Arsenal demonstrated their Premier League title ambitions with a crucial 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, while Manchester United suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat at Brighton on Saturday. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland's hat-trick propelled Manchester City to a 4-1 win over Ipswich, taking them to the top of the table, and Tottenham crushed Everton 4-0.
Arsenal, who lost twice to Villa last season, redeemed themselves in Birmingham. A pivotal save by David Raya prevented Ollie Watkins from giving Villa the lead, while Leandro Trossard’s composed finish in the 67th minute broke the deadlock. Thomas Partey then secured the win with a low shot that Emiliano Martinez failed to stop. Arsenal, who have finished second to Manchester City for the past two seasons, look poised to challenge for the title again.
At the Etihad, Manchester City was stunned early on when Ipswich’s Sammie Szmodics slipped a shot past Ederson. However, City responded swiftly, scoring three goals in four minutes. Haaland equalized from the penalty spot before Savinho capitalized on a mistake by Ipswich’s keeper, Arijanet Muric, allowing Kevin De Bruyne to score. Haaland then flicked in De Bruyne’s pass for City’s third and completed his hat-trick in the 88th minute. With 94 goals in 96 starts for City, Haaland’s scoring feats have drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from manager Pep Guardiola.
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Manchester United’s hopes of a resurgence under Erik ten Hag were dashed by Joao Pedro’s 95th-minute winner for Brighton. United had trailed after Danny Welbeck’s 32nd-minute goal but equalized through Amad Diallo’s deflected shot. Despite United's efforts, Brighton capitalized on a late opportunity, with Pedro heading home Simon Adingra’s cross to maintain Brighton’s perfect start under new manager Fabian Hurzeler, the Premier League’s youngest permanent manager at 31.
Tottenham's 4-0 thrashing of Everton was marked by Yves Bissouma’s return after a one-game suspension. Bissouma opened the scoring with a stunning strike, followed by goals from Son Heung-min, Cristian Romero, and another from Son.
Elsewhere, West Ham secured a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace with second-half goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen, giving manager Julen Lopetegui his first victory. Fulham defeated Leicester 2-1 at Craven Cottage, thanks to Alex Iwobi’s 70th-minute goal, while Nottingham Forest edged Southampton 1-0 with Morgan Gibbs-White’s strike.
