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It was a good weekend for Liverpool and Arsenal, not least because Manchester City dropped points in their first league assignment without Rodri. That means we have five teams within two points of each other as the table starts to take shape. Also, Erling Haaland didn’t score, which is a noteworthy incident.
Elsewhere, Fulham are now in the top six after winning at Nottingham Forest, their first 1-0 win in a year, while Brentford might just have set a world record for scoring in the first minute of a top-flight match for the third time in a row.
This weekend’s results
Saturday
- Newcastle 1-1 Man City
- Arsenal 4-2 Leicester
- Brentford 1-1 West Ham
- Chelsea 4-2 Brighton
- Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace
- Nott’m Forest 0-1 Fulham
- Wolves 1-2 Liverpool
Sunday
- Ipswich 2-2 Aston Villa
- Man Utd 0-3 Tottenham
The Great Promoted Club Winless Run goes on for another week, but there were actually positive signs for Leicester City at Arsenal (late defeat) and Ipswich at home to Aston Villa (another comeback point). Their angst is eased by Wolves and Crystal Palace losing again, although Everton have stolen a march.
Scroll down for our verdict on every team (listed in table order).
Liverpool
A lovely statistical nugget from Opta after Ryan Gravenberch was named Man of the Match for Liverpool against Wolves: he became the first Premier League midfielder to contest more than 5 duels in a match with 100 per cent success (8), make 3+ tackles with 100 per cent success (3), and make 50+ passes at 90 per cent+ accuracy (57/62) since April 2012. We’ll choose to ignore that Sandro was the player he pipped.
In that No 6 position at an elite club, so much of your success depends upon your ability to receive the ball under pressure and with your back to goal, midway within your own half. Get it wrong and you get caught on the ball with your teammates already pushing beyond you to start an attack against a deep-lying defence. Get it right and you can turn, play a simple pass and open up the pitch.
That is what Gravenberch is best at. No Premier League midfielder has attempted more passes this season. No midfielder has attempted more passes of fewer than 15 yards too – you do the simple things well. No player had had more touches of the ball in the middle third of the pitch than him at the end of Saturday’s action.
But what’s interesting is how Gravenberch is able to push forward when Liverpool are out of possession as well as he is to dictate the tempo of play when they have it. Only one Premier League player (again, at the end of Saturday’s games) has made more tackles in the final third of the pitch this season. He’s probably been the most complete midfielder in the league. Rodri’s injury means that he might stay that way.
Man City
Even when he was sat somewhere in Spain, one eye on the television, no doubt, as he contemplates the start of a long recuperation from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Rodri managed to dominate another midfield battle.
At St James’ Park on Saturday, he was at the front of everyone’s thoughts as City, uncharacteristically, grasped for control of the contest’s engine room. This wouldn’t be happening with Rodri there, would it?
Pep Guardiola knows this and would point to the absence of Kevin De Bruyne at the weekend as another reason for City’s lack of fluency.
But it was an odd sensation to see a Sky Blue midfield misfire like this – and Ilkay Gundogan is yet to start flowing since his return to the Etihad.
At 33, has his ability to influence games as frenetic as this waned a little?
At the other end of the scale was Rico Lewis, who was probably the best of those sent into bat in a midfield role in the absence of City’s Spanish talisman.
Long-term he covets the No 8 shirt and plays with such efficiency and intelligence that it wouldn’t be a surprise if he ended up benefiting the most from Rodri’s spell on the sidelines afterwards.
“We know how important Rodri is but the situation is over now, we can’t do anything about it and we’ve got to crack on and sort it out ourselves,” Lewis said.
“[Rodri’s injury] opens up opportunities for everyone.”
He is only 18 but speaks and plays with an authority that belies his tender years and Guardiola is a huge fan.
Whereas at other clubs you might fret about what it means for the rest of the season – City dropping four points in a week since Rodri was injured – the presence of Guardiola mitigates any benefit their rivals will get.
He masterminded a title win without having a single specialist striker to call on a couple of years ago.
