Gameweek 3: The Headlines

Gameweek 3 already feels like a long time ago, right?

Between the drama of the transfer deadline, the international break, and my delay in posting, there's no expectation you'd remember what went down on the pitch the weekend before last.

A picture is worth a thousand words though, so here are some visual refreshers.

And now, for some words.

Seeing red

One of the big talking points of the weekend was Declan Rice's controversial red card against Brighton. While already on a yellow card, the Arsenal man kicked the ball away needlessly, just a few seconds before Brighton's Joel Veltman hit him hard from behind.

Rice received a second yellow (red card equivalent) and was sent off. Within minutes, Brighton had scored to equalize. The match ended 1-1.

The red also means that Dec gets a 1-match suspension and cannot play in the crucial North London derby this weekend.

Technically, the ref was following the letter of the law. However, it seemed to be an inconsistent decision – for example, Brighton's Joao Pedro did something similar to Rice and wasn't booked for it. Additionally, what Rice did (a small flick of the ball) occurred in an inconsequential area of play. The ball wasn't near the goal; it wasn't a goal-scoring opportunity, and there was no danger or malice in the play.

However you could argue that, already being on a yellow, Rice shouldn't have even given the referee a decision to make. Why push your luck when you've already been given a warning?

The official consensus is that it was a harsh call.

As for the unofficial consensus? Like the great Gwen Stefani once sang, "this s*** is bananas // B-A-N-A-N-A-S."

People felt that the call was unfair and ridiculous. They were mad. They still are.

Even ex-Chelsea legend John Terry jumped to Dec's defense!

Liverpool run rampant at Old Trafford

Let's move on from Dec's woes to Manchester United's woes. But first, a little context.

Did you know that Liverpool and Manchester United hate each other's guts? To educate myself on the whys and wherefores, I googled. And I learned that this hatred can be traced all the way back to the end of the Industrial Revolution, when Liverpudlians got salty about the fact the Manchester Ship canal prevented ships from docking at their ports – and thus negatively impacted their jobs and income.

On the pitch, both teams are also super competitive, given their shared heritage/history of winning. But let me tell you, only one team looked like a winning side on Sunday!

Liverpool ran circles around Man U at Old Trafford, scoring three goals (plus a fourth that was called offside). Given their rivalry, this loss will feel especially bitter to the Red Devils.

Mo Salah and Luis Diaz were standouts: Luis with two goals, and Mo with one. Casemiro was another standout, but not in a good way.

Casemiro's performance was sub-par, whether you're looking at errors that led to goals, or his failure to handle the basics. At one point, he received the ball from a throw-in ... and promptly kicked it straight back out of bounds.

Pundits were speculating that Casemiro's form was declining last year. Now, retirement questions are looming. Is Casemiro even capable of playing at a high level anymore? When asked about the midfielder's performance, Man U manager Erik ten Hag said,

“We all have seen great moments from him, being decisive for us in the midfield and he will show it again, I'm sure."

Not exactly a vote of confidence, but boa sorte, I guess!

Say a prayer for Everton

OK, so we're cataloguing woes, but the dudes up in Merseyside have everyone else beat.

On Saturday, I kept an eye on the match scorelines while we were out and about entertaining our fun-loving 2-year-old. During this time, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Everton was beating Bournemouth 2-0.

When I saw the final scoreline (3-2 to Bournemouth), I felt like I was on crazy pills. How did Everton concede 3 goals in 10 minutes?!

Indeed, Everton dominated the match for so long that Bournemouth manager Andon Iraola actually apologized to Everton manager Sean Dyche after the match and said the better team lost. It's a historic win, as the latest a team has ever been leading by 2+ goals in the Premier League, and then gone on to lost.

What fresh hell is this for the Toffees?

Sean called the defeat "frustrating," which is like referring to the ocean as "wet." He said:

"I've had a few [defeats] down my years as a player, coach, manager, but this is the most frustrating because to dominate a game for so long and come out of it without something at least is incredibly frustrating."

It's still early days but anyone scrolling through DraftKings (or popping into Ladbrokes) might want to take a look at Everton's odds to be relegated.

Manchester City cyborgs do cyborg things

You know who doesn't have any woes? Erling Haaland and Manchester City.

(Well, unless you count the 115 times the Cityzens broke the Premier League's Financial Fair Play rules over a period of nine years, but that's a fun story for another day.)

Anyway, Haaland had us once again questioning whether he's a cyborg or a human. The literal definition of Einstein's unstoppable force theory scored his second PL hat trick of the 2024-2025 season, bringing his total hat trick tally up to 11.

Also, in the opening 3 matches, he's scored 7 times!

It was unfortunate for West Ham, who looked as though they were close to equalizing for large periods of the match.

After the match, City manager Pep Guardiola said something confusing about how defenders can't stop Haaland (even if they had guns ??), while Haaland was much more measured in his words. As he told Sky Sports,

"I feel good, I feel energized. I had a long vacation and pre-season. I feel good."

There – a perfectly normal, non-violent response. Thank you, Haaland!

This weekend...

We have a doozy of matches ahead of us, including the much-anticipated North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham.

With Declan Rice out on suspension and captain Martin Odegaard injured because of an idiot who stepped on his ankle during the international break, our midfield is looking shoddy. Now, I believe in my team, but that's some bad luck.

To borrow a phrase from the iconic Julia Roberts in "Notting Hill," I'm just a girl, writing a blog post, asking my readers to send the Gunners some love.

COYG!!