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Arsenal
Story so far Top of the table, looking down at our rivals, despite still not really firing on all cylinders … it’s early days, but we’re struggling to keep a lid on the excitement here. Having star turns such as Havertz, Madueke and now Ødegaard succumb to long-term injury is a reminder of the risk of being derailed, but it does feel like we’ve never been better equipped to cope with the slings and arrows. Arteta is still unwrapping his new toys and figuring out the best way to use them – can’t wait to see how the chemistry develops.
Best 90 mins Newcastle away.
Worst 90 mins These were far from our worst all-round displays, but the source of most frustration so far was the timid approach taken against both Liverpool and Manchester City when our two biggest competitors were there for the taking.
Best goal The 93rd-minute equaliser by Martinelli against City. Eze’s assist and Martinelli’s finish were exquisite and a much-needed confidence boost for both players. It blew the stadium roof off, too.
Best opponent Love him or hate him, Haaland is an unstoppable beast. We’re waiting to see Viktor Gyökeres match his impact.
Worst VAR moment Overturning the penalty awarded for Nick Pope bringing down Gyökeres at St James’ Park. It took them several minutes to find a reason. As both Saka and Arteta said later, where was the clear and obvious error that demanded VAR get involved?
Next manager sacked Postecoglou.
By Christmas we will be “Top of the world, Ma.”
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Bernard Azulay onlinegooner.com; @GoonerN5
Aston Villa
Story so far A terrible, lethargic start against sides mostly expected to be lower reaches may come back to haunt us in May but, glass half full, we’re now on a seven-game unbeaten run. The window was a disappointing one, and the new blood has yet to fire. Elliott is probably good but looks like he’s running through treacle and Guessand splits opinion, though I think he’ll be OK. Thankfully, more recently, with McGinn scoring freely and the back four miserly again (hard to believe Konsa could get any better but he has) there have been clear signs our evolving style will reap rewards. And, excitingly, we’ve started very brightly in Europe. If we can get Watkins and Rogers back on the same wavelength we can challenge the protected elite.
Best 90 mins 2-1 at home to Burnley doesn’t scream emphatic, but their keeper was inspired and several of our key players looked on the verge of fully recapturing their best form. This too was a day when Bogarde showed he’s ready for serious top-flight work.
Worst 90 mins Sunday at 7pm at home to bogey team Crystal Palace had “end to long home unbeaten record” written all over it. And so it proved, spinelessly so, a clear nadir since Emery took over.
Best goal Malen’s second against Burnley was textbook half-opening to net ripple.
Best opponent The boy Josh King at Fulham. Electric pace and clearly not a ‘speedboat with no driver’.
Worst VAR moment Was King’s disallowed goal at Chelsea. In a crowded field, it was a new low for VAR.
Next manager sacked Amorim.
By Christmas we will be Top of the Europa League, and ninth in the league.
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Jonathan Pritchard
Bournemouth
Story so far An astonishing start. Written off by many so-called media experts (again), we’re outperforming expectations (again). It’s only seven games played, but to be unbeaten in six of those since the narrow defeat at Anfield on the opening day is remarkable. The recruitment team deserve great credit in the replacements they’ve brought in, replacing Kepa, Zabarnyi, Huijsen and Kerkez with Petrovic, Diakité, Milosavljevic and Truffert. The coaching team led by Andoni Iraola have done an outstanding job in getting them performing so seamlessly. What’s been equally impressive is the way existing squad members have really stepped up their games, led by David Brooks. Alex Scott, Tyler Adams, Evanilson, Marcos Senesi and, of course, the world-class talent that is Antoine Semenyo are all performing brilliantly. Right now, the Cherries are flying and we’re loving it.
Best 90 mins Spurs away. Off the back of beating Man City the week before, Spurs were humbled at home. We nullified their attack, dominated the game and overwhelmed them with our fluent attacking play. One of the most comprehensive 1-0 wins you’ll ever see.
