Kickoff chronicles

Newcastle United vs Manchester City

The opening fixture of matchweek 6 in the Premier League saw Newcastle host top of the table, Manchester City, at St. James’ park. Newcastle fans were optimistic their side could come away with something today after Rodri joined Kevin De Bruyne in City’s list of important injured midfielders. Despite this, the travelling side got off to a positive start and found the lead at the 35 minute mark. Jack Grealish, who was so far City’s most dangerous man, dribbled past Kieran Trippier with ease. Grealish then progressed into the Magpie’s penalty area before spotting the run of full back, Josko Gvardiol. The Croatian cut back onto his favoured right boot before passing the ball past Newcastle keeper, Nick Pope, and into the far bottom corner. City continued to create chances but it was Newcastle who came closest to scoring, seconds before the interval. Trippier took Newcastle’s last free kick which floated all the way to the back post. It was flicked on into the path of Joelinton whose brilliant first touch enabled him to get a volley away, forcing a superb save from Brazilian teammate, Ederson. The half finished 0-1 but Newcastle established that they were still in the fixture.

The hosts were gifted with an early opportunity to strike back in the second period when Anthony Gordon won his side a penalty. Bruno Guimaraes played a perfect pass into the path of Gordon who was left 1-on-1 with City keeper Ederson. Gordon rounded the Brazilian with the goal gaping but he was brought down by the outstretched arms of the keeper. Gordon stepped up to take the spot kick and dispatched it well, placing the ball into the bottom left corner. The end to end game continued to excite, with Newcastle coming close to taking the lead when Sean Longstaff’s shot trickled wide of the bottom left corner in the 80th minute. The Champions then fired up in injury time, with Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland forcing huge saves from English shot stopper, Nick Pope. When referee Jarred Gillett blew his final whistle, the score ended 1-1. Pep Guardiola will be disappointed his side dropped points for the 2nd week in a row, leaving the door open for Liverpool and Villa later on in the weekend who now have the opportunity to jump ahead of them. It was a hard fought point from Eddie Howe’s men who now sit 7th on the table.

Arsenal vs Leicester City

The next game of the matchweek saw Mikel Arteta’s title contending Arsenal play off against Steve Cooper’s newly promoted Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners dominated the opening exchanges and found a deserved opener in the 20th minute. Jurrien Timber drilled a ball across the penalty area after Bukayo Saka found him down the right wing. Timber’s ball was dangerous and was met by the boot of Gabriel Martinelli, who slotted it into the bottom left corner, ending a 6 month goal drought for himself. The hosts then made it 2-0 just before the break when Leandro Trossard passed Martinelli’s cutback from the left wing into the bottom right corner. Arsenal went into the break with a 2-0 advantage and Arteta’s side were showing no signs of slowing down.

It was actually Leicester who would strike back first in the second period, James Justin the man to give the Foxes a lifeline. Brighton loanee, Facundo Buonnanotte, whipped a free kick into the penalty area where Justin jumped up well to make first contact with the ball. His header flicked off the shoulder of Kai Havertz, leaving keeper David Raya wrong footed as the ball found the bottom corner. The Foxes completed their comeback in the 63rd minute when Justin found his 2nd of the match. After gaining a touch of luck when scoring his first, Justin’s second was quite the opposite, scoring potentially the goal of the matchweek. Wilfred Ndidi’s cross from the left wing was met by a rocket of a volley from Justin, whose strike flew past Raya before hitting the post and bouncing over the line. After striking level, Leicester sat back against Arsenal, with keeper Mads Hermansen making a series of spectacular saves to keep the hosts at bay. With just minutes of the tie left to play, Arsenal managed to steal the game at the death. Saka’s corner flew over the majority of players in the penalty area before falling to Trossard who cushioned the ball back across goal. The unfortunate player on the end of the Belgian’s pass was Ndidi who watched as it hit his heel and rolled into the bottom corner. The Gunners then sealed the 3 points when they restored their 2 goal advantage with the last kick of the game. It was once again a scrapy goal, coming from a Gabriel Jesus shot inside the penalty area. Hermansen made the initial save which Justin then cleared into the leg of Havertz who walked the ball across the line. The game finished 4-2 with Leicester desperately unlucky that they were unable to take a point back with them. The Foxes sit 17th with just 3 points. Arsenal managed to push a resilient Leicester team aside, taking them into 2nd in the table, but with Liverpool and Villa yet to play. 

