Winners and Losers: Premier League Gameweek 3

With the Premier League action for the week in the books, it’s time we dissect every bit of the action and find who impressed and disappointed further in this week’s Winners and Losers.

Also read: Winners & Losers Premier League GW2

Winners

Eric Ten Hag

There is only one place to start. I blamed him for the two losses, so I have to give him credit where credit is due. Ten Hag showed a lot of personality in dropping the club captain Maguire and a club legend, Ronaldo, for the season’s biggest match, and it paid off.

Man United looked more dynamic and fluid and caused all sorts of problems for Liverpool. That Sancho fake sent Milner into retirement, and Rashford managed to score from a great team move by the Red Devils.

A performance that really lifted the fans’ spirits and added that Casemiro was at the stadium to watch his teammates dominate one of the best teams in the world. Add him to the base of this midfield, and Ten Hag really has something to dig his teeth into.

This could be the turning point for Man Utd as they try to bring back the glory days.

Eddie Howe

After that performance, I think it’s time we all agree that Newcastle is here to stay. Going toe to toe with one of the best teams in the world is no mean feat, but Howe and his men were able to do just that.

Allan Saint-Maximin will likely get a lot of plaudits for rinsing Walker with the Frenchman leaving the veteran defender in a dire strait.

The tenacity and aggression that Howe has instilled in this Newcastle side in such a short time are really commendable. An absolutely captivating game that ended 3-3.

Pope put in a shift keeping Haaland out time and time again, KDB might have already given the assist of the season with his pass for Bernado’s goal, and Trippier gave everyone a flashback to the World Cup semi-final with that freekick. A brilliant game of football up at St. James’ Park.

William Saliba

At this point, we could reserve a winner spot for Arsenal in this section. Once again Arteta’s men put their opponents to the sword with beautiful football.

Arsenal have now won the first 3 games of the season for the first time since 2004/05 when the “Invincibles” started their title defence. Top of the table with a 2-point lead, life is good for all the Gooners out there.

Having scored an own goal last week, he made up for it with a sumptuous finish with his weaker foot this time round. Zinchenko’s look of disbelief just behind Saliba made it all the more beautiful.

After all the talk in the newspapers about the Frenchman last season, he has come back to Arsenal with the right mentality and already made the CB role his own!

Losers

Just Everything at Chelsea

Well, that was a bit sh*t, wasn’t it? After dropping 2 points to rivals Tottenham in a game they should have won, you’d think Chelsea would have come out with a point to prove. Only for them to drop a stinker and lose 3-0. It’s not just the scoreline but the way they lost too.

The most incredible stat that came out after the game was that Leeds ran 11kms more than the Chelsea players, that’s almost equal to playing with an extra man.

Mendy had another howler at the back, making a huge mistake to give the hosts the lead, and it was all downhill from there. The attackers faded again while the aging backline could not keep up with the Leeds’ press.

Finally, to add the cherry on top of this disaster cake was Koulibaly getting sent off late on. Tuchel has a lot of thinking to do ahead of their home game against Leicester.

Steven Gerrard

Big Stevie G’s tenure at Aston Villa has been quite a rollercoaster. But after all the investment that has gone into this team, having been given players like Coutinho, Ings, Buendia, Kamara, and Ings, he has not really lived up to the expectations.

Another loss on the weekend against Viera’s well-oiled Palace side raised doubts further on Gerrard’s abilities.

Last week there was a popular stat doing the rounds that stated Steven Gerrard at Villa had the same record as Gary Neville at Valencia; not the company I think Gerrard would like to be in.

Liverpool’s Midfield

Starting a midfield of Henderson, Milner, and Elliott is a sign of trouble, and they paid the price. Liverpool were all over the place, being outplayed by a rejuvenated Man United side.

For most of the game, Liverpool lacked any real presence in the middle of the park, with Elliott and Milner often drifting wide to combine with the fullbacks and wingers while Henderson dropped deep to help the backline out.

Time and time again, Man Utd would win the ball back and be in a 1v1 situation with a defender with just 1 or 2 passes.

Milner and Henderson have both been great servants for the club, but it’s time Liverpool upgrade those positions. The huge injury list didn’t help as Thiago and Keita were not in the squad, while Fabinho was fit enough only to play 30 mins.

Darwin Nunez’s red card in GW2 didn’t help and banking on a makeshift midfield and overreliance on Mo Salah & Trent Alexander-Arnold has proved to be Liverpool’s undoing so far this campaign; teams are well aware of their threat.

Let’s also not forget to mention Van Dijk choosing to take a sh*t instead of closing down Sancho for the first goal.

With 2 draws and 1 loss in their first 3 Premier League games, Liverpool & Jurgen Klopp need to reassess their team selections, player performances, gameplan, and tactics if they are to bounce back from this poor start to the season.