Worst 90 mins We lacked our usual intensity away at Leeds but still came back to grab a 2-2 draw. Our first ever point at Elland Road.
Best goal Can I have two, please? Semenyo and Kluivert at home to Fulham. Both worldies for different reasons.
Best opponent Sean Longstaff, Leeds.
Worst VAR moment It’s hard to beat that wrongly disallowed Fulham goal from Josh King at Chelsea. Disgraceful officiating.
Next manager sacked Amorim.
By Christmas we will be Fourth, and still punching gloriously above our weight.
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Jeff Hayward Back of the Net, the AFC Bournemouth Fan’s Podcast.
Brentford
Story so far Thomas Frank leaves. Backroom staff follow. Top scorer Bryan Mbeumo departs. Second top scorer Yoanne Wissa goes on strike. Captain Christian Nørgaard leaves. We promote set-piece coach Keith Andrews to head coach. We bring Ouattara in from Bournemouth for a record fee to replace Mbeumo which has opposition fans sniggering, but can’t replace Wissa because he leaves on deadline day. Everyone piles in on Brentford predicting relegation. We then lose to Forest in the opening match. The pile-on continues. We then go and beat Aston Villa and Man United and draw with Chelsea – putting us on exactly the same points tally as the same stage last season under Thomas Frank. The pile-on dies down. We knew it would be a rollercoaster of a season. So far, it hasn’t disappointed.
Best 90 mins We were excellent against Chelsea, but the United game was on another level in terms of excitement. We went two up and were cruising, gifted them a goal, conceded a penalty (which they missed), then smashed in an absolute screamer in stoppage time to seal it. Perfect.
Worst 90 mins The 3-1 defeat at Fulham. Incredibly poor all over the park.
Best goal Thiago’s finish against United was incredible, but Jensen’s strike in the same game edges it: a slick nine-pass move from back to front finished with an absolute rocket.
Best opponent Elliot Anderson stood out against us on the opening day for Forest although to be fair, anyone could’ve bossed our midfield that afternoon.
Worst VAR moment United’s penalty against us took about three years to sort. VAR checked the foul, then spent even longer deciding if Collins should be sent off. Add subs and other delays, and by the time it was finally taken Bruno Fernandes had lost the will to live and Kelleher saved it.
Next manager sacked I tipped Nuno in my pre-season predictions, so I’ll try and keep the streak going. Next up is Ange. Things aren’t looking great for him right now.
By Christmas we will be 14th.
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Billy Grant Beesotted podcast and blog; @Beesotted; @BillyTheBee99
Brighton
Story so far It hasn’t been a storming start but having nine points reflects the fact we’re a young squad with lots of new players. Fabian Hürzeler has come under fire from some fans but we need to manage our expectations. We’ve sold our best players for huge sums in recent seasons and our top scorer went this summer. We’re in good financial shape and have to stay patient as we continue to build. There will be many moments of joy this season. Probably the only surprise is that Carlos Baleba has looked so lost since Manchester United and all their cash came knocking, but he’s bound to find his feet again.
Best 90 mins It’s always a great feeling to beat Chelsea & Hove Albion, especially away, and after João Pedro’s claim that he was the main man at Brighton. And Hürzeler’s quadruple substitution that resulted in the comeback win over Man City was the single best moment so far.
Worst 90 mins The horribly disappointing 1-1 draw at Wolves, yawn.
Best goal Brajan Gruda’s 89th-minute winner against City, with a big shoutout to Diego Gómez who scored four – including one 30-yard half-volley – in the Carabao Cup at Barnsley.
Best opponent Jack Grealish was annoyingly good and got both assists in Everton’s 2-0 win over us at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Worst VAR moment It feels as if there’s been an argument raging over VAR every weekend for ages now, it’s so boring. Apart from when Palace are on the wrong end of it, of course. It’s always fun when they have one disallowed.
Next manager sacked Postecoglou.
By Christmas we will be Seventh.
