The Recap: Gameweek 3

A Haaland hat-trick, controversial red card decisions, a late late comeback, and bitter rivals clashing in the North-West. Last weekend served up a full-course meal of football and this is the recap of all that action from our pov.

Ten Hag's tricky reds continue to be incredibly difficult to predict from game to game. I did not expect them to win this game. But I also did not expect them to capitulate the way they did to Slot's new look Liverpool. United fans will probably not be calling for him to be sacked yet, but Ten Hag has started the season in the most underwhelming fashion and the pressure is surely beginning to build now.

Newcastle's first goal in the game against Tottenham is a summary of how to hurt Spurs at the moment. Newcastle is on the break, the Tottenham defence is running back frantically and it is not very organised, the Newcastle winger pulls the ball back and Harvey Barnes finds himself in tons of space, unmarked, within the Tottenham box. Of course, Barnes scores.

Two weekends ago we saw a Tottenham side who could pull it together and play the game on their own terms, coolly putting four goals past Everton. This season we are back to good old scrappy, frantic Spurs leaving players in space in their box. This is a very Jekyll and Hyde team at the moment, and I suspect that we will be seeing both Spurs on different occasions throughout the season.

Bournemouth scoring three goals in nine minutes right at the end of the game to come back from 2-0 down is surely the biggest story of this weekend. This is one of those occurrences that doesn't have a lot to do with tactics or pressing or all that jazz football fans like to think about when they think about winning teams. It was a miracle, pure and simple. Let us accept it as such, let us be grateful for it, and let us hope to see more of them this season. Also, it's the latest a club has ever trailed by 2-0 and then gone on to win the game in Premier League history. magic.

This heading is courtesy of Peter Drury. If you're reading this then we both know that for oratory there's no one like Peter. On this occasion, he is right on the money though. Arne Slot's project is unfolding nicely. And it just passed its sternest test yet in rather easy manner.

Breezing past Manchester United 3-0 means that Liverpool now sit second on the table. They've scored more goals than anyone except City and they are now the only team in the division yet to concede a goal this term. It's still only three games in but the signs look more and more promising with each passing weekend.

If you had asked me to pick an Arsenal player I thought would be unlikely to pick up a needless red card I'd probably have picked Declan Rice. But, of course, I would also be wrong. Now, to be sure I think that red card was the wrong call. That it should be appealed and overturned, and that that was the product of some shambolic refereeing. Nevertheless, Arsenal play Tottenham and Manchester City in their next two fixtures, and one imagines they'll be desperate to put two statement wins on the board in those fixtures. Having to play one of those without Rice won't be easy.

Think about it, when was the last time you saw Ivan Toney play back-to-back games for Brentford? Since his sanction over betting scandals, Brentford has slowly but surely moved towards a style of play that is not centered around Toney. Now, that transition hasn't been smooth at all. For long stretches of the second half of last season things were stormy (granted there were other reasons for that such as injuries). But with Mbeumo scoring a brace and Wissa scoring a goal to dispatch Southampton at the weekend, you get the feeling that Brentford will do just fine now that Toney has departed permanently for Saudi Arabia.