England’s football champions Manchester City did not cope well with their early exit from the League Cup. After six league successes, star coach Pep Guardiola’s team lost 1:2 (0:1) at the start of the season at Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, City remained at the top of the table because their first pursuer FC Liverpool with team manager Jürgen Klopp had to admit defeat 1:2 (1:1) at Tottenham Hotspur after being outnumbered for a long time.
Ruben Dias’ own goal (13th) gave City the worst possible start to the game. The Argentinian world champion Julian Alvarez (58th) equalized, but the former Hamburg and Leipzig player Hee-Chan Hwang (66th) scored for the Wolves to win.
Liverpool were handicapped early on in terms of personnel due to the red card against Curtis Jones (6th), but fought their way back into the game after falling behind due to former Bundesliga star Heung-Min Son (36th) because Cody Gakpo (45th + 4th) was practically with them hit the half-time whistle. After yellow-red against Diogo Jota (70th), Liverpool were only down to nine – and received a late blow in the neck after an own goal from former Schalke player Joel Matip (90th + 6).
Arsenal FC, on the other hand, won confidently 4-0 (2-0) at AFC Bournemouth and, like Liverpool, moved within one point of the Citizens. National player Kai Havertz scored his first goal in the new jersey in his tenth game for the Gunners in the 53rd minute with a penalty kick. Bukayo Saka (17th), Martin Odegaard (44th/penalty) and Ben White (90th+3) contributed the other Arsenal goals.
Record champions Manchester United are sinking into mediocrity after a 0-1 (0-1) draw against Crystal Palace and their fourth defeat, while newly promoted Luton Town achieved their first win in the English upper house since April with a 2-1 (2-1) draw at Everton FC Celebrated in 1992.
Without the injured national player Pascal Groß, Brighton & Hove Albion lost 1:6 (0:3) at Aston Villa, but are still in the extended top group.