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Steph Fincham
Burnley
Story so far It’s probably gone largely as expected given the run of games we’ve had. We’ve been competitive in a lot of them but also been the architects of our own misfortune in a couple. Points-wise, we’re probably about par – but the next run of fixtures is going to be crucial.
Best 90 mins Probably Sunderland at home. It’s our only win but it came on the back of them winning their opening game and us getting beaten in ours. I think they thought they’d turn up at the Turf and roll us over, but they didn’t.
Worst 90 mins Villa away in the last game. We weren’t terrible like we were so many times under Vincent Kompany in the Premier League, but we were still well off it.
Best goal We’ve scored a couple of nice ones but I’d probably go for Lyle Foster at United. It was a lovely, well-worked goal and a superb strike from Lyle. We need a bit more of that from him.
Best opponent I don’t think there’s been that many standout individual performances against us so far. I’d probably go with Villa’s Donyell Malen, who took both his goals so well. He’s everything we probably miss in terms of ability to finish, so that’s why he probably stands out so much for me.
Worst VAR moment Lyle Foster having his goal chalked off at Manchester United. I’ve still not seen an image which convinces me he was offside. If we’re still going to rule out goals for tiny amounts of shirt sleeves being in an offside position it’s time to pack up and go home.
Next manager sacked Big Ange. Not sure why he was in such a hurry to take that job.
By Christmas we will be We’ll still be in the relegation mixer but probably just above the line – 17th.
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Andrew Greaves From the Bee Hole End podcast, @beeholepodcast, @andrewgreaves84
Chelsea
Story so far An indifferent start. We do show signs of great potential and play some lovely football at times but all too quickly revert to the dull passing game where we always seem to be looking backwards. Stupid errors aren’t helping, either – and we’ve been very unlucky with injuries. But if we can build on the Liverpool win and the excitement that generated on and off the pitch then things will quickly get better.
Best 90 mins That victory over Liverpool had everything – end-to-end football with us on the front foot, and a last‑minute winner. Even after conceding and the two defensive injuries, the team continued to fight. Hats off to Maresca for how he managed the situation; the subs made a difference. Wild scenes at the final whistle.
Worst 90 mins The loss at Manchester United. The early red card didn’t help but Maresca panicking and making some bizarre changes set the tone against the worst United team we’ve faced for years. He has since admitted he mishandled it. Let’s hope he’s learned from it, and from the Brighton home defeat.
Best goal Caicedo’s screamer against Liverpool: an absolute rocket.
Best opponent I hate to praise an ex-Spurs player but it was Harry Kane in our Champions league game. He’s on fire this season and is the type of centre-forward I’d love to see at the Bridge.
Worst VAR moment Disallowing Josh King’s goal against us. Hard not to enjoy all the squealing from our neighbours down the Fulham Road, though.
Next manager sacked Postecoglou.
By Christmas we will be Comfortably fourth, if we avoid the red cards.
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Paul Baker in memory of Trizia Fiorellino
Crystal Palace
Story so far We’re all living the dream right now. Ignoring last week’s defeat at Everton (we should have won easily), to go 19 games undefeated, picking up the Community Shield on the way, qualifying for the Conference League, winning our first game in Europe and be fighting for the top places in the Premier League is an unbelievable achievement. We can’t wait to see how this season will unfold.
Best 90 mins Liverpool at home without a doubt; the first half should have seen us four or five up, and to grab the win we fully deserved with the last kick of the game was a brilliant moment on the pitch and in the stands. Villa away was also a masterclass, and the sheer ease with which we beat Dynamo Kyiv in the Conference League shows just how far we have come.
Worst 90 mins Slightly bending the rules here given it was Europe, but our 0-0 snorefest in Fredrikstad when we struggled against the low block and an artificial pitch: one of the worst games I have ever seen, and made worse by the huge cost in going to see it!
Best goal Marc Guéhi’s top-corner curler against Villa. Honourable mention to Tyrick Mitchell for his acrobatic right-foot volley to win the points at West Ham yet again.
