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Dream week for teenager Kostoulas
In the week that 16-year-old Max Dowman has been thrust into the spotlight, it was another teenager who gave us a glimpse of the future in Brighton’s impressive win over Arsenal. Charalampos Kostoulas – nicknamed ‘Babis’ in his homeland, in homage to former Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta – has already started twice as many Premier League games as he did in his first season in English football, when he was a backup for Danny Welbeck. The 19-year-old repaid Fabian Hürzeler’s faith in him against the reigning champions. Despite his tender years, Kostoulas already possesses the physical attributes to mix it with the best. He caused Gabriel Magalhães and company problems all afternoon, capping it off with a brilliant goal from 25 yards, his third in eight days. “We always knew that he’s capable of scoring goals out of nowhere,” said Hürzeler. “He just has this intrinsic motivation of really improving every day. He gets more and more professional, he understands the demands from the Premier League more, he understands our demands.” Ed Aarons
2
Jacquet required as Liverpool tighten up
Alexander Isak may have been Liverpool’s match-winner on Andoni Iraola’s return to Bournemouth, but it was an afternoon to celebrate defence rather than attack. Liverpool’s front four, signed for a combined £400m, were shorn of fluidity and chemistry. The real stars were in defence, with Ronald Araújo strong at right-back and Jérémy Jacquet commanding at centre-back. Liverpool have kept three straight clean sheets in the league for the first time since the start of 2024-25, and Jacquet’s partnership with Virgil van Dijk is blossoming. Last week the 21-year-old, a £60m arrival from Rennes, was named in Zinedine Zidane’s France squad in his first senior call-up. “He is adapting really well to the Premier League,” Iraola said of Jacquet. “I think in the first games, physically he was feeling the change of rhythm, he was finishing with cramps, really tired and we had to sub him. Today [Sunday] has been a step forward.” Ben Fisher
3
Worrying signs for Carrick’s sluggish side
Michael Carrick is far too phlegmatic to describe anything in such terms, but Manchester United’s game at Fulham was a must-win for the head coach – and they failed to win it. Going into the extended international break, United desperately needed a positive, but instead had to settle for a draw, clinched by Matheus Cunha. Despite the late equaliser, there were plenty of worrying signs for Carrick. One might have assumed United would come out all guns blazing at Craven Cottage in an attempt to seize control and change the narrative after a poor week, in which they had lost twice. Yet for long periods they were lethargic, lacking intensity off the ball and looking short of snap and fizz in the final third. Of particular concern to Carrick will be United’s profligacy in attack; they managed 29 shots at Fulham, but only six were on target and their goal needed a huge deflection to beat Bernd Leno. Dominic Booth
4
Trafford making strong England case
With Dean Henderson absent from the Crystal Palace net and upcoming England squad, James Trafford had a further chance to impress Thomas Tuchel. Admittedly, Trafford spent a long time being very quiet and barely had anything to do in the first half, but after the break he showed why he is so highly thought of, costing Leeds more than £40m in the summer. The former Manchester City goalkeeper made a fine save down to his right from a Yéremy Pino free-kick when the Spaniard surprised him from the edge of the box. Furthermore, Trafford’s ability with the ball at his feet makes him a true competitor for Jordan Pickford at international level. If he carries on being a calming influence at Elland Road, he could become his country’s No 1 before too long. Will Unwin
5
Brobbey finds scoring touch at Etihad
For an initial €20m (£17.2m) outlay to Ajax last summer, Brian Brobbey appears a bargain at No 9 as the 24-year-old’s hat-trick in Sunderland’s 5-3 loss at Manchester City underlined. These were the Dutchman’s first goals – all poacher’s finishes – in the sixth game of the season but Régis Le Bris had been unconcerned. “It’s really positive for a striker [to score three] – when you don’t score it’s still possible to tell the story differently [that he is failing] but for us it is really clear that he is a good striker and he’s getting better game after game. It’s just a question of time,” said the manager, who believes his striker is improving. Brobbey was left disappointed despite his hat-trick. “It’s hard being on the losing side when you’re scoring three goals,” he said. Jamie Jackson
6
Coventry finally up and running
