in goals this season. The day couldn’t have gotten any worse for Chelsea as Kalidou Koulibaly received a red card after Stuart Attwell gave him his 2nd yellow card. It finished Leeds winning 3-0 and a very happy Elland Road.
Later on Sunday, Man City went into action vs Newcastle at St. James Park. Allan Saint-Maximin was amazing and his pace caused all types of problems to Kyle Walker who doesn’t get beaten very easily. It’s very easy to get sucked up by City but Newcastle stayed sharp and energetic. They relied on their pace and when City gave the ball away, Newcastle were quick to start a counter attack. It was an off day for City and they surprisingly tied 3-3 to drop their first points of the season.
The final match of Matchweek 3 was the biggest one, Liverpool faced Manchester United at Old Trafford. Both teams had started the season poorly but for United, it couldn’t have gotten worse. They lost 4-0 at Brentford in a totally embarrassing defeat against the Bees. Thankfully, it was a beautiful performance from United. The team looked into the contest and they were playing as a team. The slide tackles were flying in, they were pressing, and they were creating chances. Jadon Sancho opened the scoring to a rapturous Old Trafford and after that, they defended beautifully. Lisandro Martinez was all over the field and it didn’t look like he was 5’9” but was 6’1”+. The mentality was right and United doubled their advantage with Marcus Rashford. Rashford needed the goal and at his best, he can be stunning. Salah got one back for the Reds to break up the clean sheet but the final score was 2-1 to United. It was a team effort for the Red Devils and they looked like the better team all the way through. Erik Ten Hag won his first competitive game for United and after a win over their bitter rivals, things couldn’t get sweeter for Manchester United.
We saw some exhilarating matches this August weekend and it was yet another glorious week of the Premier League. Can the Red Devils follow up this Liverpool win with a win over Southampton? Can Man City, Liverpool, and Chelsea bounce back? Will Arsenal continue their marvelous form with a home win over Fulham? We’ll find out soon enough.
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