Best opponent Sunderland keeper Robin Roefs was absolutely superb at Selhurst, he single-handedly kept us at bay in a match we should have won easily.
Worst VAR moment The one-off enforcing of the one-metre-away-from the-wall law ruling out Eze’s sumptuous free-kick at Chelsea. VAR at its absolute inconsistent joy-vacuuming best.
Next manager sacked Postecoglou.
By Christmas we will be Eighth.
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Chris Waters @Clapham_Grand
Everton
Story so far Eighth in the table, unbeaten at home, Grealish providing joy that’s been missing for oh so long, Dewsbury Hall showing what a quality player he is, Pickford outstanding – yet there’s still a feeling we could be better placed. Poor first halves have been our downfall versus Leeds and Liverpool and scoring remains a problem too, with neither Barry nor Beto demanding ownership of the fabled No 9 shirt.
Best 90 mins Performing for the full 90 minutes has been the problem, with slow starts the predominant feature. But the opening home game against Brighton was probably the most complete.
Worst 90 mins Easily, by some margin, the Carabao Cup game at Wolves. Having previously emphasised the importance of winning a trophy we made wholesale changes and went out without a whimper. A shocking display in front of a capacity away support as always.
Best goal Given it was our first last-minute goal at Hill Dickinson, given it ended Palace’s fabulous unbeaten run, given the circumstances, the scorer and how it was scored, it has to be Jack Grealish’s strike. It wouldn’t make any other team’s list of best goals but in this context it was magic.
Best opponent Crysencio Summerville was exceptional for West Ham, but probably Adam Wharton shades it. Before they tired, Palace really looked an excellent team, extremely well coached by Oliver Glasner.
Worst VAR moment The penalty given against James Tarkowski versus Leeds. Everything that’s wrong about the system in one shocking incident. They confirmed it for “leaning into the ball” despite Tarkowski’s arm being by his side.
Next manager sacked Postecoglou.
By Christmas we will be There’s a tough run coming up, but I’m confident Moyes will keep us in eighth.
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Paul Quinn @theesk, theesk.org
Fulham
Story so far Disappointing. Instead of heading into the break in a lofty slot brimming with confidence, we’re aiming to regroup. Injuries haven’t helped, but then neither has some untypical sloppiness and lack of focus. Very unprofessional. As has been the undue influence of Mr Webb and his underlings.
Best 90 mins Came at the Bridge, only for the video-powers-that-be to intervene, finding a way to rule out Josh King’s goal. Still, they apologised, so that’s all right. Move on; nothing to see here. The Brentford game was also a good display: after presenting them with the opener we ran out deserved 3-1 winners.
Worst 90 mins It was vice versa at Villa Park. An early lead against nervy hosts only to crumble once they snatched a route-one leveller before the break. Further key decisions went against us in the first half, but that’s no excuse for the collapse and 3-1 loss.
Best goal Josh King at Chelsea to propel us to a famous victory. But no. Spuriously chalked off because the Stockley Park mob said so: a clear and obvious cock-up. That leaves Harry Wilson’s clever finish from Alex Iwobi’s brilliant pass against the Bees in top spot.
Best opponent Antoine Semenyo or Matheus Cunha. Or Howard Webb.
Worst VAR moment I’ve covered the specifics, so here’s the general. VAR is fine in principle but its implementation remains an utter farce. And the game is far, far worse as a result. Delays, disappointment and obfuscation. It was introduced to mop up “clear and obvious errors” with a “high bar for interventions”. Like hell. That clanger at Chelsea was the most publicised but others, particularly against Man United and Villa, not only highlighted the flaws and made a solid case for favouritism (yikes!) but probably cost us points. Variously Applied Rules.
Next manager sacked Probably Ange.
By Christmas we will be 14th.
