2<\/p>\n
\u2026 while Maresca\u2019s masterplan pays off<\/p>\n
Foden\u2019s red card also posed a big test for Enzo Maresca, overseeing his first derby as Manchester City<\/a> manager. After a solid but unspectacular start to the league season, this could have become a painful afternoon with his team down to 10 men. Instead, the Italian made smart decisions to secure a galvanising result \u2013 and keep pace with Arsenal, both teams already edging clear of their expected rivals. Maresca made just one change in the first 80 minutes, but bringing on Iliman Ndiaye for Rayan Cherki gave his team a more direct threat on the break. Fellow new signings Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez and Elliot Anderson have settled quickly, the latter imperious in midfield during a second half where City rarely looked short-handed. At the back, Marc Gu\u00e9hi barely put a foot wrong as Maresca\u2019s side showed a solidity that had been lacking. The manner of Haaland\u2019s winner was fortunate, to say the least, but the visitors\u2019 second-half display deserved all three points. NMc<\/p>\n Enzo Maresca celebrates with Ruben D\u00edas after a statement win for Manchester City. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The Guardian<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n Free-scoring Seagulls dunk on Coventry<\/p>\n On another day, any of the excellent individual goals from Charalampos Kostoulas, Malick Yalcouy\u00e9 and Yasin Ayari could have been the showstopper in Brighton\u2019s rout of Coventry. But none could compare to Lewis Dunk\u2019s sensational 35-yard piledriver into the top corner. For a centre-back to even consider shooting from where he did is ridiculous, but Dunk insisted he has \u201cthat sort of shot in my locker\u201d, with Fabian H\u00fcrzeler saying everyone at the club knows all about the shooting technique he possesses. Dunk was one of five different goalscorers on Sunday as Brighton continue to show they can do things differently to last season, when Danny Welbeck was their chief attacking threat with 13 Premier League goals. Already in this campaign, eight different Brighton players have scored in just four league games. And who really needs a star striker when your centre-back can hit a ball like that? Ben Bloom<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n Arteta\u2019s \u2018sadness\u2019 unfair to Sunderland<\/p>\n Referees are supposed to be clamping down on grappling, holding and shirt-pulling at dead balls this season \u2013 but until the 58th minute at the Stadium of Light on Saturday both Sunderland<\/a> and Arsenal got away with plenty at corners and throws. The irony was that when John Brooks finally penalised Ezri Konsa for hauling Dan Ballard down at a throw and awarded Sunderland a penalty, subsequently endorsed by a VAR check, it proved contentious. There was a strong case for arguing that Ballard\u2019s clever \u201cjudo roll\u201d had landed the admittedly far from innocent Konsa in deep trouble. No matter that David Raya\u2019s brilliant save ensured Enzo Le F\u00e9e\u2019s ensuing penalty proved academic; Mikel Arteta subsequently cut a study in righteous indignation. Going over the top, he said he felt \u201csad\u201d for football and talked about wanting to \u201cprotect the game\u201d. When, two minutes after Le F\u00e9e\u2019s miss, Bruno Guimar\u00e3es curled in a superlative shot Arsenal were en route to a 2-0 win sealed by Bukayo Saka\u2019s late penalty and their immaculate start to the season continued. Sunderland, though, had played well and deserved more credit from a less than magnanimous Arteta. Louise Taylor<\/p>\n \u2018A study in righteous indignation\u2019: Mikel Arteta talks to fourth official Elliot Bell. Photograph: Scott Heppell\/Reuters<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Midfield fragility haunts Iraola<\/p>\n Andoni Iraola will inevitably discover some unwelcome truths in the learning stage of his Liverpool<\/a> reign. A second successive Premier League draw at Anfield \u2013 their seventh from 12 games in 2026 \u2013 revealed several, from Kostas Tsimikas\u2019 unreliability as a starter to the porous nature of a central midfield pairing of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai. Iraola had to make changes given the ridiculously tight turnaround from Wednesday\u2019s Champions League win over Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, his first experience of having to do so with Liverpool, and the absence of Alexis Mac Allister had more of a destabilising effect than he might have imagined. Gravenberch and Szoboszlai offered minimal resistance to a Fulham team that cut through with ease and, together with Florian Wirtz, offered little to an ineffective Liverpool attack assembled at huge expense. There will be further changes when Tottenham visit in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. Teenage midfielder Trey Nyoni, impressive in pre-season, should get an opportunity to show he can be