Premier League Pauses for Three Weeks With Man City Three Points Clear After Arsenal Stumble at Brighton
City won a 5-3 thriller against Sunderland while Brighton handed Arsenal a 3-0 defeat. The league now stops until 10 October.
The Premier League has gone quiet for three weeks. Matchweek 5 finished on Sunday, 20 September, and it changed the look of the title race: Manchester City are the only team still perfect, and defending champions Arsenal lost for the first time this season.
Brighton stun the champions
On Saturday, Brighton & Hove Albion beat Arsenal 3-0 at the Amex. Pascal Gross scored with a curling shot from distance in the 31st minute. Charalampos Kostoulas added a long-range strike just before half-time, only seconds after Bukayo Saka had a close-range chance saved at the other end. Chema Andres headed in the third from a corner early in the second half.
"A very disappointing result. Brighton were another gear from us in the basics of the game," Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports.
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler called beating the champions "something special". The win moved his side up to third, two points behind Arsenal.
Eight-goal chaos at the Etihad
City made the most of Arsenal's defeat, but their Sunday win was far from comfortable. Enzo Maresca's side beat Sunderland 5-3. Brian Brobbey scored a hat-trick for the visitors, and City's goals came from Enzo Fernandez, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo (two) and Erling Haaland.
Sunderland scored in the 12th, 33rd and 59th minutes and pegged City back each time before Haaland settled it in the 81st. Sky Sports noted that Haaland has now scored against all 25 Premier League opponents he has faced.
"I prefer to win 1-0, it's much better!" Maresca joked afterwards. Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris said his team "didn't compromise our identity".
The result leaves City three points clear with five wins from five.
The rest of Matchweek 5
- Brentford 3-0 Chelsea (Friday): a heavy defeat for Xabi Alonso's Chelsea.
- AFC Bournemouth 0-1 Liverpool: Alexander Isak scored the winner for Andoni Iraola's Reds.
- Tottenham 2-3 Aston Villa: Villa's first league win of the season, leaving Spurs bottom.
- Fulham 1-1 Manchester United: Matheus Cunha equalised in the 89th minute.
- Everton 1-0 Ipswich, Newcastle 2-1 Hull City, Nottingham Forest 0-1 Coventry City and Leeds 0-0 Crystal Palace made up the rest of the round.
Why the long break?
FIFA has combined the usual September and October international windows into one longer period this season. The aim is to give players more recovery time after the 48-team World Cup in North America. Clubs will not play league football for about 21 days.
Some clubs will welcome the rest. England withdrawals Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento now have time to recover at their clubs.
When it returns
Matchweek 6 starts on Saturday, 10 October. That day includes Arsenal vs Leeds, Chelsea vs Bournemouth and Manchester United vs Tottenham. The standout fixture is on Sunday, 11 October: Liverpool vs Manchester City at Anfield.
Key takeaways
- Man City lead by three points and are the only side with five wins from five.
- Arsenal's first defeat came in a 3-0 loss at Brighton, who are now third.
- Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United all dropped points again.
- The league returns on 10 October, with Liverpool vs Man City on 11 October.
FAQ
Why is there no Premier League football until October? FIFA merged the September and October international windows into one extended break after the summer's World Cup.
Who scored Sunderland's three goals at the Etihad? Brian Brobbey scored all three.
What is the biggest game when the league returns? Liverpool vs Manchester City on Sunday, 11 October.
Sources: Sky Sports, LBC, Football Web Pages, Yahoo Sports, VAVEL