Arsenal and Manchester City had to come from behind to stay within a point of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. But Gary O’Neil is surely gone.
Arsenal 3-1 Southampton: Saka does Saka things after shot-in-the-arm Saints opener
Arsenal made hard work of their win over Southampton and needed to go a goal down to start playing with some impetus. Cameron Archer’s strike on the counter showed more of the Gunners’ frailties in transition and was an example of William Saliba trying to defend using his aura. It was a cheap goal to lose after Raheem Sterling went down too easily looking for a foul and a horrible afternoon for those who Mikel Arteta gave a chance to from the start.
Sterling joined Gabriel Jesus and Jorginho in the starting XI, much to the surprise of the Arsenal fans. Southampton at home is as good an opportunity as any to rotate but the two forward players were wasteful in possession and showed no cutting edge or sharpness in the final third. And this wasn’t the game for Jorginho; he is more useful in bigger matches.
Set-pieces looked to be the theme of the afternoon early on, with ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale obviously one to watch but all four goals came from open play, with errors in possession costing Southampton in the end. Again.
Arsenal’s reaction to Southampton going 1-0 up was fantastic. They went to another level. Kai Havertz’s equaliser was brilliant and reminiscent of Robin van Persie, but the goal came from the visitors conceding possession in their defensive third. Southampton are going to be the architects of their own downfall as much as anyone else all season.
Bukayo Saka got his sixth assist in the Premier League this season for the leveller and set up substitute Gabriel Martinelli with an inch-perfect back-post cross. It was just like Kieran Gibbs against Tottenham. If you know, you know.
Saka capped off another epic performance with the clincher late on, rifling with his right foot past Ramsdale. What a player that beautiful man is.
It was far from comfortable for Arsenal, though, not just from going behind. Southampton hit the bar twice and the Gunners struggled in transition. This was always a match they should have won and while they did, it should have been easier. Thank the lord for Bukayo Saka.
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Manchester City 3-2 Fulham: Kovacic seamlessly replaces Rodri as silly good signing becomes sillier
Rodri’s replacement has obviously come in and been fantastic. He has obviously scored a match-winning brace against Fulham. Man City have obviously won again and are not missing a beat without their most important player. Not to mention that assist king Kevin De Bruyne is also out.
Fulham have started the season very well and really threatened Manchester City at times on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for Marco Silva, Adama Traore had the most Adama Traore match of his life: electric on the break, outpacing everyone (even Kyle Walker at a canter), but missing one-one-one opportunities. He did it a few times, which cost his side – plus Arsenal and Liverpool – dearly.
The Cottagers were presented with similar chances as on matchday one at Manchester United and as they did then, they spurned them with poor decision-making and finishing. City won’t care. Three more points for them as Rodri’s absence is yet to be truly felt.
Kovacic was signed for £25million last summer and nobody could have predicted his impact. He was predicted to feature in the cup competitions and if there were injuries but he has six starts in the Premier League this season after 30 in 2023/24. Whenever he has played, he has looked like a player who has been at the Etihad for years – someone that Pep Guardiola has moulded into a superb all-around midfield player. He chips in with goals, dribbles past players for fun and can play as a box-to-box no. 8, or as a no. 6, both at an impeccable standard.
His performances will come to the fore now Rodri is out for the season. There was a big conversation about who would come in for the crucial Spaniard and that question has been answered after two games. Kovacic’s double against Fulham was typical of the player and and the club, who are simply fantastic in the transfer market.
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Brentford 5-3 Wolves: Bees sting early again to hammer home the final O’Neil
Going behind within a couple of minutes against Brentford is not in itself a sackable offence, or Pep Guardiola, Ange Postecoglou and Julen Lopetegui would all have been put out of work in recent weeks. But it might well have added to the increasingly unavoidable body of evidence pointing to the end of one manager’s reign.
Wolves held out for longer than Manchester City, Spurs and West Ham before them, but crucially did not come close to replicating those comebacks. Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen equalised two and six minutes respectively after the hosts established leads, but Brentford soon pulled into the distance.
The weight of responsibility ultimately rests on the shoulders of the manager but no amount of coaching can legislate for some of that Wolves defending. Nathan Collins and Ethan Pinnock both scored from unmarked headers to bookend this defeat, and if Mario Lemina considers himself harshly treated for the concession of a penalty for the second Brentford goal, his surrendering of possession on the edge of his own area in the build-up to the third left no doubt as to where blame could be assigned.
Fabio Carvalho and Rayan Ait-Nouri added goals in the final stages but the ironic cheers which met were telling.
But it can only be O’Neil who pays with his job. An obviously talented coach he may be, the challenge of leading this unbalanced, troubled side has seemed beyond him for some time. Since the start of March, Wolves have fewer points than relegated Burnley, at least four more defeats than any other side and no clean sheets, conceding at a rate of 2.44 goals per game. That the only reason he might have to stay is because Wolves handed him a new contract they might not be able to afford to terminate says it all.
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Leicester 1-0 Bournemouth: Foxes off the mark to kickstart survival push
And so there were four. While Ipswich, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Wolves are running out of drawing boards to go back to heading into the second international break of the season, Leicester might be cursing the untimely interruption of their momentum.
Steve Cooper called for his players to “deliver a Premier League team performance” and they just about managed it. Facundo Buonanotte certainly seems more comfortable at this level than most and his combination with James Justin before some fine footwork and a ferocious finish provided the platform for a crucial victory.
For about 75 minutes it was almost exclusively a case of Leicester resolutely defending that lead. They had one shot to Bournemouth’s 11 in the second half, with Caleb Okoli and Wout Faes unmoved and Wilfred Ndidi switching seamlessly between creator and destroyer every week.
Cooper masterminded Nottingham Forest’s survival after promotion in 2022/23 on the foundations of nine victories, six of which were 1-0. It has taken time but there were encouraging signs that lightning could strike again with Leicester.
West Ham 4-1 Ipswich: Hammers take the Mic to ease Lopetegui pressure
It might be harsh to describe that as the best performance Kalvin Phillips has ever put in for West Ham but as former teammate Jarrod Bowen ghosted past the Ipswich midfielder to make it 3-1, it was hard not to think how sad his sudden decline has been.
Neither Phillips nor West Ham will look back on their few months together fondly but this was an opportunity to prove critics wrong. Ipswich producing their worst display since promotion meant he was never going to be able to take it.
Beyond the continued goalscoring excellence of Liam Delap, there were no positives to accompany the Tractor Boys on the long journey home. West Ham were insatiable in attack as things finally started to click under Julen Lopetegui; 13 shots on target is the most they’ve ever had in a Premier League game on record.
Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen returning to simultaneous form is a tantalising prospect but Niclas Fullkrug can perhaps be added to the inexplicable list of Michail Antonio victims soon. The Jamaica international scored the opener, thumped a header against the crossbar for the second and was a level of general nuisance Ipswich could not handle. West Ham still cannot grow out of relying on the 34-year-old to lead the line but afternoons like these make it more palatable.
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