Brentford vs West Ham United

The first London derby of the matchweek was staged at the Gtech Community Stadium with Thomas Frank’s Bretford hosting Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham. Brentford wrote their names in the history books when they found the back of the net inside 40 seconds for the 3rd time in a row. The Hammers couldn’t clear Kevin Schade’s ball properly and Fabio Carvalho jumped to head the ball into the path of Bryan Mbuemo. Mbuemo then set the Gtech into party mode when he smashed the ball into the top right corner with a beautiful volley. West Ham slowly started to find their way into the game but it was yet another sluggish start for the travelling side. At half time the score was 1-0 with West Ham hoping to make a comeback and pick up their first ever Premier League point/s at the Gtech.

West Ham finally found their equaliser in the 54th minute when they broke down the Bees’ defence with some brilliant intricate passes through the penalty area. Lucas Paqueta won the ball before playing it to skipper Jarrod Bowen. Bowen played a neat couple of passes with Tomas Soucek before Soucek laid it off to Michail Antonio. The Jamaican then flicked it up for Soucek who bundled the ball over the line, putting a scrapy end to what could have been a brilliant team goal. The away end didn’t mind though, with West Ham fans ecstatic that their team had been able to find an equaliser. Antonio also becomes the first Hammer with 100 Premier League goal involvements (67 goals, 33 assists). The rest of the game was very slow, with the full time score resulting in 1-1. Brentford picked up a point after they failed to create any real chances after their goal inside 40 seconds. Brentford still sit 11th in the table which is solid considering their injuries this early on in the campaign. West Ham remain undefeated on the road and sit 14th on the table with a drab 4 points. Lopetegui will know his side have to beat Ipswich at home next week or else he will start to lose the support of the West Ham fans.

Chelsea vs Brighton

The following game of matchweek 6 saw 2 exciting teams play off at Stamford Bridge; Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea and Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton. The Seagull’s shocked the Bridge when new signing Georginio Rutter scored inside 7 minutes. Chelsea centre half, Levi Colwill, couldn’t clear the ball properly as the ball hit Carlos Baleba before hanging in the air. Blues keeper Davison Sanchez attempted to punch it away but Rutter was able to jump higher than his fist, heading the ball into an open net. It was a great start for Brighton who hope to continue their unbeaten run. After already hitting the post and having a goal chalked off, Cole Palmer was the man to strike the hosts level. Nicholas Jackson punished an Adam Webster error which left himself and Palmer against Brighton shot stopper Bart Verbruggen. Jackson opted to square it to Palmer who drilled the ball into an uncontested net. Palmer then found his second after Jadon Sancho was shoved down in the penalty area by Rutter. The young Englishman slotted the spot kick away perfectly, passing the ball into the bottom left corner. After 2 relatively standard goals, Palmer’s 3rd required an insane amount of talent and finesse. Chelsea won a free kick 30 yards away from goal with no debate over who was standing over it. Palmer struck the ball brilliantly, watching as it curled into the top left corner, leaving Verbruggen with no chance of keeping it out. This entertaining game continued to get better as Brighton halved the deficit. Once again, the goal was put down to a defensive error when ex-Brighton keeper, Sanchez, played the ball directly into the path of Baleba. Baleba took a few touches before smashing the ball past the Spaniard, making it 3-2. The Blues then restored their cushion in the 41st minute with there being no surprise who found the back of the net. Sancho found Palmer inside the penalty area who drilled the ball past Verbruggen at his near corner, putting his name in the history books once again (first player to score 4 goals in the first half of a Premier League game). Finally, the half finished with the score at 4-2. It was certainly not 45 minutes in which you could compliment the defensive performance from both sides.

