Alex Keble reviews Saturday's action as Arsenal slipped up to Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City gained an early lead in the title race.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
4 | +8 | 12 |
| 2 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
4 | +6 | 9 |
| 3 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
4 | +1 | 9 |
| 4 |
Brighton
BHA
|
4 | +4 | 8 |
| 5 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
4 | +2 | 8 |
| 6 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
3 | +4 | 7 |
Man City go into the first international break of the season with a two-point lead over Arsenal on a Saturday that might just bring a sinking feeling for Gunners fans.
Arsenal’s first dropped points last season also came in their third match, falling two behind City at an identical stage of the campaign, and although they recovered to lead Pep Guardiola’s side through portions of the season, fans look back on their 2-2 draw with Fulham as a defining moment.
A 1-1 draw with Brighton is nothing like the disappointment of letting a 2-1 lead slip against 10-man Fulham, especially not after Declan Rice’s red card drastically affected the game, but nevertheless, the question lingers: will Arsenal come to rue those dropped points?
Arsenal’s dropped points were bad luck; Man City rode theirs
It’s cruel to scrutinise such a minor slip from Arsenal, but that’s what this Man City team have done to the Premier League. Chasing them down is such a formidable task that every dropped point prompts an anxious debrief, which, of course, becomes part of the problem.
And in truth, the margins were incredibly small: Arsenal conceded an equaliser seconds before Mikel Arteta was able to make the substitution and formation change that could have shut down the game, whereas Man City were fortunate to ride out a 10-minute spell of West Ham pressure in the second half before Pep Guardiola brought Ilkay Gundogan on to close it out.
Things could easily have played out differently, and just three weeks into the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, it is of course too early to draw sweeping conclusions.
But Man City are an ominous force at the best of times. They now have a fortnight to bask in a 100 per cent record and an early lead on challengers Arsenal.
Haaland’s form suggests City won’t slow down
The day’s headline event was Erling Haaland’s hat-trick, taking him to a ridiculous seven goals in only three Premier League matches.
In doing so he broke yet more Premier League records.
Haaland’s seven goals in three matches are more than any player has scored in the first three games of a Premier League season, while he became the first player to score a hat-trick in two of a team's first three league games in English football since Paul Jewell for Bradford City in League 2 in 1994/95.
It was also his eighth Man City hat-trick, which, along with 10 braces, means Haaland has scored more than one goal in 26 per cent of his Premier League games to date.
But the most impressive statistic of all is this: Haaland has scored more goals in 2024/25, with seven, than any other Premier League team. Brighton and Chelsea, the second-highest scorers behind Man City, have scored six each.
All three of his goals were clinical. It was Haaland at his ruthless best, a consequence of improved fitness after carrying niggling injuries through the last two seasons, as Guardiola revealed in his pre-match press conference.
“He’s playing much better – in everything,” Guardiola said after the game, praising Haaland’s link-up play and pressing, as well as his goals.
“I think he played an unbelievable game… Defensively, offensively, in terms of giving the extra pass. I’m really pleased for him.”
He certainly looks razor-sharp, and, now fitter, he can be kept on the field longer too, which partly explains his goal glut. Haaland scored his third goal in the 82nd minute today, having scored his third in the 88th minute against Ipswich Town.
That is great news for Man City fans and a disaster for their rivals. If Haaland keeps this up, Guardiola’s side are unlikely to slow down or let Arsenal back in.
Arsenal have problems ahead of tough matches
Arsenal looked good for their 1-0 lead against Brighton until Rice’s red card, and indeed even from a more conservative set-up in the second half, they had a couple of decent chances to snatch the points.
“It was unbelievable the way the team reacted,” Arteta said after the match. “Because even with 10 men playing from 49 minutes, we should have won the game.”
That might be true, and yet Arsenal were keen to slow the game down towards the end of the second half, resulting in a yellow card for time-wasting for David Raya, while Arteta rued “three or four chances that we didn't convert” in the first half.
More ruthlessness, then, was needed, in stark contrast to Haaland and Man City.
They cannot let that to be the case when they travel to the Etihad Stadium on 22 September, just seven days after a north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal's next five Premier League fixtures
It’s a particularly difficult back-to-back that makes Saturday's draw even harder to bear – and makes Rice’s red card a bigger problem, too.
Rice will be suspended for the trip to Spurs and Arsenal will also be without new signing Mikel Merino for at least the next two matches.
It could leave them vulnerable in central midfield right at the moment that Rodri – an unused substitute for Man City at West Ham – is back to strengthen City in the middle of the park.
More ominous news for their rivals, then. No wonder Guardiola was in a good mood in his post-match press conference, looking forward to the season properly getting under way after the break.
“I’m really pleased to have one title already and nine points,” he said.
“Today, pre-season is over, officially. The real season starts after the international break.”
The “real season” will begin with Man City at least joint-top of the Premier League table and with the world’s best striker in the form of his life.
West Ham 1-3 Man City highlights
Unstoppable @ErlingHaaland bags a hat-trick in a 🔝 victory against West Ham! 🎩🧘♂️
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 31, 2024
Watch highlights 👇 pic.twitter.com/zmmFQntqdE
All eyes on Liverpool on Sunday
Arsenal are of course not Man City's only challengers. Brighton maintained their unbeaten start under Fabian Hurzeler with their draw at Arsenal, and sit second in the table, two points behind City.
On Sunday, Arne Slot's Liverpool, another contender for the title, travel to Man Utd in what looks to be a fascinating duel between old foes Slot and Erik ten Hag.
Liverpool are looking to join Man City as the only team with a 100 per cent winning record heading into the international break.
Can they keep hot on City's tails? Or will 31 August be seen as the decisive day Man City took advantage in the title race?
