
After a lengthy pause, the Premier League returned a week ago, headlined by Manchester City’s trip to Liverpool, where the Cityzens ran riot at the home of one of the teams most affected by the charges City have been found guilty of.
For the City players, it was all business, as goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki ensured they remained perfect at the top of the table. Whether it counts for anything at the end of the season remains to be seen, but for now, they are the ones to catch.
Arsenal stayed within touching distance despite a scare in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off. Leeds United went 1-0 up at the Emirates and were good value for their lead, but in typical champions’ fashion, Mikel Arteta’s side found a way back and sealed victory through summer signing Bruno Guimaraes.
Manchester United’s problems worsened as they failed to see out a winning position against 10-man Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. Dominic Solanke levelled for Spurs in stoppage time, meaning United still have only two wins in all competitions this term, against newly promoted Ipswich Town and Azerbaijani outfit Sabah.
Lisandro Martínez’s midweek outburst following the Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid did little to ease the tension around the club.
Brighton are up to third following their third straight success, while Brentford remain unbeaten in fourth. Those two sides host two of the biggest clubs in the division in an intriguing Saturday afternoon slate.
Premier League tipster Ben Smith has picked out five selections across the weekend’s Premier League odds, combining them into a 28/1 accumulator with BetMGM.
Chelsea’s games have been full of goals this season, with both teams scoring and over 2.5 goals landing in six of their seven matches against Premier League opposition. The exception was a 3-0 defeat at Brentford, so even that delivered on the goals front.
The Blues scored five against Bournemouth last weekend, but their run without a league clean sheet now stands at 22 games. Unbeaten Everton should therefore fancy their chances of contributing, particularly after scoring twice at Hull.
With Chelsea carrying plenty of attacking threat themselves, backing both teams to score alongside over 2.5 goals looks the play.
Liverpool put six past LASK on Wednesday night, with much-needed positive performances from Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz. Barcola opened his Reds account with a hat-trick, while Wirtz assisted one of those goals and was at the heart of Liverpool’s attacking creativity.
It was a welcome result after the humbling by City, but Saturday’s trip to Brentford is an entirely different proposition. LASK offered Liverpool all sorts of space and allowed them to play on their terms. Brentford are far too smart for that.
The Bees are among the best-organised teams in the league, and with Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai still injury doubts, plus Ryan Gravenberch suspended, this is an incredibly tall order.
Liverpool can still find a route to goal here, but I don’t expect them to do so enough times to earn all three points.
Aston Villa endured a rough start to the season as they adjusted to some significant summer departures, but there was never any need to panic. Few managers are better than Unai Emery at adapting and turning things around.
Villa have won four and drawn one of their last five matches in all competitions, and things really clicked in Wednesday’s 6-0 thrashing of Fenerbahce. One of the most promising developments has been the introduction of Johan Manzambi, who has four goal contributions in three starts.
For Newcastle, things have gone in the opposite direction after some early promise. They have suffered two 4-1 defeats in recent weeks and were fortunate to beat Hull at home.
Leeds being favourites against Manchester United might not look an attractive betting proposition on reputation alone, but make no mistake, it is warranted, and I would have Daniel Farke’s side at an even shorter price.
It is no stretch to say they outplayed Arsenal for an hour last weekend. The Gunners had enough about them to turn the game around, but with United continuing their downward slide, I don’t see them being capable of the same response.
Coventry have acquitted themselves well in the top flight since the start of the season. Arsenal on the opening day proved too much of an ask, while a red card ended their chances at home to Brighton. Otherwise, they have performed well, with back-to-back victories either side of the international break reflecting that.
Tottenham’s xG differential is comfortably negative, and Coventry will be no pushover. Both teams to score appeals, but I’m not expecting a shootout.
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