Manchester City and Arsenal played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the first true heavyweight clash of this Premier League season.
The match started in a typical fashion, with City bossing the ball and Erling Haaland giving the home team a deserved lead (registering his 100th City goal in just his 105th appearance).
İlkay Gündoğan would then go on to hit the post, but the Gunners gradually pulled themselves back into the game.
Controversy struck as Arsenal equalised through a Riccardo Calafiori rocket- City fans were wondering why Kyle Walker wasn’t given time to retreat back into position after being sequestered by the referee in any event, Gabriel would give the Gunners the lead with a bullet header on the stroke of half-time.
But the referee would then even out the controversial decisions by showing Trossard a second yellow for kicking the ball away (sound familiar).
That decision virtually turned the second half into a glorified training exercise, with City’s attack against Arsenal’s resolute defence.
And I honestly think that suited this Arsenal side. This is a team built on stygian defensive structures and City- with barely any space to exploit- looked largely bereft of ideas.
Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya pulled off a handful of decent saves but Pep Guardiola’s men looked uninspired as they searched for their equaliser.
City introduced John Stones and the English defender, whose last-minute equaliser denied the Gunners what would have been a hard-earned three points.
But City’s late jubilation was a pyrrhic victory, with Rodri’s apparent knee injury possibly the defining action in the match.
City have been virtually unbeatable with the Spanish midfield general in the side and his absence will leave an unescapable void in the heart of the City engine room.
Guardiola’s side haven’t looked at their fluid best this season and it will be fascinating to see how he adjusts with Rodri sidelined.
That being said, City are notoriously slow starters and Guardiola will be pleased to be top after a testing opening five matches.
Leverkusen win the Leverkusen way while Bayern thump Werder Bremen 5-0
Being a Leverkusen season-ticket holder should come with a matchday health insurance policy.
I have never seen a side put their fanbase through the cardiac ringer as much as Alonso’s swashbuckling Leverkusen outfit.
In-form striker Victor Boniface snatched a 93rd-minute winner as Leverkusen prevailed in a stunning seven-goal thriller against Wolfsburg.
Leverkusen came back for the umpteenth time in recent memory, showing remarkable grit to take all three points after trailing 3-2 at the break.
But Alonso has to be disturbed with the amount of goals they have been shipping in recent weeks.
They faced an xG of just 0.66 in the game but still somehow managed to leak three goals.
Bayern Munich continued their rampaging start to the campaign with a 5-0 away demolition of Werder Bremen.
Harry Kane scored his 8th goal in his last seven days across all competitions while Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry eviscerated Bremen down the flanks.
This Bayern side often laboured under the in-depth instructions of both Julien Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel.
Vincent Kompany seems to have uncluttered their collective footballing mind (most evidenced by Joshua Kimmich’s steady performance in that Beckenbauer role).
Flick’s Barcelona continue to shine while Vinicius Jr inspires Los Blancos
Barca bounced back from a disappointing European night at Monaco with a thumping 5-1 win at Villarreal.
Barca extended an impressive 17-match winning streak at Estadi de La Ceramica, consolidating their place atop the La Liga standings with six wins from six as Hansi Flick matched Guardiola and Tito Villanova’s records in the process.
Flick rotated his squad, with the likes of Balde and Cubarsi given some time to rest. The team took some time to find their rhythm but red-hot Robert Lewandowski couldn’t be denied, scoring a brace to completely turn the match on its head.
Ayoze Perez pulled one back for the Yellow Submarine but it was in vain, as Raphinha netted his own brace to settle matters quite comfortably.
Real kept within touching distance of their eternal rivals with a come-from-behind 4-1 win at home to Espanyol.
Madrid were sloppy in the first half and only had themselves to blame after Espanyol took the lead through a Courtois’ own goal.
Carvajal equalised with a tap-in, but it was the introduction of Vinicius Jr that changed the game.
The Brazilian showed why he, and not Kylian Mbappe, is the leader of Real’s attack, setting up Rodrygo with a delightful outside-of-the-boot pass before scoring himself.
Milan shock Inter in Derby della Madonnina
Well, nobody saw that coming, AC Milan has lost six consecutive matches to city neighbours Inter Milan.
Also, Inter picked up a hard-fought draw at the Etihad last week while AC Milan were humbled at home by Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
Milan coach Paulo Fonesca was also under intense pressure after a poor start to the campaign, they had won just once in five games in all competitions.
Christian Pulisic gave the Rossoneri the lead following a brilliant solo strike in the 10th minute.
Federico Dimarco equalised late in the second half, firing in a bullet strike after latching on to some good work by captain Martinez.
Inter’s goalkeeper Yann Sommer and Milan’s counterpart Mike Maignan made a series of great saves in what was a pulsating back-and-forth encounter. But the winner came from the unlikeliest source, with Matteo Gabbia rising high to rescue all three points for Milan.
Elsewhere, Antonio Conte returned to face former club Juventus, earning a solid point to continue Napoli’s recent run of good form.
The result consigned Juventus to a third consecutive Serie A 0-0 draw (so much for getting past Allegri-ball).
Napoli’s draw opened the door for Torino to take a shock Serie A lead. Torino won 3-2 at Verona, with former Southampton striker Che Adamas scoring the vital third goal.
Player of the Week- Raphinha
I could easily have awarded this to Olise this week.
But Raphinha must be the most improved player in Europe at this early point in the season.
The Brazilian was essentially phased out of Xavi’s plans towards the end of the season, seen as little more than a luxury in a side struggling for consistency.
Flick has liberated the flying winger, allowing him to drift into central positions and pose a more dynamic threat to the opposition.
He was instrumental in Barca’s 5-1 win at Villarreal, registering a 100% dribble completion rate and scoring two exceptional goals.
