Kickoff chronicles

West Ham United vs Chelsea

The 1st game of matchweek 5 was a London derby with West Ham hosting Chelsea at the London Stadium. West Ham got off to yet another dreadful start when they allowed the Blues to take a lead inside 4 minutes. Jadon Sancho, fresh off his man of the match debut at Bournemouth last week, found Nicholas Jackson down the left wing. It looked like the Senegalese had nowhere to go as he progressed into the Hammer’s penalty area but he managed to squeeze the ball through Alphonse Areola’s legs from what looked an impossible angle, scoring his 20th goal for Chelsea on his 50th appearance. The travelling side then doubled their advantage in the 18th minute, yet again from poor West Ham defending. Moises Caicedo played a brilliant through ball to Jackson again, with the hosts failing to pick up the run of the Chelsea no.9. Jackson took a touch before slotting the ball past Areola with a brilliant outside of the boot finish. West Ham finally switched on after Jackson’s 2nd but it was too late in the game. They had a goal ruled out in the 32nd minute when Mohammed Kudus scored from a Lucas Paqueta pass but the assistant referee’s flag was up. At the end of the first 45 minutes, Julen Lopetegui’s side were trailing 0-2 with a huge mountain to climb in the second half.

After making the worst possible start to the first period, West Ham managed to find themselves down by 3 after just 90 seconds in the 2nd half. Jackson found himself with the ball outside the Hammer’s penalty area with Cole Palmer to his left and Noni Madueke to his right. Jackson played in Palmer who smashed the ball past Areola, capping off a brilliant Blues counter attack. Chelsea then made some changes as they held out for a strong 0-3 win on the road. Enzo Maresca continues his solid start to the season as Chelsea climb into 4th on Saturday night. West Ham write their names in the history books for all the wrong reasons; they have never lost their opening 3 games in a new Premier League season before. Lopetegui’s side sit in 14th.

Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

The following fixture of matchweek 5 saw Unai Emery’s Aston Villa host Gary O’Neil’s Wolves in the Premier League’s latest Midlands derby. Villa gave the ball away in needless fashion inside 25 minutes after Diego Carlos played a careless pass right into the path of Mathues Cunha. Wolves’ star man took one touch before drilling the ball back at goal, watching as it spun off the post and nestled into the bottom left corner. O’Neil’s side dominated for the rest of the half with Villa keeper, Emiliano Martinez, brought into action on multiple occasions after Wolves kept on testing the Argentine. At half time, the travelling side were ahead by 1 with Emery needing a huge second 45 minutes from his players if they were to overcome this resilient Wolves side.

After countless attempts to finally strike Wolves level, Villa finally scored in the 73rd minute to tie the game. Morgan Rodgers received the ball outside the penalty area where he looked to play in Ollie Watkins. He did so successfully as Watkins took a touch with his right before bundling the ball past keeper, Sam Johnstone. With just 2 minutes of normal time to play, Villa found a way to clinch all 3 points. Youri Tielemens whipped in a lovely ball from the left wing which was met by the outstretched boot of Ezri Konsa who leapt to poke the ball into the bottom left corner. The Villans then sealed all 3 points when Jhon Duran popped up with his 4th goal off the bench this season. Once again, Morgan Rodgers was involved, this time rolling the ball across the 6 yard area for Duran to pass into the back of the net. He is now 2nd in Premier League history for goals per 90 minutes, with only Erling Haaland ahead of him. As referee Tim Robinson blew his full time whistle, the score finished 3-1 to the hosts. This results takes Villa to 3rd on the table after they win their 4th of the season. Wolves sit rock bottom of the Premier League, still in search of their first win of the new campaign. 

