Premier League Recap: Liverpool Scrape By Arsenal, Palace Punish Villa And More

Premier League Recap: Liverpool Scrape by Arsenal, Palace Punish Villa and More

Aston Villa 0-3 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace extended their impressive record against Aston Villa with a 3-0 win at Villa Park – their fifth victory in the last six head-to-heads. The big pre-match story was Emiliano Martínez’s omission amid speculation over his future, and his absence proved costly.

Villa started brightly but missed a golden chance when Youri Tielemans headed over early on. Just 20 minutes in, stand-in keeper Marco Bizot brought down Daichi Kamada, allowing Jean-Philippe Mateta to slot home from the penalty spot. Villa nearly levelled before half-time as Ollie Watkins was denied by Dean Henderson from point-blank range.

Unai Emery introduced Emi Buendia after the break, sparking improvement, but Henderson again thwarted Tielemans. Palace struck against the run of play when Marc Guéhi curled a superb effort past Bizot midway through the second half. Villa’s long home unbeaten run offered hope, but Ismaïla Sarr sealed victory late on with his fourth successive goal against Villa.

Palace maintained their unbeaten league start, while Villa slipped into the bottom three, still without a Premier League goal this season.

Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal

Liverpool left it late to claim a 1-0 win over Arsenal at Anfield, ending the Gunners’ unbeaten start and their run of six Premier League meetings without defeat in this fixture.

Arsenal suffered an early blow as William Saliba was forced off injured within five minutes. Noni Madueke, deputising for Bukayo Saka, forced Alisson into action, while at the other end Virgil van Dijk pounced on a David Raya error but failed to capitalise. Despite Arsenal’s strong record from corners, Liverpool held firm and the first half ended goalless.

After the restart, Hugo Ekitike thought he had broken the deadlock but his strike was ruled out for offside. With the game heading towards stalemate, Dominik Szoboszlai produced a moment of magic, curling a free-kick beyond Raya in the closing stages.

The victory marked Liverpool’s 37th consecutive Premier League match with a goal, maintaining their 100% start to the season. Arsenal, meanwhile, dropped crucial early points in the title race.

Brighton 2-1 Manchester City

Manchester City’s poor start continued as Brighton came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory at the Amex Stadium, extending Pep Guardiola’s winless run against Fabian Hürzeler.

City had the better of the first half, with Erling Haaland denied twice by Bart Verbruggen before finally striking on his 100th Premier League appearance, reacting quickest to a loose ball after half an hour. City should have doubled their lead soon after half-time, but Oscar Bobb missed a gilt-edged chance.

Brighton responded quickly, with VAR confirming a penalty for Matheus Nunes’ handball. Former City man James Milner converted, becoming the oldest Premier League penalty scorer. The Seagulls pushed on and were rewarded in the 89th minute, as Brajan Gruda rounded James Trafford to slot home the winner.

It was Brighton’s first win of the season, while City suffered another 2-1 loss after leading at the Amex, leaving Guardiola visibly frustrated on the touchline.

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham United ended a run of defeats with a late flurry of goals to beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the City Ground.

The first half offered little goalmouth action, with Lucas Paquetá’s effort forcing Mats Sels into the only real save before the break. After the restart, both sides showed more intent. Chris Wood and Paquetá spurned chances, while Niclas Füllkrug and substitute Callum Wilson were denied by Sels as the game opened up.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 84th minute, when Jarrod Bowen struck on the turn. Minutes later, Paquetá converted from the spot after Crysencio Summerville was fouled by Ibrahim Sangaré. Wilson then capped the win in stoppage time with his first goal for the Hammers, heading in El Hadji Malick Diouf’s cross.

The result ended Forest’s run of three straight wins over West Ham and denied them a clean sheet in 11 league matches. For the Hammers, it was a morale-boosting first league win of the campaign.