Premier League:
The third round of the Premier League kicked off on Saturday, August 31, with Arsenal hosting Brighton at the Emirates Stadium. Brighton has been in excellent form, coming off two impressive victories: one against Everton and the other against Manchester United.
The match was highly defensive, with Kai Havertz scoring the opening goal for Arsenal in the 38th minute. However, João Pedro, who had scored against Manchester United, struck again in a crucial moment, equalizing in the 58th minute to finish the game 1-1.
Meanwhile, history was made with Manchester City’s Guardiola and his protégé Erling Haaland, who scored three goals, marking his second consecutive hat-trick of the season. With 69 appearances for Manchester City, Haaland has scored 69 goals for the club. Are we entering the Haaland era? Manchester City defeated West Ham 1-3 away in London.
Everton initially led 2-0 against Bournemouth at Goodison Park in Liverpool by the 57th minute. However, Bournemouth staged a miraculous comeback, scoring three goals in nine minutes to win 2-3, extending Everton’s negative streak. The third round of English football concluded on September 1, with Chelsea drawing 1-1 at home against Crystal Palace. Newcastle celebrated the return of Sandro Tonali from a year-long suspension with a banner reading: “Midfield Maestro from Milano.” Newcastle defeated Tottenham 2-1 with goals from Barnes and Alexander Isak.
The weekend of English football was wrapped up with a high-profile match between Manchester United and Liverpool, featuring a clash between Dutch managers Erik Ten Hag (Manchester United) and Arne Slot (Liverpool). The game highlighted Manchester United’s ongoing struggles as Liverpool defeated them 0-3, with Luis Diaz scoring twice and Mohamed Salah adding another goal. Liverpool now sits at the top of the table alongside Manchester City, with a perfect record of 9 points.
Serie A:
The third round of Serie A opened on Friday, August 30, with an early match between Venezia and Torino. Torino secured a 0-1 victory with a goal from Saul Coco in the 86th minute, continuing their excellent run of form.
Inter Milan, managed by Inzaghi, delivered a stunning performance, winning 4-0 at San Siro against Gasperini’s Atalanta. Thuram was the standout player, scoring twice. Barella also found the net and Atalanta’s Djimsiti scored an own goal.
Despite Fonseca’s tactical changes that saw both Leao and Theo Hernandez benched, AC Milan drew 2-2 with a strong Lazio side that couldn’t secure the win. Pavlovic scored the opening goal for Milan, but Lazio’s Castellanos and Boulaye Dia turned the game around. Leao scored the equalizer in the 72nd minute, assisted by new signing Tammy Abraham from Roma.
In Naples, the Lukaku Mania has already begun. Napoli, managed by Conte, played at home against Parma and secured a 2-1 comeback victory after Parma’s goalkeeper, Zion Suzuki, was sent off for a serious foul. Replacing him in goal was defender Enrico Del Prato. Napoli turned the game around with a goal from Romelu Lukaku in the 92nd minute and another from Zambo Anguissa in the 96th minute.
The big match between Juventus and Roma ended in a 0-0 draw, with Roma earning a crucial point at Allianz Stadium in Turin. Despite Juventus, under Thiago Motta, maintaining their solid defensive record with no goals conceded after three rounds, they could not secure a perfect start to the season.
La Liga:
What happened in the Spanish league?
Barcelona delivered a stunning performance, defeating Real Valladolid 7-0. Raphinha shone with a hat-trick, and Lewandowski, Koundé, new signing Dani Olmo, and Torres scored. Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona has made a perfect start to the season with four wins out of four.
Atlético Madrid secured a late away victory with a goal from Ángel Correa in the 92nd minute. Notably, new arrival Julián Álvarez, signed for €75 million, had a strong performance. Atlético Madrid won 0-1 against Athletic Bilbao.
On Sunday, September 1, Girona defeated Sevilla 0-2 away, and Real Madrid celebrated Kylian Mbappe’s first goal at Santiago Bernabéu with a 2-0 win over Real Betis. Kylian Mbappé finally got on the score sheet in Spain, netting both goals. The first was a magical assist from Federico Valverde, and the second was a penalty.
European Football Overview:
We witnessed Bayer Leverkusen’s first defeat, which Leipzig suffered. Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen lost a league match for the first time in 462 days. Leipzig overturned a game that seemed lost in the 45th minute, with Marco Rose’s team showing great strength and determination to secure a 2-3 victory.
Bayern Munich defeated Freiburg 2-0, with goals from Harry Kane and Thomas Müller. Paris Saint-Germain continued their perfect start to the season, winning 1-3 away at Lille. In Scotland, Celtic triumphed 3-0 at home against their historic rivals, the Glasgow Rangers, with goals from Maeda, Furuhashi, and Callum McGregor.
What surprised you the most about this weekend’s European football? Let me know in the comments.