The 2nd half was much less dramatic, with Chelsea seeing Brighton off with much less stress. Palmer missed chances to score his 5th and the game ultimately finished 4-2. Chelsea continue to score goals, but Maresca will still be disappointed with his team’s defence. The Blues sit 3rd on 13 points but with Liverpool and Villa yet to play.

Everton vs Crystal Palace

The next game of the matchweek saw two winless sides face off at Goodison Park in Everton and Crystal Palace. The Eagles found an early opener, just 10 minutes in, when Adam Wharton crossed a ball to the back post from the right wing. Palace’s 2 centre halves combined when Maxence Lacroix headed the ball down for Marc Guehi. The English defender poked the ball past Toffee’s keeper Jordan Pickford with the outside of his boot, giving Oliver Glasner’s side an ideal start to the fixture. The Eagles dominated the rest of the half and Sean Dyche’s side were very lucky that they went into the break down by just one, with Palace creating multiple chances to score many more.

The Toffees completely flipped the script for the second period and came out looking the much more dominant side. They equalised just 2 minutes into the 2nd half when their young star, Dwight McNeil, found the back of the net in spectacular fashion. McNeil received the ball from Ashley Young 25 yards outside the penalty area where immediately he shaped to shoot. His strike was out of this world, with Goodison in awe as it curled perfectly into the top left corner. The Toffees once again turned to their star man to complete the turnaround. Leeds loanee, Jack Harrison, whipped in a beautiful cross from the right wing in the 54th minute. McNeil’s first touch was delicate, keeping the ball in the air before smashing it past keeper, Dean Henderson. Palace then switched back on, attempting to find a late equaliser. Dyche’s side held out Palace for the remaining minutes, putting in a strong performance to gain their first win of the new season. Everton jumped out of the relegation zone and into 16th. Palace continue their disappointing start to the season, after their electric end to the last, as they sit 18th with 3 points.

Nottingham Forest vs Fulham

The following game of matchweek 6 saw two underrated and exciting Premier League sides play off at the City Ground; Nuno Espirito’s Forest and Marco Silva’s Fulham. Forest got off to a positive start, testing Fulham’s man between the sticks, Bernd Leno, on multiple occasions. Failing to convert any of their opportunities in the opening 20 minutes, Fulham then started to fire up. At the end of the half, both sides had failed to convert and the score was tightly poised at 0-0.

Fulham came out quickly for the second period and were gifted with the perfect chance to go ahead in the 51st minute after referee Josh Smith pointed to the spot. Andreas Pereira was shoved down inside the area by Forest centre half Murrilo, leaving Smith no choice but to give Fulham the penalty. Mexican centre forward, Raul Jimenez, stepped up to take the spot kick and after his stuttered run up, he perfectly placed the ball into the top right corner. It was a historic day for Jimenez as he found the back of the net for the 50th time in the Premier League. The so far unbeaten Forest failed to fire back at Fulham as Nuno’s side lost their first game of the season at home 0-1. It is still a relatively positive start to the season for Forest, who sit in the top half of the table (10). Marco Silva’s side continue their stellar start to the campaign as they sit 6th, unbeaten in their last 5 Premier League games.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Liverpool

The final game played on Saturday afternoon saw Gary O’Neil’s Wolves host Arne Slot’s title contending Liverpool at the Molineux Stadium. After Wolves’ unlucky start to the season, they looked to cause the Reds some early problems, dominating the ball and testing Liverpool keeper Alisson multiple times. After soaking up all Wolves’ early domination and possession, Liverpool started to progress in the tie, with Dominik Szoboszlai forcing a save of the season contender from keeper Sam Johnstone. Unfortunately for the hosts, Liverpool broke the deadlock in first half stoppage time. Ex Wolf, Diogo Jota, whipped in a ball from the left wing. Jota’s cross was met by a towering header from centre half Ibrahima Konate who rose high to head Liverpool into the lead. At half time the score stood at 0-1, with Wolves left disappointed they couldn’t convert after all their possession and shots early on.

