Premier League Matchday 2 - Saturday Recap

Another week of Premier League action, another dose of unpredictability. From Tottenham upsetting Manchester City to Brentford securing a clean sheet against Villa, the early results continue to surprise much of the Premier League’s enormous fanbase.

(Image Credit to Matthew Childs/Reuters)

Manchester City vs Tottenham:

2 Premier League games, 2 wins for Thomas Frank and Co to start the season. 

While Manchester City found a way to dominate possession 62%-38%, Spurs were able to do better with their scoring. The first of two Spurs goals came in the 35th minute, courtesy of Brennan Johnson, while Joao Palhinha scored his first Tottenham goal in the second minute of extra time. 

Tottenham will look to make it three wins out of three on the new season when they play Bournemouth in the next week of Premier League action, while Manchester City will look to bounce back in their away trip to Brighton. 

Bournemouth vs Wolves:

I will give this to Wolves: they did play far better than they did the previous week against Manchester City. 

Unfortunately for them, a fourth-minute tally for Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier was all that was needed to secure the Cherries’ first win of the new Premier League season. 

And to make matters worse, Wolves haven’t scored a single goal in 180 minutes of Premier League action so far this season. 

Oh, and let’s not forget Toli Gomes’ 49th minute red card. 

Bournemouth will look to build off of the win as they take on Brentford in a mid-week EFL Cup clash, which precedes a Matchday 3 encounter with Tottenham. Meanwhile, Wolves will host West Ham in their respective EFL Cup Round 2 tie before taking on Everton in Premier League action. 

Burnley vs Sunderland:

Ok, whatever script was written for Matchday 1 clearly was flipped on its head. 

After finding no spark at all in Matchday 1 against Tottenham, Burnley were able to get their attack going in the second half of their game against Sunderland, who couldn’t find an offensive spark at all after destroying West Ham in the second half of their Matchday 1 encounter. 

The first of Burnley’s two goals came from Josh Cullen in the 47th minute, while Jaidon Anthony would seal the deal in the 87th minute. 

Burnley will look to build some momentum when they take on Derby County in the second round of EFL Cup action; this precedes an away game against Manchester United. Meanwhile, Sunderland host Huddersfield in their EFL Cup Round 2 tie before taking on Brentford in their next Premier League encounter. 

Brentford vs Aston Villa:

I have to say, that was a nice bounceback for Brentford. 

After getting thrashed 3-1 in their Matchday 1 encounter with Nottingham Forest, Brentford were able to hold on defensively to secure a 1-0 victory over Aston VIlla. 

The lone goal scored in the contest came from Dango Ouattara in the 12th minute.

Brentford will look to build off of the win when they take on Bournemouth in EFL Cup action and then Sunderland in the final match before the first international break of the year. Meanwhile, Aston Villa will look to get their first win of the season on the board when they host Crystal Palace next week in Premier League action. 

Arsenal vs Leeds United:

I guess predicting a draw was a little too bold of a call. 

While Leeds United looked strong offensively in their first match against Everton, whatever strength they had in the attack clearly was on an Emirates flight out of London Heathrow long before the Whites arrived at the Emirates Stadium. 

Simply put, Arsenal dominated Leeds United in every possible fashion. 

Shots? Arsenal won by a country mile and then some. I think they won that battle by so much that goalkeeper David Raya could’ve put himself on the same Emirates flight as Leeds’ attacking prowess and the Gunners still would’ve won handily.

Possession? 68%-32% for Arsenal.

And five goals would be the cherry on top for Arsenal. Both Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyökeres would score braces, while Bukayo Saka, who would exit in the second half with an injury, scored his first of the season in first-half stoppage time.

Arsenal’s next match, a trip to Liverpool, could essentially decide the direction of this season’s title fight. Meanwhile, Leeds United will look to get their attack back from vacation when they travel to play a struggling Sheffield Wednesday side in the EFL Cup; this precedes a Premier League encounter with Newcastle. 

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Article written by Noah Guttman