Premier League winners and losers: Man City hands Liverpool worst loss of Arne Slot era while Sunderland dramatically draws with Arsenal

Matchweek 10 in the Premier League concluded with an entertaining battle at the Etihad as Manchester City won 3-0 against Liverpool, handing Arne Slot the worst league loss of his tenure as the club’s manager. For Pep Guardiola, it was already a special occasion as it was the Catalan’s 1,000th game in charge, so his team wanted to commemorate the evening with a strong win and a chance to climb up to second place behind Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who drew 2-2 against Sunderland a day prior.

The start to the game definitely belonged to the hosts as they dominated almost every statistic in the first 45 minutes. After relentless pressure, City earned an early penalty as Jérémy Doku was fouled inside the box by Liverpool’s goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. But the Georgian rectified his mistake by denying Erling Haaland’s take, who just needed a brace to become the fastest player in Premier League history to reach 100 goals. But if there’s something to remember about Haaland is that once he misses an opportunity to score, the Norwegian quickly makes amends and that’s exactly what happened in the 29th minute, thanks to a great header that made it 1-0 for the Cityzens.

In the 37th minute, Virgil van Dijk thought he had equalized thanks to his own header from a corner but it was quickly overturned as Andy Robertson was offside and standing in the eyeline of City’s stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma. It was a harsh decision on Liverpool because after review, it did not appear that there was enough to suggest that the Scottish left back was impeding Donnarumma’s ability to stop the goal. But alas, the call was made and City exhaled.

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And in fact, things got worse for Slot’s side as City doubled its lead just before the break thanks to a deflected attempt from Nico Gonzalez in the third minute of extra time. Guardiola’s side now led 2-0 and an exhausted Liverpool welcomed the first-half whistle.

The beginning of the second half showed a tiny sign of a Liverpool comeback but that was thrown out of the window when the excellent Doku scored a wonderful third goal in the 63rd minute. In the end, City fans celebrated an imposing win over the Reds and overtook Chelsea to claim second place in the table, only four points back from Arsenal.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Aston Villa destroyed Bournemouth at Villa Park with a 4-0 result, Brentford came back from behind to win 3-1 against Newcastle United whilst Sean Dyche’s renaissance project with Nottingham Forest continues as the Tricky Trees won over Leeds United with the same result.

Meanwhile on Saturday, there was the aforementioned four-goal thriller in the north east of England as Sunderland earned a dramatic 2-2 draw against the aforementioned league leader Arsenal at the Stadium of Light thanks to Brian Bobbey’s stoppage-time equalizer, Chelsea thumped manager-less Wolves 3-0 and West Ham United earned a second straight win thanks to a 3-2 victory over Burnley. And the day started in north London as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United gave us three goals in the final 12 minutes of action as part of a dramatic finale that gave us another 2-2 result.

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Winners

Jérémy Doku: There’s no denying that Pep Guardiola’s side is fully back as he celebrated his 1,000th game in charge with a commanding 3-0 victory over Liverpool, making it seven wins from its last eight matches in all competitions. City played a complete game but the night belonged to Doku, who was absolutely unstoppable. The Belgian winger earned a penalty for the home side, made three shots and scored a ridiculous goal that sealed the victory. The only negative was that we didn’t see enough of him as Guardiola took him off in the 73rd minute. As a result, Conor Bradley was the happiest man in the stadium.

The 23-year-old Doku arrived in 2023 but Sunday’s performance showed why this is the season where he truly flourishes.

Unai Emery:  On Sunday, Aston Villa’s manager faced his Basque counterpart Andoni Iroala and a Bournemouth side that wanted to return to the win column after losing to Manchester City last weekend. But Emery, ever the tactician, ensured that his side gave the Cherries a taste of their own medicine. Villa — from Dibu Martínez to John McGinn — was magnificent, showing physicality, intent and resilience thus exposing so many holes in Bournemouth’s armor. It was a masterclass in using an opponent’s strength against them.

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Alejandro Garnacho: The Argentine winger was brilliant for Chelsea against Wolves, earning two assists as part of his team’s comprehensive 3-0 win. It was the first time he had earned a pair of assists in a Premier League game and it was also a great way to conclude his week, which also included a wonderful goal in the Champions League on Wednesday that salvaged a point against Qarabag.

Losers

Arne Slot: After two straight victories (Aston Villa, Real Madrid), Arne Slot’s side suffered a sobering loss on Sunday, which was the worst in the league since he arrived at the club. It was also such a disjointed performance, which showed no cohesion against a very connected Manchester City. The international break comes at a great time for the Dutch manager, who desperately needs a reset button but the issue is that many of his players also leave on international duty so it’s not like all the answers will be rectified next week. Whatever the case, Slot knows too well that things need to improve.

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Newcastle United: Newcastle’s away form in the league is simply woeful and Sunday was no different as Eddie Howe’s men lost 3-1 against Brentford, making it three straight losses on the road in the Premier League. Dan Burn was sent off in the 73rd minute but the numerical disadvantage was not why it lost. Newcastle was just simply not good enough and it’s a worrying trend as the club has not won away from home in the league all season. Quite simply, if it wants European football again, it needs to seriously improve as a visiting side.