Liverpool should have made it 0-2 inside 50 minutes after Captain, Mario Lemina, played a weak pass across his own penalty area. Mohamed Salah was quick to pounce and hit the ball first time but missed as his effort flew wide of the post, proving a huge let off for the hosts. After making a major defensive error of their own, Wolves then equalised through a Liverpool error. Striker Jorgen Strand Larsen looked to have taken a poor touch as Konate got goal side of the Norwegian, waiting for keeper Alisson to come and claim. The French centre back seemed to switch off for a second, physically and verbally, as Alisson did not come to claim the ball and Strand Larsen ran round him and squared the ball to substitute Carlos Forbs. Forbs couldn’t sort his feet out in time as the ball bobbled to Rayan Ait-Nouri who calmly slotted the ball into an uncontested net, making it 1-1. Immediately after Wolves had levelled the fixture, Liverpool won a penalty. Diogo Jota was proving a real pain for his old side and he demonstrated this again, winning the penalty after he was held back by Wolves defender Nelson Semedo. Salah stepped up to take the spot kick and converted it perfectly, slotting it down the right and scoring his 4th of the season. Liverpool tried to find a 3rd that would have sealed all 3 points but Wolves kept it to just 2. When referee Anthony Taylor blew his whistle, Liverpool won the tie 1-2. This result takes Arne Slot’s men to the top of the league after Man City dropped back to back points. It is an ideal start to the season from a Liverpool fans perspective. With Wolves still without a win this season, they sit 20th despite putting in a really good performance against Liverpool and many other sides. Gary O’Neil will hope they can replicate their performances and then start to win some games.

Ipswich Town vs Aston Villa

The first game played on Sunday afternoon saw Scott McKenna’s Ipswich Town host Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at Portman Road. New signing from Manchester City, Liam Delap, sent the majority of Portman Road wild in the 8th minute when he found the back of the net. Jack Clarke cut the ball back from the left side of the penalty where Delap struck the ball first time. His strike wasn’t powerful, and Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez will feel disappointed he couldn’t keep the ball from finding the bottom left corner. After taking an early lead, it only took Villa 7 minutes to strike level. Morgan Rodgers, who has gone under the radar for Villa this season, was the man to score for the travelling side, playing a 1-2 with Ollie Watkins in the penalty area before drilling the ball into the bottom left corner. 17 minutes later and Villa had completed the turnaround. Leon Bailey’s cross in from the right wing was met by a rising header from Ollie Watkins, who is finding his form in front of goal again, notching his 4th of the season. At half time, the score finished 1-2 with Emery’s side playing well so far.

Ipswich came out strongly for the 2nd half and gave Emery’s side lots to think about. Eventually in the 72nd minute, Delap completed his brace and tied the game. Delap received the ball from Omari Hutchinson from almost the halfway line before making a driving run, progressing through the park. As he arrived into the penalty area, Delap stepped over the ball, tricking the Villa defenders before slotting the ball into the far right corner. Ipswich then had chances to snatch all 3 points, but some resilient defending from the Villains prevented them from doing so. In the end, the points were fairly shared with the full time score 2-2. Emery’s side missed out on a chance to go equal 1st as they sit 4th in the table. Ipswich climbed out of the relegation zone into 15th after they drew their 4th game in a row. McKenna will be hoping his side can claim their first win of the campaign against West Ham next week at the London Stadium.

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur

The final game played on Sunday afternoon saw Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United host Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. Spurs took a shock lead inside 3 minutes when centre half, Micky van de Ven, intercepted a pass from Alejandro Garnacho inside his own half. Well known for being the fastest player in Premier League history, van de Ven absolutely ate up the Old Trafford turf, sprinting through the whole Manchester United midfield and defence and getting to the goal line. He then played a ball across the 6 yard area where Brennan Johnson was left with the easy task of tapping it into an uncontested net at the far post. After a dreadful start to the game for United, letting Spurs dominate possession and failing to progress with the ball outside their own half, it went from bad to worse. James Maddison was about to start a counter for Tottenham when Bruno Fernandes went to foul him. Knowing it would most likely result in a yellow, the Portuguese star was careless going in, tripping up in the process and made the challenge look even worse as well as higher on Maddison’s leg. Fernandes had to see red for his tackle as United’s skipper was sent off. At half time the score finished 0-1 with Tottenham left with a much less trying second 45 minutes. Ange will still be disappointed his side couldn’t find a second or even a third, hitting the post and being denied by United shot stopper Andre Onana multiple times.