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David Lloyd @DMLTOOFIF
Leeds
Story so far Leeds are always getting trapped between expectation, hope and reality. So far this doesn’t look like a team destined to go straight back down, which is better than most promoted sides expect. But throwing away late points against Fulham and Bournemouth and not getting anything from a good performance against Spurs has created tantalising hope. Hold on to those points and Leeds could be flying in sixth. We’ve hardly seen new goalie Lucas Perri or new centre-back Jaka Bijol, while injuries to Dan James and Wilf Gnonto have me feeling there’s more to come from this team. If “more” includes Dominic Calvert-Lewin finishing half his chances, well, then I will be in danger of getting giddy. Harsher reality is coming, though: Man City, Chelsea then Liverpool in one week. But before that are five games from which Leeds can pick up points, and need to, to keep this working smoothly.
Best 90 mins Most have been good. I’ve enjoyed competitive games after two years playing attack against defence in the Championship. Wolves was best because we scored goals and won.
Worst 90 mins Arsenal away. But we’ve all moved on. We hope.
Best goal Anton Stach’s direct free-kick at Wolves. We’ve rarely seen free-kicks going in since Pablo Hernández retired.
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Best opponent Kevin looked like the new Raphinha in his cameo for Fulham.
Worst VAR moment Not VAR as such but I think the new sport of seeing who can delay Bruno Fernandes’s penalties the longest is fun. I’m setting a challenge for someone to make him come back the next day to take one behind closed doors.
Next manager sacked I’m still on Keith Andrews watch, especially now Russell Martin is free to take over.
By Christmas we will be 14th.
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Daniel Chapman leedsista.com, @leedsista.com
Liverpool
Story so far The season was going swimmingly up until the last-minute goal for Palace two weeks ago. That ended our unbeaten run and started a new run of consecutive defeats. Now three of them. The first time in Arne Slot’s career and so the first time for us for some time. It’s not so great not being on an unbeaten high, but the season is barely two months old and certainly no time for kneejerk panic. Yes, we need to find our best lineup, yes, the new players need to integrate and yes, players need to find form. But as Virgil said, we’ll stick together and go again. And we will.
Best 90 mins The first at home to Bournemouth. From 2-0 to 2-2 we then scored two, on 88 and 94, to take the win and set a precedent for the weeks to come. Goals for Ekitiké, Gakpo, Chiesa and Salah made for a business-as-usual start to the season on a less-than-usual Friday night.
Worst 90 mins Came at Palace. We were not good and they knew how to play us. We nearly got out of jail again with a last-minute equaliser, but then came Nketiah with his version of our late routine.
Best goal For sheer thrills, the winner at Newcastle from Rio Ngumoha, then just 16. Brilliant buildup starting with Chiesa to Salah, a pass fizzed across the box, ace dummy from Szoboszlai and the final shot blasted into the top corner.
Best opponent Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo scored his side’s two goals, one of them running from his own half, evading our defence, before shooting on the edge of the area past Alisson.
Worst VAR moment The penalty given against us away to Galatasaray is one of the worst decisions we’ve had. A shocker.
Next manager sacked Postecoglou.
By Christmas we will be Top again.
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Steph Jones
Manchester City
Story so far I’m pretty satisfied. The early consecutive losses to Spurs and Brighton were obviously disappointing, but I think the signs since have been encouraging. Defensively we’ve been a lot better since Gvardiol’s return and the progress of O’Reilly and Khusanov. Four out of six points in the Champions League is a decent start. Foden is “back”, and Haaland has started outrageously well.
Best 90 mins I don’t think there’s been a clear ‘best performance’ yet in the league, though we were dominant in the 5-1 win over Burnley. But beating United comfortably at the Etihad was most satisfying, obviously (and needed at the time after two consecutive losses).
Worst 90 mins The 2-0 loss at Spurs. Tottenham plus Thomas Frank really is our kryptonite. Defensively we were really poor and our pressing was a mess too. Spurs deservedly punished us.
Best goal Haaland’s versus Arsenal. It was a brilliant counterattack. Erling’s movement and physicality to get into space was amazing. Reijnders’ pass. And of course, the big man’s slotted finish.
