Arsenal preserves perfect start and 9 goals for Liverpool
Manchester United carried the momentum of Monday's win when against Liverpool with a 1-0 win against Southampton. The Saints must be sick of the sight of United because they have not won in 14 attempts. There were also important wins for Liverpool and Arsenal. Let's kick off with the league leaders.
Gabriel Spears Arsenal Blushes with late winner at the Emirates
Mikel Arteta was on cloud-nine before Saturday's clash with Fulham. The Gunners faced a buoyant Fulham side capable of mixing it up. Marco Silva's side threatened to tear up the script when Aleksandar Mitrovic dispossessed Gabriel to score his 4th league goal of the campaign.
Stunned, Arteta looked on wondering why his defender had been so poor in possession. The Arsenal gaffer didn't have long to wait for a response, because his skipper equalised eight minutes later, thanks to a fortuitous deflection.
William Saliba has started the season well, and he assisted Gabriel on 86 minutes to wrap things up for the league leaders. Gabriel turned from villain to hero and his reaction to the tap in told a story.
Arsenal have improved with and without the ball
Arteta is an advocate of positional play, in a similar way to Pep Guardiola. Liverpool like to mix things up, attacking down both flanks with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. We're now seeing the Gunners adopting a similar style with mobility. Gabriel Jesus moves across the line, looking for space and trying to drag defenders out of position. Jesus' runs are in contrast to Alexandre Lacazette's persistence to play the game in narrow channels.
Martin Ødegaard's performances embody the spirit of the side. Every player wearing an Arsenal shirt wants to give 100%. Nobody is singing boring-boring Arsenal in 2022.
West Ham have shown how a poor PPDA (Passes Played per Defensive Action) hurts the team. The Gunners have been quick to win the ball back, as you can see by their low PPDA rating (10.5).
In the post-match conference, Arteta wouldn't be drawn into a 'Title Challenge' conversation. Nor should he. It's way to early to be discussing a 3rd title challenging team (behind Man City and Liverpool). The Gunners have flown out of the traps but the club's squad will be under the microscope when injuries and suspensions force Arteta's hand. For now, Arsenal look like a team in business.
Next up for Arsenal is Aston Villa on Wednesday night. You'd be bonkers to bet against the Gunners at home and five wins from five would really give the Arsenal fans something to cheer about.
Bobby Firmino brace helps Liverpool to record-breaking 9-goal demolition of Bournemouth
Liverpool's Premier League challenge has started turbulently. The Reds looked flat with Bobby Firmino in attack until yesterday's fantastic 9-0 drubbing of Bournemouth. Firmino scored a brace and had a hand in three of Liverpool's goals. Previously, Firmino had picked up 3 fantasy points, but he earned brave managers 22 points in yesterday's win.
There's an obvious gulf in class between the league's big guns and Bournemouth, but Scott Parker's players invited pressure, played without passion and didn't seem up for the challenge. When you play with less than 100% against Liverpool you'll get punished. The Cherries didn't get punished at Anfield, a Liverpool side desperate to kick-start their season, tortured them.
Watch Liverpool's second goal. Ryan Christie did not track Elliot, who scored his first Premier League goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold also found himself in acres of space for the Reds' third goal of the game.
Jürgen Klopp demanded a response from his players, and he got one. Had Mo Salah not been wasteful in front of goal, Liverpool could have broken the league record. The Cherries were lucky to get out of Anfield without conceding 10 or more. It's going to be a long season for Parker's side. They have conceded 12 goals in two games, conceding an average of four goals a game.
I asked 3 Big Questions ahead of Saturday's games. Liverpool, Arsenal and United all gave positive responses by picking up 3 points. Over the course of the season, all three teams will have their work cut out to keep pace with Man City, a team led by an unbelievable striker. More on Erling Haaland next time on Woz's Football Factory.
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