You wouldn’t bet against him finding an answer to the Rodri puzzle from within – and if not, there is money in the bank for City to spend in January (even if the looming 130 charges might complicate their January transfer window).
Adam Wharton, Atalanta’s Ederson and Samuele Ricci of Torino are three of the candidates understood to be being assessed by City.
Their performance was under-par but is it really a setback to come to Newcastle and take a point these days? Eddie Howe likes making it difficult for Guardiola and there was a long conversation on the touchline afterwards as the pair hugged in mutual admiration at the full-time whistle.
“I think it’s been a tough week with tough games and when you look at it in the grand scheme things maybe we’ll be happy in the future with how we did this week,” Lewis said.
“If you look into the details of the game against Arsenal we’d probably take a point. It was a tough game and here, we obviously want to win, but it’s a tough place to come to and not many teams are going to come here and win easily.” By Mark Douglas
Arsenal
Dark arts? There is something more like magic in the air as the announcer reveals before kick-off what most will already have known – two points dropped by Manchester City, and at least in the battle that is being fought vociferously off the pitch, advantage Arsenal in the title race.
It took two goals deep into stoppage time to salvage what had turned into an afternoon of immense frustration, the ghost of Martin Odegaard still looming large and a two-goal lead initially squandered.
Instead, the abiding memory will be of Arsenal’s late show to turn on the style – granted, against Paris Saint-Germain it’s about to get a lot tougher.
If they do end up winning the Premier League for the first time in 21 years, though, it will have little to do with trickery – whatever Pep Guardiola says – and more to do with technical ability. The idea that they are reliant on cheating, play-acting and time-wasting looks a little fanciful.
There is still a creative streak missing without Odegaard – but one answer is to throw in two ball-playing half-centre-backs/half-full-backs who are partly out wide due to an injury crisis.
Fears that a combination of Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel and William Saliba would morph into a quartet of centre-back stodginess were totally ill-founded.
Timber’s overlapping runs are so effective – it was he that latched on to Thomas Partey’s ball to tee up Gabriel Martinelli for the opener – that at this rate, Ben White will have to fight to get his place back.
But you need a left and a right wing to fly, as Tony Benn used to say, and Trossard had Calafiori to thank for speeding up the play before Martinelli assisted the Belgian’s first-time finish.
It was not a perfect afternoon for Calafiori. Leicester had not had a shot on target for the entirety of the first half and James Justin’s header, which flicked off Kai Havertz almost immediately after the break, should have been nothing more than a consolation. Instead, Justin was able to capitalise again because Calafiori found himself too square, and the finish on the volley was immaculate.
It is pivotal that Mikel Arteta finds that balance, because on the whole Calafiori and Timber’s exploits going forward are not to the detriment of the back line. There were sloppy moments – giving the ball away needlessly to Facundo Buonanotte – but on the whole, it looks as if Arsenal have stumbled upon a winning combination. By Kat Lucas
Read more: ‘I had to leave’ – the former Arsenal wonderkid rebuilding his career at Luton
Chelsea
There is now a spring in the Chelsea step. Three straight wins in the league have lifted them to heights they weren’t reaching under Mauricio Pochettino, and for all the jokes about their squad size and a summer where incomings arrived like clowns from a car, only their own supporters are laughing now.
Enzo Maresca had no time for the deadwood, the hands-on head coach unwilling to train players he had no intention of using, and his blinkered thinking had a purpose that is bearing fruit: a streamlined yet competitive handful of attackers who are all pushing to impress.
This is healthy, and for it, Chelsea are comfortably top-four contenders.
However easy it would be to get carried away, especially with Liverpool far from flawless, Manchester City without Rodri and Arsenal almost stumbling against Leicester, it is difficult to escape the feeling Chelsea are beyond the rung of title contenders simply because of their defence.
It is relatively settled in terms of personnel – goalkeeper Robert Sanchez plus defenders Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella have started all six league games – but at times they look anything but on the pitch.
