Good Monday morning, TSFers! I hope everybody had a nice weekend. I definitely did after Arsenal started things off with a 3-0 win. That early Saturday match is fraught — if the Gunners win, it sets a great tone for the whole weekend and I can enjoy the rest of the matches in peace, but if they lose, especially in an annoying, frustrating, or enraging way, it creates a dark cloud for the rest of the weekend.
I should probably not let the performance of a bunch of teens, twenty, and thirty-somethings
dictate my mood quite as much as I do, but we all have our battles to fight.
I’ll admit that I didn’t watch nearly as much PL this weekend as I normally do. The to-do list needed winnowing. But I’ll still do my best to pick out the important bits from the action.
Bournemouth 2 – Brighton 1
Antoine Semenyo assisted the Cherries’ first goal and scored the second on a penalty. I doubt Semenyo is at Bournemouth next season, some big club will come for him (I wouldn’t mind at all if Arsenal were that club). First half injuries to Jack Hinshelwood and Maxim de Cuyper disrupted Brighton’s play and contributed to the overall scrappy nature of the match.
Crystal Palace 0 – Sunderland 0
The less said about this match the better. The first shot on target of the match didn’t come until the 49th minute. Sunderland keeper Robin Roefs was probably the MOTM for me — his work earned the draw for the visitors.
Everton 0 – Aston Villa 0
Aston Villa have yet to score a goal in the Premier League and were outplayed by the Toffees. Beto missed an open goal early in the match and a big chance in the second half, too. Emi Martinez returned in goal for Unai Emery’s side after failing to get his desired move away from the club.
Fulham 1 – Leeds United 0
Gabriel Gudmundsson was charged with a 94th minute own goal that gave the points to Fulham, who didn’t manage their first shot on target until a 58th minute free kick. Recording-signing Kevin was bright for Fulham. Leeds keeper Karl Darlow was excellent and nearly earned his side a point.
Newcastle 1 – Wolves 0
Record-signing Nick Woltemade scored the only goal of the match with a powerful header from a Jacob Murphy cross. Wolves looked the more likely to score for portions of the match but couldn’t make their chances count.
West Ham United 0 – Tottenham Hotspur 3
Spurs scored three goals in 17 minutes early in the second half to run away with the match (Sarr, Bergvall, van de Ven), helped by a Tomas Soucek red card at 1-0. It seems highly unlikely Graham Potter makes it through the season in charge of the Hammers. They’re dreadful.
Brentford 2 – Chelsea 2
A match all about the substitutes. Cole Palmer, who didn’t start for the Blues presumably because of the Champions League match this week, scored an equalizer midway through the second half. New signing Alejandro Garnacho set up the would-be winner from Moises Caicedo in the 85th minute. Brentford sub Fabio Carvalho equalized in the 93rd minute from a long throw.
Burnley 0 – Liverpool 1
I don’t want to talk about it. Liverpool are ridiculously lucky. Burnley go down to 10-men late. Liverpool get a penalty in second-half added time. And everybody wants to talk about how magnificent they are. They’re the most average great team I think I’ve ever seen. Somehow they keep winning. It’s infuriating because it really feels like they haven’t even come close to deserving the results they’ve managed.
Manchester City 3 – Manchester United 0
Manchester United stink. Their stubborn 1-0 loss to Arsenal to open the season looks like it will be among their best performances of the season. Phil Foden got rid of the platinum blonde hair and scores 18 minutes (on the pitch) after doing so. Coincidence? I think not. Erling Haaland scored a second-half brace.
