Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Premier Table Match Week 2 Results: What the Hull Is Going On ?; Manchester United Roars Back From Opening Week Setback; High Scoring Chelsea Survives Another Goal Fest And Says Goodbye To High Priced Star; Spurs Suffer Another Goalless Defeat; Manchester City Rolls Over Crystal Palace

Hull sits in the top four after a perfect two weeks for the Tigers. The newly promoted side won 1-0 at Coventry over the weekend after shocking Manchester United in Week 1. The feisty newcomers to the league join Arsenal as the only clubs yet to concede a goal. Visiting Hull supporters were in a euphoric state in the Coventry stands, chanting “We’re going to win the league,” as the Tigers clawed to another victory.

The Tigers’ stinginess stands in stark contrast to Chelsea which is playing little defense but also has two wins now after scoring a combined seven goals in its two matches. The Blues sprinted to a 3-0 advantage on Sunday but were then forced to sweat out the three points as Brighton came roaring back in a 4-3 pinballing contest. Cole Palmer scored an insurance goal in the 74th minute to restore Chelsea’s margin to two goals, good enough to withstand a late injury time score by the Seagulls. New Chelsea goalkeeper Emi Martinez must be feeling shellshocked. The new man between the sticks made several key stops to help salvage the win despite Chelsea’s leaky defense. Chelsea scored another win when it scored a record fee for dishing disgruntled midfielder Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City at the transfer deadline on Tuesday.

The Brighton comeback at Stamford Bridge was not all that surprising as the Seagulls are level with Manchester City for the most goals scored after two matches. The Citizens sit atop the table, ahead of Arsenal due to their goals scored advantage over the Gunners. Erling Haaland scored a brace in Manchester City’s 4-1 humiliation of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and now add Chelsea’s Fernandez to their constellation of stars. The winless Eagles, meanwhile, are in a bad way after saying goodbye to their top-notch manager Oliver Glasner over the offseason and suffering a transfer window so dismal that Ben Chillwell, of all people, was a headline deadline day addition.

Aston Villa also suffered a rough transfer window but looked better in a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. The Villans, however, still haven’t put a shot on target after two matches.

All is well again for Manchester United supporters after the club put an embarrassing opening week loss to Hull behind it and ran amok at Old Trafford versus the plodding Tractor Boys of Ipswich Town. Last year’s Premier League Player of the Season, Bruno Fenrandes, scored a hat trick in the 5 -2 win over the visitors.

Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, laid an egg for a second consecutive week in a 2-0 home loss to Newcastle. The north London side still looks a bottom of the table club despite heavy offseason investment. Manager Roberto De Zerbi is yet to see his club find the net after two matches. Things are so dismal in north London that the club has rolled the dice on Chelsea bust Mykhailo Mudryk in a loan deal.

The jury remains out on Liverpool after a second consecutive 2-2 draw under new Manager Andoni Iraola. A 99th minute penalty was required to salvage the point in Sunday’s match at Newcastle.

Everton also required a stoppage time goal in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth. James Tarkowski delivered the point saving header from amidst a forest of ineffective Bournemouth defenders. Goals could be scarce this season for the Toffees as a deal for USMNT striker Folarin Balogun fell through at the last minute on Tuesday. Everton said goodbye to Beto and now look even worse up front than last season when no player scored in double digits for David Moyes’ side.

A 79th minute goal by Dominic Calvert Lewin gave Leeds a point in a 1-1 draw with Brentford at Elland Road.

Sunderland, meanwhile, notched its first win of the season in a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light over Fulham. New Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa is showing the stress of two opening league losses as he exploded in post-match comments about “the attitude of my team.” The Cottagers failed to put a shot on target against the Black Cats and Alvaro deplored his side’s lack of effort.

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Friday, August 28, 2026

Premier Table: Match Week 2 Preview

As if Aston Villa doesn’t have enough problems, Villa Park will be invaded on Monday by marauding Premier League champion Arsenal which slapped around poor Coventry City in its 3-0 opening win. The Villans, meanwhile, were frightful in a 4-0 loss to Brighton. Now comes the news that goalkeeper Emi Martinez is the next to fly the coop at Villa, the Argentine heading to Chelsea where he will reunite with Morgan Rogers, yet another Villa refugee.

Chelsea edged past Fulham 3-2 on Monday, but both Cottager goals were preventable, and Xabi Alonso apparently means business as he brings in Argentina’s starting keeper to make the Blues a bit stingier. Alonso and the boys host Brighton on Sunday in a matchup of winners from Week 1.

Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca also notched a victory in his first appearance on the touchline for Manchester City last week. On Friday the Citizens head to Selhurst Park to face a Crystal Palace side trying to find its footing under its own new manager, Pierre Sage. Erling Haaland will be trying to net his first goal since his recent haircut.

Former Palace Manager Oliver Glasner was unsuccessful in his debut last week for his new employers at Nottingham Forest. The Trees now uproot this week for a tilt at Anfield where Liverpool is trying to find a winning formula under new manager Andoni Iraola, one of nine new managers in the Premier League this season. Iraola’s teams usually take some time to adjust to his style of play, but Reds supporters may not be patient should things take too long. Arne Slot after all got the sack just one season after winning the Prem for the Reds.

Coventry City Manager Frank Lampard is trying to establish his cred as a Premier League manager after false starts in earlier stints on the touchline for Chelsea, where Lampard starred as a player, and Everton. Things started poorly last week for the Sky Blues in a shellacking by Arsenal, but Coventry returns home to face Hull on Saturday for the first Premier League match in Coventry in 25 years.

