The New York Times

Alisson led the applause on the touchline as the rain lashed down at Anfield.

The Brazilian goalkeeper’s deputy, Giorgi Mamardashvili, had just pulled off a stunning save to protect Liverpool’s narrow 2-1 lead against Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

There were five minutes remaining on Tuesday night when Omar Marmoush shrugged off Alexis Mac Allister and found himself bearing down on goal.

As Ronald Araujo slid in to try to block the shot, he only succeeded in deflecting the ball goalwards. Mamardashvili, who was diving to his left, looked beaten, but reacted brilliantly as he somehow clawed the ball away to safety with his right hand.

As Marmoush stood, scarcely comprehending that he had been denied, an emotional Mamardashvili pumped his arms in delight and let out a roar.

“I saw it again just now. It was really crazy — a good save,” the Georgia international told LFCTV post-match. “I was happy to help the team.”

Substitute Dominik Szoboszlai’s exquisite long-range strike in stoppage time, which put the tie beyond doubt, was rightly lauded, along with the contribution of the club’s youngsters who more than repaid the trust shown in them by head coach Andoni Iraola.

But this was also a significant night for Mamardashvili after being handed his first appearance since Liverpool’s chastening 4-2 away defeat to Aston Villa in May.

After a difficult first year following his £29million ($39m) move from Valencia, this season feels like make-or-break for the 25-year-old’s Liverpool career. The jury is out regarding whether he’s got what it takes to become Liverpool’s long-term No 1.

Alisson’s hamstring issues meant that Mamardashvili featured more than anyone expected in 2025-26 as he clocked up 20 appearances in all competitions.

It was a baptism of fire as he tried to adapt to the demands of English football in a misfiring team under Arne Slot. He was frequently left exposed but looked nervy with the ball at his feet and, at times, spread uncertainty.

According to FotMob, Mamardashvili conceded 18 league goals in 2025-26 from an xGOT (expected goals on target) of 15.4 and successfully completed 70 per cent of his passes. For comparison, Alisson shipped 31 league goals from an xGOT of 27.7 and completed 79 per cent of his passes last season. The xGOT numbers suggest that Marmardashvili and Alisson both conceded about three more goals than would be expected from a statistically average shot-stopper.

When Liverpool triggered a one-year option in Alisson’s contract to keep him at Liverpool until the summer of 2027 and then rebuffed Juventus’ interest in May, it was clear that Mamardashvili was facing at least another 12 months as backup.

He held talks with Iraola soon after the Basque coach took over, as the goalkeeper was keen to establish where he featured in the new plans. Iraola provided reassurances about how highly he rated Mamardashvili, pointing to when he had previously tried to sign him for Bournemouth in 2024.

Nottingham Forest inquired about Mamardashvili’s availability towards the end of the transfer window, but Liverpool informed them that he was staying put.

Liverpool viewed buying Mamardashvili as a long-term investment and a key element of their succession planning. Life as Alisson’s understudy isn’t easy given the sky-high standards the former Roma goalkeeper has set since arriving in 2018.

But there’s plenty up in the air regarding the future of Liverpool’s goalkeeping department. Will Alisson, who turns 34 next month, sign an extension to remain at the club beyond this season? It’s too soon to say. If he stays fit and continues to deliver at the highest level, it would be foolish to lose the services of such a legendary figure and leader in the dressing room.

However, if Alisson does stay, then it’s unrealistic to think that Mamardashvili would accept being backup for a third successive campaign given his eagerness to be a No 1.

Last month, Liverpool agreed a £30m deal with Genk for 18-year-old goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans, who will remain at the Belgian club on loan this season before moving to Anfield next summer. Where will he fit in?

Liverpool also have 25-year-old Vitezslav Jaros, who was on loan at Ajax in 2025-26, returning later this season after a serious knee injury, while the club have high hopes for 21-year-old Armin Pecsi, who is out gaining senior experience on loan at Austrian Bundesliga club TSV Hartberg. Freddie Woodman, the 29-year-old third-choice ‘keeper, was given a new contract this summer to keep him around until 2029.

All Mamardashvili can do is try to iron out some of the rough edges to his game. He felt the wrath of the Kop early on against Tottenham when he was slow to come off his line, even as Joe Gomez urged him to take control. Distribution let him down at times as he completed only 24 of his 37 passes (65 per cent).

Mamardashvili felt that he had been unfairly blocked off by Marcos Senesi from the corner that saw Conor Gallagher nod home from close range.

“Especially in England, it’s a little bit difficult at corners,” he told LFCTV. “Someone caught my hand. I didn’t see it back yet but I think it was a foul, I’m not sure.”