a viable alternative the next time Mac Allister is rested. Andy Hunter<\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n Miss and Tel: De Zerbi\u2019s Spurs still scoreless<\/p>\n Roberto De Zerbi insisted there \u201cis not a problem\u201d between him and Mathys Tel, when nobody had seriously suggested there was. \u201cI love Mathys as a player, as a guy,\u201d the Tottenham manager said. Still, it was not a good day for Tel against Everton<\/a>. Dropped from the starting XI, he received an on-pitch tutorial from De Zerbi in how to play as a No 9. The Tottenham manager had moved Tel there in the closing stages after initially introducing him in his favoured left wing role. Play on the shoulder, attack the six-yard box, was the gist of De Zerbi\u2019s advice. Spurs\u2019s toothlessness at the sharp end of their formation was not on Tel. The real worry was Dominic Solanke and how he ghosted through another Premier League game. Omar Marmoush was also ineffective; first on the left, then briefly as the No 9 after Solanke was withdrawn. Solanke has been undermined by injuries, but his return of 12 league goals since his \u00a355m arrival in August 2024 is not good enough. David Hytner<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a>Free newsletter | Every weekday<\/p>\n Sign up to Football Daily<\/p>\n Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi gives Mathys Tel his post-game review on the pitch. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Sage wisdom under scrutiny at Palace<\/p>\n Crystal Palace\u2019s defenders committed the cardinal sin of not playing to the whistle when they allowed Ipswich to equalise during the first half of Saturday\u2019s costly 3-2 defeat. It was just the latest example of the bad habits that are creeping in since Pierre Sage\u2019s arrival as manager. While the Frenchman promised to speak to Axel Disasi this week after his reckless red card in the first half cost Palace dear, it was surprising to hear Sage admit his players had made the same mistake during training this week. \u201cI had this discussion with them because they did the same thing in a session. I told them to continue to play,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause of the VAR now, I prefer they deflect the ball [out] for a corner and then ask the referee if they were offside or not.\u201d Palace are lacking leadership at the back after selling Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea and have conceded seven goals in Sage\u2019s first two matches at home. He must find a solution to their defensive woes without Disasi, who is set to miss their next three Premier League matches due to suspension. Ed Aarons<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n Chelsea\u2019s defence still looks unserious<\/p>\n Chelsea do not relish the art of defending enough. Hull City\u2019s first goal on Saturday was a case in point. Malo Gusto was outmuscled by Ryan Giles and Mohamed Belloumi equalised when Jorrel Hato misjudged the Hull left-back\u2019s cross. Xabi Alonso called it soft. The Chelsea manager replaced Hato at half-time but the problems are not down to one individual. Emiliano Mart\u00ednez, signed as Robert Sanchez\u2019s replacement, is yet to convince in goal. Wesley Fofana still flatters to deceive, Levi Colwill is feeling his way back from injury and Maxence Lacroix was surprisingly on the bench against Hull. Chelsea have conceded 12 goals in Alonso\u2019s first six games in all competitions. They remain unserious. Jacob Steinberg<\/p>\n Match report: Chelsea 2-2 Hull<\/a><\/p>\n The Chelsea captain, Reece James, looks forlorn after Hull City\u2019s second goal at Stamford Bridge. Photograph: Peter Cziborra\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/p>\n 9<\/p>\n McAtee finally finds his feet at Forest<\/p>\n Oliver Glasner consistently name-checked James McAtee before a ball was kicked this season, adamant the \u00a330m arrival from Manchester City last summer could finally make a splash in a Nottingham Forest<\/a> shirt. Supporters were sceptical but his performance in their first victory of the season, at Aston Villa on Saturday, was further evidence of a player revitalised. Glasner is convinced the 23-year-old can thrive in the quarterback role he gave Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace. McAtee has started all four league matches this season, twice as many as he managed across the entire last campaign; he was hooked at half-time in successive starts against Utrecht and Wrexham either side of the turn of the year. But against Villa, McAtee oozed confidence and relished dictating the game. Glasner represents McAtee\u2019s fifth Forest manager in 13 months but in the Austrian he has one of his biggest fans. Ben Fisher<\/p>\n Match report: Aston Villa 1-2 Nottingham Forest<\/a><\/p>\n 10<\/p>\n Rose still winless despite positive signs<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789378092_322_500.jpg\")
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