A string of bad decisions gifted Brighton the first goal, while Sanchez was at fault for the second, two blots for Chelsea on an otherwise enjoyable afternoon.
Maresca was undeterred by the errors.
“The two goals we conceded can happen,” he said. “The important thing is the team continue in the same way, creating many chances. We are happy.”
He does though need to address this problem, especially as Chelsea have conceded more goals than the three teams above them. By Michael Hincks
Read more: The obvious flaw holding Chelsea back from being serious title contenders
Aston Villa
Was this the first sign that Villa’s Premier League hopes may be impacted by their Champions League campaign? There was a sense something was held back here, with Morgan Rogers taken off after 64 minutes and Ollie Watkins 20 minutes later with the score level.
There’s no doubt those decisions will have been informed by impending visit of a potentially Harry Kane-less Bayern Munich. Unai Emery has strength in depth available, but not quite to the level Villa are becoming increasingly accustomed to and capable of. Europe is an understandable priority, but it may come at a minor cost to their domestic hopes.
One obvious weakness against Ipswich was Diego Carlos partnering Pau Torres, utterly discombobulated for Liam Delap’s second goal and still remarkably rash for a 31-year-old. Ezri Konsa is needed at right back after Matty Cash’s injury, but that’s another sign this squad still has holes which are tough to patch over.
International breaks aside, Villa don’t have a free midweek until March 2025, a punishing schedule which will inevitably lead to injuries and burnout. How they navigate the January transfer window already looks like it could define their season.
But of course, 13 points is still Villa’s best start to a Premier League season since 2008-09, two points off the summit and just one point behind Arsenal and Manchester City. If Sam Morsy had received the red card he deserved, they could be second, and Portman Road looks set to develop a reputation as a treacherous place to visit. Maybe this was just one of those days. By George Simms
Fulham
A mighty win because Marco Silva earned it in an entirely different way. Fulham’s fine start to this season – two wins and two draws in five games – had been earned in spite of their slight defensive uncertainty. They were yet to keep a clean sheet and had managed only two since March – 0-0 at Brentford and 2-0 win at West Ham towards the end of last season.
Here was pragmatism and solidity. It may not have been as sexy as the 3-1 victory over Newcastle United, with Emile Smith Rowe, Alex Iwobi and Adama Traore running wild, but good Premier League teams find ways of winning matches of various types. Smith Rowe and Adama Traore were shackled for long periods, but Fulham dug in and allowed Forest only a single shot on target.
The end result: Fulham up into lofty heights and a beaming Marco Silva. This was Fulham’s first 1-0 league win for over a year. Managers love winning ugly as much as they love champagne football, believe me.
Newcastle
At a time when there is something of an ongoing debate at St James’ Park over Newcastle United’s transfer policy, this felt like a fine time for Lewis Hall to deliver his best performance in black and white.
There is no limit on Hall’s progress if he can marry his obvious gifts with the sort of consistency and discipline that Eddie Howe regards as a non-negotiable.
The dearth of decent English left-backs means an England starting berth is his for the taking if he can progress at the rate Newcastle believed was a guarantee when they agreed to sign him from Chelsea for the thick end of £30m 15 months ago.
That hasn’t always been apparent in the interim. A deal pushed for by Howe and fast-tracked by since departed part-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi has been the subject of internal agonising. At least one person active in recruitment away from Newcastle believes Paul Mitchell might have been referring to the price paid for Hall when he laid out reservations about the club’s existing transfer strategy.
The defender has certainly had to work to secure a place in the team. First Dan Burn, now doing fine work alongside Fabian Schar in the centre of defence, and then Lloyd Kelly have kept him out of the side.
Even when injury issues left Newcastle down to the bare bones last season, it was curious that he struggled to get a look in. “A work in progress,” one source told i a year ago.
But in recent months something seems to have clicked with Hall and against Manchester City, where in concentration, spatial awareness and consistency of decision-making matter, he excelled. This must now be the standard he aspires to for the rest of the season.