Fulham vs Newcastle United

The Premier League then saw Marco Silva’s Fulham host Eddie Howe’s Newcastle at Craven Cottage. With just 4 minutes on the clock, Joelinton thought he had scored from Joe Willock’s cut back. His initial effort was saved by Bern Leno but the German couldn’t keep out the Brazilian’s second shot. Unfortunately for the Magpies, Willock was offside in the build up as the assistant’s flag was raised. It was then the Cottagers who found the lead, less than 60 seconds after Newcastle’s disallowed goal. Adama Traore crossed the ball into the penalty area where Fulham striker, Raul Jimenez, chested the ball down. The Mexican then turned and hit the ball on the half volley as it flew by keeper Nick Pope and into the bottom right corner. 17 minutes later, the hosts doubled their advantage when the ex-Arsenal duo of Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe combined to find the back of the net. Smith Rowe dribbled into the 18-yard area where he played a quick 1-2 with Iwobi. He then received the ball again before delicately poking the ball into the bottom right corner, making it 2-0. Nick Pope will feel he should have done better in stopping Fulham’s 2nd goal as the ball hit his right hand and still trickled over the line. The half finished 2-0 with the home fans left satisfied with their teams first half showings. 

After a poor first 45 minutes, Newcastle made the perfect start to the 2nd half when Harvey Barnes scored his 3rd of the season. The Magpies found themselves in a 3v2 situation, Jacob Murphy with Barnes to his left and Anthony Gordon on his right with just the 2 Fulham centre-halfs back defending. Murphy laid it off to his right where Barnes cut the ball back before slotting it into the far corner, halving the deficit. Fulham switched back on and started to dominate Newcastle once again. After being denied by Pope on multiple occasions, Fulham finally wrapped up their 2nd win of the season after Bruno Guimaraes lost possession in his own penalty area after his pass deflected off Rodrigo Muniz and into the feet of Arsenal loanee, Reiss Nelson. Nelson composed himself before smashing the ball into the back of the Newcastle net, making it 3-1 in the 2nd minute of stoppage time. The score finished 3-1 as Fulham dealt the Magpies with their first loss of the season. Newcastle drop into 6th place while Fulham climb into 9th after another positive home performance.

Southampton vs Ipswich Town

The next game of the matchweek saw 2 newly promoted sides play off; Southampton and Ipswich in what looked an enticing fixture at St. Mary’s Stadium. Southampton found an early lead inside 5 minutes when their latest academy star, Tyler Dibling, scored what Southampton fans will hope is the first of many at St. Mary’s Stadium. Adam Lallana played a perfect pass into the feet of the 18 year old inside the penalty area which Dibling met with a stupendous first touch. That touch took him through the two Ipswich centre halves and left him one-on-one with keeper Arijanet Muric where he slotted the ball into the bottom right corner. Southampton continued to create chances for the rest of the half, with Cameron Archer coming so close to notching his first goal in red and white in the 27th minute. The Englishman received the ball in the penalty area before rounding Muric with the Ipswich goal left unguarded. Archer was unfortunately off balance which resulted in him hitting the frame of the goal and the score still at 1-0 at half time. 

Ipswich came out much stronger in the second half, creating much more opportunities for themselves. They thought they had found a late equaliser in the 4th minute of stoppage time after Jack Clarke’s cross was met by a towering header from George Hirst. Unfortunately for the Tractor Boys, Saint’s keeper Aaron Ramsdale was able to tip it over the bar. With potentially Ipswich’s last chance of the game, Leif Davis whipped in the corner. The Saint were able to clear the initial cross but only as far as skipper Sam Morsy who was outside the penalty area. Morsy took a touch before hitting the ball on the half-volley, watching as it took a slight deflection to find the top right corner, winning a point for Ipswich in spectacular style. The full-time result ended 1-1 with the spoils shared. Southampton picked up their first point of the season but will be ultimately disappointed as they felt they should have won all 3 against Ipswich. The Saints remain in the relegation zone in 18th. Ipswich picked up their 3rd consecutive draw, leaving them 17th on the table with 3 points.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford

