Week 4 of the Premier League sees things finally settling down as the league table takes shape and we begin to have enough evidence to make some early judgements on team performances, while the upcoming international break will provide a much-needed break for some clubs after their poor start.

In the latest round of games, VAR once again took centre stage from the Manchester derby controversy, Leeds United put on a huge showing on Monday night against Newcastle, Tottenham continued to miss the target, Brighton had a big result against Coventry while the other newly promoted sides of Ipswich and Hull City both picked up impressive results.

In this post, we are picking our the 3 main talking points from this round of fixtures, and will also award our game of the week and player of the week awards. If you have anything to add to this round-up, or have any moments or talking points we missed, get in touch with us on our social media platforms including Bluesky (@NextGoalWinner), Instagram (@NextGoalWin) and our YouTube page (@NextGoalWinner).

Derby VAR Drama

If there was one match that defined week 4, it was the Manchester derby. Manchester City left Old Trafford with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United, but the score line barely tells the story. City were reduced to 10 men as early as the 23rd minute when Phil Foden was shown a straight red for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes. That left United with more than an hour to make their numerical advantage count, yet City somehow grew into the contest rather than buckling under the pressure. It had the feel of one of those results that can shape the mood around a team early in a season.

The decisive moment arrived in the second half, when Erling Haaland put City ahead, but that was only the beginning of the controversy. The Norwegian was initially flagged offside, before VAR intervened and determined that he was actually onside. There was a second layer to the decision because City team-mate Enzo Fernández was in an offside position during the move. VAR concluded that Fernández had not played the ball, meaning the goal could stand. It was precisely the sort of incident that left supporters poring over replays long after the final whistle.

The controversy did not end when the referee blew for full-time. The decision was subsequently revisited by Howard Webb, who acknowledged that the goal should not have stood because of Fernández’s involvement in the move. That admission added another twist to an already contentious afternoon and ensured that the refereeing decisions became almost as prominent as the football itself.

For United, the frustration was obvious: they had more than an hour against 10 men but could not turn their numerical advantage into a goal. For City, meanwhile, the result represented a hugely valuable three points and demonstrated their ability to dig in under difficult circumstances. A derby victory is always significant, but the combination of a red card, a controversial Haaland goal and the subsequent VAR admission made this one of the weekend’s defining stories.

Arsenal Continue

Arsenal’s 2-0 victory at Sunderland was another result that looked considerably more straightforward on paper than it actually was. The Gunners maintained their perfect start to the league campaign, but they were given a serious examination by a lively Sunderland side at the Stadium of Light. For long periods Arsenal struggled to impose the control and rhythm that supporters have come to expect, while Sunderland showed enough attacking ambition to suggest that this was not going to be a routine evening for Mikel Arteta’s side.

The game’s defining moment arrived after half-time. Sunderland were awarded a penalty and Enzo Le Fée had the opportunity to put the hosts ahead, only for David Raya to produce a crucial save. It was the sort of intervention that can completely alter the direction of a football match. Just 121 seconds later, Arsenal were ahead, with Bruno Guimarães producing a superb long-range strike to turn the momentum decisively in the visitors’ favour.

Raya’s contribution went beyond that penalty save, too. Arsenal were required to defend Sunderland’s set pieces and deal with sustained pressure, while the goalkeeper’s distribution helped them play through difficult moments. Sunderland continued to threaten after falling behind and had opportunities to get themselves back into the game, but Arsenal held firm before Bukayo Saka’s stoppage-time penalty settled the contest.

There was also plenty of recognition for the goalkeeper afterwards, with Raya voted the Premier League’s Player of week 4. His performance illustrated an important feature of Arsenal’s start: they are finding ways to win even when matches are uncomfortable. At Sunderland, the goalkeeper’s save, Guimarães’ spectacular strike and Saka’s late penalty combined to preserve Arsenal’s perfect record.

Goals Or No Goals

Sunday also produced one of the weekend’s most emphatic scorelines as Brighton demolished Coventry City 5-0. It was an attacking performance that underlined their ruthlessness, with Brighton repeatedly finding space and punishing a Coventry side that struggled to contain them. The result was particularly striking because of the sheer margin of victory and the ease with which Brighton turned a competitive fixture into a one-sided contest.

The afternoon also had a disciplinary subplot. Coventry striker Taiwo Awoniyi was shown a straight red card for an elbow on Brighton’s Max De Cuyper, with VAR checking and confirming the decision. That made an already difficult afternoon for Coventry even harder and gave Brighton further opportunities to exploit the additional space. Once the game opened up, Brighton took full advantage.

But perhaps the more intriguing talking point from the weekend came from north London. Tottenham’s goalless draw with Everton meant they had still not scored a single Premier League goal after four matches. That is an extraordinary statistic for a club of Tottenham’s size, and it inevitably raised questions about where the attacking spark is going to come from. Roberto De Zerbi described the situation as a “mental block” after the match, highlighting the psychological side of a team struggling to turn promising moments into goals.

The contrast between Brighton and Tottenham made the weekend particularly interesting. Brighton were putting five past Coventry, Arsenal were finding a way through Sunderland, while Tottenham were still searching for their first league goal of the campaign. It is far too early to draw sweeping conclusions about where any of those teams will finish, but after four rounds the attacking trends were certainly beginning to attract attention. For Tottenham in particular, the search for that elusive first goal had become one of the most intriguing stories of the early season.

Game of the week: Crystal Palace 2-3 Ipswich Town While a 3pm kick-off can often get overlooked in the fixtures due to lack of TV coverage, the clash between Palace and Ipswich provided just about everything. a 5 goal clash, an early red card for the hosts, and Ipswich’s winning goal coming in the 90th minute to cement their second win of the season and put them into the top-half at this early stage of the campaign.

Player of the week: Pascal Gross At 35 years of age, many would have expected Pascal Gross to play a rotation role for Brighton this season, but his goal and 2 assists as they dominated Coventry City put any fear to bed, as not only did he produce 3 goal involvements, but the Germany midfielder also covered the most distance of any player (11.1km), created the most chances (6) and had the most touches of the ball (113).