Arsenal is different this season. Manager Mikel Arteta has options to overcome problems which may have tripped up his squad in their recent bridesmaid years. Like many clubs, Arsenal has been beset by injuries. Kai Havertz was injured in August. Gabriel Jesus has not returned form a serious knee injury incurred last season. Striker Viktor Gyokeres was absent Sunday with hamstring issues. Martin Odegaard is sidelined. Gabriel Martinelli, nursing a groin injury, made the bench but not the pitch as he recovers from injury. Gabriel Magalhaes was the latest injury blow, the center back suffering a muscle injury while on international break.
The depth of this squad, however, was on full display when summer signing Eberechi Eze scored a hat trick to make easy work of rival Tottenham Hotspur in a 4-1 waltz at the Emirates. Eze, the former Crystal Palace star, has proved more than capable of stepping in for the injured Odegaard in the center of the Gunner’s midfield. With his weekend production, the English international now has more goal involvements than any other English player in the Premier League this season. Piero Hincapie, meanwhile, made his first start for Arsenal as he ably filled in for Gabriel at center back. The summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen was one of several options Arteta had at his disposal to partner with William Saliba and Hincapie rewarded the manager’s selection with a solid performance. In fairness, Arsenal was not overly challenged by a Tottenham Hotspur side which managed only three shots and seemed most interested in escaping the Emirates with as little damage as possible.
The Arsenal victory opened further distance between the Gunners and Manchester City which lost 2-1 at Newcastle. Harvey Barnes scored a brace for the Magpies to gift wrap Manager Eddie Howe’s first ever win over Manchester City.
The Citizens pursuit of Arsenal suffered a blow as Manchester City fell seven points behind the league leaders and are now third behind Chelsea after the Blues’ 2-0 win at Burnley. Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca was able to experiment against the overmatched Clarets and get some rest for key players ahead of upcoming clashes against Barcelona and Arsenal. Left back Marc Cucurella drifted several times into a Number 9 position and contributed in that fashion to Pedro Neto’s opening goal. Maresca also rested defensive midfielder Moses Caicedo for the first time this season and got adequate play from his replacement, Andrey Santos. Saturday’s win was a welcome boost following the news that Chelsea player Cole Palmer, already rehabbing from a groin issue, broke his toe in a household incident during the week. Palmer is out for the Barcelona Champions League match and will likely also miss the important Premier League matchup with Arsenal next weekend.
Aston Villa rounds out the Premier League top four after its 2-1 win over Leeds. Morgan Rogers scored both goals for Aston Villa which sent Leeds tumbling into the relegation zone after the Whites’ third straight defeat.
Wolverhampton rules the relegation underworld after losing a fifth consecutive match, 2-0 to Crystal Palace. Wolves have yet to win a match this season as new Manager Rob Edwards’ debut ended like most of Wolves’ matches this season. The abysmal side has lost ten and drawn twice in 12 rotten showings.
Speaking of rotten showings, Liverpool once again delivered a stinker in front of the home fans in a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. The defeat was the sixth in Liverpool’s last seven Premier League matches and Manager Arne Slot is under fire. Though he won the league last season, that team was widely regarded as a holdover from successful former manager Jurgen Klopp. Slot attempted this offseason to expensively populate the roster with his own additions. The spending spree has been a spectacular failure to date. Alexander Isaak is largely invisible. Florian Wirtz has looked like a horrible signing. Hugo Ekitike has cooled after a bright early season start. Slot appears to have no answers to the problems faced by his expensive and currently spiraling creation, Nottingham Forest Manager Sean Dyche, meanwhile, has been masterful of late in lifting the Trees from the despair of the relegation zone. His direct game plan versus Liverpool worked to perfection as his Trees have now captured seven of the last nine points available to them in league play.
Former Nottingham Forest Manger Nuno Espirito Santo also lifted his new club out of relegation when West Ham drew 2-2 at Bournemouth. There was little in the way of kudos accorded to Santo, however. The conservative manager pulled Callum Wilson in the 52nd minute after the forward had scored both Hammer goals, the manager choosing to insert an extra defender to protect the lead. The plan backfired miserably when West Ham’s two goal advantage was cancelled out by the Cherries while the Hammers attack went quiet after Wilson’s departure.
Fulham supporters were beginning to feel some relegation anxiety after the Cottagers managed only one win in six league matches to slide precariously down the table. Some relief then was felt when the Cottagers defeated Sunderland 1-0 in a driving rain at Craven Cottage. The much needed victory leaves Fulham three points clear of the drop zone. Sunderland is seventh in the table after the Black Cats’ four match unbeaten run ended in the rain.
Manchester United had a five-match unbeaten run ended on Monday when shorthanded Everton hung a 1-0 defeat on the Red Devils at Old Trafford. The Toffees were able to take and protect their one goal margin despite going down to ten men in the 13th minute. The circumstances were a bit unusual as Everton’s Idrissa Gueye was ejected for slapping his own teammate, Michael Keane. While many players might be tempted from time to time, no Premier League player had seen red for striking a teammate since 2008. The Toffees shrugged off the setback, however, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall providing the winning margin in the 29th minute and Everton holding on for dear life after that point. Manchester United launched 25 shots in the match versus three for the Toffees but were unable to get one past Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. After the loss, Manchester United Manager Ruben Amorim lauded the spirit that led to the Gueye and Keane spat and the determined Toffee effort which followed, claiming “I hope my players, when they lose the ball, fight each other.” The gutty Everton performance gave manager David Moyes his first win at Old Trafford as a visiting manager and the Toffees also became the first visiting team to win a Premier League match at Old Trafford after having a man sent off.
History of a sort was also made at Brighton where 32-year-old Fabian Hurzeler became the youngest man to manage 50 matches in the Premier League. Technically, however, the suspended manager was relegated to the stands as his Seagulls soared to a 2-1 victory over Brentford when Jack Hinshelwood found the net for the winner in the 84th minute at American Express Stadium. Brighton moved into sixth place in the table as the Seagulls extended their home unbeaten run in the Premier League to ten matches.
