What we've learned from Matchweek 2

Football writer Alex Keble highlights the hot topics and tactical lessons from Matchweek 2, including:

- Man Utd midfield is a conundrum still to be solved
- Emery’s game plan may require a change
- Palhinha’s domination of midfield reveals Frank’s skill – and Pep’s headache
- Tension seems to be lifted thanks to Arsenal’s formidable squad depth
- Grealish can sprinkle some magic to Everton
- Estevao and Joao Pedro show Chelsea are no longer reliant on Palmer
- Draw comes almost as a relief to Forest
- Wolves look blunt without Cunha & Ait-Nouri
- Promoted clubs will put up a much better fight this season
- Liverpool's dramatic win highlights need for defensive reinforcements

Man Utd midfield is a conundrum still to be solved

Although there was nothing glaringly wrong with Manchester United’s performance, it will continue to concern Ruben Amorim that his new front line is yet to score a goal - and it should be a worry that the central midfield still doesn’t look right.

Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro started together at Craven Cottage, where Marco Silva’s clever 3-5-1-1 formation mirrored United’s in most areas but also gave them an important three-v-two in the middle, leading to Alex Iwobi’s influential display.

The Man Utd pair were fairly often overrun by Iwobi, and then later in the game the issue became more pronounced with the substitutions. After Manuel Ugarte came on, Fulham really turned the screw in the middle, leading to their equaliser.

First, Fulham again poked holes in the midfield, leading to the breakaway (below), and then Emile Smith Rowe ran off the back of Fernandes to find space to score.

Speaking after the match, Iwobi explained that this was part of Fulham's gameplan: "We knew we would be able to get behind their two midfielders, and the three centre-backs wouldn't want to jump, so we exploited that today."

We are 29 Premier League games into the Amorim era and Man Utd look no closer to solving the midfield conundrum. Whether the solution is a tactical adjustment or new reinforcements in the final week of the window remains to be seen.

Emery’s game plan may require a change

An impressive win for Keith Andrews built on a sturdy defensive showing has suddenly improved Brentford’s prospects, but they were helped significantly by an Aston Villa performance that exposed their lack of transfer activity.

Something just feels a little stale about Villa, and it is perhaps linked to the fact that six of their starters at Brentford arrived at the club before Unai Emery – and that eight of those starters are 28 or older.

But Emery’s tactics also felt a bit tired. Villa played an almost identical system to the 0-0 draw against Newcastle United: a narrow 4-2-3-1 in which the entire attacking focus was on threading passes into the No 10s.

Brentford’s narrow and compact defensive shape squeezed that space shut, leaving Villa to shuffle the ball around awkwardly.

They didn’t have any natural width or pace out wide to drive at defenders, meaning they didn’t stretch Brentford widthways. And they didn’t try any longer passes over the top of the Brentford defence to turn them around, meaning they didn’t stretch Brentford lengthways, either.

That’s why Villa have failed to win either of their opening two games to a Premier League season for the first time since 2019/20 and have done so without scoring a goal for the first time since 2002/03.

Speed and youth in the forward line is badly needed, but so too are some fresh tactical ideas from the manager.

Palhinha’s domination of midfield reveals Frank’s skill – and Pep’s headache

Pep Guardiola has launched a significantly evolved Manchester City this season in a bid to win back the Premier League title, while Tottenham Hotspur have swapped Ange Postecoglou’s idealism for Thomas Frank’s flexibility.

We already knew both of those things before Saturday’s game. But it wasn’t until full-time that we realised these would be the defining stories of their respective seasons.

Joao Palhinha fought his way to a dominant midfield performance, comfortably winning his battle with Tijjani Reijnders and in doing so summing up the match as a whole.

Guardiola’s implementation of a more direct and transitional style of football backfired at the Etihad Stadium, where Reijnders and Rayan Cherki – selected together in midfield – got caught ahead of the play too often.

Both like to make forward runs, both therefore failed to provide the control City needed. Their stretched-out shape allowed Palhinha to win possession and control the midfield.

However, Spurs were by no means defensive. Palhinha also played his part in their high press when Man City had possession in their own third (leading to the second goal), the intricate Spurs passing out from the back, and the long balls forward that caught City’s high line (leading to the first goal).

Frank showed the variations, adaptability, and detailed tactical game-plans we are accustomed to from his time at Brentford. It was the new Spurs in microcosm. Guardiola will be hoping the same can’t be said for his City rebrand. 

Tension seems to be lifted thanks to Arsenal’s formidable squad depth

From Eberechi Eze’s introduction before kick-off, to their No 9 scoring a brace, to the ease with which they dispatched of Leeds United, everything seemed to go right for Arsenal – until injuries to Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, that is.

But even here there is optimism to be found, and not just because Saka’s hamstring injury is reportedly not as bad as first feared. In years gone by these two hobbling off would have drawn a sharp intake of breath, but such is the strength in depth at Arsenal the shoulders remain loose.

The tension has been lifted by the squad depth, by the scoreline, and perhaps especially by the performance of Viktor Gyokeres.

Gyokeres, who scored his first goal with just his second shot as an Arsenal player, became the second player ever to score twice on his Premier League home debut for the club after Gabriel Jesus v Leicester City in August 2022.

