Premier League
Bullet point previews of Premier League matches
Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of the next round of Premier League fixtures from Saturday 16 September to Monday 18 September. (All times GMT):
Saturday, Sept. 16
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool (1130)
* Liverpool, undefeated in their last 15 league matches, have had a player red-carded in back-to-back league games for the first time since March and April 2015.
* Liverpool’s new midfield signing Dominik Szoboszlai scored his first goal for the Merseyside giants in their 3-0 win over Aston Villa before the international break, with vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold securing his first assist of the season in the same match at Anfield.
* Wolves have lost 14 of their 18 league matches against Liverpool, with two matches ending in draws.
West Ham United v Manchester City (1400)
* Pep Guardiola will be back on the touchline against David Moyes’ West Ham, who are fourth in the standings and two points behind leaders City, after missing two games following a back surgery.
* Midfielder James Ward-Prowse (one goal, three assists) is the first West Ham player to either score or assist a goal in his first three league appearances.
* This is West Ham’s joint-highest points tally after their opening four games of a league season, having also earned 10 points in 1999-2000.
Tottenham Hotspur v Sheffield United (1400)
* New Spurs captain Son Heung-min scored his fourth league hat-trick in the north London-based club’s last match against promoted Burnley.
* Second-placed Spurs, with the help of new manager Ange Postecoglou, can make their best start to a league season since 1965 by beating Sheffield United at home.
* This is the first time in the English top-flight that as many as four teams, namely Everton, promoted Sheffield United, Luton Town and Burnley, have lost their opening three games to a campaign.
Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion (1400)
* Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat and defender Sergio Reguilon will be among those hoping to make their debut for United at Old Trafford, while 20-year-old forward Rasmus Hojlund is in contention to start after making a cameo at Arsenal earlier this month.
* Uruguayan winger Facundo Pellistri could also be given a chance by United manager Erik ten Hag in the absence of Antony, who will not immediately return to United as the Brazilian addresses assault allegations against him.
* Brighton’s 18-year-old striker Evan Ferguson, who scored his first league hat-trick against Newcastle United earlier this month, is an injury doubt.
Fulham v Luton Town (1400)
* This marks the first league meeting between Fulham and promoted Luton since the 1959-60 campaign.
* Luton could become just the second team to suffer four consecutive losses in their debut top-flight season, after Swindon Town in 1993-94.
* Fulham have dominated at home against promoted sides in the last eight matches (W3 D4), suffering just one loss by Leeds United in March 2021.
Aston Villa v Crystal Palace (1400)
* Villa lost their winning momentum before the international break when they suffered a 3-0 defeat by Liverpool, having recovered from a heavy opening-day loss at Newcastle.
* Villa could get a boost with the return of Alex Moreno following the defender’s injury last season.
* Palace just have two wins in 16 league matches at Villa Park.
Newcastle United v Brentford (1630)
* Newcastle’s new signing Sandro Tonali is an injury doubt after the former AC Milan midfielder missed Italy’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine.
* Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, who qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, have lost three of their first four league matches this season. They only lost five games last season.
* Thomas Frank’s Brentford have only been beaten once in their last 11 league matches (W6, D4), a 1-0 defeat by Liverpool in May.
Sunday, Sept. 17
Bournemouth v Chelsea (1300)
* Chelsea’s 115 million pounds record-signing Moises Caicedo is the second player to give away a penalty on his top-flight debut for the west London-based side. The Ecuadorian midfielder did so in his side’s 3-1 loss at West Ham last month.
* Chelsea have two wins from their last 16 league games, including an away victory at Bournemouth.
* New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is winless in 13 away games in the league, a run that stretches back to Feb. 2019 with his former club Spurs.
Everton v Arsenal (1530)
* Arsenal will look to carry the momentum following a 3-1 home win over league rivals Manchester United.
* Abdoulaye Doucoure scored Everton’s first goal of the campaign when the Mali forward netted the opener against Sheffield United.
* Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin could make a return for Everton after sustaining a facial injury in last month’s 4-0 defeat by Villa, providing a boost to manager Sean Dyche, who will hope to avoid another relegation battle as his side languishes in 18th place.
Monday, Sept. 18
Nottingham Forest v Burnley (1845)
* Forest, who signed as many as seven players on the transfer deadline day, will miss the services of promising Wales striker Brennan Johnson, who moved to Spurs earlier this month.
* Steve Cooper will, however, rely on new signing Anthony Elanga, who joined from United and has already scored a goal and claimed an assist for Forest.
* Burnley manager Vincent Kompany will look to organise his defence after the promoted side conceded as many as 11 goals in their first three matches.
–Reuters
Premier League
Salah uncertain about his future at Liverpool
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Egyptian publication, Ahram has published that Liverpool’s Egyptian winger, Mohamed Salah, expressed uncertainty about his future with the club on Sunday, citing the impending expiration of his contract at the end of this season.
The 32-year-old shone on Sunday as Liverpool delivered a stunning 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in a Premier League fixture.
Salah played a pivotal role in the win, assisting in the first two goals before finding the net for the third, bringing his goal tally to three in three games so far this season.
“I had a good summer and had a long time to myself to try to stay positive because as you know it’s my last year at the club, “Salah told Sky Sports after the game on Sunday.
“Nobody at the club has spoken to me yet about a new contract so. I just play this last season and then see at the end of the season.”
When asked about the possibility of playing for Manchester United, Salah responded that it is premature to discuss such matters.
