The Cityzens fell six points off the early pace with defeat at Brighton while their outcast attacker is thriving at his new temporary home
And just like that, the first international break of the season is upon us. Just as the Premier League is properly getting going, teams will be able to step back and take stock over the next fortnight as managers consider how they can improve things following the first three rounds of action.
The standout fixture on paper from the past week, and in fact the whole of August, came on Sunday as Liverpool hosted Arsenal in an early-season showdown between the top two teams from 2024-25. However, the clash failed to live up to the hype, with Dominik Szoboszlai's stunning free-kick illuminating an otherwise low-octane encounter at Anfield.
Of course, there were still plenty of talking points to mull over after the drab affair on Merseyside, but we've decided to look elsewhere for our weekly winners and losers from around the English top-flight…
Getty Images SportWINNER: Andoni Iraola
Somewhere in a parallel universe, Andoni Iraola is in the midst of overseeing his first few matches in charge of Tottenham. The Bournemouth boss was heavily linked with the vacant manager's post in north London following Ange Postecoglou's departure, but Spurs instead went in Thomas Frank's direction as they opted for a slightly more cautious approach following the 'It's just who we are, mate' era.
Frank, of course, had made an excellent start to life at Tottenham after following up almost beating Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup by winning his opening two Premier League matches in charge, the second of which at the Etihad Stadium was mightily impressive. However, he and his team were brought back down to earth on Saturday as Iraola masterminded one of the most one-sided 1-0 wins in recent Premier League history.
Though Evanilson's fifth-minute strike needed a deflection to find the back of the net, it was no more than the Cherries deserved from what was an utterly dominant performance on the road. Bournemouth mustered 20 shots in comparison to Spurs' five as the hosts failed to even win a corner on a chastening day for Frank and his charges.
Iraola, it must be remembered, is managing a squad that lost its goalkeeper, three of its four first-choice defenders and a key forward in Dango Ouattara during the summer window, yet Bournemouth are two late Liverpool goals on the opening day away from having made an unbeaten start to the campaign. The Spaniard is undoubtedly one of the most impressive young coaches in European football, and it is surely only a matter of time before he follows Frank in stepping up to take charge of a Champions League-level club.
AdvertisementAFPLOSER: Pep Guardiola
A fortnight is a long time in football. Two weeks ago, Manchester City were apparently 'back' after an impressive opening-day win over Wolves. Now, though, they sit in the bottom half of the table following back-to-back defeats, meaning they are already six points off the pace when it comes to the title race.
If last week's loss to Tottenham was a wake-up call for City, then Sunday's collapse at Brighton should be setting alarm bells going at the Etihad campus. Pep Guardiola's side were in complete control for the first hour of the match at the Amex Stadium and looked well on course for victory after Erling Haaland finally found his shooting boots to put them ahead on the south coast. However, the way that they failed to adapt to Fabian Hurzeler's game-changing quadruple substitution midway through the second half was eye-opening to say the least.
All of the frailties of last season's City came rushing back as they were routinely cut apart by the Seagulls, culminating with the sweeping move that was expertly finished off by Brajan Gruda in the 89th minute. Not even the return of Rodri to the Premier League line-up for the first time in almost a year could solve Guardiola's biggest headache, and the Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder went on to call out the "kid's mistakes" made by his team-mates in the closing stages of the game.
Guardiola is expected to welcome Gianluigi Donnarumma into his squad on transfer deadline day, which should in turn help limit the number of goals his side concede, but his outfield rebuild still looks some way short of being complete. He has two weeks to put things right ahead of the Manchester derby on the other side of the international break…
Getty Images SportWINNER: Jack Grealish
As if to make matters worse for Guardiola, a player whose ability many believe the Catalan shackled during their time together at the Etihad looks to have rediscovered a new lease of life since leaving City.
Jack Grealish made it four assists from his first two starts on loan at Everton in Saturday's win over Wolves in a performance that harked back to the creative genius the England attacker routinely showed during his time at boyhood club Aston Villa. Given the freedom by David Moyes to express himself since joining the Toffees on loan, Grealish's ingenuity and risk-taking has returned to his game, and he has subsequently inspired Everton to back-to-back victories.
The 29-year-old became known as 'the rest station' during his time at City as he was routinely asked to recycle possession under Guardiola. Taking risks was not encouraged, with Grealish instead largely trusted to merely maintain possession before finding a team-mate with a straightforward pass. As a result, his attacking numbers nosedived, and his £100 million price tag proved hard to justify.
Few players needed a summer transfer more than Grealish, and in Everton he seems to have found the ideal landing spot to resurrect his career and perhaps prove he is worth a place in England's World Cup squad. Certainly Thomas Tuchel has left the door open for him to make a Three Lions return, and on current form it would be difficult to argue against Grealish being on the plane this summer.
Getty Images SportLOSER: Marco Silva's blood pressure
Last week, Marco Silva came close to self-combusting as he saw a couple of debatable decisions go against Fulham in their draw with Manchester United. With that in mind, his reaction to how his side's defeat at Chelsea played out was totally understandable.
The decision to disallow Josh King's strike in the first half at Stamford Bridge was utterly laughable, and it seems that the PGMOL agreed as they stood VAR Michael Salisbury down from officiating Sunday's blockbuster clash at Anfield due to the error of judgement he made in believing Rodrigo Muniz had fouled Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up to King's effort.
Silva's subsequent touchline explosion was absolutely warranted and almost-certainly led to his further outbursts when Joao Pedro scored late in first-half stoppage time and when Chelsea were awarded a second-half penalty. Neither the decision to play an extended period at the end of the first half nor punish Ryan Sessegnon for handball inside his own penalty area were as egregious as the Muniz call, but both were debatable enough to have Silva hit the roof given what his team have already gone through with officials so far in 2025-26.
We just hope for Silva's sake that he can allow himself some time to settle down over the international break or he's going to do himself a real mischief…