The Score: Brighton’s £100m headache, Sanchez howler and Villa’s mini-crisis

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Last season, Liverpool raced into an early season lead and never looked back. Despite needing late goals and having to acclimatise so many new stars, Arne Slot’s team have a five-point lead after as many matches. This was their weekend.

The promoted clubs continue to perform above expectations and have almost a third of the total number of promoted points as last season’s crop managed. That is great news for them, but not Wolves or West Ham who both lost at home again.

Elsewhere, let’s give Crystal Palace their dues: Oliver Glasner’s side sit fifth and are now 17 games unbeaten in all competitions.

Here is one piece of analysis on each of the top flight clubs who played this weekend (in reverse table order)…

This weekend’s results

Liverpool 2-1 Everton

Brighton 2-2 Tottenham

Burnley 1-1 Nott’m Forest

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Wolves 1-3 Leeds

Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea

Fulham 3-1 Brentford

Bournemouth 0-0 Newcastle

Sunderland 1-1 Aston Villa

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

New contract, same problems for Wolves

I see the value in giving Vitor Pereira a new contract if it brings some security at a wretched time, but it smacks of a manager being given a financial apology if this gets worse and he loses his job. Pereira has been badly let down and all the boos on Saturday were directed towards owners Fosun.

The team just isn’t very good. Emmanuel Agbadou’s form has fallen off a cliff and Pereira needed him to lead the defence. The chopping changing in central midfield (four different shapes or personnel combinations in five games) hasn’t helped. They miss chances because the new attackers are raw (Jorgen Strand Larsen’s return will clearly help) and they concede goals because only two teams face a higher average quality of each shot faced and Wolves have allowed more shots than both of those other two teams.

Most importantly, how does this change quickly when you have replaced dependable performers with potential talent or lesser quality? Everton and Leeds have scored 10 goals between them this season and six of those 10 goals have come at Molineux. That should scare every Wolves supporter.

Potter’s time is up at West Ham

Graham Potter seems destined for the sack after a poor start to the season (Photo: Getty)

After a day of anti-ownership protests and another miserable home defeat, the easiest thing to change immediately is removing a manager in Graham Potter who has never got going and has taken 10 points from his last 12 games (and four of those against teams who are now in the Championship).

The deep concerns about the direction (or non-direction) of the club are entirely valid, but this is a better squad than it looks.

Go and beg Nuno Espirito Santo to take it on, spend two years being a solid, functional and generally very competent football team before the club arrogantly thinks that it can be bigger and better and more expansive without him.

This is now a mini-crisis at Aston Villa

The good news is that Aston Villa have scored their first league goal of the season. The bad news is everything else. From the moment Sunderland went down to 10 men in the 33rd minute to the end of the match, Villa had a single shot on target. That was from 30 yards out from a full-back (although it did go in).

Unai Emery is setting his team up far too narrow but they also lack pace, which leads to safe passing and a painful lack of creative threat. Ollie Watkins is an excellent Premier League striker who has had eight shots this season. Not only is that not enough, it is also more than any of his teammates.

There is no obvious urgency, no intensity, they are losing second balls and they are playing at least 15 yards too deep and so are way too easy to defend against. This group of players looks like it is feeling sorry for itself and everybody needs to snap out of it pretty damn quickly. Make no mistake: this was a new low.

First signs of discontent at Brentford

Every Brentford supporter understands that Keith Andrews has not had it easy, but Saturday night brought the first serious grumbles of discontent.

Brentford might have taken the lead at Fulham, but nothing really worked: the back five, an isolated Igor Thiago, Dango Outtara on the bench, the like-for-like substitutions.

Andrews has switched to a back five for the last two league games, ostensibly because his team had faced the second most shots in the division. But adding another central defender doesn’t help if it leaves your attack fragile and overly reliant upon three or four things happening perfectly just to create a good chance.

If that wasn’t enough, Brentford have already dropped eight points from winning positions. That is double the number of any other team in the league and hints that Andrews is struggling a little with his in-game management.

Dubravka saves the day for Burnley

During Burnley’s Premier League season under Vincent Kompany, James Trafford badly struggled to play in a system that left him distinctly vulnerable. Trafford made mistakes and eventually lost his place to Arijanet Muric, who was really good for 10 games.

This season, Scott Parker’s team more reflects Dycheball. Burnley are allowing a very high number of shots (93, 24 more than any other team) but the average danger of those shots is low. You defend deep and look to protect the area and the goalkeeper.

As such, Martin Dubravka is confident and playing brilliantly. It was he who saved Burnley a point against Nottingham Forest in the final 10 minutes and he has now faced more shots on target than any other goalkeeper. Burnley have only conceded seven goals, and two of those were penalties.

Forest need time to adapt to Angeball

Such is the vast tactical shift from last season to this, and from Nuno to Ange Postecoglou, that Forest are probably in survival mode until, or unless, things improve.

