- Man City v Man United
Manchester City came in to this derby full of confidence and gave their neighbours a footballing lesson. Manchester United players seemed low on confidence, scared and all over the place. City were brilliant and Haaland is well on his way to smash all goal scoring records but Manchester United didn’t even put up a fight. On their day City are good enough to beat any team in the league but United came and just let City dictate the game. No intensity, urgency or belief. This performance must be very concerning for their fans and manager. Next up Manchester United are away to a rapidly improving Everton and I fancy Everton to manage a draw in this game. City are at home to Southampton and it’s hard to predict anything but a City win.
- Arsenal v Tottenham
Arsenal are still top of the league and they are playing some really good football. Conte has had his team organized to defend and counter attack which is all good as long as it works and it did not work against Arsenal. There is a bit of restlessness in Spurs fans as they don’t like the defensive tactics of their manager and are used to watching free flowing attacking football. Arteta on the other hand was once again done by a better manager in Conte and Arsenal could have easily lost this game despite being better and superior team. Next up Arsenal host Liverpool who haven’t got going this season but I have a feeling that Sunday on Emirates is the time for Liverpool to have a big win and kick start their league season. I expect Liverpool to win 3-0 at Emirates. Spurs are away to Brighton and will park the bus again and hope for a 0-0 draw.
- Leicester v Nottingham Forest
Midlands derby was a very one sided affair similar to the other two derbies over the weekend. It was 19th v 20th and a much awaited win for Rogers who is looking down the barrel and will probably lose his job along with Cooper whose Forest are the favorites to be relegated. Leicester are away to Bournemouth next and though it’s a must win I can see a draw happening there. Forest host Villa and will have to work really hard to earn a draw.
- Liverpool v Brighton
Once again Liverpool were all over the place defensively and Brighton should have been 4-0 up at the break. But the attacking talent of Liverpool came to the rescue again and after going 3-2 up they should have won the game but Brighton never gave up and managed a much deserved draw. Liverpool are facing Arsenal next and they have always managed a resounding win against Arsenal in the last few years. They will hope to finally get going at the Emirates. Brighton host Spurs and it is likely to be a draw.
- Crystal Palace v Chelsea
Chelsea are still not playing as well as they would like. But they were fortunate enough to manage 3 points against a very good Palace team. Thiago Silva managed to stay on the pitch after a VAR review and I am still scratching my head about that decision. Palace can feel hard done by as they played a good game of football and deserved at least a draw. Palace host Leeds next and should win easily. Chelsea need to break down Wolves who are hard to beat but currently without a manager. I expect them to manage a 2-0 win.
- West Ham v Wolves
West ham managed a much needed win against wolves and that resulted in Bruno being fired from his job as Wolves manager. Moyes has a lot of credit in the bank and hence the early season bad results haven’t caused much disruption to the hammers. They host Fulham next and in this London derby their away game on Thursday in Europa league will be a big factor. I expect them to manage a draw. Wolves are off to Stamford bridge and it is hard to see anything other than a Chelsea win.
- Southampton v Everton
Southampton are on a slippery slope while Everton are improving. In the start of the season I expected Southampton to be in relegation zone by now but they started well. Now the fears for their safety seem real. Everton on the other hand are improving rapidly and look like a much better outfit. They should manage to draw at home against Manchester United and Southampton might be treated to yet another Haaland hat trick away to Manchester City.
- Fulham v Newcastle
The very early red card finished the game even before it started. Second win of the season for Newcastle will make Howe a lot better and Fulham can forget about this game as one of the freak loses you get in a season. They are off to West ham post Europa league and should manage at least a draw. Newcastle host Brentford and will hope for back to back wins.
- Leeds v Aston Villa
Goal less draw and a very poor game. Gerrard must be concerned as his team couldn’t win against 10 men of Leeds while Leeds United would have taken a lot of confidence out of this one. I can not see them getting anything at Palace but Villa must take 3 points from Forest or Gerrard will be one of the managers fearing for his job.
- Bournemouth v Brentford
I feared for Bournemouth when Parker was sacked but slowly they are gathering points moving away from relegation zone. O’Neill has done a brilliant job so far. Despite all the attacking talent at their disposal Brentford didn’t score and Bournemouth added another point to their total. Brentford have a tough away trip to Newcastle and I expect them to lose and Bournemouth face a Leicester team who would be confident after their recent win but I can see Bournemouth managing a draw.