“Top Four Talk” is a column by Marco Haynes about the 2024-25 English Premier League in which he breaks down the week’s four most consequential talking points.
Arsenal suffer disastrous first defeat
Saturday was not a great day for Arsenal fans, who had to watch their team suffer its first defeat of the season, one which dealt a heavy blow to their title hopes. AFC Bournemouth triumphed 2-0 over the Gunners at the Vitality Stadium, ending Arsenal’s seven-game unbeaten start in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s side struggled defensively during the match against the Cherries. They gave away a penalty and were unable to predict a training ground-perfected free-kick routine, dropping to third place in the table.
Things went from bad to worse on the pitch, with key center back William Saliba receiving a red card for a last-man challenge in the first half, his first red in 93 appearances for the club.
The Gunners have had three sendings-off in the Premier League this season, the most of any club. This stat is a significant indication that Arteta needs to find a solution to keep his players disciplined during matches, or else the club will continue to be dealt blows in the title rush. Last season, Arteta’s defense was the best in the league, conceding a league-low 29 goals and only seeing two men sent off. The backline was pivotal in Arsenal finishing second in the league last season and taking Man City all the way to the last game of the season for the title to be decided, which ultimately went to the Citizens.
This was just the second time in Premier League history that Bournemouth beat Arsenal in the Premier League. It took the Cherries eight games to finally achieve victory over the Gunners, last beating them on October 28, 2018, in a 2-1 win.
Arsenal returns to Emirates Stadium on Sunday for a monumental title-race clash against Liverpool, looking to reclaim its winning start without star center back Saliba.
Comeback kings Manchester City survive by the tightest of margins
No, Rodri, no Kevin De Bruyne, no problem for last season’s champions. Man City always seems to find another savior to win games when it looks like there’s no hope during a sub-par performance. Center back John Stones was the hero again for Manchester City, with his dramatic last-gasp header to win 2-1 against Wolves at the Molineux Stadium on Sunday.
The English international scored his second goal of the season in the same manner as his first, which was a dramatic equalizer against title-rival Arsenal in a 2-2 draw back in September.
After eight matches, the Citizens are one point behind league leaders Liverpool and remain the only club to be unbeaten so far this season. With this result, Man City extended its unbeaten run to 31 games, a new Premier League club record.
Head man Pep Guardiola has taught his team one rule: The game is never over. Man City’s comeback win against the Wolves is the 10th time in the Citizens’ last 12 league matches that they have won after trailing. It helps City that the team finds goals not just from the forwards, but all across the team, including the defense. Stones wasn’t the only defender to score in Wolverhampton, as fullback Josko Gvardiol scored his sixth goal of the season, the most by any defensive player in the league.
Man City returns to the Etihad Stadium against a struggling Southampton team, looking to continue their unbeaten start to the season.
Højlund returns to light up Manchester United’s attack
In the last few weeks, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has come under fire, and Saturday was the response needed by his players. A 2-1 comeback victory over Brentford at Old Trafford saw the Red Devils finally win a match after over a month without a victory in all competitions.
Ten Hag’s team had not won a match since demolishing an English League One team Barnsley 7-1 in the Carabao Cup.
The return of Rasmus Højlund should boost the Man United attack that has scored a mere seven goals in the division. It’s the Danish striker’s first goal of the season after only making four appearances off the bench. Last season, he scored 10 goals in 30 matches and was essential to helping his team finish in a European position.
The Red Devils have been underperforming this year and are experiencing their worst start to a season for over 35 years. The Man United fans expected a (much-needed) victory at home, and on top of that, their young, star forward Højlund will need to find momentum quickly after returning from a hamstring injury to aid United’s chase for a European spot.
In addition, Man United moved up to 12th with the win, slightly easing pressure on Ten Hag, who will now be looking for his team to start seeing winning form again. In the last few weeks, fans have questioned the Dutch manager’s position at the club, with many calling for the axe. The bookies predict Ten Hag to be the first sacked manager this season, but this victory will give him extra time to turn things around.
Man United travels to the London Stadium on Sunday against West Ham United, a matchup between arguably the two most underwhelming teams this season thus far.
Southampton stumble with two-goal lead
Saints manager Russel Martin failed to secure his first win of the season after leading by two goals at half-time. His team conceded three in the second half to lose 3-2 against another newly promoted squad in Leicester City at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Since earning promotion to the Premier League in 2012 (and only falling to the Championship for the 2023-24 campaign), Southampton has dropped the most points, 321, from leading positions of any Premier League club. This is the second time Southampton couldn’t hold onto a victory this season, having taken the lead against Arsenal back in early October and eventually losing 3-1.
Time is running out for Martin and Southampton to start picking up points if they hope to stay up. They sank to 19th over the weekend and are one of four teams left without a victory in the Premier League. The Saints are now winless in 21-straight Premier League games going back to 2023, their longest such streak in club history. A turnaround before December will have to happen, or relegation will come frighteningly quick.
If the club doesn’t see a change in form, the board might need to sack Martin if they want to keep their Premier League status. Having a two-goal lead against fellow relegation contenders and then watching it all crumble in the dying seconds — including winger Ryan Fraser receiving a red card — are simple issues that clubs in Southampton’s position just need to avoid.
Things won’t get any easier for them, as Southampton travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on Saturday knowing the Saints will be in for a challenge against last season’s champions.
“Top Four Talk” runs every Wednesday.