Premier League roundup: Biggest stories from Matchday 3

USMNT stars had strong showings

It's worth pointing out that Bournemouth's late collapse against Newcastle came immediately after Rose subbed off American midfielder Tyler Adams. The USMNT star held down the fort for Bournemouth for much of the first half and the team was noticeably weaker without him in the center of the park. Rose had a reason to rest him—Adams is recovering from an injury and wasn't ready to go the full 90 minutes—but still, Adams's importance to this team cannot be undersold.

He wasn't the only USMNT representative to have a solid weekend in the EPL. Defenders Chris Richards and Jedi Robinson faced off in Crystal Palace's 3-2 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage—a match attended by USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino for obvious reasons—and looked solid throughout.

Liverpool finally got going

It took three games (and a visit to recently-promoted Ipswich Town) to do it, but Liverpool is finally finding its footing under new coach Andoni Iraola. It played out a convincing 2-0 win in Suffolk County after striker Alexander Isak netted twice in three minutes early in the first half. Both of Isak's goals, incidentally, came from brilliant build-up play dreamed up by Dutch attacker Cody Gakpo. Gakpo was widely expected to leave Liverpool during the transfer window; the club did well to keep him (and keep him happy.)

Arsenal is the clear favorite for the Premier League title this season, but these next few weeks will present a mad scramble to see which team will be its most legitimate challenger. If Liverpool can build on the momentum it created here through Isak and Gakpo, it just might insert itself into the conversation.

Chelsea looked like the real deal

Xabi Alonso's fluid, flexible Chelsea side lost 2-1 to Arsenal in the final match of the weekend, but don't let the score fool you: this was an even, competitive fixture that Chelsea could've taken handily if a few kicks went its way. That's encouraging news for the Blues, who endured a summer of intense change that saw stars like Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson and Marc Cucurella leave and new signings like Morgan Rogers, Emi Martinez and Maxence Lacroix drop in with little time to gel. If Chelsea can push Arsenal to the limit now, just imagine what it will be capable of in a few months when its new players have time to settle. (And spare a thought for poor Aston Villa, whose decision to sell Rogers to Chelsea in exchange for some cash and underperforming Argentinian winger Alejandro Garnacho is looking sillier and sillier by the day.)