Premier League Winners and Losers After Saturday's Updated Week 3 EPL Table
August 24, 2019
Chelsea picked up their first Premier League win of the season on Saturday by beating Norwich City 3-2 in a thriller at Carrow Road.
Liverpool maintained their perfect start on Saturday after a 3-1 win over Arsenal thanks to a Joel Matip header and a Mohamed Salah brace.
The win moves the Reds clear at the top of the early Premier League table, while the Gunners slip to their first defeat of the new campaign.
Manchester United also lost ground on the Reds. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.
Saturday's other matches saw Southampton beat Brighton & Hove Albion, Leicester City see off Sheffield United and West Ham United win at Watford.
Here is a look at some of the winners and losers from Saturday's top-flight matches.
Winner: Tammy Abraham
Tammy Abraham staked his claim to be Chelsea's first-choice striker this season with a brace in a 3-2 win over Norwich City at Carrow Road.
Manager Frank Lampard brought Abraham into his starting XI in place of Olivier Giroud and saw the 21-year-old take just three minutes to open the scoring.
Abraham stroked Cesar Azpilicueta's cross home to give Chelsea the lead with a sweet finish, as shown by Football on BT Sport (UK only):
He struck again on 68 minutes with another fine goal. This time he twisted past Grant Hanley and Jamal Lewis before lashing a fierce effort past goalkeeper Tim Krul.
The goals means Abraham is the first English player to bag a brace for Chelsea in the top flight since Lampard:
His goal also helped Chelsea pick up their first Premier League win of the season and showed Abraham may be the best man to lead the Blues' attack.
Loser: David de Gea
Manchester United looked to have rescued a point against Crystal Palace when Daniel James equalised in the 89th minute but were undone in stoppage time when Patrick van Aanholt struck a late winner.
The Dutchman beat De Gea from close range to secure the win with an effort that a goalkeeper of the Spaniard's calibre reach should have saved.
Bleacher Report's Rob Blanchette offered his view:
De Gea's mistake follows on from a poor end to last season when he was guilty of several high-profile errors that cost Manchester United in games against Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester City and Chelsea.
EiF Soccer said errors were becoming a regular occurrence for the goalkeeper:
De Gea has been one of the Premier League's best goalkeepers since joining Manchester United from Atletico Madrid in 2011, but his latest mistake continues a period of bad form.
Winner: Nicolas Pepe
Arsenal manager Unai Emery handed summer signing Nicolas Pepe his full debut against Liverpool at Anfield and will have enjoyed the 24-year-old's performance.
The former Lille man's electric pace and running with the ball seemed to unnerve the Reds, and he also managed to find his way past Virgil van Dijk:
Pepe ought to have opened the scoring for the Gunners after breaking clear and racing through on goal but could not find the finish to beat Adrian.
His performance was still full of promise and showed he will add an extra attacking threat to the north Londoners this season.
Statman Dave showed how effective he can be:
Arsenal went on to lose the game 3-1 at Anfield on a disappointing day for the visitors, but they can take positives from Pepe's performance.
Loser: Florin Andone
Brighton & Hove Albion striker Florin Andone lasted only 30 minutes of the Seagulls' clash with Southampton before being sent off for an awful challenge.
The 26-year-old was handed a straight red for a dangerous tackle on Yan Valery that left his team to play the remaining hour a man down.
Andone's challenge was widely criticised:
Even manager Graham Potter said he "can't defend" Andone for the tackle in a post-match interview, according to BBC Sport's Matthew Howarth.
The red card ultimately cost Brighton the match. Southampton went on to win 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond.
Winner: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool beat Arsenal 3-1 at Anfield to make it three wins from three Premier League matches and saw Trent Alexander-Arnold put in another influential performance.
The 20-year-old's corner was headed home by Matip to give Liverpool the lead and the upper hand in the game four minutes before half-time.
Opta highlighted his impressive record:
The full-back was heavily involved throughout the match as Liverpool attacked down the flanks but also looked strong defensively too.
Sky Sports Statto highlighted the youngster's influence on the win:
Team-mate Salah may take most of the headlines for his two goals against Arsenal, but Alexander-Arnold showed once again just how crucial he is to this Liverpool side.
Loser: David Luiz
Arsenal brought in David Luiz over the summer to firm up their defence, but the Brazilian had a game to forget against Liverpool.
The Brazilian struggled against the speed and trickery of Salah and was no match for the skilful Egyptian, as noted by Squawka Football:
He was also guilty of conceding a penalty for Liverpool's second goal that put them firmly in charge of the match just after half-time.
His shirt pull on Salah left referee Anthony Taylor with no option but to point to the spot and saw the former Chelsea man criticised:
Tom McDermott @MrTomMcDermottWorld class from Salah but it’s erratic and nonsensical defending from David Luiz, especially from a player so experienced. He’s cost #AFC this half. By holding his position and not diving in he makes it harder for the Egyptian. His eagerness was almost as good as an assist.
Salah went on to race straight past Luiz for Liverpool's third goal that effectively secured all three points.
Reporter Tony Scott offered his view on Arsenal's decision to buy Luiz:
Arsenal's defensive problems were a weakness for the club last season, and Luiz's performance will not inspire confidence he can improve their backline.