Aston Villa
Premier League matchday three: a flawed, revealing set of performances across the board
Matchday three showed Premier League quality everywhere, but also familiar flaws, late swings and missed chances.
Martin Ødegaard’s claim that “all of the teams are good” has already been tested by three weeks of Premier League football, and matchday three offered more evidence that quality in this division is abundant, but perfection remains elusive.
Across the round, several teams produced encouraging spells without turning them into clean, controlled wins. Some were left to regret missed chances, others survived by narrower margins than expected, and a few drifted into the familiar territory of being competitive without quite being convincing.
At one end of the scale, Liverpool were pushed hard by Ipswich, with Gary O’Neil admitting: “I hate having to talk about good performances when you don’t get points because you need to maximize them,” while Ipswich could not consistently threaten a side that still looked vulnerable at times.
Aston Villa’s visit to the MKM Stadium was harder to explain. Unai Emery insisted the match had gone exactly as intended, although the performance raised obvious questions about how a game plan can survive without even a shot on target.
Chelsea began sharply, with Morgan Rogers’s second-minute volley setting the tone after a set-piece routine, but Arsenal gradually took control. Chelsea created almost nothing after the interval, while Martin Ødegaard’s winner underlined the difference between a bright start and a complete performance.
Elsewhere, Hull’s seven points from three games drew a playful Champions League reference from Sergej Jakirović, while Tottenham remained stubbornly in the middle ground. Roberto De Zerbi’s side were held to a goalless draw that suited neither heaven nor hell.
There were also reminders that strong starts can unravel quickly. Bournemouth led 2-0 at St. James’s Park before another late setback, while Everton earned a point thanks to Ainsley Maitland-Niles’s 96th-minute strike and Manchester United were undone by Everton’s set-piece threat after a flat first half.
Elsewhere, Brighton “woke up too late,” Nottingham Forest were left frustrated by a disallowed goal, Brentford needed a triple half-time change to find a response, and Leeds experienced a textbook game of two halves. Sunderland, meanwhile, secured a different outcome from the same spot and the same goalkeeper, when Enzo Le Fée produced a far better penalty than he had before.
For Manchester City, Erling Haaland again provided the decisive edge, as Coventry’s resistance made the result far less straightforward than expected.
Aston Villa
Cunha available for Aston Villa after Champions League dismissal
Cunha’s Champions League red-card ban will not rule him out of Manchester United’s Aston Villa fixture.
Matheus Cunha’s eventful Champions League night against Roma ended with celebration, controversy and a suspension that will not affect Manchester United this weekend.
Cunha was central to the comeback, first by earning the penalty that helped change the game and then by scoring the winner after United had been pushed into a strong late position. Bruno Fernandes had earlier converted a retaken penalty early in the second half, before Cunha levelled after a Leo Balerdi error and then finished clinically at Devis Vásquez’s near post following Shea Lacey’s pass.
The Brazilian’s decisive contribution came with a cost. He collected two yellow cards in the closing stages, leaving him with a one-match ban. Even so, Manchester United can still call on him against Aston Villa on Sunday, because disciplinary suspensions from UEFA competition do not carry into the Premier League.
That means the ban will instead be served later this month, when United meet Sporting CP in Lisbon on Matchday 5 of the league phase, on Nov. 25.
Cunha’s first booking came after his goal, as he took off his shirt and then jumped into the crowd, both of which counted against him. The second arrived after Jesús Gil Manzano, who had awarded United a penalty at the start of the second half, was left with no option but to caution him again for his stoppage-time challenge on Balerdi.
It was a dramatic conclusion to a night that had already swung sharply in United’s favour, with Cunha emerging as the key figure in a revival that may have eased the pressure on Michael Carrick, at least for now.
Aston Villa
United’s managerial search faces another setback as Emery stays put
United’s search for a manager stalls again as Emery stays at Villa and Wilcox’s judgement comes under scrutiny.
Manchester United’s search for a new manager has taken another awkward turn, with doubts emerging over the decision-making process at the top of the club. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already acknowledged the pattern that has dogged the post, saying: “There have been a whole series of coaches, some of which were very good,” Sir Jim Ratcliffe mused after taking on sporting control of Manchester United in 2024. “And none of them were successful, or survived for very long. The only conclusion you can draw is that the environment in which they were working didn’t work.”
Now, that process is under scrutiny again. Reports have suggested there is disagreement within the recruitment structure over which candidate should be prioritised, while limited financial flexibility has narrowed the options available.
Jason Wilcox is understood to favour Eddie Howe, while Christopher Vivell is said to prefer Julian Nagelsmann, his former colleague at RB Leipzig. Yet the name that appeals to many supporters, Unai Emery, appears increasingly out of reach.
Emery has reshaped Aston Villa since arriving in 2022, taking them from a side drifting toward relegation under Steven Gerrard to one that has qualified for the Champions League multiple times. His record is striking: Villa have gathered 263 points in 150 Premier League games under him, compared with United’s 236 over the same span, despite operating on a wage bill roughly half the size of United’s.
His strongest work has typically come at clubs below the modern elite. Villa were the third club to win the Europa League under his management, following Villarreal and Sevilla. His spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, by contrast, were less convincing.
“Surely he would want that opportunity to manage a giant again,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher claimed at the start of a rant which incited the threat of legal action. But that idea appears misplaced.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that Emery is “happy” at Aston Villa and has no release clause in contract. Villa are also not expected to entertain the idea of losing him to a domestic rival.
Wilcox has a strong reputation for identifying players, but his judgement on managers is less certain. He had “having reservations” over Ruben Amorim before eventually “got on board” with the Portuguese coach, who was later dismissed after a public clash. Before that, Wilcox had also “spoken highly” of Russell Martin during United’s consideration of alternatives in 2024.
Arsenal
Gameweek 9 verdicts: Chelsea edge United, Arsenal stun Liverpool
A full set of Gameweek 9 predictions, including Chelsea vs Man Utd and Liverpool vs Arsenal.
Gameweek 9 brings a stacked Premier League schedule, with several meetings that carry clear weight in the early-season picture. The most eye-catching fixtures are Chelsea against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge and Liverpool’s home clash with Arsenal, while there are also plenty of tight contests elsewhere across the division.
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are tipped to come through 2-1 against a Manchester United side under pressure after back-to-back three-goal defeats to Como and Bournemouth. Michael Carrick remains in charge for the trip to west London after talks with Bruno Fernandes and the rest of the squad, but this feels like a critical test. Chelsea have their own issues, yet home advantage and the absence of João Pedro could still matter in a narrow contest.
Bournemouth’s strong run is expected to continue with a 2-1 win over Leeds United. The Cherries have produced a striking sequence of results across multiple competitions, and with Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson supported by Eli Junior Kroupi’s return, they look well placed to extend that momentum.
Other calls point to draws for Brentford against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United against Everton, while Coventry and Sunderland are forecast to cancel each other out. Hull are backed to edge Ipswich 1-0, and Manchester City are favoured to beat Brighton 3-2 in what could be the weekend’s most open game.
Tottenham are projected to keep improving with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, while Aston Villa are expected to defeat Fulham 3-0 after their recent uptick in form. The standout result, though, is at Anfield, where Arsenal are predicted to win 2-1 after Liverpool’s recent consistency meets a team looking to respond after a cup setback. The final matchup, Newcastle versus Everton, is also forecast to finish level.
