Author: Barkha Roy
Wolverhampton v Liverpool – 1:3
Liverpool pulled off an incredible 3-1 away win against Wolves on Saturday, pulling off a scintillating comeback that took them temporarily to the top of the Premier League table. In the first half at Molineux, the hosts showed their dominance over a lacklustre and error-prone Liverpool side. Hwang Hee-chan took advantage of a brilliant run by Pedro Neto to score in the 7th minute, and Wolves missed several subsequent chances.
However, in the second half, the Liverpool team completely transformed, with Mohamed Salah setting up Cody Gakpo for a simple tap-in to equalize in the 55th minute. Wearing the captain’s armband on his 200th Premier League appearance, Andy Robertson scored Liverpool’s second goal in the 85th minute after another assist from Salah as the visitors went ahead. Liverpool sealed their victory with a third goal in injury time, when Harvey Elliott’s shot was inadvertently deflected into the Wolves net by Hugo Bueno, sparking jubilation among the traveling fans.
Notably, two Brazilians played for Wolves during the match. Midfielder João Gomes recovered impressively from a below-par performance against Crystal Palace, highlighting an excellent challenge to win the ball from Jota. Meanwhile, Matheus Cunha may regret the missed opportunity in the first half, when he looked destined to score after Neto’s cross. Cunha began as the central figure of the front trio. It’s worth noting that Alisson Becker, Liverpool’s goalkeeper, had a challenging day, as he allowed Hwang’s shot from a tight angle to pass underneath him and displayed inconsistent distribution throughout the match.
West Ham – Manchester City – 1:3
Manchester City pulled off a remarkable comeback at the London Stadium on Saturday, overcoming an early deficit to beat West Ham United 3-1 and regain their position at the top of the Premier League table. Liverpool’s earlier 3-1 win over Wolves briefly put them in the lead, but City’s second-half resurgence secured the vital three points.
City missed an opportunity to open the scoring in the seventh minute when Tomás Soucek cleared a shot off the goal line and Alphonse Areola made a crucial save. In another goal-scoring opportunity, Josko Gvardiol sent a tempting cross into the box, but Erling Haaland’s attempt went wide, saving the West Ham defense.
Despite the immense pressure, West Ham managed to open the scoring in the 36th minute, with James Ward-Prowse executing an excellent diving header after Vladimír Coufal’s cross.
Jérémy Doku wasted no time in the second half, equalizing the game with just 43 seconds on the clock, skillfully beating Coufal and scoring. Bernardo Silva and Haaland scored in the 76th and 86th minutes respectively to take City back to the top of the table on 15 points, two ahead of Liverpool.
West Ham made a spirited effort, almost regaining the lead around the one-minute mark, but Manuel Akanji blocked Michail Antonio’s shot, and Éderson made a spectacular save from Kurt Zouma’s subsequent corner.
In the end, reigning champions City emerged victorious, with Silva scoring in the 76th minute and Haaland netting 10 minutes later to secure the three points.
In that game, Lucas Paquetá was the only Brazilian player representing West Ham. He seemed determined to impress against a team that had sought to sign him during the summer transfer window. He showed moments of mesmerizing skill and made important passes, including one to set up Michail Antonio for an important chance, which unfortunately wasn’t completed. At the other end, Ederson, City’s only Brazilian player, made crucial interventions in the second half. He rushed out to stop Antonio’s goal and made an excellent save to stop Zouma’s attempt.
Manchester United v Brighton – 1:3
Meanwhile, Manchester United suffered a 3-1 defeat against Brighton in the Premier League, marking their third loss in five games for the first time since 1989-90. Despite an encouraging start at Old Trafford, United fell behind after 20 minutes when Danny Welbeck, a former player, scored an unmarked goal in the penalty area. United thought they had equalized before the break, but the VAR ruled that the ball was out of play. Brighton capitalized, with goals from Pascal Gross and João Pedro at the start of the second half.
Although substitute Hannibal Mejbri pulled one back for United, Brighton held on for a comfortable win. The defeat left United in 12th place with six points. Amid turmoil off the pitch, including allegations against Brazilian striker Antony and problems between Jadon Sancho and coach Erik ten Hag, United looked for success on the pitch to boost morale. Rashford hit the crossbar and the post, but his defensive shortcomings proved costly. Brighton became only the third team to win four Premier League games in a row against United.
Casemiro was the only Brazilian player representing Manchester United on the pitch, but his performance left a lot to be desired. Although he started the match with some promising passes and blocks, his play gradually deteriorated and he struggled to keep up with the pace of the game. As a result, he was substituted in the 64th minute.
On the other side, João Pedro was Brighton’s only Brazilian player in the match and made a significant impact coming off the bench. His contribution included a brilliant finish for Brighton’s third goal and a well-placed pass to Ferguson as Albion exploited the spaces in defence. João Pedro also showed his defensive ability with a solid shot on Garnacho. He also showed his gratitude to the fans while the game was still in progress.
Tottenham – Sheffield United – 2:1
Tottenham Hotspur, who are top of the Premier League, pulled off an incredible comeback with two late goals to secure a 2-1 win over newly promoted Sheffield United on Saturday. This win extended their unbeaten run in the league. The decisive moments of the match seemed tailor-made for Richarlison, who came off the bench to play an important role in the climax of the game. He first scored a crucial header from Perisic’s corner and then orchestrated Kulusevski’s winning goal with an assist, sealing the dramatic comeback.
Aston Villa – Crystal Palace – 3:1
Aston Villa secured a come-from-behind win against Crystal Palace, with Brazilian Douglas Luiz and Leon Bailey scoring during a long period of extra time. The turnaround began when substitute Jhon Duran equalized for Villa in the 87th minute, leveling the score after Odsonne Edouard had given Palace the lead just two minutes into the second half. Aston Villa then completed the turnaround with crucial late goals to clinch victory.
Fulham – Luton Town – 1:0
Fulham denied Luton Town their first point in the Premier League. Brazilian Carlos Vinicius, who came on in the 62nd minute, scored the only goal of the game three minutes later. The hosts also had Brazilians Andreas Pereira and Willian.