Five Takeaways From Premier League Matchday Three

Three matchdays of the 2026/27 Premier League season have come and gone. Matchday Three began last Friday, with Liverpool getting its first win of the season against Ipswich Town. It concluded Sunday with Arsenal defeating Chelsea 2-1. Now, only Manchester City and Arsenal have won all their first three games of the season. Due to superior goal differential, Manchester City is in first place in the Premier League table. 

The third matchday provided plenty of talking points with two weeks left till the international break. From the heavyweight battle between Arsenal and Chelsea to standout performances, here are my biggest observations from Matchday Three.

1. Chelsea Are Not Title Contenders Yet

After two high-scoring wins, Chelsea’s first loss of the season came at the hands of the defending champions, Arsenal, proving that they aren’t ready to compete for the Premier League title just yet. 

Heading into the game against Arsenal, there were concerns that Chelsea’s defensive vulnerabilities would be exposed after conceding five goals in its first two matches. In this game, those vulnerabilities were exposed as Arsenal scored two goals and dominated possession for most of the game. 

The Blues got off to a flying start in this game as Morgan Rogers scored two minutes into the game. However, Chelsea did not build on this momentum and let Arsenal dictate the pace and tempo of the game after the goal. The Gunners began to dominate possession as the midfield and attack put Chelsea’s defense on the back foot. The game opened up, and after so many chances, it was only a matter of time for Arsenal to break through as Kai Havertz tied the game in the 25th minute before the game went into half-time at one apiece. 

Five minutes into the second half, the Gunners took the lead on a beautiful goal by Martin Odegaard, set up by Havertz’s dummy that opened up the space for Odegaard to be one-on-one against Chelsea’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. It wasn’t until the 65th minute that Chelsea started to play more aggressively in hopes of finding a tying goal, and it began to dominate possession. However, it was too late as Arsenal held on to win after being down 1-0 early in the game.

While the scoreline looks reasonable, Chelsea’s defensive fragilities were heavily exposed as they allowed Arsenal nine shots on goal and 55% possession. The midfield struggled as Romeo Lavia and Reece James were overpowered by Arsenal’s midfield, and it took a great performance from Martinez, who made eight saves, to keep Chelsea in the game. Arsenal deserves a lot of credit for winning this game, coming back from a one-goal deficit. However, it has been proven that Chelsea are not ready to challenge Arsenal for the title just yet, as their vulnerabilities in defense and midfield remain unaddressed.

2. Alexander Isak Ready To Hit His Mark At Liverpool

After two consecutive draws to start the Premier League season, Liverpool are finally in the win column, giving Andoni Iraola his first win as Liverpool’s manager.

A big reason for Liverpool’s win was Alexander Isak. After enduring a rough start to his Liverpool career last season, the Swedish striker is starting to hit top form with the Reds as he scored a quick brace to give them a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town. He scored two goals within the first 10 minutes of the game, bringing his goal total to three in three games. Last season, he only scored four goals in 21 appearances in all competitions. 

There was a lot of pressure on Isak heading into this season. Not only was it due to the high price tag Liverpool paid to get him last year, but also because he was expected to be successful on this team after scoring more than 20 goals in his last two seasons with Newcastle before joining Liverpool. Injury derailed his campaign last season, but he still struggled to make an impact on a highly talented Liverpool team.

Now, he is healthy, and it looks like he is flourishing under Iraola’s system. His partnership with Cody Gakpo is working, as the Dutch international assisted both of Isak’s goals. With Bradley Barcola and Gakpo helping him in attack, he may make a significant impact on this team as the main striker. However, there are still significant problems on this team: Florian Wirtz continues to struggle, and the defense remains leaky. But Isak’s form is a positive that Liverpool can carry into the Champions League and other competitions.

3. Newcastle’s Rebuild Is Ahead Of Schedule 

Newcastle showed during the transfer window that they are rebuilding. They sold five players who were key last season, such as Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon, to other clubs. Additionally, former coach Eddie Howe stepped down weeks before the season commenced. For a team that was in last year’s Champions League, it looked like this team was headed for a long rebuild, but after three games, that outlook has changed.

Newcastle has gotten off to a great start this season, remaining unbeaten with two draws and one win. A big reason for this has been Anthony Elanga’s form, who has scored two goals in the first three Premier League games of the season. They have tied both home games against Liverpool and Bournemouth and won a tough away game at Tottenham. The offense has scored two goals per game, showing the attacking potential of this Newcastle team. If it weren’t for a last-minute penalty foul against Liverpool, Newcastle would be in the top four right now. 

Despite drawing to Bournemouth this week, Newcastle showed its fighting spirit as it overcame a two-goal deficit to tie the game. This is encouraging for a team that is undergoing a major rebuild right now. In this game, the team has shown that they still have enough quality and depth to compete, as Jacob Ramsey came off the bench to tie the game in the 88th minute. They have proven they did a great job replacing players they lost during the transfer window, such as Nico Gonzalez. Newcastle may be rebuilding, but it’s becoming clear that this team will still give plenty of opponents problems this season. 

4. Fulham Might Be One Of This Season’s Most Disappointing Teams

It has been a disappointing start to the season for Fulham, as they are one of only two teams without a point right now.

Fulham have lost all three of their matches to begin the season, putting them in an early hole. High expectations were heading into the season after they brought in former Real Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa and signed players from Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, such as Gonzalo Garcia. It was expected that this team would not only be among the 10 best teams in England but could make a run to securing a spot in next year’s European season. Now, it’s looking like it probably won’t happen.

A big reason for this start to the season has been inconsistency and failing to take advantage of dominant possession. In the first loss of the season to Chelsea, the defense conceded three goals, and the team didn’t take advantage of their opportunities. Against Sunderland, they had an expected goals rate of 1.02 despite no shots on goal and 58% possession. In their latest loss to Crystal Palace, Fulham held two separate one-goal leads before losing 3-2. They rue this missed opportunity to win this game as they had a 3.13 expected goals rate, six shots on goal, and 65% possession. 

Things won’t get easier for Fulham as it will face Liverpool and Manchester United in the next two matchdays before the month-long international break. It desperately needs a result before the international break, or things could get ugly for Fulham as the season goes on. 

5. Manchester United Could Struggle As The Season Goes On

After cooling off some of the pressure of losing to Hull City with a win against Ipswich Town, Manchester United once again hit another speed bump with a disappointing draw against Everton. 

The Red Devils were taking on an Everton team that only had 18 players in their squad and one striker after a turbulent transfer deadline day that saw them miss out on Folarin Balogun. With no significant depth, it was expected that Manchester United would get all three points, especially after scoring five goals against Ipswich Town. Instead, the team looked to be struggling, failing to get a shot on target in the first half. 

Bruno Fernandes failed to make a significant impact in this game, as he had no shots on goal. The team struggled to create high-quality chances, as they had only three shots on goal compared to Everton’s six. Along with that, they failed to convert on two separate one-goal leads, which was highlighted by a fantastic goal by Everton’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the last minute of the game. While the Red Devils did a great job of scoring two goals on three shots on target, the offense did not test Everton’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford that much, as 11 of their 14 shots were off target. 

This was a missed opportunity for Manchester United to get its second win of the season, especially after conceding a last-minute goal. Now, their season gets harder from here as Champions League play begins this week and they will have to play four games in less than two weeks. Their depth will be heavily tested, and with just one win from their first three games, this early stretch could prove to be a huge missed opportunity. A few more points before the international break would have given the Red Devils some much-needed breathing room and a better cushion for future slip-ups.