Manchester United’s nightmare continued this weekend as they suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat away to Manchester City at the Etihad in the Premier League derby. 

The loss exposed defensive frailties, lack of creativity, and growing pressure on manager Rúben Amorim, whose side has yet to find consistency this season. 

Despite some promising spells early in the match, United were overwhelmed in the second half, with City dominating possession and ruthlessly punishing mistakes. 

Liverpool kept their perfect start with a dramatic late win over Burnley. 

Mohamed Salah converted a stoppage-time penalty to deliver a 1-0 win that preserved their unbeaten record. It was another instance of Liverpool scoring late, showing resilience in tight fixtures. 

Tottenham continued their strong run by thrashing West Ham 3-0 away, with goals spread across the attack, while Chelsea were undone at the death by Brentford in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Gtech Community Stadium. Fabio Carvalho’s injury-time equaliser for Brentford denied Chelsea all three points. 

Newcastle United finally broke their winless run, edging Wolves 1-0 at St James’ Park thanks to a goal by their new signing Nick Woltemade. 

The win gives Newcastle some breathing room after a sluggish start. 

Liverpool sit top of the table with a perfect four wins from four, 12 points and momentum. Arsenal and Tottenham are close behind. 

The top three are showing strong attacking depth and ability to grind out results. 

City’s derby win injects them with confidence but also underscores United’s current turmoil.

At the other end, teams like Wolves are struggling; Newcastle’s win is a welcome boost, but they’ll need more consistency. 

Chelsea likely feel aggrieved to have lost two points late against Brentford.

 Small margins already matter in this early part of the season; mistakes are being punished.

Manchester United in particular must address defensive organization, squad rotation, and perhaps tactical identity. 

The derby result, in which Erling Haaland netted a brace and Phil Foden also scored, illustrates the high standard United are chasing.

What to watch next week.

Looking ahead, here are some key fixtures that could shift momentum:

Liverpool vs Everton— a Merseyside derby that often defies expectations. Liverpool will be heavy favourites, but Everton may be catching up. (espn schedule)

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur — both teams have started well; this could be a test of depth.

Manchester United vs Chelsea — United will want to bounce back, Chelsea will look to build off their mixed uweekend.

Fulham vs Brentford — a London derby with potential for surprises.

Here is the full fixture for next weekend:

Saturday, 20th September.

Liverpool vs Everton 14:30

AFC Bournemouth vs Newcastle United 17:00

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur 17:00

Burnley vs Nottingham Forest 17:00

West Ham United vs Crystal Palace 17:00

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Leeds United 17:00

Manchester United vs Chelsea 19:30

Fulham vs Brentford 22:00

Sunday,  21st September.

Sunderland vs Aston Villa 18:00

Bournemouth vs Newcastle United 18:00

Arsenal vs Manchester City 20:30