- CIty come from behind to win at West Ham
- Brighton continue great start with win at Man United
- Spurs and Liverpool win, Magpies bounce back
Manchester City came from behind to beat West Ham United at the London Stadium as boss Pep Guardiola returned to the dugout after surgery. Brighton and Hove Albion came away from Old Trafford with all three points as Manchester United suffered their third loss in four games, and there were wins for Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle United.
City comeback to maintain winning start to season
Manchester City staged a superb second-half comeback against an in-form West Ham team, maintaining their flawless start to the Premier League season.
The Hammers took an unexpected lead with James Ward-Prowse’s diving header, defying the flow of the game. However, Jeremy Doku quickly equalised for City just 43 seconds into the second half, netting his first goal for the club.
Bernardo Silva then exhibited composure as he controlled Julian Alvarez’s precise pass over the West Ham defence, calmly slotting the ball past Alphonse Areola.
Despite earlier missed opportunities, Erling Haaland sealed the victory with his signature finish, putting the final touch on a fantastic performance at the London Stadium.
The Hammers drop to sixth after their first defeat of the season. City maintain their two-point lead over Tottenham and Liverpool at the top of the table, both of whom came from behind to win, against Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively.
Brighton rock Old Trafford
Brighton and Hove Albion continued their excellent start to the season with a 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, leading to a disillusioned home crowd directing their discontent towards manager Erik ten Hag.
Although Ten Hag had garnered unwavering support from United fans since his arrival last summer, his decision to substitute new signing Rasmus Hojlund with Anthony Martial 19 minutes into the second half was met with a resounding chorus of boos from the crowd, eventually followed by an applause for Hojlund as he left the pitch.
The alteration failed to turn the tide for Ten Hag’s side. They fell behind due to a first-half strike from former fan favourite Danny Welbeck. Brighton increased their lead with goals from Pascal Gross and substitute Joao Pedro, both of whom found themselves with far too much space in and around the United penalty area.
A glimmer of hope emerged for the home side with Hannibal Mejbri’s first goal for the club. However, in a frenetic finish, it was Brighton who came closest to scoring once more. Andre Onana made several crucial saves, including a remarkable stoppage-time denial to prevent on-loan Barcelona player Ansu Fati from marking his debut with a goal.
This defeat marked the Red Devil’s first home loss in 13 months, with Brighton once again emerging triumphant at Old Trafford. The Seagulls now boast four successive Premier League victories against United. The final whistle brought more boos, although not as vehement as when Hojlund was substituted.
Ten Hag’s squad has conceded a total of 10 goals in their last four matches, a concerning trend. Additionally, they have allowed multiple goals in four consecutive league games for the first time since 1979. The result puts Brighton fifth in the table.
Arsenal moved into fourth, level on points with Spurs and Liverpool with a 1-0 win at Everton. Newcastle United got back on track with a 1-0 win over Brentford at St James’ Park. At the bottom, Luton Town continue to struggle, losing 1-0 to Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Betting Implications
The table is starting to take shape, though with five games played it is still early days. Unsurprisingly Manchester City are favourites for the title, at the time of writing bet365 have them priced at 1/5, ahead of Liverpool, 7/1, Arsenal 7/1, Tottenham 25/1, Brighton 33/1 and Newcastle 50/1.
As far as a top four finish is concerned, bet365 have City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs as the most likely, ahead of Newcastle and Brighton. Chelsea and Manchester United come next after indifferent starts to the campaign.
Luton Town remain relegation favourites, at the time of writing bet365 have them at 2/11 to go down, with Sheffield United 4/11, Everton 6/4, Burnley 5/2 and Bournemouth 3/1.
Prices are correct at the time of writing and are subject to change. Check out the best football betting sites and the best Premier League betting sites.
