After three breathtaking weeks of Premier League action, the first international break of the 2025-26 campaign is upon us, but there’s still plenty to digest before the players jet off to join up with their national teams.
Gameweek 3’s fixtures produced some potentially season-defining moments, despite there still being 35 matches for each side to mould their fate.
Chelsea built on their strong start to the season with a win over Fulham – albeit the match in west London was marred by more VAR controversy.
Over in north London, Thomas Frank was handed his first domestic loss as Tottenham boss at the hands of Bournemouth, and in Manchester, Ruben Amorim’s United finally earned their first three points thanks to a stoppage-time penalty from captain Bruno Fernandes.
Are You Looking Forward To The First International Break of the 2025/26 Season?
Manchester City were dealt another blow in their hunt to reclaim the title under Pep Guardiola, giving up a 1-0 lead as Brighton sealed a dramatic, late win on the south coast.
And in the blockbuster clash of the weekend, it was another scrappy performance from Arsenal against reigning champions Liverpool, only this time it was not enough for Mikel Arteta’s men to walk away with any points.
As always, BOYLE Sports takes a look at who backed it and who bottled it during the third instalment of the new season.
BACKED IT OR BOTTLED IT? PREMIER LEAGUE GAMEWEEK 3 RECAP
Star of the Weekend
Star of the Weekend: Joao Pedro
Chelsea’s rocky start against Crystal Palace on the opening weekend has long been forgotten by Blues fans, and they earned three more points against Fulham thanks largely to the heroics of Joao Pedro.
The former Brighton striker has been a revelation since joining the Blues earlier in the summer, already netting two goals and notching as many assists by the end of GW3.
In fact, Pedro has been involved in seven goals across all five of his starts, stretching back to the Club World Cup triumph in July.
And it wasn’t just the 23-year-old’s work in front of goal that caught the eye at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Across a tricky 90 minutes that saw plenty of VAR drama and a Fulham goal chalked off, Pedro proved he can chip in with defensive contributions in this increasingly valuable Enzo Maresca side.
He was the most fouled player on the pitch, winning four free kicks for Chelsea, but also won 100% of his tackles, recovered possession six times and made two clearances – not bad for a player who was brought to put the ball in the back of the net.
Pedro’s work has earned him a well-deserved call-up from Brazil for the latest World Cup qualifiers, with Chelsea fans all over the globe hoping he makes it back in one piece and can continue the same eye-catching form he’s currently in.
Flop of the Weekend
FLOP OF THE WEEKEND: VIKTOR GYOKERES
Until Sunday evening, Arsenal were unbeaten away from home against the ‘Big Six’ for a whopping 858 days.
They last lost 4-1 against Manchester City in April 2023, but this time it was Liverpool’s turn to hand the Gunners defeat and lay down a marker in what is set to be another thrilling title race.
There will be a sense of disappointment among the Arsenal fanbase, especially as, at times, the current champions looked vulnerable in front of an expectant Anfield crowd.
As part of another summer splurge of over £300 million, Viktor Gyokeres was brought in to make the difference and finally give Arteta’s men the upper hand at the top end of the table.
But it was another mediocre performance from the Swede, at a time when he needed to deliver.
The 27-year-old didn’t even muster a single shot on Merseyside, had a mere 17 touches of the ball – the least of any starter in the match – and, despite his 6ft 2in frame, failed to win a single aerial duel.
It was a tough day at the office for the man who has inherited Thierry Henry’s famous No.14 shirt, and if he is to live up to the weight of expectation that comes with playing for Arsenal, he has a lot of work to do.
Will Viktor Gyokeres be a flop at Arsenal?
Biggest Disappointment
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: MANCHESTER CITY
Have Manchester City already proved they are not in contention to win the Premier League this season?
After making some exciting additions this summer, plenty of punters were backing Pep Guardiola’s men to make a storming charge and challenge Liverpool for the title.
However, after three games, they only have three points on the board. Having been shown up by Tottenham last week, this time it was Brighton’s turn to turn up the heat on Erling Haaland and Co.
