It’s been an enthralling start to the new season of the English Premier League, with several surprise results recorded over the first three rounds of action.
As it stands, Arsenal have shot to the top of the standings after three successive wins, while four teams find themselves a couple points behind. Notably, Man United and Liverpool dwell down in the second half of the table.
It’s still far too early to make any concrete judgements, but more should be learned as the league heads into another jam-packed round of fixtures.
Here we take a look at three notable talking points:
Can United back up sensational win over Liverpool?
The Red Devils gave hope to their fans with an immensely impressive win over Liverpool on Monday, but the challenge will now be to ensure they back that up with another victory away from home against Southampton.
For United, this match represents an all-important opportunity to end a disastrous seven-game losing league streak on the road, and they can draw confidence from going unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League visits to St Mary’s Stadium (W6, D5).
The victory over Liverpool provided the first signs to suggest that new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is beginning to make an impact at the club, but it remains to be seen whether they can maintain the momentum from Monday.
Arsenal must avoid slipping on banana peel fixture
The Gunners have started the season with three victories over Palace, Leicester and Bournemouth, and will be overwhelming favourites to continue that winning run when they host Fulham on Saturday.
Notably, though, Fulham – a team that won the Championship last season whilst scoring 106 goals in their 46 League games – has made an unbeaten start to this season.
Mikel Arteta will be guarding his team against complacency, while the Gunners particularly need to shut down towering Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovi, who set the EFL Championship record with 43 goals last season.
In their camp, though, Arsenal have in-form forward Gabriel Jesus, who has directly contributed to 11 goals in his last seven Premier League appearances (seven goals, four assists).
Can Liverpool finally get their first win of the season?
Liverpool’s problems have run deep at the start of this campaign, with an injury crisis ruling out the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, and Diogo Jota, while superstar signing Darwin Nunez is still serving a suspension.
Reds manager Jürgen Klopp recently stated that he’s “concerned about our situation” after the latest shock loss to Manchester United, but this is the ideal fixture for Liverpool to rediscover some form and confidence.
Newly-promoted Bournemouth lost their last two matches by a combined score of 7-0, while allowing a total of 33 shots attempted (13 on goal) during this stretch. If Liverpool can finally make a decent start, expect Mohamed Salah to lead the way in a much-needed winning performance.
It’s the Reds worst start to the season since 2012/13.