There is certainly some sense in doing what Newcastle thought they were doing with Hall and buying English before they get really big. The club’s interest in Chelsea’s promising defender Josh Acheampong and Southampton’s precocious midfielder Tyler Dibling also suggests they are ready to pounce again now their Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) position has eased significantly. By Mark Douglas
Tottenham
While another home defeat left Manchester United supporters with a familiar sinking feeling, those who have seen Tottenham on a weekly basis will know a result like the one at Old Trafford, even if it is arguably as big as any under Ange Postecoglou, was coming.
The sheer volume of chances created at Old Trafford – they achieved a higher xG than United at Old Trafford this season in one match – is not really anything new. It is just the results have not been forthcoming.
Leicester were made to look inferior but not put away, Newcastle took a pounding and not killed off, while against Arsenal Spurs had 65 per cent possession and still lost.
“I don’t think many people who say things watch us every week,” Postecoglou said. “I never lost the faith.”
And the charismatic Aussie is well within his rights to feel that way. Brennan Johnson can do no wrong, Dominic Solanke is settling in nicely, while Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison continue to look like they have played together all their lives.
Micky van de Ven is a threat going forward and near immovable in defence, while Destiny Udogie is as dynamic as any full-back in the league. Keep putting some of those plentiful chances away, and the only way is up. By Pete Hall
Read more: Tottenham fans, ticket prices and a nagging feeling they just can’t shake
Brighton
How about that high line, eh. If you’re going to lose a first Premier League match of the season, do it in style. That’s not exactly how it goes, but certainly how it played out for Brighton.
There were more than just shades of Ange Postecoglou’s nine-man Spurs facing Chelsea from last season, as at times it felt as though Brighton were taking it to another level, with the stills for tight offside calls making for a game of Guess Which Team Is Actually Defending?
So often Brighton were outnumbered at the back, with multiple Chelsea players towing a fine line that ultimately led to them putting the ball in the net seven times, only for three to be ruled out for offside.
A porous afternoon leaves Brighton with a worse defensive start than any other side in the top 10, and though the neutral may now relish their games going forward, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler is at least willing to accept that some things may have to change.
“It was one bad event after another and they had an unbelievable player,” he said. “You can’t win when you make these easy mistakes. If necessary, we have to adapt something.”
Hurzeler may well look at his own tactics in that regard, but after a first league start for Adam Webster featured a costly mistake, the hope will be that Jan Paul van Hecke and Joel Veltman’s absences are only short-term. By Michael Hincks
Nott’m Forest
It is possible to both express pleasant surprise with Nottingham Forest’s start to this season away from home (seven points from Southampton, Liverpool and Brighton on the road) and some fairly deep concern about their home form. Forest have played Wolves, Bournemouth and Fulham at the City Ground this season and taken two points.
That concern stems not from these three games but everything that preceded them. Since Nuno Espirito Santo took over from Steve Cooper (whose main strength was taking points at home), he has taken 13 points from 14 home league games. That’s the lowest of any constant Premier League team over that period, 10 points fewer than Everton and only two more than Luton Town in four extra matches.
It doesn’t really matter where you get your points, obviously, but it’s something that Nuno is clearly going to have to sort out because it places a firm ceiling on any potential this season. His best teams have flourished on the counter attack, but he has to find a way to break down deeper defences. If we know one thing about Evangelos Marinakis, it’s that he doesn’t particularly enjoy watching teams backed with heavy investment failing to win home games. Forest have won three in all competitions under Nuno.
On Saturday, Forest’s manager simply got it wrong. The penalty awarded to Fulham was indeed soft, but Forest had a single shot on target in the match and Nuno chose to leave all four of his wingers on the bench in the absence of Morgan Gibbs-White. It’s all very well picking two physical strikers, but Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi rely upon service and central defenders being dragged out of position to create space. Forest had a clogged central midfield, precious little creativity and left both strikers painfully isolated until he changed it up.
Man Utd
What is most worrying about the latest Manchester United catastrophe is that it is almost identical to the disasters that came before.