Arsenal will be feeling confident about next weekend’s challenge against Liverpool. Noni Madueke or Eze can cover for Saka, Mikel Merino or maybe even Max Dowman can cover for Odegaard.

For the first time, Mikel Arteta has options.

Grealish can sprinkle some magic to Everton

The defeat at Leeds on the opening weekend piled extra pressure in Everton's first match at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and you could really feel that in the first 20 minutes on Sunday.

The place was surprisingly quiet – until Jack Grealish shimmied past a defender and crossed perfectly for Iliman Ndiaye to break the deadlock.

That’s exactly what Grealish was signed for: moments of magic, something to lift a crowd sometimes sent to sleep by Everton’s football over the last couple of years.

Grealish finished with two assists, more than he managed across his last two Premier League campaigns combined. Without his influence Everton may not have got going.

They didn’t last week until he came on. Everton had 41 per cent possession and just two shots on goal in the first 71 minutes at Elland Road. After Grealish took to the field, Everton had 69 per cent of the ball and took five shots.

Estevao and Joao Pedro show Chelsea can cope without Palmer

The most important learning curve for Chelsea was how to win without Cole Palmer, although considering they are hoping to challenge for the Premier League title this season, it was just as significant that Enzo Maresca was able to adapt from the disappointment in their first match.

In the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, Palmer was isolated in the No 10 role thanks to a Chelsea formation that offered little support in this crucial area of the pitch.

So, anticipating a similarly defensive approach from West Ham, Maresca switched things up, playing Joao Pedro and Estevao together behind Liam Delap.

Joao Pedro was excellent as a drifting No 10 who created space for Estevao, which the 18-year-old used brilliantly to pierce the West Ham defence.

Estevao's highlights v West Ham

Together, they added a quality that was missing from the stagnant Chelsea possession of the weekend before.

The London derby against Fulham next weekend will be yet another match in which Chelsea will face a stubborn defence, something they’ll have to get used to this season.

It bodes well that Maresca is able to move the pieces around to discover new ways to pick the lock.

Even better that Palmer is no longer Chelsea’s only means of doing so.

Draw almost comes as a relief to Forest

From a Nottingham Forest perspective, there was something almost soothing in their 1-1 draw with Palace after a fairly turbulent week.

Five of the last six Premier League meetings between the sides have ended that way. A normal day is just what they wanted.

Of greater significance than the match itself was what Nuno Espirito Santo said in his post-match press conference, in which he dismissed suggestions he was angling for an exit strategy.

“Absolute nonsense,” he said. “Absurd, absurd. This narrative is absurd. I wouldn't ever walk away.”

“I cannot answer that question,” he said of what the future will look like. “But what I know is that I'm working and trying to do my job the best that I can.

“Of course, the situation has to be solved, and we are responsible persons, we're going to have a good conversation to try to create more than anything, a good platform for what is more important, the team.”

That was music to the ears of Forest fans.

Wolves look blunt without Cunha & Ait-Nouri

Only Everton have taken fewer shots so far this season than Wolverhampton Wanderers' 15. Their total Expected Goals (xG) tally is 1.0, the lowest in the division.

It isn’t difficult to work out why. Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri were directly responsible for 32 of Wolves’ 54 Premier League goals last season, or 59 per cent.

Of all the teams to lose big players this summer it looks as though Wolves have been hit the hardest.

AFC Bournemouth, on the other hand, are coping surprisingly well without Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen, and Milos Kerkez, having strengthened well in the window.

Adrien Truffert was again impressive at left-back, slotting in seamlessly for Kerkez, while Bafode Diakite enjoyed a solid home debut.

The promoted clubs will put up a much better fight this season

After two rounds of the 2024/25 Premier League season, the promoted clubs had a grand total of two points between them.

The season before that, they didn’t win a single point from their first six combined matches.

Burnley’s victory against Sunderland means all three promoted clubs have a victory on the board at the second round of matches in 2025/26 That’s a jump from zero points, to two, to nine.

Promoted clubs' points after two matches

This can only be good news for the Premier League. Should the promoted clubs continue to go straight back down, and particularly with the sort of 13-point gap we saw last season, then it would signify a severance between the top flight and the Championship.

The health of the Premier League depends upon a strong relegation battle. For the first time since 2022/23, it looks like we’re going to get one.

Liverpool's dramatic win highlights need for defensive reinforcements

The Premier League's contest for match of the season officially starts here. 

Liverpool's stunning 3-2 victory at Newcastle on Monday night had it all; a raucous atmosphere, a red card, an epic comeback by Eddie Howe's side and then a final, dramatic sting in the tail by 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha in the 10th minute of stoppage time.

All of this set to the intriguing backdrop of Liverpool's reported interest in signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle, a transfer saga that has dragged on all summer.

Although relieved to maintain their winning start to the season, Arne Slot's big takeaway from Monday's match is a need to shore up a defence that has conceded two goals in each of Liverpool's Premier League matches so far this season.

Slot's side let slip a 2-0 lead against Bournemouth before winning late on, and they suffered the same fate at St James' Park, looking vulnerable in defence in the process.

Liverpool have conceded more goals in their first two matches this season than in their first eight in 2024/25, and that is an area Slot needs to address, and quickly.