Everton
Tielemans Explains Penalty Run-Up After United Win
Tielemans has explained his penalty run-up, linking it to timing his movement into the box.
Youri Tielemans’s unusual penalty routine became one of the talking points from Manchester United’s 5-2 win over Ipswich Town, but the midfielder has now clarified why he does it.
Much of the attention from that match centred on Bruno Fernandes’s hat-trick, Kobbie Mainoo’s display and even the hole in Old Trafford’s roof. Yet Tielemans’s ghost-like approach to penalty moments drew its own share of debate after Sunday’s victory.
Asked about the copycat run-up by Manchester United’s in-house social media team, Tielemans gave a simple explanation: “It’s to time my run into the box.”
The reasoning is practical. Team-mates who enter the penalty area too early can commit an offence if they rush in before the ball is struck and have a clear effect on the outcome. With Fernandes using a small hop in his penalty technique, Tielemans said he preferred to be certain about his timing rather than risk being caught out.
In the end, Fernandes scored, which meant the precaution was not needed. Even so, Tielemans was first to reach him and celebrated with a tight embrace.
It was not the first time Tielemans has used this method. He also did so during his spell at Aston Villa, including an FA Cup quarterfinal against Preston North End in March 2025, when he was in effect shadowing the steps of Marcus Rashford, now one of his Manchester United team-mates.
There is also the possibility that the idea was shaped by Austin MacPhee, Villa’s set-piece specialist at the time. The details coach handled dead balls under Unai Emery before later being poached by Chelsea over the summer.
Tielemans has already faced questions about adapting to Michael Carrick’s demands this season. “It might be different than what I am used to, but it is logical things in my opinion. It is just smelling football,” he said. He later started his United career with a poor performance.
After a difficult outing against Hull City on the opening Saturday, he looked more settled alongside Kobbie Mainoo against Ipswich Town, though the match remained finely balanced for much of the first hour. United now turn to Everton on Sunday, with Tielemans and Mainoo expected to operate behind Fernandes again, although Mason Mount’s return from injury leaves that selection open.
Arsenal
Villa’s Win Over City Triggers Another Opta Refresh
Villa beat City, Arsenal stay close, and Opta updates the title, Europe and relegation outlooks.
Aston Villa have delivered the Premier League’s first defeat of Manchester City this season, and they are also the first side to take points from them. Unai Emery’s team earned that landmark result at Villa Park, where City were below their best and paid for it. Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marc Guéhi were both singled out for especially poor showings, Nicolas Jackson struck on loan to make the difference, and Zion Suzuki contributed six saves across the 90 minutes.
City remain top of the current Premier League standings, but the performance offered the first domestic indication that they are not untouchable. Arsenal followed by matching them on points after beating Everton, leaving the title race level at the summit and Arsenal second only on goal difference.
That Arsenal victory came with Bukayo Saka unavailable and possibly out until Christmas. The Gunners were short of natural creativity, but they compensated by rediscovering the set-piece strength that served them so well last season.
With those results, and two others on Saturday, Opta’s supercomputer updated its predictions again.
The title model now has Arsenal first with 79.55 predicted points and a 53.82% chance of finishing champions. Manchester City are second on 76.11 points and 34.39%. Brighton remain the only other side above 5%, while Liverpool are at 3.29% and Chelsea at 1.42%.
The Champions League outlook keeps Arsenal and City well clear, with both above 90% to qualify. Brighton stand at 58.37%, Liverpool at 46.70%, Chelsea at 31.28% and Aston Villa at 21.66%. Brentford, Leeds and Everton are further back, and Manchester United’s five-match winless run has left them below 6%.
At the lower end, Tottenham have made a notable move in the right direction. Two wins in a row have cut their relegation chance to 14%, and the model now projects them to finish 13th. That is not especially strong, but it is a considerable improvement on consecutive 17th-place finishes in the last two seasons.
Arsenal
Arsenal grind past Everton to stay level at the top
Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 as Gabriel and White settled a flat but controlled home display.