Best opponent No player has shone against us yet but Djed Spence was very solid against Bobb and Cherki.
Worst VAR moment For us, without doubt the penalty given against Nico González at Monaco. Never a penalty, even by Champions League refereeing standards. Elsewhere, the decision not to award Josh King’s goal against Chelsea was a bad one too.
Next manager sacked It’s going to be Ruben Amorim, isn’t it?
By Christmas we will be Second. I think we’re trending well and are going under the radar, which I’m loving. This is a completely new City team this season. It’s going to take a bit of time, but the underlying metrics look good.
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Lloyd Scragg 9320pod.com; @lloyd_scragg
Manchester United
Story so far Adding three attackers and a new keeper injected some optimism that this season would be different. As it is, so far what we’ve got is one-game cycles where we win one and lose one. You can see by the players’ body language that they aren’t happy with Amorim’s system: they’re routinely outplayed and outworked. We have beaten three teams at home – two promoted clubs and a team playing with 10 men for most of the game. We haven’t won an away game since Leicester in March. Teams can suss us out too easily: even Grimsby knew what to do. Opponents seem to relish telling the press after games how easy it is to play against us as they know how we set up, and Amorim won’t do anything about it, setting the team up the same, week after week.
Best 90 mins The Arsenal game where we made a hatful of chances. Despite the defeat I left the ground feeling we just might be heading in the right direction. Didn’t last.
Worst 90 mins Grimsby was excruciating. Amorim not watching the penalties was gobsmacking; as Napoleon said: “If you build an army of 100 lions and their leader is a dog, in any fight, the lions will die like a dog. But if you build an army of 100 dogs and their leader is a lion, all dogs will fight as a lion.”
Best goal Mount’s goal against Sunderland showed real class.
Best opponent Haaland by a street. To think Ole offered him to us for £4m when he managed him at Molde.
Worst VAR moment When Saliba went through Cunha in the season opener. He took his left leg; VAR shrugged it off.
Next manager sacked Postecoglou.
By Christmas we will be 10th.
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Shaun O’Donnell
Newcastle
Story so far It’s been disappointing, but what could we expect? A disrupted pre-season and injuries to new recruits Yoane Wissa and Jacob Ramsey have undoubtedly stymied our campaign. Yet there are encouraging signs. In Nick Woltemade we have a new cult hero and a striker loving life at St James’ – so it’s bye-bye, AI, you’ll soon be forgotten. And the imperious Malick Thiaw, who has contributed to a string of clean sheets, is a joy to watch. With Dan Burn, Fabian Schär, Sven Botman and now Thiaw to call on, plus two sensational full-backs, our defence is the best it’s been in decades.
Best 90 mins Surprisingly, the home loss against LiVARpool. We went full throttle from the off and a ferocious atmosphere inspired a stirring fightback while we were down to 10 men. Of course we lost it in Slot time to a 16-year-old debutant, but St James’ was a cauldron that night.
Worst 90 mins Arsenal at home. We lacked possession and failed to protect a (somewhat fortuitous) lead. Two late sucker-punch goals – both from corners – were agonising.
Best goal Bruno Guimarães’ stunner against Forest. A moment of class in a frustrating contest.
Best opponent Barcelona’s Pedri. One of the world’s finest technical midfielders: elegant, intelligent, incisive, he ran the show.
Worst VAR moment We thought VAR was there to intervene in violent incidents. Apparently we were wrong. Gabriel got away with striking Woltemade in the face during our home loss, then went on to score the winner.
Next manager sacked Postecoglou. He should probably be given time, but results (and the fans) seem to be turning.
By Christmas we will be If Wissa starts firing, fifth isn’t out of the question.
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David and Richard Holmes
Nottingham Forest
Story so far Just when Reds fans thought it was safe to feel optimistic, it all went to pot. The change of head coach might well have derailed the Premier League, Europa League and Carabao Cup campaigns. It all feels so avoidable.
