Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield over the weekend to keep a perfect record at the top of the English Premier League.
The win came soon after City were found guilty of breaking the league’s financial rules. The club has appealed against the verdict, which covers more than 100 charges.
Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored for Enzo Maresca’s side. Liverpool played with 10 men after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off.
City have now won all six of their opening league games. Their run includes away wins against their two biggest rivals, Liverpool and Manchester United.
According to AFP, it is still not clear whether City can stay in the title race until a ruling on their appeal is made. Their strong start is expected to add to calls for a quick end to the case.
At Old Trafford, Manchester United drew 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur. Dominic Solanke scored the equaliser for Spurs in stoppage time.
Tottenham came back after being a goal behind and a player down. They controlled long spells of the game, and only poor finishing stopped them from getting their first league win of the season.
United have six points from their first six league games. AFP reported that this is the club’s worst start in 40 years.
It was not the first time United failed to make use of an extra player. They lost 1-0 to City last month after playing more than an hour against 10 men. They also lost at home to Everton in the same way last season.
The results have put pressure on manager Michael Carrick. He was given the United job on a permanent basis only a few months ago.
“The pressure is on him, the questions are obviously always with the manager and you just hope they can come out of it in these next few weeks,” former United captain Gary Neville said.
Carrick’s side now face away games against Atletico Madrid, Leeds and Como over the next 10 days.
In London, Arsenal beat Leeds 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Bruno Guimaraes came off the bench to score the winning goal.
Arsenal fell behind and were at risk of a second defeat in a row. Riccardo Calafiori scored the equaliser before Guimaraes struck a few minutes after Mikel Arteta sent him on.
It was the Brazil midfielder’s second league goal since he joined from Newcastle in the close season. It was also his first goal at the Emirates.
“I felt amazing and I can’t wait to score more goals now. It was very loud when I scored,” Guimaraes said after he jumped into the crowd to celebrate.
Guimaraes has started only one league game for second-placed Arsenal. Arteta said he “wasn’t at the level” needed during that defeat at Brighton.
“I couldn’t wait to go to the pitch, and I was very anxious on the bench,” Guimaraes said.
He said he hopes his goal will earn him a start when Arsenal host Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.