A first point under Postecoglou is welcome, but Sunderland next Saturday is absolutely massive. Supporters have not been won over by the circumstances of the change or the recent record of their new manager.

But here’s an example of what a seismic task is being attempted in mid-season. In 2024-25, Forest ranked 20th in the Premier League for tackles in the attacking third of the pitch – 67 all season (and 9.6 per cent of their tackles). So far in 2025-26, they rank first in the Premier League for final-third tackles – 25.6 per cent of their total. Everything has changed.

Brighton have a problem with Baleba

Carlos Baleba looks a shadow of his former self at the moment (Photo: Getty)

“For sure when a young boy reads there is interest from Manchester United with a big, big offer, it might affect him deep, deep [down],” said Fabian Hurzeler on Carlos Baleba, who was substituted at half-time against Tottenham with fatigue, according to his manager.

“But then to keep pushing, to be humble, stay here in Brighton, and try to make the next step with the team and that’s something we have to keep on working with him.”

There is certainly something eating at Baleba, who struggled with an injury in pre-season and was strongly linked with a move away. In five league appearances this season, the midfielder has not managed more than 68 minutes.

And when Baleba is on the pitch, the returns have been diminished: less than half the number of tackles per 90 minutes, far fewer passes per 90 minutes and significantly fewer touches too. Right now, he is a shadow of the midfielder with a £100m price tag.

Newcastle are the great non-entertainers

Against Bournemouth, Newcastle United had an xG of 0.14. Eddie Howe rotated heavily (learning the mistakes of their last Champions League season) and switched to a back three which largely worked defensively. Sven Botman was magnificent and drawing away at Bournemouth three days after playing Barcelona is an excellent result.

That said, it is also becoming a theme. In their last nine away league games against teams currently in the Premier League (so I’m omitting the 3-0 win at a haunted Leicester City in April), Newcastle have scored three goals.

It hardly matters when they are drawing 0-0, as they have in every away game so far, but Howe must gradually look to tweak the balance of the team to get more out of the attacking signings this summer. There’s a difference between drawing games and setting out to draw games, in terms of how it plays with supporters when it becomes an established pattern.

Calvert-Lewin proves his worth to Leeds

There was some trepidation when Leeds announced the signing of a striker who has spent much of the last three years injured or getting to full match fitness after injury. On Saturday, we saw why Dominic Calvert-Lewin can always be useful for a team intent upon survival.

The header was pure class, generating power and loft alongside precision from a looping cross. But just as impressive was the way Calvert-Lewin was able to drop deep and link up play in a way he hasn’t managed for months.

He completed more than Saturday’s 11 passes only three times in the whole of last season; he hasn’t managed more in an away league game since December 2023.

Amorim finally gets something right at Man Utd

It is a small sample size, but since the beginning of March, Noussair Mazraoui has started seven Premier League games as Manchester United’s right-back. In that time they have beaten Aston Villa, Chelsea and Leicester City and drawn with Arsenal and Bournemouth.

In this Ruben Amorim system, which isn’t for changing, the wing-backs are vital. Patrick Dorgu is still raw and can’t do it alone.

With Diogo Dalot on the right they have defensive capabilities and with Amad Diallo they have a threat on the wing. Mazraoui is probably the best blend of both.

Why Beto isn’t the answer for Everton

I hope David Moyes now knows enough that playing long balls into Beto is not going to work as a strategy, but in this new-look Everton team with non-pacey creators in Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, you also need a striker who can interchange play effectively.

I’m just not sure if that is Beto, who has completed more than 10 passes in a match once since February (Southampton at home). The ball just doesn’t stick enough.

I also don’t know if Thierno Barry quite fits that mould, but a) he looked pretty good in build-up play when starting against Brighton, and b) he cost £40m so he needs to be integrated soon. After Beto was entirely anonymous at Anfield, that time should be now.

Guardiola hits a new low at Man City

“I love midfield players,” Pep Guardiola once said. “They are the most intelligent players. If I had my way, I would have 1,000 of them in my squad.”

So it’s only fair to ask whether we have now entered the age of a Guardiola team built entirely of defenders? Probably not. But Manchester City’s manager had overseen 600 top-flight league matches and never once recorded a possession statistic lower than 33 per cent. In his 601st, a new low by this measure.

Some of this has been coming, just over the hill: 58 per cent possession vs Wolves on the opening weekend, 46 per cent against Manchester United. But not quite this. Never before like this.

A penny for the thoughts of Jose Mourinho. Time and football are both flat circles. The best managers take ingredients from everyone they face but to see Guardiola building a blue wall might just be his most surprising construction at Manchester City to date.

Iwobi has become a leader at Fulham

Alex Iwobi’s experience is rubbing off on those around him (Photo: Getty)

We have known that Alex Iwobi is a fine midfielder, capable of playing out wide and drifting centrally or vice versa, for some time. Last season at Fulham, he ranked first for chances created, joint first for dribbles completed, second for shots and second for goals. The attacking returns have increased exponentially since moving back to London.

