Premier League Gameweek 2 Round Up

Crystal Palace 1-4 Manchester City: The Real City Have Arrived

Manchester City had taken three points against Bournemouth on the opening weekend, but there were still legitimate questions about the performance. They had needed a late turnaround and looked less convincing than the final result suggested. Those doubts did not survive their trip to Selhurst Park.

City beat Crystal Palace 4-1, with Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki both scoring twice in a far more complete performance. Haaland opened the scoring before Cherki took control after the break, scoring twice in five minutes. Palace briefly gave themselves hope through Yéremy Pino's free kick, which was ultimately recorded as a Gianluigi Donnarumma own goal, but City immediately restored their authority over the game.

Cherki was the standout. His ability to receive possession between the lines and turn it into a chance or a dangerous attacking situation gives City another dimension, while Haaland getting his first goals of the campaign with a brace was hardly bad news for Pep Guardiola.

Two games, six points and six goals. The opening day victory came with some questions attached. This one erased those questions comprehensively. City looked sharp, controlled and far closer to the side everyone expects to challenge for the title.

Liverpool 2-2 Nottingham Forest: The Same Problems Keep Appearing

Liverpool's first home game under Andoni Iraola was supposed to offer a clearer picture of where the team stood after the dramatic draw at Newcastle. Instead, it reinforced many of the concerns that had already emerged.

Nottingham Forest took the lead through Dan Ndoye after another shaky defensive sequence from Liverpool. Alexander Isak equalised, but Morgan Gibbs White's penalty restored Forest's advantage before Víctor Muñoz rescued a point with a superb late finish.

Liverpool have no shortage of attacking quality. Florian Wirtz has the ability to unlock any defence, Isak has already started contributing, and Muñoz continues to show why there is so much excitement around him. The problem remains what happens when Liverpool do not have the ball.

Their defensive structure still looks unsettled; they concede opportunities too easily, and too many attacking spells are followed by periods where the opposition are allowed to find space in midfield. There will be plenty of discussion about the circumstances surrounding Forest's penalty, but Liverpool should be more concerned by the fact that they once again needed a late goal to rescue a result.

Two games into Iraola's tenure, Liverpool are clearly capable of scoring against anyone. They have not yet shown that they can control a game for 90 minutes.

Bournemouth 1-1 Everton: Tarkowski Saves Everton Again

Bournemouth looked set to take all three points after Alex Scott's excellent finish shortly before half-time, with Everton struggling to turn their possession into clear chances. The home side had largely handled the pressure and looked comfortable for long periods.

James Tarkowski changed that in stoppage time, finding the equaliser and rescuing a point for Everton. It was the sort of contribution experienced defenders can still make when a game becomes stretched, and the opposition simply need one moment of concentration to protect their lead.

Everton will take the point, although David Moyes will know his side are still struggling for consistency in attack. Bournemouth, meanwhile, will feel they should have closed out the game. They have shown enough in the opening two matches to suggest they can become an awkward side to play against, but allowing a winning position to disappear at the death will be difficult to accept.

Coventry 0-1 Hull City: Who Saw This Coming?

Hull City have started the season with six points from six, and very few would have predicted it after looking at their opening fixtures.

A week after producing one of the biggest shocks of Gameweek 1 by beating Manchester United, Hull travelled to fellow promoted side Coventry and won again. Liam Millar's late goal settled a difficult contest and ruined Coventry's first home Premier League match in 25 years.

This was a different type of victory from the win over United, which arguably makes it even more encouraging. Hull had to remain patient, withstand periods of Coventry pressure, and wait for the opportunity that eventually arrived late in the game.

Coventry have competed reasonably well in both matches but remain without a point. Frank Lampard will know that positive performances only matter if they eventually turn into results. Hull, meanwhile, have already shown they can beat a major club and have now shown they can grind out a result in a game against a side likely to be competing around them.

Tottenham 0-2 Newcastle United: New Signings, Same Old Spurs

Tottenham's first home game of the season was supposed to represent a fresh start. New signings had arrived, Roberto De Zerbi had been given the tools to reshape the team, and there was an expectation that the defeat against Brentford would be followed by an immediate response.

Instead, Newcastle left with a 2-0 victory, and Spurs now have no points and no goals after two matches.

Tottenham created opportunities in the first half, with Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Horníček making important interventions, but Newcastle were far more clinical after the break. Anthony Elanga opened the scoring before Yoane Wissa sealed the result with a clever finish from a set piece.

The scrutiny around De Zerbi will inevitably increase because Spurs have invested heavily in the squad. They have added talented players, but the attack still lacks fluency, and the side remains vulnerable when the game opens up. Two matches are not enough to judge an entire project, but two scoreless defeats are enough to identify a problem.