The 2nd London derby of matchweek 5 saw Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur host Thomas Frank’s Brentford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. For the 2nd week running, Brentford shocked another ‘big 6 team’ by scoring after just 20 seconds. Keane Lewis-Potter whipped in the ball from the left wing where his cross was met with an outstanding first time volley from Bryan Mbuemo. It was a stellar strike and another early lead for Frank’s men. Tottenham soon came back with a professional response as Dominic Solanke popped up with his first goal in a Spurs kit. James Maddison intercepted a pass inside the Brentford penalty area before testing Bees keeper Mark Flekken with an early shot. Flekken was able to keep Maddison’s effort out but Solanke was quick on the follow up, tapping in the first of what Spurs fans will hope is one of many goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tottenham then completed the turnaround in the 28th minute after their skipper, Son Hueng-Min, made a driving run through the middle of the park. The South Korean then played the ball out to the right wing to Brennan Johnson who had just recently scored a last minute winner in the cup for Spurs against Coventry. The Welshman took the ball wide into the Brentford penalty area before managing to get a shot away. The ball somehow found the far corner from what looked like an impossible angle, giving Tottenham a 2-1 lead at half-time. It was a perfect first half for Ange’s side, especially after all the doubts from Tottenham fans about goalscorer Johnson and Ange himself.

After dominating the Bees in the second 45 minutes, Tottenham sealed all 3 points in the 85th minute when Son registered his 2nd assist of the game. Spurs hit Brentford on the counter attack with Ethan Pinnock left alone to try and keep Son and Maddison out. Son played the ball across to Maddison who kept his cool and chipped the ball over the outcoming Flekken, making it 1-3. Tottenham held out for the remaining minutes, claiming their 2nd win of the season. With all the uncertainty about Ange’s job, it was the perfect way for him to hit back at his critics. Brentford will be disappointed they couldn’t come away with anything after their great start to the game but know they will have a much easier opposition next week in West Ham United. Tottenham sit in 10th while Brentford come in at 12th.

Leicester City vs Everton

The following game of matchweek 5 was played at the King Power Stadium where Steve Cooper’s Leicester City hosted Sean Dyche’s Everton. For the 3rd consecutive league game (and 4th in all competitions), Everton found the opener. It came in the 12th minute after new signing, Iliman Ndiaye, played a sharp 1-2 with Ashley Young into the penalty area. Ndiaye capped off the move with a quite sumptuous finish, dancing through a crowd of Leicester defenders before smashing the ball into the bottom left corner. Everton continued to be the stronger side but it was Leicester who had the next best chance of the half in the 35th minute. Stephi Mavididi attempted to whip in a ball from the left wing but was nudged which resulted in his cross firing directly at Jordan Pickford’s near post. It was an awkward claim for the English shot stopper who ended up stopping the ball on the post before Jamie Vardy then attempted to push Pickford over the line. At half time the Toffees led 0-1 with Dyche hoping his players could finally register their first win of the new campaign.

The Foxes came out a much stronger side in the second period, finally striking Everton level in the 73rd minute. Harry Winks’ corner was a dangerous one and no Everton player dealt with it properly. Eventually, Mavididi found the back of the net after his volley from inside 6-yards ricocheted off a few Everton players before bobbling over the line. That was the last major chance of the game and when the full time whistle was blown at the King Power Stadium, the score ended 1-1. Everton picked up their first points of the season but their fans will be fuming as yet again, they fail to win after they scored the first goal. The Toffees sit in 19th after they picked up their first point of the season. Leicester stayed in 15th after they drew their 3rd game this season. Steve Cooper’s side are still in search of a first league win this campaign.

Liverpool vs Bournemouth

The next game of matchweek 5 saw Arne Slot’s Liverpool host Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at Anfield. Bournemouth thought they were on course to cause another major upset at Anfield when Antonie Semenyo put the ball into the back of the Liverpool net inside 5 minutes. Unfortunately for the Cherries, when Justin Kluivert threaded the ball through to the Ghanaian, he was offside. After a slow start to the game for Slot’s side, they finally found the breakthrough in the 26th minute. This time it was their Colombian magnifico Luis Diaz who found the back of the net, scoring his 4th of the season. Ibrahima Konate played a long ball over the top from inside his own half which found its way into the path of Diaz. As Bournemouth keeper, Kepa, had committed himself in attempting to intercept Konate’s path, Diaz was able to round the Spaniard with ease before passing the ball into an empty net. Diaz then scored his 2nd in as many minutes after Trent Alexander-Arnold made a driving run, cutting in from the right wing. The full back played it across the area to Diaz who took a touch before drilling the ball past Kepa once again, taking him into 2nd place in the race for the Golden Boot. Liverpool then found no.3 right before half time, with Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez finding the back of the net for the first time this season. After a long ball from Liverpool’s defence, Nunez headed the ball down to Mohamed Salah who played it back to Nunez down the right wing. He dribbled down the wing before cutting the ball back onto his right foot inside the Cherries penalty area. Nunez then shaped to shoot, which he did perfectly, watching as his delightful strike hit the far post and glided down the side netting. At half time the score was 3-0 with Bourenmouth left with no real route left back into the game.