“So far, we don’t know with which club, but so far yeah my last game here with Liverpool. It’s not up to me but nobody talk to me about a contract with the club. We’ll see.”
The Egyptian winger joined Liverpool in the summer of 2017 from Italian side AS Roma.
He has made 352 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool, scoring 214 goals and providing 92 assists.
Premier League
Man Utd humbled as Diaz double helps Liverpool humiliate rivals
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Two goals from Luis Diaz and one from Mohamed Salah helped Liverpool stroll to a 3-0 victory at Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, with Erik ten Hag’s side humbled by their fierce rivals.
Liverpool dominated a United team who could not keep pace with them in the first half, the visitors taking the lead in the 35th minute through a back-post header from Diaz after United midfielder Casemiro had given the ball away.
Casemiro was again at fault for Diaz and Liverpool’s second, again supplied by Mohamed Salah, with the Colombia international sweeping home three minutes before the break, sending United supporters off for their halftime refreshments early.
With United on the ropes, Liverpool smelled blood after the break, Salah adding a third 11 minutes into the second half, but the visitors settled for three as they maintained their 100% record this season under new coach Arne Slot.
“The goals are always self-inflicted,” United captain Bruno Fernandes told Sky Sports. “You need to commit a mistake to give them the goal. We don’t need to be pointing fingers at everyone. that won’t help us now.
“When you concede a goal you can’t just point at one mistake. We don’t have to look at the past. We just have to make it different. We lost the game, congratulations to Liverpool, they were more clinical. I don’t look at the stats but the game was tight.”
After a positive summer in the transfer market and fresh faces in the boardroom, last week’s last-gasp defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion gave United supporters a stark reminder of the improvements still needed on the pitch.
Sunday’s visit of a Liverpool side who had lost just one of their previous 12 Premier League meetings with United will have caused a great deal of concern pre-match.
Those more pessimistic fans were fearing the worst as Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to have fired Liverpool into an early lead at Old Trafford, only for VAR to step in and save the hosts, adjudging Salah to be offside earlier in the move.
United settled into the contest without troubling Liverpool down the other end of the pitch, allowing the visitors to pick their moments when they came.
Casemiro’s wayward pass ensured the Slot’s side did not have to try too hard to unlock their rivals, Diaz applying the finishing touch to get Liverpool up and running.
Diaz’s third of the season was another fine finish, but another Casemiro will want to forget. The flying Liverpool forward has now scored more Premier League goals against United than any other opponent.
Yet another mistake in midfield, this time from Kobbie Mainoo, was ruthlessly punished by Salah in the second half, the Egyptian cementing his pace as the highest-scoring opposition player at Old Trafford in Premier League history — seven strikes.
The visitors thereafter cruised to a victory that means Slot is the first Liverpool manager to win his first meeting with United since Bob Paisley in November 1975, and just the second to do so away from home after George Kay in November 1936.
“Everything what you want to see as a manager you saw in this game,” Slot said. “There were difficult moments for us, United started really well but then we have disallowed goal and there was no negative reaction, kept on playing, scoring three, could have scored more.
“There were two important saves from our goalkeeper and the work rate was incredibly well without the ball and that makes it a very positive day.”
-Reuters
Premier League
Brighton end 10-man Arsenal’s winning start
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Brighton and Hove Albion ended Arsenal’s winning start to the new Premier League season with a 1-1 draw at The Emirates on Saturday, with the home side holding on with 10 men after Declan Rice’s second-half sending off.
Arsenal dominated the first half and deservedly lead at half time after Kai Havertz finished brilliantly in the 38th minute, having been played in expertly by Bukayo Saka.
Four minutes into the second half, however, Arsenal’s task was made all the harder when Rice was sent off after picking up a second yellow card. Brazilian striker Joao Pedro fired Brighton level 12 minutes later.
Both sides missed golden chances to win the contest late on, but they each had to settle for a point that keeps Arsenal and Brighton unbeaten from their three games so far.
“We started the game really well,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports. “We scored the goal, 1-0. We started the second half really good but then there is the decision that changes the game completely.
“If it (second yellow card) happens throughout the game in a consistent way it is fine but it didn’t. It is the inconsistency.”
After narrowly missing out on their first Premier League title since 2004 last season, Arsenal started the new term in perfect fashion.
With champions Manchester City also coming into this weekend’s fixtures with two wins from two at the start of the new season, Arsenal know any slip-up, even this early in the campaign, could be costly.
They appeared set to be course for a ninth successive league victory after a dominant first-half display. Skipper Martin Odegaard should have scored earlier in the opening period before Havertz lofted home his second of the campaign.
Rice’s second yellow for trying to stop Brighton taking a quick free kick, a decision that was met with consternation around the stands, turned the tide in the visitors’ favour.
Since Boxing Day 2019 – Mikel Arteta’s first game in charge of Arsenal – the Gunners have been shown 16 red cards in the Premier League, at least three more than any other side. But it was Rice’s first red in his 245th Premier League appearance.
Following his last-gasp winner against Manchester United last weekend, Pedro reacted first after Yankuba Minteh’s shot had been saved to pull Brighton level, and the game opened up thereafter.
Saka could have snatched the win late on, while Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya had to be at his best on several occasions to keep Brighton from earning all three points, but both seemed content with a draw after an exhilarating tussle.
“We didn’t create enough chances when they went down to 10 men, but we will go away and look at it,” Brighton captain Lewis Dunk said.
“We always believe we can win any game of football. We are in a good place and we know we can beat anybody.”
-Reuters
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