Manchester United’s brief relief did not last long, as Manchester City’s 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest pushed the Red Devils into the relegation zone. It is the first time the club have been there since November 1986, at least nine matches into a season.

The table now leaves United 18th on seven points, level with Crystal Palace in 19th and only above Sunderland. Nottingham Forest’s win lifted them to 16th, with Coventry City and Crystal Palace also on seven points in the lower reaches of the standings. Fulham sit 15th on 10 points, while Nottingham Forest are on nine.

United had already been hovering around danger for much of the campaign, and their only league victory so far remains the 5-2 win over newly promoted Ipswich Town in August. There has been little sign of a sustained recovery, and the pressure has only intensified.

Michael Carrick’s side now face another difficult test. An injury-riddled squad welcomes Aston Villa to Old Trafford on Sunday, with little margin for error as the season continues to tighten around them.

Forest’s victory was built on a composed and disciplined display, even as they spent long spells under pressure at City Ground. Enzo Maresca’s team were repeatedly forced back, but Nottingham Forest held firm.

Liam Delap provided the decisive edge with a brace, taking his tally to just his second and third Premier League goals of the season. He last scored on Sept. 12 in a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

Forest were two goals up by the 20th minute. Jair Cunha opened the scoring in the sixth minute after forcing a turnover on City’s Joško Gvardiol, then finishing low into the left side of the net. Twelve minutes later, Delap doubled the advantage after collecting the ball in Forest’s half and driving between Rúben Dias and Marc Guéhi before firing high into the net.

Noni Madueke’s latest Arsenal outing offered a familiar reminder of what has made him such a striking presence this season: persistence, self-belief and an ability to keep forcing the issue even when the margins are tight.

“Being a footballer is not all highs,” Madueke once reflected. “In fact, it’s 50% lows.”

That outlook felt apt as he dealt with another setback from England manager Thomas Tuchel, who left him out of the squad for a second camp in a row. Yet the winger did not drift. Instead, he kept searching for space, repeatedly attacking Hull and refusing to ease off even when the contest threatened to settle into frustration.

His reward arrived after 72 minutes. Madueke found a small opening, let fly and forced Konstantinos Tzolakis into a save that dropped kindly for Martin Ødegaard to score the only goal of the game. Even before that decisive moment, Madueke had already shown the determination that has defined his recent rise, and he later passed up two more chances to add to the lead.

The wider context gives his contribution extra weight. Before the September international break, Madueke had played just 42 combined minutes in the Premier League and Champions League this season, despite being fit for every match. Mikel Arteta was blunt about his early level of influence, saying, “I haven’t liked too much what he was doing, and it was impacting the game”

After being left out by Tuchel, Madueke took a personal trainer on a warm weather break to refine his game. Arteta later said, “That’s Noni and that’s his mindset,” and then described him as “the best player” in training at London Colney. “He gave me no option not to select him.”

His recent run has also owed something to events around him, with chances opening up on both wings. But the way Madueke takes those moments matters just as much. He lives by what he calls a “healthy delusion”, and as he explained: “When that delusion comes in,” he once explained, “I feel like that’s when you can really reach new heights. You need it as a football player. You need it.”

That same belief, along with his “extreme faith in your ability,” carried him through the backlash around his arrival from Chelsea in the summer of 2025. Saul Isaksson-Hurst summed him up simply: “Noni is a mentality monster. He is so driven, sometimes you have to tell him to calm down. He is very aware, very astute.”

Arsenal stayed at the top of the Premier League after edging Hull City 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

For much of the afternoon, the home side found Hull difficult to break down. The breakthrough eventually came in the 72nd minute, when Noni Madueke’s effort was pushed into the path of Martin Ødegaard, and the captain reacted first to finish and settle the contest.

The result extended Arsenal’s best-ever start to a Premier League season. They now have 27 points from their first 10 matches, with nine wins and only one defeat.

It was not a fluent performance, but it was the kind that matters in a title race. Hull made the game uncomfortable, Arsenal were not at their sharpest, yet they still found a way to take all three points. That is often the difference between champions and the sides chasing them.

Ødegaard was the decisive figure. More commonly praised for his passing and creativity, he showed a different side here, finishing like a striker rather than a playmaker. Kai Havertz and substitute Viktor Gyökeres had struggled to provide that edge earlier in the match, which made the captain’s intervention all the more important.

There was also a reminder of Ødegaard’s wider value to the side. He has at times been judged on goals and assists, but this was a timely example of him taking responsibility when Arsenal needed someone to do so.

In the end, the numbers and the scoreline told the same story. Arsenal were not at their best, but they remained in control of the summit and continued to defend their crown with another narrow win.