LONDON, Sept. 4 — Manchester City head into the international break atop the Premier League, maintaining their perfect start to the season with a 5-1 home victory over Fulham.
Julian Alvarez’s opening goal for City was quickly equalized by Tim Ream. However, Nathan Ake restored City’s lead just before halftime, a goal that Fulham believed should have been ruled out for offside by VAR. In the second half, Erling Haaland secured the win with his seventh City hat-trick.
Tottenham sit in second place after a dominant 5-2 victory against Burnley, who initially led with a Lyle Foster goal in the fourth minute. The match featured a hat-trick from Son Heung-min and goals from Cristian Romero and James Maddison.
Arsenal, level with Tottenham on 10 points, clinched a 3-1 home win against Manchester United, with two goals arriving deep into injury time. Marcus Rashford and Martin Odegaard exchanged goals within a minute, making it 1-1. The match seemed destined for a draw until Declan Rice’s 96th-minute goal, followed by Gabriel Jesus’s strike in the 11th minute of injury time.
Liverpool secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Aston Villa. Jurgen Klopp’s team took an early lead with a goal from Dominic Szoboszlai, and Darwin Nunez’s shot deflected off Villa’s Matty Cash into the net. Mohamed Salah added a third shortly after halftime.
Brighton’s Ewan Ferguson emerged as another hat-trick hero, scoring in the 27th, 65th, and 70th minutes in a 3-1 win over Newcastle.
Anthony Elanga’s 48th-minute goal earned Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory against Chelsea, who, despite 21 shots, managed only two on target.
Odsonne Edouard’s brace helped Crystal Palace to a 3-2 win over Wolverhampton. Hwang Hee-Chan equalized after Edouard’s first, but goals from Eberechi Eze and Edouard’s second seemed to seal the win before Matheus Cunha’s late goal for Wolverhampton.
Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo netted a last-minute equalizer against Bournemouth, ensuring a draw. Mathias Jensen’s early goal for Brentford was countered by goals from Dominic Solanke and David Brooks for Bournemouth.
Everton managed a 2-2 draw against Sheffield United, with Jordan Pickford’s incredible double save in injury time preserving the point. Abdoulaye Doucoure and Arnaut Danjuma scored for Everton, while Cameron Archer netted twice for Sheffield.
West Ham celebrated a win after goals from Jarrod Bowen and Kurt Zouma secured a 2-1 victory against Luton Town, who have yet to win this season. (Xinhua)