All three promoted clubs have victories on the board following Coventry’s gutsy win at Nottingham Forest. By far the best team in last season’s Championship, Coventry’s struggles were in danger of souring their return to the top division. Jay Dasilva’s superb goal and an organised performance offered a remarkable turnaround from last Sunday’s hammering by Brighton. They now enter the bumper international break with optimism. As Frank Lampard noted, facing Arsenal, Manchester City and Brighton in three of their first four games has not been a kind reintroduction. Their defender, Stephen Mfuni, 18, delivered an assured Premier League debut. On loan from Manchester City, Mfuni received rave reviews in a four-month spell at Watford, another youthful defender to make a strong impression, alongside Jannik Schuster at Brentford and Luka Vuskovic at Brighton. Though was it Mfuni that Caleb Yirenkyi tripped over for the VAR decision that denied Forest an equaliser? Zapruder-esque footage from Forest fans suggests it might have been. John Brewin
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Schuster shows Chelsea his skills
By the end, the talk had switched to Brentford’s attacking potency, both from set plays and through the quiet probing of Mikkel Damsgaard, but this was a victory rooted in their defending. Jannik Schuster arrived from Salzburg in the summer for a fee of around £16m and is already beginning to look like a typically astute Brentford signing. The 20-year-old made his league debut as a substitute for the injured Nathan Collins against Sunderland, made his first start against Bournemouth and excelled against Chelsea, making 12 clearances, winning three aerial duels and blocking three shots. Perhaps more than anything else in football, defending is about structure but, still, it was striking to compare Schuster’s performance with that of the three Chelsea central defenders, who cost a combined £127m despite Levi Colwill being a youth product. Jonathan Wilson
8
Maddison key to any Spurs revival
In attempting to get a handle on the latest Tottenham horror show, Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat by Aston Villa, Roberto De Zerbi bemoaned his side’s lack of resolve in tough moments. “Leaders have to be leaders”, he said. That Spurs lack leaders is clear but the void makes itself felt not just in weak defending. A dominant first half ended goalless for Spurs because of an absence of anyone grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. The £50m signing Mohammed Kudus came on at half-time, but only made things worse. Only when James Maddison came on and Kudus went wide did Spurs regain shape and focus. De Zerbi appears to be taking a cautious approach to reintegrating Maddison, who missed a year of football with an ACL injury, but the Spurs No 10 has the ability and the self-confidence to impose himself on Premier League matches. De Zerbi might need to hasten his reintroduction. Paul MacInnes
9
Jaissle winning over Newcastle fans
Following an ultimately hard fought 2-1 home win against Hull, Newcastle and their new manager, Matthias Jaissle, were left with a respectable eight points from the opening five Premier League games. But what have we learned along the way? Principal conclusions include: 1) Keeping the outstanding England left back, Lewis Hall this summer was imperative; 2) There will be times when Sean Steur requires resting, and moments when he makes mistakes, but the 18-year-old midfielder is an immensely exciting talent capable of shaping games; 3) A current tally of nine injured first-team players suggests Jaissle needs to modify his training regime; 4) Newcastle’s current lack of an orthodox centre forward and a natural No 10 makes Jaissle’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system hard to pull off; his squad are arguably better suited to playing three at the back; 5) Judging by Newcastle’s refusal to surrender to a spirited Hull, Jaissle is winning hearts and minds. Louise Taylor
10
Attwell right to show Fatawu red
Aside from the latest VAR nonsense, Stuart Attwell’s biggest call at Hill Dickinson Stadium was to show Abdul Fatawu a second yellow card for simulation. Despite Gary O’Neil’s claim to the contrary, the referee deserves all credit for doing so. The Ipswich winger was enjoying a productive afternoon and Everton were seething over the decision to disallow Thierno Barry’s header when Fatawu anticipated contact from James Garner and dived. He became only the third player in the last six Premier League seasons to receive a second yellow card for simulation. O’Neil admitted Fatawu had “moved his leg towards it a bit” and that he had spoken to the 22-year-old about not giving the referee a decision to make. But the Ipswich manager’s insistence there was “no desperate need for the referee to get involved” jarred. It was cheating, plain and simple, and the game would benefit from referees punishing it more frequently. It is also a disgrace that Fatawu was racially abused online afterwards. Ipswich and the relevant authorities are investigating the incident. Andy Hunter