Rodri returned to the starting line-up for the first time in a year but saw his run of 49 starts without a loss come to an end, and after Haaland pounced on the opportunity to put City 1-0 up, the eight-time Premier League winners capitulated.
It is not unfair to say they were tactically outclassed by a brilliant quadruple substitution from Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler in the second half, who coached the Seagulls to their first win of the season in style.
To make matters worse for the blue half of Manchester, Guardiola revealed that new midfielder Rayan Cherki will be out for around two months after picking up an injury, and academy graduate Phil Foden was also not part of the squad that travelled to the Amex Stadium.
For the first time in 21 years, City have now lost two of their three opening games of the Premier League season, and there is already a lot of catching up to do with Liverpool opening a six-point gap to their old foes.
Performance of the Weeekend
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEKEND: WEST HAM
West Ham showed their full potential under Graham Potter with a stunning 3-0 win away to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
After facing a lot of criticism in the opening weeks of the new campaign, the Hammers looked back to their best thanks to the brilliance of Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Callum Wilson.
Their impressive performance means they become the first side to beat Forest by three or more goals at the City Ground this century, and it certainly felt like a real statement from the east London club.
Debutant Matheus Fernandes shone in midfield, and Wilson’s first goal in his new colours will fill him with confidence ahead of what is a long season. Substitute Crysencio Summerville was a joy to watch, too, darting in and out of the Forest defence and winning his side a penalty to put the game to bed.
With 12 shots, eight on target, three big chances and an xG of 2.14, West Ham were clinical when they needed to be and kept a prolific Chris Wood quiet all afternoon – the New Zealand international was only able to muster one shot on target and had just 15 touches of the ball.
Their return to form comes at a perfect time for Potter and his players, with a huge derby against Tottenham on the horizon after the international break.
Surprise of the Weekend
SURPRISE OF THE WEEKEND: Tottenham
Tottenham were dominated on their own turf by Bournemouth in GW3, despite a strong start under Thomas Frank.
The Lilywhites never had a sniff in one of the most one-sided matches of the season, and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was left stunned at the lack of control their team had against Andoni Iraola’s impressive side.
After such an inspiring victory over Manchester City in GW2, Spurs have now failed to win the following match against Guardiola’s team for the ninth consecutive time, and they were lucky to only concede once. The 1-0 loss also extends their poor record going into international breaks, with Tottenham now failing to win a game before one since 2023.
Bournemouth deserve a lot of credit for the way they suffocated Frank’s men in North London, preventing Spurs from having a shot on target until the 69th minute and failing to create a single big chance.
It was the first time the hosts had failed to register a first-half shot at home in the Premier League since 2020, and only the second time since 2003.
A win would have been enough to send Tottenham to the top of the table for the break, but in true Spurs fashion they crumbled and instead served up a harsh reality check for the new management team.
Moment of the Weekend
MOMENT OF THE WEEKEND: SZOBOSZLAI’S ANFIELD SCREAMER
Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool looked destined to end in a bore draw, but Dominik Szoboszlai had other ideas.
His 30-yard free-kick to win the game was pure brilliance and understandably sent the Anfield crowd into fits of ecstasy as they celebrated what could be a decisive moment in the title race.
The 83rd-minute strike was Liverpool's latest winning goal via a direct free-kick in a Premier League game since Steven Gerrard scored in the 87th minute against Aston Villa 18 years ago.
Szoboszlai’s moment had shades of Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning strike against Portsmouth and, ironically, Declan Rice’s pinpoint free-kick against Real Madrid in the Champions League last season, kissing the post on the way in to make it look even more immaculate.
Arsenal fans will claim it was a lucky break, and that is early enough in the season that it will not have a long-term effect on the race for the title, but those on Merseyside will suggest that every point matters when you are hunting down the Premier League crown.
Only time will tell whether that goal could be the one to win Liverpool another major honour under head coach Arne Slot, but it’s certainly advantage Reds heading into the break.
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