Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice believes his side deserved more than a 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Sunday. He insists the Gunners “dominated” large spells of the contest. Gabriel Martinelli  came off the bench to rescue a point for Mikel Arteta’s men, cancelling out an early opener from Erling Haaland. “When you come off the bench, at that point of the game — 60, 70, 80 minutes — the game’s a completely different game to the start,” Rice said post-match. Reflecting on the performance, the England international added: “I think the feeling of me being on the pitch, knowing my players, the manager’s thoughts, the players’ thoughts, is that, with the ball, it was probably the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve dominated Man City like that, in terms of passing.”

Pep Guardiola admitted he disliked resorting to defensive tactics as Manchester City were held 1-1 by Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday. Erling Haaland’s early strike looked set to be enough, but the City boss opted for a cautious second-half approach, switching to a back five and withdrawing both Haaland and Phil Foden. The plan backfired as Arsenal grew into the game, dominating possession before Gabriel Martinelli latched onto Eberechi Eze’s clever pass to equalise in stoppage time with a deft lob over Gianluigi Donnarumma. City’s 32.8% possession was the lowest figure recorded by a Guardiola side in a Premier League fixture, highlighting just how much ground they ceded.

Unai Emery delivered a scathing assessment of Aston Villa’s performance after their 1-1 draw with Sunderland, accusing his side of being “lazy” and straying from their identity. Still winless after five Premier League games, Villa sit 18th with just three points. The match appeared to swing in their favour when Sunderland were reduced to 10 men in the 33rd minute, after Reinildo Mandava was sent off for lashing out at Matty Cash. Cash soon opened Villa’s Premier League account for the season with a superb long-range strike, but Wilson Isidor’s 75th-minute equaliser earned the visitors a point and extended Villa’s dismal start. A visibly frustrated Emery vented post-match: “We were lazy sometimes. Lazy. The goal we conceded, we were lazy. Perhaps that’s because we didn’t play in our style.”

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca explained that Cole Palmer’s early withdrawal during the loss to Manchester United was down to fitness concerns, not Robert Sanchez’s red card. The England midfielder was substituted inside the opening 20 minutes, sparking suggestions the change was a tactical response to Robert Sanchez‘ dismissal. However, Maresca dismissed that claim, revealing Palmer had been a doubt ahead of kick-off. “Cole tried this morning, he had a test this morning to play this game, he was not 100 per cent fit,” Maresca said. “He made a fantastic effort to play, but after 20 minutes he started to feel something, so we decided to change him.” Quick Hit: Maresca insists Palmer’s early exit was injury-related, not linked to Sanchez sending off.

 West Ham United are holding internal talks over possible replacements for manager Graham Potter after a poor start to the season. Potter’s position has come under further scrutiny following Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, a result that sparked fan protests against the board outside London Stadium. According to BBC Sport, candidates being considered include former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil, who previously played for the Hammers, as well as ex-manager Slaven Bilic. Both are currently free agents. Potter has managed just six wins from 25 games since his appointment, raising doubts about his long-term future in charge.

Wolves manager Vitor Pereira says he is not concerned about his position despite his side’s poor start to the Premier League season. Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Leeds United left Wolves without a win from their opening five matches, piling early pressure on the Portuguese coach, who only recently signed a new contract. Pereira admitted his side were too passive defensively in the first half but praised their improved display after the break. “We are trying to correct the mistakes, but they happen again,” he said. “The second half was different. We didn’t concede anything to them… We created some chances to score, but it’s not easy because they defended with a low block.” Asked if poor results could cost him his job, Pereira was defiant: “I am not worried about my future. I am worried about the results. Of course I am confident I can turn it around.”

Tottenham Hotspur has dismissed speculation over a possible change of ownership. The club confirmed its majority shareholder has rejected two preliminary takeover approaches. The Premier League club issued a statement late Sunday, insisting it is “not for sale” after ENIC Sports & Developments Holdings Ltd, which owns 86.5% of Tottenham, turned down proposals from Amanda Staveley’s PCP International Finance Limited and a consortium led by Dr. Roger Kennedy and Wing-Fai Ng through Firehawk Holdings Limited. The announcement comes just days after Daniel Levy stepped down as executive chairman for 25 years. In April, Vinai Venkatesham was appointed chief executive, while Peter Charrington took over the newly created role of non-executive chairman. ENIC is majority-owned by British businessman Joe Lewis and his family through the Tavistock Group private equity firm. The club reiterated that Levy’s departure will bring “no changes to the ownership or shareholder structure.”

Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for England debutant Elliot Anderson. He said that he ‘passed the test’ following the national side’s uninspiring win over Andorra. The 22-year-old was named man of the match as England limped to a 2-0 win over Andorra in their first World Cup qualifier of the new season on Saturday. Anderson came agonisingly close to capping his impressive debut performance off with a goal, only to have his 51st-minute effort saved. Speaking to reporters after the game, Tuchel couldn’t help but admit he was impressed by the Nottingham Forest star’s performance. “He’s just a very, very good football player,” Tuchel said. “He has the physicality, he’s very mobile at No. 6. He has the body, he loves to defend, and he loves to put his body in duels.

Arsenal defender William Saliba is set to miss at least three weeks after suffering an ankle injury. The injury happened in the club’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool before the international break. The 24-year-old lasted only five minutes at Anfield before being forced off. Now, the latest reports suggest he will be sidelined for three to four weeks. France manager Didier Deschamps has already recalled Benjamin Pavard to replace Saliba. He is not expected to bring the centre-back back into contention for October’s internationals. For Arsenal, the injury comes at a difficult time. Mikel Arteta will likely be without Saliba for upcoming Premier League fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City later in the month.

Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike says he is relishing the challenge of competing with Alexander Isak. Isak just secured a British-record £125 million move from Newcastle United. Ekitike joined the reigning Premier League champions this summer after scoring 15 Bundesliga goals for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2024-25. He has already netted three times in four appearances. “When you play for the best teams, you inevitably expect to be competing with the best players,” Ekitike told reporters on Sunday. “Isak is a player I used to watch, so seeing him arrive is a pleasure. It’s going to be tough competition, but I’m going to work hard to be good and perform well so that it’s just the coach’s problem.” Isak’s signing follows Liverpool’s £100m-plus capture of German midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, making him the third-most expensive addition of the summer.