Best 90 mins In the league it was our only win, the opening day against Brentford; Nuno’s Reds showed they didn’t just play a low-mid block and could stroke it around, with three goals in the bag. Overall, the best performance was the first half against Real Betis.
Worst 90 mins Cynics will say all of them under Ange, but actually, the home defeat against West Ham still felt worse. It was a performance that precipitated Nuno’s departure and in which the players were clearly feeling the weight of the situation at the club.
Best goal Chris Wood against Brentford: a sublime first-time pass by Elliot Anderson and a well-timed run by the veteran striker, before he rounded the keeper and tapped home. Definitely one for the football nostalgists. Also, Igor Jesus’s first against Betis; brilliant team play and a great cross by Morgan Gibbs-White into the corridor of uncertainty, before the Brazilian struck. Forest are back, baby (at least for a few minutes).
Best opponent Granit Xhaka for Sunderland; he was utterly in control of everything that was happening.
Worst VAR moment We’ve had a few dodgy ref calls, as often happens when things aren’t going your way; I would have liked VAR to look at Nico Domínguez’s yellow card against Sunderland for simulation after getting caught by a high boot – I bet you won’t see that given again this season.
Next manager sacked Postecoglou.
By Christmas we will be 16th, but doing better than right now.
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Rich Ferraro 1865: The Nottingham Forest Podcast: eighteensixtyfive.football
Sunderland
Story so far It’s started better than anyone could have imagined. Every match has been a joy to watch and after so many frustrating years it finally feels like fans are getting the reward we deserve. Régis Le Bris has brought belief, purpose and an identity that feels special. His football is brave, intelligent and exciting, and every week it feels like something is building.
Best 90 mins The opening-day win against West Ham was everything we had dreamed of. Confident, ruthless and full of energy, it was the perfect return to Premier League football. The atmosphere that day was incredible, it felt like we were back.
Worst 90 mins The defeat by Burnley was tough to take. It came so early in the season, just after the joy of that opening win, when positivity was sky high. It brought us back down to earth a little, reminding us that this league is relentless. It was sobering.
Best goal Isidor’s against Brentford was a thing of beauty. From Xhaka’s perfect delivery to the instinctive finish, it summed up everything this team is about. Coming from behind and showing that same “till the end” spirit that got us promoted, it felt like a moment that was truly Sunderland.
Best opponent Amad, without question. Seeing him again, this time for United, was bittersweet. His talent is effortless and even though his brilliance came at our expense, it was impossible not to stop and admire him.
Worst VAR moment It has mostly been kind since our return, but the overturned penalty against United was frustrating. Still, after it saved us in the play off final, I will take the rough with the smooth.
Next manager sacked Amorim feels like the obvious shout. United cannot drift like this for ever. Change feels inevitable.
By Christmas we will be 10th, full of belief, and absolutely loving it.
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Eleanor McCabe @eleanor_amc for @WiseMenSayPod, wisemensay.co.uk
Tottenham
Story so far Third place, the best away record, solid and neither flamboyant nor chaotic. Some are critical of Thomas Frank’s football, calling it defensive, crying about xG, but he’s only just got here. Relax. We have ourselves a proper coach. We need stability, momentum will follow, then flair. New players, rejuvenated stars … we just need to marinate before the flavours sizzle.
Best 90 mins Leeds away. Not pretty – we dug deep, played our football, produced moments of quality, and proved we’re a team, one that has some bite, spirit. We pressed extremely well and fired in plenty of crosses that a finished-article forward would have relished. Work in progress. Play Xavi at 10. Be patient.
Worst 90 mins Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League. Artificial turf, rotation; a messy away day. But even the worst this season has involved fighting spirit in the form of a comeback. Spurs do “bad” good.
Best goal Richy’s against Burnley: the most dazzling “oh my days” moment. It had me spiraling towards a supernova.
Best opponent Antoine Semenyo. Baller. I want the new THFC board to action their battle cry: we need ruthless balance, Kudus on one side, Semenyo on the other, Xavi through the middle. Make this fan-fiction a reality.