Covering this chaotic circus act of a football team each week is a difficult task, given anarchy is embedded in everything the club touches in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era. But the trends of the past decade are eerily, and seemingly irreversibly, similar.
Any step forward precedes two backwards. Narrow victories have simply masked inadequacies – 14 of 20 wins since the start of last season have been by a one-goal margin, compared to 10 of 17 defeats by two or more goals.
United have now tasted defeat three times in the opening six league games of each of the last three seasons. The losses are more often than not of their own making.
Against Tottenham, a United team who came into the contest having conceded 60 per cent of their goals following their own errors, more than three times the Premier League average this season, were caught on two breakaways after woeful passes left them exposed.
And in very recent times, the man responsible for continuing to at least be consistent – consistently bad – is the manager.
Bruno Fernandes’ red card in the first half at Old Trafford gives a man never shy of an excuse a really useful one. The tackle was a dangerous one, high up James Maddison’s leg, but had the skipper not slipped, he would not have made the challenge.
United coach Darren Fletcher was incredulous as he stormed through the press box, with the club’s media team keen to point out, to all who would listen, just how poor a decision it was.
When the dust settles, however, even the most heavily blinkered will be aware who to target with their familiar frustrations. By Pete Hall
Read more: Ten Hag has turned Man Utd into a circus – it’s remarkable he’s survived so long
Brentford
After the draw with West Ham, Thomas Frank wondered whether Brentford had set a new world record for scoring in the opening minute of three consecutive matches. The answer – disappointingly – is that nobody knows yet (although people will scurry around to try and find another example), but Brentford certainly set a new Premier League record on Saturday.
“Of course there is planning that goes into it,” Frank said. “We have a kick-off strategy and we tweak it from game to game. And as a mindset and philosophy, we like to get straight on the front foot and be positive. There are some margins going our way of course, but I want to give credit to the coaching staff and the players.”
What is most embarrassing for West Ham is that Brentford used the same method as in their previous two league games. They took the kick-off each time, and sent the ball directly back to either Mark Flekken in goal or a defender to aim a long, direct pass to the edge of the opposition penalty area.
Interestingly, Brentford are not bothered about actually winning the ball in the air. With at least six outfield players pushing high up the pitch, they instead attempt to win the second balls and then attempt an early cross into the box. That makes sense: opposition teams are likely to spend the first minute of the match getting settled and thus are prone to quick movement in the box.
This is nothing out of the ordinary, obviously. The back-to-keeper, players-pushing-on and direct pass kick-off routine is now the standard in the Premier League. But Brentford have certainly become switched on to the possibility that creating chances in the first minute may be easier than any other in the match.
It’s certainly a fun statistical quirk. Brentford only scored twice in the first 10 minutes of league games in the whole season. They have beaten that total in the first 40 seconds of their six games in 2024-25.
Bournemouth
Play against Southampton on Monday evening.
West Ham
We need to talk about how Julen Lopetegui is setting up West Ham’s attack, because at the end of Saturday’s action only Everton and Leicester City had managed fewer shots on target of those 14 teams who had played six league matches. Given the overhaul in the squad this summer, and the arrival of a new manager to replace the allegedly defensive David Moyes, it’s probably the surprise of the season.
Firstly, the notion of an overhaul itself must be caveated. Nicklas Fullkrug has barely registered since joining from Borussia Dortmund and is now injured. Lopetegui has chosen to give Carlos Soler and Crysencio Summerville, two new arrivals, a total of 133 minutes. Instead it’s been Michail Antonio, Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen as the four-man attack, exactly the same as most of last season.
Has Lopetegui got this wrong? On Saturday, Kudus was withdrawn at half-time and Lopetegui was seen screaming at him for not tracking back. But then putting Kudus out on the left wing, when a natural winger in Summerville sits on the bench, feels like a manager trying to shoehorn in a player rather than picking a logical team.
Is there not an argument for playing Bowen centrally – as Moyes did often last season – with Paqueta next to a central midfielder and Summerville left with Kudus behind the striker but with instructions to roam right as he sees fit?
