Matchday 6 Premier League season produced a major upset and some really thrilling encounters in what was a power-packed weekend of football.
Manchester United suffered their first defeat of the new campaign, falling to a shock 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Old Trafford. Their title rivals Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge while Liverpool were held to a 3-3 draw by newbies Brentford in what was an enthralling contest in west London.
Everton, Wolves and West Ham United bagged all three points over the weekend. Arsenal claimed the north London bragging rights on Sunday by beating bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in what was a dominating display.
The full quota of Matchday 6 is yet to be completed with Crystal Palace due to host high-flying Brighton at Selhurst Park on Monday evening in the M23 derby.
Talking points from Matchday 6 of the 2021-22 Premier League
Aston Villa good value for a win at Old Trafford
Aston Villa were excellent in the 1-0 win over Manchester United that gave a glimpse of their hunger, determination and courage in a team display much to the liking of Dean Smith.
The Villans, who had not won at Old Trafford for 12 years, pressed and probed, hunted in packs to win the possession and got forward in numbers fearlessly. Kortney Hause scored a great header late in the game, but at the other end, conceded a penalty, which Bruno Fernandes skied into the Stretford End in the stoppage time.
VICTORY AT OLD TRAFFORD! 😍#MUNAVL pic.twitter.com/5n24v8zuDa
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 25, 2021
Manchester United had chances before Hause’s header to score, especially from Mason Greenwood, but failing to do so gave Aston Villa a thoroughly deserved three points at Old Trafford.
Pep Guardiola gets the better of Thomas Tuchel… at the fourth time of asking
Having won his three previous encounters with Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola, it appeared Thomas Tuchel could make it four in four on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. However, Tuchel and his Chelsea side were handed a timely reality check by Guardiola and City, who won 1-0 thanks to Gabriel Jesus’ strike in the second half.
Chelsea weren’t at their best and failed to record a shot on target, with Romelu Lukaku anonymous and isolated for the majority part of the afternoon. In contrast, Manchester City were bright and organised with the players essaying their roles set by Guardiola.
3️⃣ points
⚽️ @gabrieljesus9 goal
❌ A clean sheetWatch the best of the action ⬇️
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/LJRQplfBD0
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 25, 2021
At Stamford Bridge, it felt like redemption for Guardiola, a personal victory over Tuchel he will certainly savour for years after becoming the Chelsea tactician’s honey bunny last season.
Liverpool’s defence exposed by Brentford
Liverpool ended the weekend on top of the Premier League after drawing 3-3 with Brentford, but it turned out to be a wild game where the hosts gave a blueprint to other teams seeking to beat Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The Reds’ usually solid backline was breached three times by Brentford, with strikers Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo proving a real handful. The Bees exploited the visitors’ defence and played some lovely stuff throughout the evening on Saturday.
Liverpool had their chances and should have won on any other day, but Klopp’s questionable decision to take off Curtis Jones for Roberto Firmino right after his goal to put the team 3-2 up perhaps did cost them dropping a couple of points.
Arsenal paint north London Red
Arsenal defeated fierce rivals Tottenham 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in a breath-taking team performance on Sunday.
The Gunners cruised to victory after a brilliant first-half display, as academy products Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka tore Spurs to shreds.
Son Heung-min pulled one back for the visitors but it was too little too late, as Mikel Arteta’s side deservedly bagged all three points and the north London derby bragging rights.
After three losses to start the season, the sun is finally shining brightly upon Arteta and Arsenal with three league wins on the bounce.
Wolves edge past Southampton; Raul Jimenez shines
It was an end-to-end battle between Southampton and Wolves at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday.
Southampton showed a lot of energy and gusto to carve open the Wolves defence in front of their home fans, but never really did enough to test Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.
Wolves, second-best in every department, did enough to come home with all three points thanks to Raul Jimenez, who opened his account for the season with a brilliant solo goal.
After being sidelined since November 2020 following a skull injury sustained in a nasty clash of heads with David Luiz, it was a delight to watch the Mexican score and celebrate in front of the travelling Wolves fans. Wolves boss Bruno Lage will hope Raul’s goal on Saturday kick-starts their season.