Author: Guardian sport

Sunderland eye an upset at Old Trafford, Arsenal hope to settle old scores with West Ham and Everton look blunt

Unbeaten in the league since their Friday night opener at Anfield, Bournemouth’s early momentum has been stalled by consecutive draws: at home to Newcastle and at Leeds last week. Fulham visit the Vitality on Friday, offering Andoni Iraola’s side a presentable chance of recapturing winning ways and going second in the table. After a turbulent summer, Iraola has sought consistency in his team selection. Trailing 2-1 at Leeds, the Bournemouth manager made a triple change to restore three usual starters – David Brooks, Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier – to his XI and was rewarded with a late leveller. Bournemouth have also maintained defensive stability, conceding just once in four games between the trips to Liverpool and Leeds. Marcos Senesi, often playing in an otherwise brand-new back five, has been key to the team’s continuity. The centre-back earned praise from Iraola for his defensive work and threat at attacking set-pieces – as evidenced by his headed assist for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at Elland Road. Niall McVeigh

Bournemouth v Fulham, Friday 8pm (all times BST)

Leeds v Tottenham, Saturday 12.30pm

Manchester United v Sunderland, Saturday 3pm

Arsenal v West Ham, Saturday 3pm

Chelsea v Liverpool, Saturday 5.30pm

Everton v Crystal Palace, Sunday 2pm

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Plus: teams on epic draw streaks, early season pitch invasions and long-throw world records

• Mail us with your questions and answers

“Manchester City had 32.8% possession in their 1-1 draw at Arsenal last month, the lowest of Pep Guardiola’s career,” begins Graham Murphy. “Do any managers have a higher lowest-possession figure in the English top flight?”

That figure of 32.8% was the lowest for Guardiola in a league game, as mentioned in last week’s column. We can’t compare him to every Premier League manager, mainly because possession stats were only recorded from the 2003-04 season onwards. Instead, we asked our friends at Opta to deliver the statistical goods on selected managers, past and present.

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Mikel Arteta proves he may have changed his ways while Eddie Nketiah shows off his worth for Crystal Palace

St James’ Park has done strange things to Arsenal. It had become Mikel Arteta’s bogey ground, defeats the last three visits, his team unable to score. Each time, bright beginnings had given way to becoming bogged down by refereeing controversy, Arsenal pulled into the rolling maul football that better suits Newcastle’s muscle. Sunday’s attacking team selection and Arteta throwing the kitchen sink in chasing a win when a point had already been rescued hinted at a change in mentality. Arteta’s team eventually wrested control of the physical battle to push for three. If the dimensions that Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres have added failed to pay off, the Premier League’s deepest squad found the aerial power within itself, via Arteta’s attacking substitutions. An early overturned penalty and missed chances felt all too familiar. Arsenal’s response to those reverses, overturning their St James’ mental block, suggested a fresh determination that will serve them well in the title hunt. John Brewin

Match report: Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Match report: Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham

Match report: Brentford 3-1 Manchester United

Match report: Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool

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Liverpool look to extend their 100% record at Crystal Palace on Saturday while Arsenal travel to Newcastle on Sunday

Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Gtech Community Stadium

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Marc Guéhi faces Liverpool, Xavi Simons wants a central role at Spurs and Arsenal must be wary of Sandro Tonali

• Premier League top scorers: latest Golden Boot race

Manchester United have shown signs of improvement this season. Though the reporting has been of a crisis, had they even a mediocre goalkeeper, they would have lost to neither Arsenal nor Grimsby, and it’s also fair to note that, with three of their first five games coming against Mikel Arteta’s side, Manchester City and Chelsea, they were dealt a difficult start. But Ruben Amorim must now start accumulating victories, with a nasty away trip a decent test. Since Brentford were promoted to the Premier League, United have lost two of four games at the Gtech, were outplayed in the one draw and, even in the game they won, were physically dominated for 45 minutes. However, their summer acquisitions have turned a team of uncommon weakness and slowness into one able to compete in duels, win headers and threaten in behind. That should mean United’s class tells in contests such as this – except no side is better at finding ways to lose matches they should win. Daniel Harris

Brentford v Manchester United, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)

Crystal Palace v Liverpool, Saturday 3pm

Chelsea v Brighton, Saturday 3pm

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Aston Villa’s struggles continue, more West Ham problems while Brighton wrap up Carlos Baleba in cotton wool

• Premier League top scorers 2025-26: who is leading race?

Pep Guardiola becomes ever more the traditional English football man. As his Manchester City stay extends to 10 seasons, he relies ever more on the principle that big players can win big matches. Hence his late-career conversion to employing a wrecking ball striker in the peerless Erling Haaland. As for his former assistant Mikel Arteta, Arsenal looked stuck in the weeds of over-thinking. Benching Eberechi Eze, who tortured City in last season’s FA Cup final, till half-time was just too clever by half. Arteta’s recent talk of using rugby strategy, of thinking of substitutes as finishers, in the style of South Africa’s “bomb squad” is all very well. Even if the substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored the equaliser from an Eze long ball, a talented, capable squad playing one-dimensional fare is far less explicable. This is not the City who previously dominated the Premier League. They showed their own limitations, particularly once Haaland, brilliant as attacker and defender, was removed. John Brewin

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Liverpool and Everton face off in Saturday’s Merseyside derby while Arsenal host Manchester City on Sunday

Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Anfield

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Robertson looks a better bet for Merseyside derby, a fresh test for Bournemouth, protests at West Ham and more

It would be a surprise to see Arne Slot start Milos Kerkez against Everton, given the left-back’s struggles against Burnley last weekend. Kerkez was booked for diving and was lucky to avoid a second yellow after fouling Jaidon Anthony before being substituted for Andy Robertson after 38 minutes at Turf Moor. Surely Slot will not risk a similar performance in the cauldron of the Merseyside derby, especially with such a dependable option in Robertson and the tricky Iliman Ndiaye on the right wing for Everton? “It’s a massive jump [playing for Liverpool],” said the Scot as he came to the defence of Kerkez this week. “I came from Hull City, he’s come from Bournemouth, and it’s probably quite similar. He will be the starting left-back for Liverpool in the future and it’s up to me to push him this season and help him improve.” Kerkez is lucky to have such an experienced mentor, but may face a wait to get back into Slot’s starting XI after Robertson started against Atlético Madrid in midweek. Michael Butler

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