A draw at Brentford is a pretty decent result in the circumstances, and Lopetegui’s changes did get West Ham back into the match. But Tomas Soucek as the only player with more than one league goal in early October is a bit “bad David Moyes season”. For a manager supposedly changing the system and the mood – and it will take time – it’s food for thought. Soucek is also one touch in the opposition box from being the joint leader in that regard. Antonio has only had 12 in 363 league minutes.
Ipswich
Four Premier League games unbeaten, even if they have all been draws, is an indication that Kieran McKenna is rapidly adapting to top-flight football. Three of Ipswich’s four goals in that run have come from Liam Delap, who increasingly appears to have found the home and platform his obvious talent has long deserved.
The 21-year-old has grown into his frame and is taking responsibility for his new side. There’s something of a Haaland-lite in Delap, a brutally quick, physically imposing striker with a vital clinical streak given Ipswich have taken the second-fewest shots per game in the Premier League this season. After his 25-year stunner against Fulham, he scored twice against Villa, the first a sharp finish from Jack Clarke’s cutback, the second a remarkable 40-yard assault which ended with Diego Carlos embarrassed and the ball in the net.
That made Delap the first player to score a Premier League brace for Ipswich since Marcus Bent against Newcastle in March 2002. There are early signs of sharp relationships developing with Omari Hutchinson and Clarke too, a key asset for a side hoping to base its survival attempts in a solid defence and ruthless attack.
Ipswich were certainly fortunate to finish the game with 11 men given Sam Morsy could have picked up at least three separate yellow cards, but luck is part of football and capitalising on it is key. There’s a favourable run of games now where the Tractor Boys could really build up a head of steam – a rudderless West Ham before Everton, Brentford and Leicester. They have been the most convincing of the promoted sides and a first win feels increasingly close.
Everton
A week sent down to Goodison like manna from heaven. This week brought the news that everyone was desperate to hear, the Friedkin Group waiting in the wings and then making their move after – presumably – ironing out the problems that had led them to pull out previously. Make no mistake: they are not perfect. Make no mistake: they were the best of the options on the table.
Even if Everton had lost to Crystal Palace, comfort and relief would have reigned supreme. As it is, and as so often happens, progress off the pitch collided with exactly the same on it. Dwight McNeil was the hero – and has been Everton’s best player for a fair while now – but everybody took steps forward.
Most importantly, this was a win earned in exactly the type of situation that Everton have floundered in for far too long. Remarkably, it was the first time that Everton have won any Premier League game in which they have trailed since October 2022 and the first at Goodison since May 2022 (also against Crystal Palace). They had won one league game in which they trailed at half-time since December 2021 (also against Palace).
In only one of their seven league wins in the last 12 months had the opposition even scored (yes, weirdly, that was also against Palace). Sean Dyche’s strategy has been to keep clean sheets and try to nick goals; that is what kept them up in 2023-24. This was a new Everton, one that stared further calamity in the face and then beat it. Surely the news of the takeover was an intangible factor in that belief.
Leicester
Somebody give Mads Hermansen a pay rise. Twelve saves and all in vain. It feels criminal too that James Justin’s volley was all for nothing, but unfortunately Leicester only have themselves to blame. You can say that there was a foul on Jamie Vardy in the build-up to Arsenal’s first goal, but it would have come regardless because Leicester are just not turning up early enough.
They did not have a shot on target in the first half – not the first time that’s happened this season. Two league goals before the break all season is one problem, but the greater issue is the switching off, the muddling around and the genuine tedium before they get going.
Steve Cooper can have his arguments about the need for pragmatism over prettiness, but there is a danger that conservatism is making a rod for his own back. Leicester very nearly took a point but only because they finally took it to Arsenal, having spent large spells camped around their own box, inviting trouble. The injury time move to take off Oliver Skipp backfired, and the result is that another week passes without a win on the board.