While that match will take place at the Sky Blues’ less than excitingly named venue Coventry Building Society Arena, Ipswich Town heads to a more famous venue this week when the Tractor Boys visit Old Trafford for a match with Manchester United, surprising losers to Hull last week. Ipswich won their opening match after an offseason where they invested heavily. The Red Devils, meanwhile, stumbled in their opener and supporters are anxious about a lack of spending by their historic club to support Michael Carrick in his first season as “permanent” manager.

Like Carrick, Roberto De Zerbi entered the season in the high regard of supporters after saving Spurs from relegation. Those same supporters were somewhat shocked when De Zerbi’s crew laid an egg in a 3-0 opening loss to Brentford. Spurs will try to get back in the saddle this weekend when facing Newcastle at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Brentford will try to build on the momentum of last week’s dominant win when the Bees travel to Leeds. Brentford is winless in its last eight visits to Elland Road.

Sunderland will be relying on its Stadium of Light supporters to help the club shake off its opening week’s defeat to Ipswich Town. Bournemouth will likewise be trying to avoid a second defeat when the Cherries welcome Everton to Vitality Stadium on Saturday. Everton have won just once in their last nine trips to Bournemouth.

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Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Premier Table Match Week 1: Arsenal Is Dominant; New Managers Score Wins For Chelsea And Manchester City; Liverpool Lucky To Steal A Point; Two Newcomers Win; Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur Flop On Opening Weekend

Arsenal kicked off the Premier League season with a clear message that it will not be easy to knock the Gunners off their title perch. The champions were dominant in a 3-0 spanking of Coventry City. Newly promoted Coventry, meanwhile, was so outclassed that one must wonder if Manager Frank Lampard is in store for a brutal season in his return to the league. The Sky Blues managed only a single shot on target versus the Gunners and could be facing a short stay in the league.

Manchester United seemed to be on the right track with an impressive third place finish under interim manager Michael Carrick last season. Red Devil supporters are now scratching their heads after a confusing 2-0 failure at Hull, one of two promoted teams to win this weekend. United fell victim to a promoted club on opening day for the first time in 13 such matchups in its club history. New signings Youri Tielemans and Andry Santos, and the return of Marcus Rashford had no positive impact for a club which looked unready under Manager Carrick.

A similar disaster was experienced by Tottenham Hotspur Manager Roberto De Zerbi. The manager was a hero when he saved the club from an embarrassing relegation in the final weeks of the 25/26 season. Momentum was expected to continue after offseason player additions like Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali. Didn’t happen. Spurs still looked like a bottom of the table club and were no match for Brentford in a 3-0 loss where De Zerbi’s team looked unprepared and even disinterested in contrast to a well-organized and energized Bees club managed by Keith Andrews.

Unlike Spurs supporters, bad things were already feared entering this season by fans of Aston Villa which suffered a massive talent drain during this transfer window even as striker Ollie Watkins awaits his own ticket out of Birmingham. Villa was spanked 4-0 at Brighton, a shocking result even for pessimistic supporters.

One of the Aston Villa escapees, star midfielder Morgan Rogers, made the scoresheet in his Chelsea debut, a 3-2 Blues victory at Craven Cottage over Fulham. Rogers, Palmer and Joao Pedro scored for a Chelsea attack which looked worlds better under new Manager Xavi Alonso. Palmer and Pedro never clicked last season, but each assisted on the other’s goal on Monday.

The man who began last season as Chelsea’s manager has a massive challenge ahead of him as Enzo Maresca attempts to maintain the winning culture which predecessor Pep Guardiola established at Manchester City. Maresca is off to a good start after a comeback 2-1 victory over Bournemouth and its own new manager, Marco Rose. Rayan Cherki assisted on each of the Manchester City goals, both of which were scored after the 80th minute to erase the Bournemouth lead. There must be worries, however, after Erling Haaland failed to score shortly after shearing his flowing locks, raising concerns of a “Samson” effect.

As was the case at the Etihad, there were new managers on both touchlines as Newcastle and Liverpool battled to a 2-2 draw at St. James’s Park. The draw should be a moral victory for the Magpies who lost not just a manager but many of their key players this offseason. Satisfaction has to be muted, however, after new manager Matthias Jaissle saw his club concede a penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time to squander what would have been an additional two points on opening night. Liverpool Manager Andoni Iraola escaped with a point in his debut for the Reds but can’t be impressed with what was a generally rocky performance masked by the late game gift.

Crystal Palace and Manager Oliver Glasner parted ways after the Eagles scored a European title in the Conference League last season. Eyebrows were raised when Glasner took the helm a Nottingham Forest, not a clear step up in class and a dangerous partnership with an equally volatile personality in Nottingham Forest Owner Evangelos Marinakis. Forest and Palace were both losers on opening weekend, Crystal Palace falling 2-0 at Everton while Glasner and Forest were 1-0 losers at home to Leeds.

A late goal by substitute Jack Clark made Ipswich Town one of two promoted sides to grab three points on Saturday. The Tractor Boys, who were relegated two seasons ago, announced their return with a thrilling 2-1 win over last season’s Premier League darling Sunderland when Clark scored in the final minute of regulation time. With Hull and Ipswich Town both winning, could we possibly see a second season in which two promoted sides secure a second season? 

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