Liverpool played well once again in the second period, but their hunger and desire for goals had reduced after all their hard work in the first 45 minutes. The best chance of the half came in the 82nd minute where the Cherries came so close to scoring. Luis Sinisterra’s header from Lewis Cook’s latest corner rattled the upright before catching a deflection. The ball looked to be rolling over the line but Liverpool keeper, Caoimhin Kelleher, prevented it from doing so, stopping it on the line. In the end, the score finished 3-0, with Liverpool picking up their 4th win of the season, taking them into 2nd. The Reds have bounced back brilliantly from their loss at home to Forest, beating AC Milan in the Champions League before comfortably winning against Bournemouth in matchweek 5. Iraola’s side dropped into 13th and will need to play much better against Southampton next weekend.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester United

The final game played on Saturday afternoon saw Crystal Palace host Manchester United at Selhurst Park. In the first half, Manchester United created a plethora of chances but were unable to convert any. Dean Henderson (Palace keeper) was the hero of the half, denying Alejandro Garnacho and Matthijs De Ligt with two stellar saves. United then hit the bar with two huge chances in quick succession. Garnacho saw his chance from inside the penalty area rattle the upright before Bruno Fernandes had to watch his volleyed effort from the rebound bounce off the turf and onto the crossbar too. Joshua Zrikzee then found himself amongst the chances, missing a header from point blank range before being denied by yet another save from Henderson. Palace then had a huge chance to go ahead just before the break when Eberechi Eze fired Tyrick Mitchell’s cut back right into the palms of Andre Onana. It was an action packed first half but it ultimately finished 0-0. Erik ten Hag will feel frustrated as his side failed to score while also almost conceding with the last chance of the half.

It turned out to be a game in which the 2 goalkeepers were the protagonists. Henderson made a spectacular save in the 63rd minute from a long range Garnacho effort, jumping high to tip the ball over the bar. Onana then had a save of the season contender when he halted Palace twice with a huge double save. He first got down low to parry away Eddie Nketiah’s long range effort before springing up straight away to deny Ismaila Sarr from the rebound. Eze then missed a huge chance again in the 78th minute, putting Sarr’s cutback from the right wing wide from 12 yards out. After the full time whistle, the end to end game finished 0-0. The scoreline certainly did not reflect the emotions and feelings from the game with both keepers dropping player of the match performances. United failed to win back-to-back games for the first time this season and sit 11th on the table. Palace are still in search of a first league win this season as they sit 16th on 3 points after tying their 3rd game.

Brighton vs Nottingham Forest

The first game played on Sunday afternoon saw 2 unbeaten teams play off at the Amex Stadium in Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton and Nuno Espirito’s Nottingham Forest. Forest silenced the Amex in the 12th minute after Callum Hudson-Odoi was brought down inside the penalty area by Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. Chris Wood stepped up to take the spot kick and dispatched it calmly, slotting it down the bottom left and giving Forest an early lead. Just before the interval, one of Brighton’s very own, Jack Hinshelwood, struck them level with a quite brilliant header. Centre-half Jan Paul van Hecke crossed in a ball from the right wing where the young man jumped up superbly to head the ball past Forest keeper Matz Sels. Brighton fans were satisfied that their team had struck back before the break but the best was yet to come. In the last minute of normal time, the Seagulls won a free kick in a dangerous area. Danny Welbeck was the man standing over it and completed the turnaround in stunning fashion, curling the ball around the wall and watching as it nestled perfectly into the bottom right corner. At half time the score was 2-1, with Nuno left furious that his side had thrown away a priceless 0-1 lead in such quick succession.