Arsenal resumed Premier League duty with a 2-0 victory over Everton, a result that keeps them level with leaders Manchester City after City’s surprise defeat to Aston Villa earlier in the day.
It was not a smooth performance, and for long spells it felt like Arsenal were working harder than they were shining. Everton reacted well after falling behind and twice came close to levelling through Tyrique George and Thierno Barry, only for last-ditch defending to preserve the lead. At the other end, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze both had chances to justify their roles while Bukayo Saka’s new injury leaves a gap Arsenal still need to manage. James Tarkowski also stood firm in Everton’s defence, but Jordan Pickford was rarely forced into serious action.
The visitors should have been level before the interval. Ben White’s attempt to play the ball back to David Raya was intercepted by Barry, and the Arsenal goalkeeper had to produce a crucial save to avoid a costly error. After the break, Arsenal’s answer was control. With open-play creativity still limited, they leaned on possession to deny Everton any rhythm and eventually found a breakthrough.
Gabriel headed in White’s cross from close range after Arsenal worked the ball into position for a chance. The defender had looked in some discomfort earlier, but he stayed on and delivered the decisive moment. Everton still had one late opening, when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall headed wide, but by then the match was drifting away from them.
Arsenal’s second goal came with more complexity, though the route to it still carried the logic of a set-piece situation. Declan Rice’s corner was only partially cleared, the ball was recycled, and White eventually clipped in a delivery that Gabriel met at the far post. It was Arsenal’s first set-piece goal of the season, and perhaps the clearest sign that when the game becomes stubborn, familiar methods still matter.
That was especially notable given how reliant Arsenal were from dead-ball situations last season, when they scored 35 times from set pieces across all competitions in 2025-26, 29% of their total output. Here, the margin for error was smaller, but the outcome was secure enough.
Chelsea
Martinez Set for Several Weeks Out as Chelsea Turn to Penders
Chelsea will rely on Mike Penders after Emiliano Martínez’s emergency surgery and concussion.
Chelsea have been handed a clear setback after Emiliano Martínez required emergency surgery on a fractured jaw suffered against Everton last weekend. Xabi Alonso stopped short of offering a firm comeback date, saying the goalkeeper should be back in “a few weeks.”
Martínez also posted from the hospital after the operation and gave the same broad assessment of his recovery, saying he would be “back in a few weeks.” Alonso confirmed that the injury was not limited to the jaw issue, adding that Martínez suffered a concussion. Under English Football Association rules, that means he is ruled out for at least 14 days.
Speaking on the eve of Saturday’s London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, Alonso said the goalkeeper was progressing well but still needed time.
“He’s doing better,” Alonso said. “He had the surgery, and day by day, he’s feeling better, but we still need to wait.”
“Few weeks, few weeks,” he repeated about Martínez’s projected return. “Hopefully less than more, but we need to wait. The good thing is that he’s feeling better and that he wants to listen to his feelings, the opinion of the doctors, the specialists, the surgeons. Considering it was a bad one, he’s doing good.”
With Martínez unavailable, 21-year-old Mike Penders is set to take over for Chelsea in the coming matches. The Belgian made his first Premier League appearance when he replaced Martínez late against Everton, producing one save as Chelsea recorded their first clean sheet of the league season.
Penders began the campaign as Robert Sánchez’s deputy and remained second choice after Martínez arrived and Sánchez moved on to Como. Chelsea have long viewed him as a major talent after signing him as a teenager in the summer of 2024, and Alonso believes he is ready for the step up.
“He’s ready,” Alonso stated. “He’s been training well, he’s played a couple of cup games where he showed that he has a good level, even the day when he came on against Everton, in a few minutes he showed his personality, his qualities. That’s why we have a squad to be ready for these kinds of situations, and we are fully convinced that Mike can play very well.”
Alonso also said Penders is a goalkeeper for both the present and the future, and noted the support he has received by working alongside Martínez. The comparison to Thibaut Courtois has also been made before, with Alonso again underlining the similarities in size, style and left-footedness.