Spurs all but sealed the 3 points in the 47th minute when Dejan Kulusevski opened his account for the season. Dominic Solanke headed the ball to Johnson who had acres of space to run into down the right wing. The Welshman attempted to play the ball across to the Swede along the floor but his pass caught a huge deflection. Improvising, Kulusevski jumped and poked out his left boot, watching as it sailed over Onana and into the bottom left corner. Tottenham continued to dominate and it was no surprise to the fans still seated at Old Trafford when they scored their 3rd on the 77 minute mark. Lucas Bergvall’s corner was flicked down by Pape Sarr into a very dangerous position. Using his poacher instincts, Solanke lunged in to poke the ball past Onana for a 3rd time. The English striker is no stranger to scoring against United, notching goals home and away against ten Hag’s team last season. Referee Chris Kavanagh finally put United out of their misery by blowing the full time whistle. It is yet another positive result for Tottenham who have now won 4 games on the spin in all competitions. The only negative from their point of view is that they failed to make it 0-4 or 0-5. It couldn’t possibly get worse for Manchester United and Erik ten Hag, especially after Tottenham fans were singing to the Dutch manager at full time, ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’. It’s hard to see him staying with United for much longer as his team sits 12th with just 7 points.

Bournemouth vs Southampton

The final game of the matchweek played on Monday night saw Bournemouth host Southampton at the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth came out the blocks quickly and were too hot to handle for the Saints. It was no surprise to the majority of the Vitality when the Cherries found an opener inside 17 minutes. Marcus Tavernier was quick to take the free kick won by Antonie Semenyo just outside the penalty area. Tavernier chipped the ball into the 18-yard area where new Brazilian centre forward signing, Evanilson, lunged in to poke the ball into the bottom left corner, opening his account for Bournemouth in the process. After missing a penalty just 2 weeks ago, it was an ideal start for Evanilson who will hope that is the first of many at the Vitality. 15 minutes later, the Cherries doubled their advantage, with Semenyo the pioneer of the goal again. His tricky feet were too much for the Saints defenders as he found himself with space in the penalty area. The Ghanaian popped the ball back out to the top of the box where Lewis Cook unleashed Bournemouth’s latest shot. His effort flew by almost everyone before striking the heel of teammate Dango Ouattara and trickling into the bottom right corner. 6 minutes later and Bournemouth found themselves with a 3 goal lead just before the interval. After being heavily involved in the first 2 goals, Semenyo finally found one of his own. The Cherries starman dribbled into the penalty area from the right wing before chopping backwards and sitting down Southampton’s players. He then shaped to shoot before firing the ball into the bottom left corner, with this strike the best of the bunch. At half time, Bournemoth were threatening to embarrass the Saints even further. Russel Martin had got his tactics all wrong, opting not to play a no.9 and leaving 5 strikers on the bench while playing 18-year-old Tyler Dibbling isolated upfront.

Despite being dismantled in the opening 45 minutes, Southampton found themselves with an unlikely goal early on in the second half. Mateus Fernandes recycled a cross and whipped in a second ball from the left wing. After catching a few deflections, the ball fell into the path of centre half, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who dove low to head the ball past Cherries keeper Kepa. It was quite a shock to the Bournemouth players and fans but the hosts responded perfectly, tightening up defensively while also creating a few more chances before the final whistle was blown. In the end, Bournemouth held out for a comfortable 3-1 win that saw them climb to 11th in the table. Southampton continue their drab start to life back in the Premier League as they sit 19th with 1 point.

Written by Ollie Wade