Man Utd's attack lost its fire
Man Utd lost victory in injury time, but the bigger problem for coach Michael Carrick is that the team lacks creativity and the ability to finish off opponents. The British military leader seemed comfortable when asked about the disappointing start, but it is difficult to justify the way Man Utd entered the game and imposed an unconvincing position on the two newly promoted teams, Everton. This is only the second time in 50 years that Man Utd conceded at least two goals in all three matches at the beginning of the season.
The attackers of Hull, Ipswich and Everton are not considered too dangerous. So the challenges ahead will be even tougher, especially the Manchester derby in round four.
But what is more worrying for Man Utd is that they are lacking a "spark". Carrick bowed his head, looking helpless after the home team was twice equalized by Everton with brilliant shots at Hill Dickinson. Man Utd creates more opportunities but is often out of breath in the final third of the field. By the end of the match, Everton had a higher expected goals (xG) and had 6 shots on target, twice as many as Man Utd; At the same time, move more and make more accelerations.
Man Utd was able to control the match most of the time but lacked the necessary destructive power. With a defense that still has many problems, Carrick needs an expensively invested attack to maintain more stable performance if he wants to compensate for the limitations in the lower line.
Konsa impressed in his first start for Arsenal
Arsenal lost the ball and Chelsea immediately counterattacked, sending Morgan Rogers escaping down the left wing. But in just a moment, the atmosphere at the Emirates turned from anxiety to rapturous applause when Ezri Konsa rushed in to make a fierce tackle.
"A very English tackle," Arteta said after the match. "Sometimes you like plays like that more than a goal."
That tackle was like the introduction of a contract worth 69.5 million USD to new fans. It explains Arsenal's decision to spend heavily to buy Konsa, in a context where many people are still calling for the club to strengthen their offensive line.
"I heard that people here really like to keep clean sheets," Konsa said humorously after the match. He clearly understands his duties at Arsenal. His first start hasn't resulted in a clean sheet, but Konsa has become part of the quality defense that Arteta possesses.
Anderson - the new boss in Man City's passing department
In a match where Enzo Fernandez attracted attention in his debut and Erling Haaland scored the decisive goal, Elliot Anderson was equally outstanding. The English midfielder handles almost every difficult situation that Man City encounters in the midfield.
In his fourth start for the club, Anderson made 143 accurate passes, more than the total number of successful passes of the entire Coventry team (139), with an accuracy rate of up to 92%. The numbers are reminiscent of Rodri at his peak.
Anderson touched the ball 178 times, won all six duels on the ground, won three free kicks and made more moves than any other Man City player. He also made 26 passes through the lines and 21 passes directed into the final third. These numbers show that the English midfielder not only passes the ball to maintain control, but also actively moves the ball forward and creates momentum for attacks.
The appearance of Fernandez alongside Anderson helps Man City's midfield become fresher and more vibrant. With this duo, Enzo Maresca's team showed that they are ready to compete fairly with any opponent in the Premier League.
Gakpo overwhelmed Barcola
Cody Gakpo seemed to have left Anfield this summer when he received interest from both Tottenham and Man City. But the Dutch striker ultimately stayed at Liverpool - a decision that could become the turning point that shaped coach Andoni Iraola's first season.
Gakpo impressed when he played to the right against Nottingham Forest in round two, but his performance against Ipswich was even better. This time playing on the left wing, the 27-year-old striker twice assisted Alexander Isak with delicate passes.
"Bradley Barcola will hardly have a chance to play if Gakpo continues to play like this," former midfielder Jamie Carragher wrote on social networks during the break in Liverpool's win at Portman Road.
Liverpool's most valuable contract is probably not the $163 million winger they just recruited, but the one they decided to keep.
Poor finishing caused Tottenham to falter
Tottenham has the first point, but has not yet scored a goal through the first three rounds of the Premier League this season.
Coach Roberto De Zerbi's team finished equal to Nottingham Forest, but had three times as many touches of the ball in the opponent's penalty area and twice as many expected goals (xG). However, new signing Omar Marmoush lacked sharpness, while Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke missed close-range headers.
This can be seen as a small step forward in De Zerbi's project, but not enough to rekindle hope for Tottenham fans. After a summer of heavy spending, these performances and results cannot convince them that this season will be significantly better than last season.
Emery's 200 matches and a new challenge at Aston Villa
One point after three games, no goals scored and only one shot on target. Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins have all left. These numbers and personnel fluctuations show that coach Unai Emery is facing a new mountain to conquer at Aston Villa.
But Emery seems used to this type of challenge. Last season, Aston Villa also had to wait until the fifth match to score in the Premier League and did not win a match until the end of September. By Christmas, they were even mentioned as a candidate to compete for the championship.
How quickly the Premier League can change the landscape and perception, Emery understands better than anyone. If he didn't know how to overcome adversity, he wouldn't have been able to celebrate his 200th match as Aston Villa coach in a 0-0 draw at Hull City Stadium.
Although the position in the rankings is very worrying and the lack of goals has become a topic of discussion, it is still too early to draw conclusions. Emery is having to make do with the cards he's been given, and as Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry have commented, there aren't many coaches better than him at doing that.
Arbeloa is in danger at Fulham
The contrasting emotions are understandable for the two newly appointed coaches after Crystal Palace came from behind to win 3-2 against Fulham in the London derby. Both Alvaro Arbeloa and Pierre Sage entered the match with a lot of pressure, after losing their first two matches in the Premier League.
For most of the match at Craven Cottage, it seemed that Fulham's head coach would be the one to win three points to relieve the pressure. But goals from Tyrick Mitchell and Ben Chilwell in the visitors' second half reversed everything.
Therefore, for the third time, Fulham lost all three matches in England's highest division. What's worrying is that twice before, in the 1951-1952 and 2020-2021 seasons, Fulham had to be relegated.
Controversy over VAR again cast a shadow after the exciting match
Brentford coach Keith Andrews has reason to complain about the pace of the match as well as referee Thomas Bramall's control ability at some times. However, the fact that Sunderland received a penalty, a situation that Enzo Le Fee took advantage of to score a goal to tie the score 1-1, is almost beyond debate.
Referees and VAR are increasingly required to be more strict with situations where a player does not observe the ball, uses both hands to hug the opponent, has no intention of playing the ball or continuously holds the opponent. Keane Lewis-Potter's dispute brought together all four of the above factors in front of the referee and VAR.
Sunderland also has reason to be dissatisfied with the match management. Dan Ballard's goal in the ninth minute took more than 4 minutes to be determined invalid by VAR.
"It's a pity, because if it takes four and a half minutes to make a decision, it means the referees hesitated," coach Regis Le Bris said after the match. "Therefore, it is not a decision for us. What has happened must be accepted."
An emotional match with a constant reversal of the game should have been mentioned by the two teams' ability to adjust, Vitaly Janelt's finish or Enzo Le Fee's late equalizer. But in the end, VAR once again became the focus.
