The Premier League’s third matchday delivered exactly the kind of weekend English football does best: a few routine results at the top, one or two frights for the supposed contenders, and a scoreline at the bottom of the table that tells its own grim story. By the time the final whistle went on Saturday’s fixtures, Manchester City had made it three wins out of three, Liverpool were made to work harder than the scoreboard suggests, and both Coventry City and Fulham were left staring at a winless start to the season.
Sunday closes out the round with two of the weekend’s biggest names still to play. Everton host Manchester United at 3pm, and Arsenal welcome Chelsea to the Emirates at 5:30pm, a fixture that already looks like an early title-race litmus test given both sides have won their opening two games.
Here’s everything that happened, everything still to come, and where the table stands heading into Matchday 4.
Matchday 3 Results So Far
| Fixture | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Ipswich Town vs Liverpool | 0–2 | Full-time |
| Newcastle United vs Bournemouth | 2–2 | Full-time |
| Brentford vs Sunderland | 1–1 | Full-time |
| Brighton & Hove Albion vs Leeds United | 1–1 | Full-time |
| Fulham vs Crystal Palace | 2–3 | Full-time |
| Manchester City vs Coventry City | 1–0 | Full-time |
| Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur | 0–0 | Full-time |
| Hull City vs Aston Villa | 0–0 | Full-time |
| Everton vs Manchester United | — | Kicks off 3pm |
| Arsenal vs Chelsea | — | Kicks off 5:30pm |
Liverpool Made to Sweat, Isak Delivers
Liverpool opened the round on Friday night away at Ipswich, and it wasn’t the stroll a 2–0 scoreline might suggest. Alexander Isak got the goal that mattered, his third of the campaign in just three appearances, and it arrived at a decent time for a club that’s had more noise around it off the pitch than on it this week, with fresh reports swirling about unrest in the club’s leadership structure. On the pitch, at least, the results have kept coming, three wins from three, though the underlying performances have looked shakier than the points total.
Haaland Keeps Ticking, City Cruise Again
Manchester City didn’t need to be spectacular against Coventry City, and they weren’t. A single goal was enough, with Erling Haaland doing what Erling Haaland does — he’s now up to three goals in three matches, level at the top of the scoring charts with Isak and just behind Bruno Fernandes, who leads with three goals from only two appearances after his Old Trafford hat-trick in Gameweek 2. Nine points out of nine keeps Pep Guardiola’s side clear at the summit, and on current form nobody else in the division looks capable of living with them.
Newcastle Let Two Points Slip
Newcastle led Bournemouth for large parts of Saturday’s early kick-off before letting the game slip to 2–2, a pattern that’s becoming familiar for Eddie Howe’s side — this is now three draws from their last four across the two competitions they’ve played. Anthony Elanga continues to look sharp in the final third, sitting on two goals for the season, but the Magpies will be frustrated at dropping points from a winning position for the second time already this term.
Crystal Palace Come From Behind at Craven Cottage
Fulham looked to be heading for a first point of the season after going 2–1 up against Crystal Palace, only for the visitors to find a late response and steal all three points, 3–2. It leaves Fulham bottom alongside Coventry on zero points from three games, an uncomfortable place to be this early, even if there’s a long season ahead to fix it.
Goalless Draws at the City Ground and the MKM Stadium
Nottingham Forest and Tottenham played out a stalemate that will have pleased neither set of fans much, while Hull City’s decent start to life back in the top flight continued with a battling goalless draw against Aston Villa. Villa, in particular, will be nervous, Unai Emery’s side have now gone three matches without scoring a goal, a statistic nobody at Villa Park expected to be discussing this early in the season.
Still to Come: Everton vs Man Utd, Arsenal vs Chelsea
The headline fixture of the weekend is saved for last. Arsenal and Chelsea both arrive at the Emirates unbeaten, both having won their opening two matches, and both looking like genuine top-four candidates rather than the streaky, inconsistent versions of themselves that fans have grown used to in recent years. Chelsea have scored freely, seven goals in two games, while Arsenal have been the tighter, more clinical of the two, yet to concede a single goal this season.
Manchester United, fresh off a bruising defeat at Hull on the opening weekend followed by a five-goal demolition of Ipswich, travel to Goodison Park looking to build some consistency. Everton have been one of the surprise packages so far, unbeaten and yet to concede.
Updated Premier League Table After Matchday 3
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF:GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7:2 | +5 | 9 |
| 2 | Hull City | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3:0 | +3 | 7 |
| 3 | Arsenal* | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4:0 | +4 | 6 |
| 4 | Chelsea* | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7:5 | +2 | 6 |
| 5 | Brentford | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5:2 | +3 | 5 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6:4 | +2 | 5 |
| 7 | Newcastle United | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6:4 | +2 | 5 |
| 8 | Leeds United | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3:2 | +1 | 5 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8:5 | +3 | 4 |
| 10 | Everton* | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:1 | +2 | 4 |
| 11 | Sunderland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3:3 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Manchester United* | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5:4 | +1 | 3 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:8 | -4 | 3 |
| 14 | Ipswich Town | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:8 | -4 | 3 |
| 15 | Bournemouth | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4:5 | -1 | 2 |
| 16 | Nottingham Forest | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2:3 | -1 | 2 |
| 17 | Aston Villa | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0:5 | -5 | 1 |
| 18 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0:5 | -5 | 1 |
| 19 | Fulham | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4:7 | -3 | 0 |
| 20 | Coventry City | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0:5 | -5 | 0 |
Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton and Manchester United have a game in hand, kicking off Sunday.
Top Scorers So Far
| Player | Team | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | 2 | 3 |
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 3 | 3 |
| Alexander Isak | Liverpool | 3 | 3 |
| Rayan Cherki | Manchester City | 3 | 2 |
| Anthony Elanga | Newcastle United | 3 | 2 |
Bruno Fernandes’ rate is the standout number on that list. Three goals from two games, built largely on the hat-trick against Ipswich, puts him ahead of Haaland and Isak on a per-match basis even though he’s played one fewer fixture.
Three games in, and the table is already starting to sort itself into rough categories. Manchester City look every bit like champions-elect, unbeaten and barely troubled. Hull City’s start has been the surprise of the campaign, sitting second with just three goals conceded. And down at the bottom, Coventry and Fulham need results fast before an early-season blip turns into something harder to shake off.
Sunday’s late kick-offs could reshuffle the top of the table again before the weekend is even out. If Arsenal beat Chelsea, they’ll go top on goal difference. If Chelsea win at the Emirates, they’ll leapfrog into the Champions League spots outright. Either way, this title race looks a great deal more open, and more entertaining, than it did at the same point last season.
