There were plenty of surprising twists and turns in week three of the 2022/23 Premier League season. Arsenal remained the team one to sustain their perfect start to the season, while Manchester City dropped their first points of the campaign following a heart-stopping 3-3 draw against Newcastle United on Tyneside.
Leeds United handed Chelsea a shocking 3-0 defeat at Elland Road to raise the pressure on Tomas Tuchel, while Manchester United’s reign under Erik ten Hag finally breathed into life, the Red Devils beating Liverpool 2-1 in front of a riotous Old Trafford crowd on Monday night.
GK: Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
Nick Pope played an integral part in helping Newcastle United become the first team to take points from the defending champions this season. The former Burnley shot-stopper made seven saves against Manchester City to earn the Magpies a 3-3 draw.
RB: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United)
Although Kieran Trippier was a tad fortunate to stay on the pitch after his foul on Kevin de Bruyne, the Englishman did produce the moment of the weekend in the Premier League, curling in a delicious free kick from 25 yards to give Newcastle a 3-1 lead.
CB: William Saliba (Arsenal)
William Saliba’s sunny start to life at Arsenal continued on the South Coast as the Frenchman starred in the Gunners’ comfortable 3-0 win over Bournemouth. The Frenchman completed all 73 of his passes that he attempted and scored a fantastic goal to kill the game in the second half, finding the top corner with laser-eyed precision from the edge of the box.
CB: Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United)
Lisandro Martinez bounced back emphatically after a difficult opening two games of the season for Manchester United. The Argentinian defender embodied United’s fighting spirit in their 2-1 win over Liverpool, making plenty of last-ditch tackles and clearances, especially the block on the goal-line following Fernandes’ miskick.
LB: Tyrell Malacia (Manchester United)
Tyrell Malacia enjoyed an incredible full home debut for Manchester United as the Dutch left-back played an instrumental part in keeping Mohamed Salah quiet for the majority of the 90 minutes, helping the Red Devils beat Liverpool for the first time since 2018.
CM: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Even in a game where de Bruyne wasn’t at his best, the Belgian midfielder produced a moment of magic to get his side back in the contest. For Manchester City’s equaliser, de Bruyne played an incredible through ball for Bernardo Silva which took nearly six Newcastle players out of the game and put the Portuguese through on goal.
CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham)
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg put in a man-of-the-match performance for Tottenham in their professional 1-0 win over Wolves. The Dane was booked in the opening 15 minutes for a tactical foul but was excellent with and without the ball for Spurs in the second period.
CM: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Martin Odegaard bagged the first Premier League brace of his career as the Norwegian scored two goals in the first 11 minutes in Arsenal’s rampant 3-0 win against Bournemouth. Odegaard’s late runs into the box were a key reason behind Arsenal’s superb performance on the south coast, and if the Gunners captain continues to improve his output, the North London club could be a force to reckon with this season.
LW: Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle United)
Allan Saint-Maximin was at his electric best for Newcastle United as he tore apart one of the best defensive fullbacks the Premier League has ever seen in Kyle Walker with his pace and trickery. The Frenchman created all three of Newcastle’s goals against Manchester City, and his transition threat makes the Magpies one of the toughest teams to face in the Premier League.
RW: Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Wilfried Zaha ran riot against the Aston Villa defence to help Crystal Palace pick up their first three points this season at Selhurst Park. The Ivorian showed off his devastating pace to equalise for the Eagles early on before fortuitously bundling in the rebound off his saved penalty after a fantastic stop from Emiliano Martinez.
ST: Che Adams (Southampton)
Che Adams bagged two goals off the bench – including one incredible volley – to help Southampton produce a 2-1 comeback against Leicester City and take their first victory of the Premier League season.
Manager: Erik ten Hag (Manchester United)
Erik ten Hag produced a tactical masterclass to win his first game in the Premier League against age-old rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. The Dutchman made the bold call of dropping Ronaldo and Maguire in favour of Elanga and Martinez and adopted a direct, counter-attacking approach that exploited Liverpool’s defensive frailties and masked United’s problems in the build-up.
Shivaan Shah