The opening month of the 2025–26 Premier League season concluded with the official release of the August Player and Manager of the Month nominees. The shortlist reflects a mix of attacking returns, defensive leadership and encouraging starts for newly aligned teams.

Riccardo Calafiori has been Arsenal’s starting left back so far this season. That freedom to get involved further up the field produced one goal and two assists across three games in August, with two clean sheets adding to a strong month for the Italian.

Liverpool supply two names. Hugo Ekitiké had two goals and an assist in his first three Premier League games, while Dominik Szoboszlai claimed headlines with a free-kick winner against Arsenal before the international break.

Jack Grealish returned to these shortlists after joining Everton on loan from Manchester City. Four assists in three games have underlined his early impact following his transfer, which was described in earlier reporting as a £100 million ($134.3 million) move to the Etihad.

Marc Guéhi navigated transfer uncertainty to produce a series of solid displays for Crystal Palace, overseeing two away clean sheets at Aston Villa and Chelsea and scoring a long-range goal against Villa.

Erling Haaland, who won this award in August 2024, registered three goals in as many games for Manchester City, finding the net against Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

João Pedro matched Grealish for direct goal contributions across August, scoring twice against Fulham and West Ham United and adding two assists in the latter fixture while leading Chelsea’s midfield in the absence of the injured Cole Palmer.

Antoine Semenyo, who made allegations of racist abuse against a Liverpool fan in Bournemouth’s opening game, responded on the pitch with two goals against Liverpool and an assist against Wolves.

Sunderland began life back in the Premier League strongly under Régis Le Bris, who has two wins from three games. Wilson Isidor grabbed attention with two goals off the bench.

On the managerial side, Chelsea remain unbeaten under Enzo Maresca after recovering from a stuttering home draw with Crystal Palace to beat West Ham and Fulham. David Moyes has overseen Everton’s resurgence, with Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye central to two wins in three. Arne Slot’s Liverpool sit top with the only remaining perfect record, claiming wins over Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Arsenal prior to the arrival of Alexander Isak.

Everton recorded their first victory at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium with a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Iliman Ndiaye and James Garner scored the goals, both set up by Jack Grealish in his first home appearance for Everton since moving from Manchester City on loan.

Brighton began strongly and missed several clear opportunities to lead. Kaoru Mitoma struck the crossbar in the 17th minute and Jan Paul van Hecke also hit the woodwork. Yankuba Minteh broke through Everton’s defence before finding Danny Welbeck, who sent his chance over the bar.

Ndiaye opened the scoring when he tapped home Grealish’s pass on 23 minutes. That goal echoed a previous milestone: Ndiaye had scored the men’s team’s final goal at Goodison Park last season and now netted the first at the new stadium. Everton grew into the game and were the better side by the close of the first half.

After the break Grealish again found space to supply an assist, this time for Garner in the 52nd minute. Garner received a yellow card 10 minutes after scoring as the match grew physical. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall paired effectively with Grealish, creating multiple opportunities and linking well with the midfield following Everton’s opening day defeat to Leeds United.

Brighton were given a route back into the match when Dewsbury-Hall’s handball led to a penalty, but Danny Welbeck’s spot-kick was saved by Jordan Pickford, preserving Everton’s clean sheet. Grealish was substituted in the 94th minute after a bright home debut in which he delivered two assists; last season he had registered one Premier League assist for Manchester City.

Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton showed confidence in spells, but the repeated missed chances underlined a lack of cohesion early in the season. Everton managed the game effectively at their new ground and secured a morale-boosting win.

THE LINEUPS

EVE: Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Garner; Iroegbunam, Gueye; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry

BHA: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, O’Riley, Mitoma; Welbeck

Jack Grealish had an immediate influence on his first full start for Everton as the Toffees beat Brighton in the Premier League curtain-raiser at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The winger arrived on loan from Manchester City this summer as one of the club’s marquee signings and provided the creative spark Everton needed.

Grealish was released down the left flank by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and flashed in a cross for Iliman Ndiaye, who booted the ball into the net for the opening goal after 22 minutes. The 29-year-old then played the decisive role again in the second half when he set up James Garner, who sealed all three points with a thumping finish from outside the area to give David Moyes’ men their first victory of the season.

Grealish reflected on his start after the game. “It was massive,” Grealish told Sky Sports after the full-time whistle. “First game at the new stadium and we wanted to put on a show for the supporters. Very happy to get the win.

“It’s massive. I loved my time at Man City and I had a great four years there and won a lot of things. As soon as I spoke to David Moyes on FaceTime, I wanted to come here and today shows why.

“I said yesterday that the manager hadn’t played us together in training. Today is the first time.”

Ndiaye, who opened the scoring, believes a fruitful partnership can develop. “Jack is an amazing player, we all know that,” the attacker said. “He assisted me for the first goal and the second goal. It could be very good this season.”

Moyes praised the attacking additions while stressing the need for consistency. “We’ll see how they play and if their performances are good,” he said. “Jack has got a couple of assists today and Iliman has a goal. We need to score more goals. One thing I don’t want to lose is the spirit on the pitch. We want more flair and quality.”

Everton will take confidence from the victory as they build momentum with their new-look attacking options.