For Newcastle, this was another encouraging result under Matthias Jaissle. They were organised, dangerous when space appeared and far more decisive in the key moments. Spurs now head into the next phase of the season needing to find an attacking identity very quickly.

Chelsea 4-3 Brighton: Brilliant, Entertaining And Still Far Too Open

Chelsea have six points from six, which is an excellent start. They have also conceded five goals, which tells the other side of the story.

Xabi Alonso's side blew Brighton away during the opening half hour as Roméo Lavia, Pedro Neto and João Pedro put Chelsea three goals ahead. Brighton responded through Malick Yalcouye and a João Pedro own goal before Cole Palmer restored Chelsea's advantage, but Pascal Gross scored again to ensure the final stages remained uncomfortable for the home side.

Chelsea's attacking potential is obvious. João Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers offer quality and movement across the forward line, while Neto has started the campaign well. When their attacking combinations click, Chelsea can overwhelm teams quickly.

The concern is how frequently their games are becoming chaotic. They had another comfortable position and once again allowed the opposition back into the contest. If Alonso can tighten the defensive structure without restricting the attacking freedom, Chelsea have the quality to challenge anyone. At the moment, however, they are making life harder than it needs to be.

Leeds United 1-1 Brentford: A Fair Result For Two Good Starts

Leeds and Brentford continued their unbeaten starts with a draw that felt broadly fair, although Brentford will probably feel they should have taken more from the game.

Kevin Schade gave the visitors the lead during a strong first half in which Brentford controlled large parts of the match. They failed to turn that advantage into another goal, however, and Leeds improved considerably after the break. Dominic Calvert-Lewin eventually found the equaliser to earn the home side a point.

Brentford's frustration will come from failing to take advantage when they were on top. They have started the season well and again showed the organisation and attacking threat that made them so impressive against Tottenham in Gameweek 1.

Leeds deserve credit for their response. Daniel Farke's side remained competitive when the game was against them and gradually found a way back into it. Four points from their opening two matches represents an excellent start for a team many expected to spend the season fighting at the other end of the table.

Sunderland 1-0 Fulham: Sunderland Find A Way, Fulham Find Another Problem

This was not one of the weekend's most memorable matches, but Sunderland will not care after securing their first victory of the season.

The game appeared to be drifting towards a draw until Régis Le Bris changed things from the bench. Habib Diarra and Wilson Isidor were introduced, with the latter eventually scoring the winner after 75 minutes.

It was exactly the type of result Sunderland needed following their defeat against Ipswich. They kept a clean sheet, remained patient and found a decisive contribution when the game required one.

Fulham's start is becoming more concerning. They have lost both matches and struggled to create consistently in either of them. Álvaro Arbeloa's side need to become more dangerous in the final third, and the transfer window may still be their best opportunity to address that problem before it becomes a recurring theme.

Manchester United 5-2 Ipswich Town: Bruno Takes Over

Manchester United could not have asked for a better response after the embarrassment of losing 2-0 at Hull City.

Ipswich actually took the lead through Leif Davis, briefly raising the prospect of another difficult afternoon for Michael Carrick. United responded quickly, and Bruno Fernandes eventually took complete control of the game.

The United captain scored a hat trick as the home side recovered to win 5-2, with Jacob Greaves putting through his own net and Bryan Mbeumo also scoring. Ipswich added a late consolation through Chuba Akpom, but the match had long since swung decisively in United's favour.

United were still not perfect. Conceding twice against a newly promoted side means questions about the defensive structure will remain, but Carrick desperately needed a convincing response after Gameweek 1 and his side delivered one.

Bruno was inevitably the central figure. When United need somebody to take responsibility, he remains their most reliable player by a considerable distance. The challenge now is whether United can build some consistency around him, because beating Ipswich 5-2 immediately after losing to Hull perfectly illustrates why this team remains so difficult to judge.

Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal: Arsenal Do Not Need To Be Brilliant Every Week

Arsenal's opening weekend victory was comfortable. Their trip to Aston Villa was considerably more difficult, which made the result arguably more valuable.

Villa were far more competitive than they had been against Brighton and defended with greater discipline. They had their own opportunities, with Emi Buendía hitting the crossbar during the first half, and Arsenal were made to work much harder for their attacking openings.

Bukayo Saka eventually settled the match from close range after good work involving Eberechi Eze and Riccardo Calafiori. Arsenal were not at their fluent best, but they found the decisive goal and managed the game well enough to leave with another three points.

That is the important part for Arsenal. Title challenges are not built solely on performances where everything works perfectly. Teams have to win matches when the opposition make life difficult, and Arsenal did exactly that here.

Villa can take some encouragement from the improvement after their disastrous defeat against Brighton, but the table is already becoming uncomfortable. They have played twice, lost twice and are yet to score, leaving Unai Emery with an early problem that needs addressing quickly.