There will be those that say that is not on Cooper, and that this is a Championship squad that never had a chance of picking up points in games like this. But he is in danger of paying the price soon unless something changes – and it can change. Facundo Buonanotte is combative, Hermansen is still trying to inject some creativity into the way they build out from the back – despite the odd sloppy pass – and Wout Faes was the most composed of the defence. Next up Bournemouth, Southampton, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town – all winnable games if they wake up. By Kat Lucas
Crystal Palace
Does Oliver Glasner have a problem with this Crystal Palace attack? It’s a rhetorical question, but Palace supporters are here to scream “Yes!” in your face in case you need reminding.
It’s not just the loss of Michael Olise, although that is relevant. As far as I can tell, Olise’s absence means that opposition managers have realised that by double-marking Eberechi Eze you can blunt this team quite quickly. Eze is not playing well, but watch back their games this season and see how quickly two opponents get within two or three yards of him. It’s very difficult to create in those situations.
Without that creativity, Palace’s wing-backs are pushing very high up the pitch to try to create overlaps, something Glasner likes. But then Palace’s central midfield also isn’t functioning very well with Daichi Kamada looking unsuited for a two-man midfield role. That invites pressure on the defence, where Palace look at least one short. Had Joachim Andersen stayed, you could have Jefferson Lerma out of defence and alongside Adam Wharton, which makes more sense.
Finally, there’s a striker problem too. Jean-Philippe Mateta was excellent towards the end of last season and so Glasner clearly believes that he has to stick with him through the middle. But Palace spent quite a lot of money on Eddie Nketiah and he was farmed out onto the left wing on Saturday, where he was not effective. He had three touches in the opposition box. This is not how you see the best of Nketiah.
Hear me out with the knee-jerk reaction: Palace bought the wrong Arsenal academy graduate. Who they needed was Emile Smith Rowe, an attacking midfielder happy to play off the left or centrally and who would have been able to ease the burden on Eze and create for Mateta. Instead they have two strikers, neither of whom is getting quite enough service. That pair have three shots on target between them this season. That’s fewer than Adam Wharton on his own.
Southampton
Play against Bournemouth on Monday evening.
Wolves
As we have said before now in this column, it can be simultaneously true that Wolves’ start to the season has been disappointing (nobody wants to be bottom of the table at any point) and largely down to their horrible fixture list in August and September.
That might not improve just yet (Brentford away, Manchester City at home, Brighton away to come), but then surely will. They play Crystal Palace, Southampton, Bournemouth, Everton, West Ham, Ipswich and Leicester between 2 November and Christmas. If they’re still in the bottom five when Santa Claus comes, you’re allowed to panic.
What we’ve also said is this: how does this run of tough games, and tough results, affect Wolves’ belief? For the large part they coped well with Liverpool’s attack, but from the 77th minute to the 97th minute – when the game ended and Wolves should have been pushing for a point – they failed to attempt a single shot of any kind.
During that period of the game, Wolves completed almost as many passes as Liverpool (87 vs 95) but the vast majority of them were in their own half. This was slow possession in the main, which is fine if it leads to something but not if it doesn’t. Over the last 30 minutes of the game, including injury time, Wolves had just six touches in Liverpool’s box. Liverpool had more than double that number.
Look at the numbers and you can see why. Last season, Wolves’ top three players for touches in the opposition penalty area were Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan and Pedro Neto. They were the only ones with more than 55 in 2023-24.
With Neto gone to Chelsea and with Hwang no longer a guaranteed starter, Wolves are struggling to replicate those numbers. Cunha is still reliable, but is playing slightly too much (or so it seems) of his football away from goal. Jorgen Strand Larsen will take time to settle but has had only eight shots in six games (half Cunha’s number). Rayan Ait-Nouri, their goalscorer on Saturday, ranks third for opposition penalty box touches.
None of this needs to be a problem (again: THE FIXTURE LIST), but Gary O’Neil must be very careful that taking one point from a possible 18 does not erode Wolves’ attacking spirit when the games get easier. They could have given Liverpool problems late in the game at Molineux. That they were unable to progress from their own half effectively suggests that their confidence may be taking a hit.
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