After Welbeck was denied a brace in the 50th minute from a great Sels save, Forest struck level in the 70th minute. It was a brilliant Forest move which split Brighton apart, leaving new signing Jota Silva one-on-one with Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen. Silva had fellow new signing Ramon Sosa running parallel to him and he opted to pass to the Paraguayan due to Sosa having an open net to aim at. Sosa was then left with an empty goal to pass the ball into, making it 2-2. With the result still tied in the dying minutes, this game was always going to have a fiery end. Forest skipped Morgan Gibbs-White was shown red after a second yellow card for his rash challenge on Brighton forward Joao Pedro. Amidst all of the commotion, both managers were also shown red for their complaints and contests regarding referee Robert Jones’ decision to send Gibbs-White off. The competitive fixture finished all square, with both teams taking a point as well as lengthening their unbeaten start to the season. Brighton sit 7th and Forest sit 8th with both teams on 9 points.

Manchester City vs Arsenal

The curtain draw to an entertaining matchweek 5 was the most anticipated of them all with Manchester City hosting Arsenal at the Etihad. The Citizens made an electric start to arguably their most important fixture so far this season, scoring after just 8 minutes. New signing Savinho made a driving run into the Arsenal half before playing in City’s main man, Erling Haaland. The big Norwegian took the ball in his stride before poking the ball past Gunner’s keeper, David Raya, and into the bottom right corner with the outside of his boot. He has now equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the least number of games to reach 100 goals for a new club (105). Arsenal struck back just over 10 minutes later after Thomas Partey played a brilliant ball over to Gabriel Martinelli who was left isolated down the left wing. City right back, Kyle Walker, was out of position due to referee Michael Oliver requiring a chat to the captains after players from both sides were constantly firing up. Martinelli cut into the City area before popping the ball out to starting debutant, full-back Riccardo Calafiori. The Italian wrapped his foot beautifully around the ball, watching it curl out of City keeper Ederson’s reach and glided down the side netting. City players and manager Pep tried to argue the goal shouldn’t stand but VAR and Oliver were happy and the score stood at 1-1. Arsenal then silenced the Etihad once again when they completed the turnaround in the 1st minute of first half stoppage time. Fresh from scoring the winner against Arsenal’s North London rivals last week, Gabriel was once again the man to head Arsenal into the lead. For the 2nd time this half, the goal was arguably Walker’s fault as the English full back let Gabriel run around him, leaving him free to head in Bukayo Saka’s corner. Saka also registered his 5th assist of the season with that corner, averaging over 1 G/A every game this season. It looked like things were going smoothly for the Gunners and they would head into half time with a 1-2 lead but the half wasn’t over yet. After seeing yellow already due to pulling the shirt of Savinho, Leandro Trossard was shown red for fouling Ilkay Gundogan and then kicking the ball away, reminiscent of Declan Rice’s dismissal just weeks ago. At half time the score was 1-2 but City gifted a lifeline of a 1 man advantage for the next 45 minutes.

Mikel Arteta’s game plan for the next half was clearly obvious; sit their remaining 9 outfield players behind the ball and stop City from scoring an all important 2nd. Arsenal defended heroically, with centre halves Gabriel and William Saliba as well as keeper David Raya deserving an honourable mention for the part they played in keeping City at bay for most of the 2nd half. Unfortunately for the Gunners, City scored with the last kick of the game. Substitute Jack Grealish took City’s final corner quickly and found Mateo Kovacic unmarked on the penalty spot. Kovacic took a shot which took a huge deflection leaving Arsenal vulnerable as Raya had come to claim it. John Stones was then the hero for the Champions, bundling the ball over the line and rescuing a point for the Citizens. At the full time whistle, the action packed, controversial and dramatic game finished 2-2. Arsenal became the first team to take points from City this season but will feel devastated and that they should have snatched all 3. The Gunners sit in 4th. City continue their unbeaten start to the season thanks to Stones as they retain 1st place on 13 points.

Written by Ollie Wade