The third week of the English Premier League season delivered another round of exciting football, with 18 goals scored across 10 matches as Arsenal and Manchester City maintained their perfect starts while several teams continued to search for their first victories of the campaign.
Liverpool got the weekend underway on Friday night with a comfortable 2–0 victory over newly promoted Ipswich Town. Alexander Isak made the difference for the visitors, scoring twice inside the opening nine minutes, with Cody Gakpo providing the assists for both goals. The victory marked Liverpool’s first under new manager Andoni Iraola and lifted the Reds to five points from their opening three matches.
Newcastle United and Bournemouth played out a thrilling 2–2 draw at St James’ Park. Bournemouth took the lead through Marcus Tavernier in the ninth minute before Newcastle responded with goals from Harvey Barnes and an own goal by Malick Thiaw. However, Jacob Ramsey struck in the 88th minute to rescue a point for Bournemouth. The result continued Bournemouth’s frustrating start, having now scored first in each of their opening three matches without recording a victory.
Brentford and Sunderland also shared the points in a 1–1 draw. Vitaly Janelt put Brentford ahead shortly after the break, but Sunderland responded through Enzo Le Fée, who converted from the penalty spot to earn the visitors a valuable point.
Brighton & Hove Albion were held to a 1–1 draw at home by Leeds United. Jayden Bogle gave Leeds the lead in the first half before Luka Vušković levelled for Brighton after the break. Neither side could find a winner as the points were shared at the Amex Stadium.
Crystal Palace secured their first victory of the season with an impressive 3–2 comeback win away to Fulham. Josh King gave Fulham an early lead before Tyrick Mitchell scored twice to put Palace ahead. Ben Chilwell then added a third for the visitors, while Carlos Palacios pulled one back for Fulham, but Palace held on to claim all three points.
Manchester City continued their perfect start with a narrow 1–0 victory over Coventry City at the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the game in the 26th minute, marking his 300th career goal in top-flight club football. Coventry pushed for an equaliser late on, but City held firm to make it three wins from three.
Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur played out a goalless draw at the City Ground, with neither side able to break the deadlock. The result gave Tottenham their first point of the campaign but extended their wait for a first Premier League goal of the season.
Hull City maintained their unbeaten start with another clean sheet, drawing 0–0 with Aston Villa. After opening the season with consecutive victories, Hull remained defensively solid against Villa, who are still searching for their first win after three matches. The draw also meant Hull remained the only side yet to concede a goal after three rounds.
Everton produced a dramatic late comeback to hold Manchester United to a 2–2 draw at Hill Dickinson Stadium. United took the lead through Bryan Mbeumo shortly after half-time before Tyrique George equalised for Everton in the 83rd minute. Benjamin Šeško appeared to have secured victory for United with an 88th-minute header, but Ainsley Maitland-Niles marked his Everton debut with a stunning long-range strike deep into stoppage time to rescue a point for the hosts.
The final match of Week 3 saw defending champions Arsenal come from behind to defeat Chelsea 2–1 in a thrilling London derby at the Emirates Stadium. Chelsea stunned the hosts by taking the lead after just 77 seconds through Morgan Rogers, but Arsenal responded through Kai Havertz in the 25th minute. Martin Ødegaard completed the comeback five minutes after half-time, firing Arsenal ahead and securing a third consecutive victory. The result kept Arsenal level on nine points with Manchester City at the top of the table, while Chelsea suffered their first defeat of the campaign.
With 18 goals scored across the 10 matches, Week 3 produced fewer goals than the previous round but once again highlighted the unpredictability of the Premier League. Arsenal and Manchester City remain perfect after three games, while Hull City continue to impress defensively. At the other end, Tottenham and Aston Villa remain without a win, while Manchester United were left frustrated after surrendering another late lead.
By: Victoria Kwofie
