Was it cause for celebration that Manchester City scored a 98th minute goal to salvage a point versus Arsenal? Was it a triumph for Arsenal to leave with a point after having to defend the entire second half with 10 men? Neither side was terribly happy after the match. Manchester City seemed the least happy, however, despite their late equalizer in the 2-2 draw.
The Citizens were angry with Arsenal’s tactics as the Gunners perpetrated the infamous “dark arts” of time wasting and resorted to a defensive block after going down a man. There was also accusation that Arsenal’s second goal was ill gotten. Arsenal, for its part, seemed a bit overpleased with their stout second half defending despite having conceded at the death. There is also the point that the 10-man situation was entirely Arsenal’s own fault, one of the Gunners making the same stupid error that had reduced them to ten men just two matches ago. The drama was thick on Sunday between two sides who are battling each other for the title in now a third consecutive season. Erling Haaland, of course, got his usual goal for Manchester City just nine minutes into Sunday’s contest, his 100th career goal in 105 appearances for Manchester City. The moment which might be most telling for this title race occurred in the 21st minute when Rodri went down with what appears to be a serious, and potential season ending, knee injury. Just one minute later the first controversy surrounded an Arsenal equalizer by new acquisition Riccardo Calafiore. Defender Kyle Walker was called to a conversation with Referee Michel Oliver. The referee then allowed crafty Arsenal to take a free kick before Walker could get back into position. The Gunners took advantage of Walker’s vacated space to set up Calafiore’s first goal with his new club, angering Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola such that he nastily kicked a chair on the Manchester City sideline. Arsenal would more fairly earn its next goal when Gabriel Magalhaes headed in a corner kick during first half stoppage time. Unfortunately for Arsenal, the Gunners would shoot themselves in the foot before reaching the first half whistle. Leandro Trossard committed the same stupid pet trick as Declan Rice had two weeks ago when Trossard kicked away a dead ball to delay a Manchester City free kick. Trossard was given his second yellow card of the match and Arsenal faced an entire second half with just 10 men. The Gunners, often using infuriating delay tactics, held firm until the 98th minute when John Stones equalized for Manchester City with the two Premier League heavyweights sharing the points on the day. Stones’s goal was followed by a melee between players initiated by Haaland.
Battling each other for the title for a third consecutive season, there is little love between these two sides, perhaps not even the respect that existed between Manchester City and Liverpool when those two clubs battled for the title. Former Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp is gone but Liverpool remains a contender and moved past Arsenal into second place with a 3-0 win over Brentford. Manager Arne Slot had made the transition from Klopp seem easy until a jarring home loss in Liverpool’s prior match. The Reds were back at Anfield on Saturday and reasserted their quality with three first half goals to sail past Brentford 3-0. Luis Diaz scored two goals in two minutes and Darwin Nunez validated Slot’s decision to give the Uruguayan his first start of the season by scoring Liverpool’s third goal.
The Reds own second place by virtue of goal differential over Aston Villa. Manager Unai Emery’s side side allowed Wolverhampton a first half goal and waited 73 minutes into the match before asserting itself with a trifecta of late goals. Ollie Watkins equalized for the Villans, Ezri Konsa put Emery’s side ahead and Jhon Duran removed all doubt with a stoppage time insurance goal. Duran now has four goals for the season without having started a single match. Wolverhampton sits at the bottom of the Premier League table, one of six clubs still looking for a first victory this season.
Crystal Palace is one of those winless wonders after the Eagles drew for a third consecutive time in a goalless result with Manchester United. Despite United dominating much of the play, the Eagles had the best chances. Only an outstanding double save by Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana kept the home standing Eagles from grabbing all three points. Onana’s reflexes and agility enabled him to make a diving stop on a shot by Eddie Nketiah and then frustrate Ismaila Saar on the put back chance. While Onana was outstanding, Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who made seven saves on the day, may have found even greater satisfaction in pitching a clean sheet against his former club. Manchester United fell out of the top half of the table with the dropped points despite oft criticized Manger Eric ten Hag claiming his side “ate Crystal Palace alive.” That would seem brave talk from a man whose club’s goal total this season exceeds only that of Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and Southampton.
Just how good was this man today 😳🧤 #CPFC pic.twitter.com/FxLKZZQJV9
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) September 21, 2024
Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur stepped past Manchester United into the top half of the table with identical 3-1 scorelines over Newcastle and Brentford, respectively. Fulham owes its scoring on Saturday in large part to Arsenal’s development academy. Former Gunners Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe combined on one of the goals with Smith Rowe finding the net for the second time this season. Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson scored another as the Cottagers proved unwelcoming hosts to visiting Newcastle. The Magpies had already been thought by many as fortunate and even undeserving of their undefeated record entering the match. Those critics may have been correct as Newcastle’s tendencies towards mistakes and the club’s defensive deficiencies were exposed. Reiss Nelson’s goal for the Cottagers came as a direct result of an errant pass across his own box by Newcastle’s Bruno Guimares and Fulham was able to launch 22 shots, 11 on target.
Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-1 win over Brentford gave some validation to Spurs’ often underperforming transfer investments of the past few years. Striker Dominic Solanke, acquired this past window from Bournemouth, opened the scoring in the eighth minute with his first league goal as a Tottenham Hotspur player. Brennan Johnson and James Maddison, acquired last year from Nottingham Forest and Leicester respectively, accounted for the next two goals. Spurs star Son Heung-min, meanwhile, played the role of facilitator by assisting on the Johnson and Maddison goals. Brentford lost a second consecutive match and has been on the wrong side of the score in three of its last four matches.
Meanwhile, Brighton and Nottingham Forest are yet to lose after the two undefeated clubs drew 2-2 on the South Coast. Visiting Forest got the final equalizer in a back-and-forth match in the 70th minute when Paraguayan Roman Sosa scored his first goal in English football. The drama from there was provided by the match officials. Anthony Taylor was serving as the fourth official in Brighton after being subjected to online abuse following his record award of 14 yellow cards in last week’s match between Bournemouth and Chelsea. Taylor, however, refused to be “sidelined.” Match Referee Rob Jones initially saw no issue with an 83rd minute challenge by Morgan Gibbs-White on Joao Pedro. Taylor could not contain his card throwing nature, however, and convinced Jones to reverse his thinking. Gibbs-White got the boot with a second yellow card. Both managers were then confusingly red carded and ejected for dissent. The two clubs remain undefeated and level on nine points inside the top half of the table with three draws and two victories from their five matches to date.
Chelsea sits just outside the top four after an impressive 3-0 win in their London derby at West Ham. Niclas Jackson scored twice and assisted Cole Palmer on the third goal as Chelsea won for the third time in its last four matches, having only lost to Manchester City on opening day. Despite continuing noise emanating from the ownership suite, Chelsea’s cadre of young talent is responding to new manager Enzo Maresca. Julen Lopetegui, the new West Ham manager, is struggling. The Hammers are just three points clear of the relegation line after losing for the third time at home this season. Lopetegui has made history by being the first manager to guide a West Ham team to defeat in the first three home matches of season.
Matchups at the bottom of the table were entirely indecisive this past weekend as Southampton drew with Ipswich Town and Everton drew with Leicester by the same 1-1 score. Those four clubs, along with Wolverhampton and Crystal Palace, comprise the current bottom six with all six clubs within two points of each other. Southampton and Everton were each left to celebrate their first point of the season.
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