Worst VAR moment My brain shuts down in the time it takes for them to decide if my “limbs” lost in celebration will count for nothing. I do enjoy that rarity when a ref runs off to the screen to review and sticks with his original decision, though. Drama.
Next manager sacked Postecoglou.
By Christmas we will be Top five, just to generate hype and push us back into a self-fulfilling prophecy where we expect too much, too soon – even though the reality is we finished 17th last season and lost 22 games. I’m going with third. Don’t judge me. Football is more fun like this.
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Spooky Original The Fighting Cock podcaster
West Ham
Story so far Sacking Potter after six games tells its own story, though the real problem is the lack of strategy from the owners. Potter was a decent man but his side’s slow buildup and leaky back line were less than magic. We should be mid-table with this squad but the defence stopped being able to deal with corners and new keeper Hermansen appeared to be suffering from PTSD. Midfield signings Fernandes and Magassa arrived too late and the home losses to Chelsea and Spurs were embarrassing. At least Nuno might help lift the mood of apathy; he already appears more inspirational than Potter and his counterattacking style better suited. We’re in a relegation scrap, but Nuno has tightened up the defence and given youth a chance.
Best 90 mins The 3-0 win at Forest, admittedly aided by the imminent sacking of Nuno, then the home manager. Three goals in the final six minutes was decidedly enjoyable. Potter’s only highlight.
Worst 90 mins Spurs was bad, but the 5-1 home defeat against Chelsea was abject defending, conceding three goals from corners and failing to hold an early lead. Our defence looked dodgier than a Nigel Farage pledge.
Best goal Paquetá’s long-range effort against Chelsea stands out, though Bowen’s goals at Forest and Everton were fine strikes too. Thank goodness both the Dyers are keeping Jarrod loyal to WHU.
Best opponent Chelsea’s Estêvão is only 18 but terrorised us, treating Tomas Soucek like a training cone. And that Declan Rice at Arsenal looked quite good.
Worst VAR moment Niclas Füllkrug had an equaliser against Chelsea disallowed for a toe offside. That goal might have got his season going; so far he’s struggled.
Next manager sacked Postecoglou at Forest doesn’t seem to be going down too well, mate.
By Christmas we will be 17th.
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Pete May Author, Massive: The Miracle of Prague; hammersintheheart.blogspot.co.uk
Wolves
Story so far Rock bottom and no wins from the first seven – not great. The struggle was expected, so I’m not entirely surprised. We’ve taken the lead in the last three matches and only two late equalisers have denied us that much-needed first victory. We’re starting to look more competitive, and the progress in the League Cup has been a pleasant distraction. There’s still hope.
Best 90 mins We came agonisingly close to a deserved win over Spurs. After we were taken apart by Leeds the previous weekend, Vítor Pereira made wholesale changes and we looked more resilient.
Worst 90 mins It would have to be that Leeds game. We went ahead with a brilliantly worked goal, but instead of growing in confidence we wilted. Leeds were comfortably the better side, albeit handed the win with atrocious defending for at least two of their three goals.
Best goal Ladislav Krejci looks a great signing. He started in midfield against Leeds and timed a run perfectly to get on the end of an inch-perfect Fer López pass. A classy team goal in another otherwise honking team performance.
Best opponent Jack Grealish got a couple of assists for Everton, but it was more the controlled manner in which he went about his business. It just oozed class and experience.
Worst VAR moment Nothing too horrendous for us so far – thankfully. One minor gripe I will share is that I’m fairly certain (having been sat right behind it) the ball was moving when Brighton took a short corner for their late equaliser. In the age of hyper-correctness, should that have been spotted?
Next manager sacked Postecoglou.
By Christmas we will be 19th. We need to remain within touching distance of safety with a consistent, settled team. I think that’s easily possible. And from there, survival can be achieved with the right business in January. We’ve done it for the last two years, so why not again?
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Thomas Baugh @thomasbaugh
English (US)