Week 3 of the Premier League sees things finally start to settle as the table is still at a very early stage and so early thoughts on teams and players are yet to have enough of a sample size to make a full judgement, but given the unpredictability and interesting stories already forming this season it’s likely to remain equally as unpredictable as the weeks go on.

The last weekend saw Liverpool kick things off with a comfortable win over Ipswich, while Saturday was filled with mainly close games including 5 draws from 7 games, while the clashes involving Fulham-Palace and City-Coventry will fairly close encounters. On Sunday, we had another draw between Everton and Manchester United, before Arsenal passed their first major test in the clash against Chelsea.

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).

Arsenal Statement

There was plenty of anticipation around Arsenal against Chelsea before kick-off, and the game certainly lived up to it. Both sides had arrived at the Emirates with perfect records, making this the first genuinely heavyweight meeting of the new Premier League season. Chelsea, under Xabi Alonso, had made an energetic start, while Arsenal were looking to establish themselves as early pace-setters. Instead, it was Mikel Arteta’s side who emerged with the three points, coming from behind to win 2-1.

Chelsea could hardly have wished for a better start. Morgan Rogers, who had been pursued by Arsenal during the summer before joining Chelsea, put the visitors ahead after only 77 seconds with a well-taken volley. It was a goal with an obvious subplot, but Arsenal’s response was the more significant part of the afternoon. Rather than allowing Chelsea’s early strike to unsettle them, Arsenal increased the tempo and began to overwhelm their opponents, eventually getting their reward when Kai Havertz equalised.

Havertz was arguably the defining figure of the match. His goal was important, but his overall performance was even more impressive, with his movement repeatedly causing problems for Chelsea’s defence. He then played a major role in Arsenal’s winner early in the second half, creating the space and opportunity for Martin Ødegaard to put the hosts ahead. Arsenal’s ability to turn a difficult situation into control was perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the performance.

Chelsea, to their credit, remained a threat until the end, but Arsenal ultimately held on for all three points. The bigger picture was hard to ignore: three games, three wins, and a comeback against one of the sides expected to challenge near the top. It is far too early for grand conclusions, but Arsenal could hardly have asked for a more convincing early-season test.

Isak Arrives

Liverpool’s Friday-night trip to Ipswich carried a little more pressure than might normally be expected from a third game of the season. Andoni Iraola had taken over at Anfield during the summer, but his first two league games had produced draws, leaving Liverpool still searching for their first victory of the campaign. They did not have to wait much longer. At Portman Road, Alexander Isak took centre stage and delivered the kind of performance Liverpool supporters will have been hoping for when the club made him one of the major pieces of its new-look attack.

Isak needed just six minutes to open his account, finishing a Cody Gakpo pass before combining with the Dutchman again three minutes later to double Liverpool’s advantage. Two goals inside nine minutes effectively settled the contest, although Isak was unfortunate not to complete a hat-trick after another finish was ruled out for offside. It was the sort of ruthless start that Liverpool had been missing in their opening two matches and, for Iraola, an ideal way to secure his first competitive victory in the Anfield dugout.

There was plenty more to like from Liverpool’s attacking play, too. Gakpo was particularly influential, providing both assists, while Florian Wirtz and Victor Muñoz contributed to an attack that looked considerably more fluid than it had during the opening fortnight. The performance also offered an early glimpse of the options Iraola now has at his disposal following an extremely busy summer in the transfer market.

And then there was Bradley Barcola. The big-money arrival from Paris Saint-Germain was introduced for his Liverpool debut shortly after the hour mark, giving supporters their first competitive look at another major piece of the club’s attacking rebuild. Barcola did not need to dominate the match to become part of the story; the combination of his arrival, Isak’s brace and Gakpo’s contribution made the evening feel like the first proper glimpse of what this new Liverpool might become.

United Concede Late

If Liverpool provided Friday’s feel-good story, Manchester United supplied Sunday’s frustration. United travelled to Everton looking for their first away victory of the season and, for long spells, looked as though they were going to get exactly that. Instead, Michael Carrick’s side left Merseyside with only a point after Everton produced a dramatic late fightback, capped by Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ stunning stoppage-time equaliser.

The match had been goalless at half-time, but the second half exploded into life. Bryan Mbeumo put United ahead just after the restart with an excellent individual effort, and the visitors appeared to have done the hard work. Everton refused to disappear, though, and Tyrique George levelled seven minutes from time. United responded again when Benjamin Šeško headed them back in front in the 88th minute, seemingly giving Carrick’s side the perfect platform to see out the game.

Then came the moment everyone was talking about afterwards. Maitland-Niles, a deadline-day arrival from Lyon making his Everton debut, received the ball deep into stoppage time and produced an extraordinary curling finish that left United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with little chance. It was his first appearance in English football since 2023 and, in the most dramatic possible fashion, he immediately became an Everton hero.

For United, the disappointment will have been less about the individual goal and more about failing to manage the final stages of a match they had twice led. There were encouraging signs in attack, particularly from Mbeumo and Šeško, but the defensive resilience required to close out an away victory was missing. Everton, meanwhile, will take enormous encouragement from their refusal to surrender. The late equaliser turned what looked like a frustrating defeat into one of the weekend’s most memorable moments, and gave Maitland-Niles a Premier League debut he is unlikely ever to forget.

Game of the week: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea While some games this weekend brought more goals, none provided the same build-up and talking points as the Arsenal-Chelsea clash as reigning champions Arsenal faced their first major test of the season, while Chelsea had an opportunity to lay down a marker for their own efforts this season. Within just seconds of kick-off we had the opening goal before Arsenal pushed their way back into a fairly competitive clash.

Player of the week: Tyrick Mitchell With 2 goals from his role as left wing-back, Mitchell again had a solid showing for Palace as he twice helped bring them back into the game before his eventual sub replacement bagged the winner.