But what’s really heartening is how Iwobi has become a leader at Fulham. On Saturday night, Josh King made a bad mistake and Iwobi immediately took him aside, put an arm round a young player and built King back up.

Then Iwobi scored one goal and created another with a beautiful pass between the lines. He is a manager’s dream.

Sunderland are making a fist of this

We may have a proper relegation race. Sunderland were the pre-season favourites to finish bottom but have already taken eight points against established sides in the division.

Add in Leeds’ win at Wolves and Burnley’s point against Nottingham Forest and you have an excellent weekend for the promoted clubs.

Two fun facts: 1) Sunderland, Leeds and Burnley have already reached 32 per cent of the points total that the three promoted clubs managed last season; 2) this was the first weekend since 9-10 March, 2024 that three promoted clubs all avoided defeat against three of the other 17 clubs.

Another costly mistake from Sanchez for Chelsea

Robert Sanchez had four choices when Bryan Mbeumo went through on goal:

1) Stay deep and force Mbeumo into a shot, which he would try to save
2) Challenge Mbeumo but only when he was in the penalty area, thus meaning he would get a yellow card rather than a red through the double punishment rule
3) Meet Mbeumo outside the area, but allow the forward to run past him if he was beaten rather than bringing him down
4) Meet Mbeumo outside the area and bring him down if he couldn’t get to the ball – red card.

Of these, 4) was the worst choice of the lot in the opinion of Enzo Maresca and just about every other sensible person – “It was better to let Mbeumo score than getting the red card”.

Crystal Palace really do love an away day

On 21 October, 2024, Crystal Palace lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest. At that point, they had won two of their previous 17 away league games, hadn’t won any of their eight league games (home or away) that season and were in the bottom three.

So it’s something of a miracle that Palace have lost precisely two away league games since then, at Manchester City and Newcastle. Their new jam is swatting aside Premier League staples in their own back yards: Brighton, Fulham, Manchester United, Tottenham, Aston Villa and West Ham.

Since the beginning of December 2024, Arsenal sit third in a Premier League “away” table. Liverpool sit second. Four points above Liverpool? Crystal bloody Palace. Sensational.

Bournemouth need to corner the market

It is hardly a direct response to Sunday, given Newcastle had a defence of giants and Nick Woltemade coming back to help, but Andoni Iraola will want to improve Bournemouth’s performance from corners. Against Newcastle, they simply attempted inswingers that were easily cleared.

It is a compliment really – Bournemouth have become brilliant mostly because of their open-play work, but Iraola’s team have scored from five corners since the start of last season in the league and have taken 260 in that time.

I wonder whether it is time to get a little more funky with short corner routines and runners?

A lesser-spotted Tottenham comeback

Last season, Tottenham were dreadful at coming from behind. In 2023-24, they took 1.09 points per game from matches in which they trailed (23 deficits, 25 points).

Had they simply matched that record in 2024-25 they would have finished fifth; instead they took 11 points from 27 matches in which they trailed.

So it will provide some relief for travelling Spurs fans that their team got something from a two-goal deficit away from home against a decent Brighton side. The last time their team did that was in 2022 at Brentford with a team managed by Antonio Conte and a goal scored by Harry Kane.

Arsenal’s finishers bail Arteta out of trouble

Mikel Arteta knows that serious questions would have been asked if Arsenal had lost another match this season against a supposed title rival. A late goal, achieved when an Arsenal player finally looked more direct with a ball over the top, hasn’t saved their season – it’s too early for that. But some momentum has been maintained.

I still think Arteta got the team selection wrong. The signing of Eberechi Eze was supposed to provide space for Martin Odegaard when he plays and a brilliant replacement when he doesn’t. Leaving Eze in reserve with Odegaard injured left Arsenal in their all too familiar pattern of secure passing that never quite leads to enough danger from set pieces.

And what do we make of Viktor Gyokeres? Arsenal supporters demanded a striker who would be the final piece of their attacking jigsaw, but in the biggest games Gyokeres is still not getting involved enough. No shots, no completed dribbles, no chances created and just eight completed passes in 90 minutes. No player who completed the game had fewer touches.

Liverpool have an early POTY contender

The best finish of the Premier League weekend: on the bounce and yet somehow able to guide it over Jordan Pickford while on the run and without trying to hit it too hard.

But Ryan Gravenberch is also the reason that Liverpool have won their opening five matches of a top-flight season for only the fifth time in their history.

Gravenberch is doing the lot. He ranks joint-ninth in the league for passes in open play that lead to a shot, while no Liverpool player has made more tackles in the defensive third and he is still managing to have more touches in the final third than last season. Let’s make it simple: he has been the best player in the country in 2025-26.

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