(Reuters) – Manchester City reclaimed the top spot in the Premier League standings after a dominant 6-1 victory over Bournemouth, while Manchester United secured a late win against Fulham on Saturday.
The young Belgian winger, Jeremy Doku, played a stellar role for City, scoring the opening goal and providing two assists in their emphatic win over struggling Bournemouth at The Etihad.
Pep Guardiola’s side now sits at the top of the league with 27 points from 11 matches, just one point ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who will face Chelsea on Monday. Arsenal has the chance to join City on 27 points if they win their late kickoff match against Newcastle United on Saturday.
At the bottom of the table, Sheffield United celebrated their first victory since being promoted by narrowly defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 with a last-minute penalty. However, Burnley suffered their sixth consecutive home defeat, losing 2-0 to Crystal Palace.
Doku’s goal in the 30th minute opened the floodgates for Guardiola’s treble-winning side, who scored three goals in just seven minutes, sealing their victory in the process. Doku also assisted in two more goals, while Bernardo Silva netted a brace for the dominant hosts.
Guardiola praised Doku’s decision-making and understanding of the game, highlighting his immediate application of feedback. The manager expressed his satisfaction with Doku’s consistent performances, especially when playing at home.
Manchester United has experienced their worst start to a season since 1962, suffering eight defeats in 15 matches across all competitions. The team managed by Erik Ten Hag showed lackluster form at times during their match against Fulham and relied on goalkeeper Andre Onana’s excellent saves to stay level in the second half. However, with 90 minutes on the clock, captain Bruno Fernandes scored the winning goal, resulting in jubilant celebrations among the visiting players and fans at Craven Cottage.
Ten Hag described the victory as a good feeling and praised the team’s solid performance. Manchester United currently holds the eighth position in the league with 18 points from 11 games.
Sheffield United, despite a tough start to their return to the top flight, secured a morale-boosting win thanks to an Oliver Norwood penalty in stoppage time. The Blades initially took the lead in the 72nd minute through Cameron Archer’s powerful shot that struck the bar before going into the net. However, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde equalized for the visitors just before the end of regulation time.
Ashley Young’s late own goal rescued a point for Brighton & Hove Albion in their 1-1 draw against Everton at Goodison Park. Vitaliy Mykolenko had given the home side the lead early in the game with a rare strike. Burnley’s struggles continued as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace, with Jeffrey Schlupp and Tyrick Mitchell finding the net. Vincent Kompany’s team is now tied on four points with bottom-placed Sheffield United. Luton Town, who will host Liverpool on Sunday, currently has five points.
West Ham United endured their third consecutive league defeat with a 3-2 loss against Brentford, who secured their third consecutive victory to move into the top half of the table. West Ham initially took the lead with goals from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen after Neal Maupay had given Brentford an early advantage. However, a Konstantinos Mavropanos own goal in the second half and Nathan Collins’ header in the 69th minute secured the three points for Brentford.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing and Martyn Herman; editing by Ken Ferris)