That was wishful thinking. The reality was that Mamardashvili had to be more commanding in that situation and use his 6ft 6in (198cm) frame to ensure that nobody got in his way. However, it would be churlish to dwell too much on that moment given that he finished the night well in credit.

Lucas Bergvall and Mohammed Kudus were expertly thwarted by his smart reflexes before his heroics to deny Marmoush. If that late chance had gone in, Liverpool would have been facing the prospect of a penalty shootout.

Alisson, who has been left out of the Brazil squad for the upcoming internationals as Carlo Ancelotti experiments with youth, is set to return to the Liverpool side for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Bournemouth.

The pecking order remains clear but Mamardashvili should take confidence from the plaudits that deservedly came his way on Tuesday night. He’s got a platform to build on in a season that will determine whether he makes the grade at Anfield.

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Yves Bissouma has signed a one-year contract at Ajax following his exit from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Mali international left Spurs this summer upon the expiration of his contract, meaning he was able to join a club as a free agent outside of the transfer window.

The 30-year-old made just 11 appearances for Spurs last season, after missing the first half of the campaign through a knee injury.

Bissouma joined Tottenham for £25million in 2022 from fellow Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and made 111 appearances, scoring twice.

The central midfielder was suspended by Tottenham for the opening match of the 2024-25 season, a 1-1 draw at Leicester City when Ange Postecoglou was head coach, after he uploaded footage to social media which appeared to show him inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon.

He went on to play 44 times in that season, and became a fixture in the latter stages of Tottenham’s Europa League-winning run, helping the side win the competition to end their 17-year trophy drought and 41-year wait for a European trophy.

Bissouma played an instrumental role in the 1-0 victory against Manchester United in the final, playing the full 90 minutes, winning seven duels and four tackles.

His first season in north London was disrupted by a broken ankle in February 2023, which caused him to miss almost three months, and his game time was limited under then-head coach Antonio Conte.

Tottenham attempted to offload Bissouma last summer, and the club later initiated another internal investigation after an image leaked of Bissouma inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon again.

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When Cristian Romero joined Atletico Madrid for £34million in August, he became the third captain to leave Tottenham Hotspur in the last four years, following in the footsteps of Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-min. Other senior figures have also been sold, including the club’s all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

There has been a huge loss of leadership, which at least partly explains their determination to sign Andy Robertson.

Spurs spent more than £300m ($405m) on 10 new players but a tricky start to the season has underlined the need for experience. They have failed to score in their first four league games and have only taken two points. Roberto De Zerbi criticised the team’s mentality and response to Anthony Elanga’s goal in the 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United, and the last thing they need right now is for panic to set in.

Fortunately for Spurs, one of Robertson’s biggest strengths is his upbeat attitude, according to former Liverpool team-mate Caoimhin Kelleher.

“He is going to be brilliant,” Kelleher said after playing against Robertson in Spurs’ 3-0 defeat by Brentford. “He has got a wealth of experience. He’s won every trophy, he’s a winner, and also he’s just a great human being. He’s very positive. He’s been a Scotland captain, he was vice-captain of Liverpool. He’s going to lead them and guide them in a good direction.”

Spurs wanted to sign Robertson in January, but Liverpool could not find a replacement left-back, so he stayed until his contract expired in June. He returns to Anfield for the first time in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie.

Robertson does not need an armband to be a good role model.

The 32-year-old has not been included in De Zerbi’s leadership group, which consists of captain Micky van de Ven, vice-captain Pedro Porro, Ben Davies, James Maddison and Archie Gray. Robertson demonstrated his value against Brentford, as he kept telling team-mates where to position their defensive line. In the second half, he played out of position at right-back.

Robertson was an unused substitute in August’s 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup but still shook hands with opponents and gave his shirt to Rob Apter. He encouraged his team-mates after Neco Williams’ disallowed goal in the draw with Nottingham Forest. These are all little things that can make a big difference.

Robertson’s leadership style is directly linked to his unconventional path to the top. In 2009, he was released by Celtic, the club he grew up supporting, aged 15 due to concerns about his size. Robertson joined Queen’s Park, who were semi-professional at the time, and made his debut at 18. Within a year, he had joined Scottish top-flight side Dundee United. Robertson’s rapid ascent continued with a move to Hull City in England shortly after turning 20.

“When he turned up, he was a young kid from Dundee United nobody knew about,” Curtis Davies, Robertson’s team-mate at Hull, tells The Athletic. “He had that inner belief and work ethic. He always wanted to push himself in training and do his best even when he wasn’t in the team.

“We had big characters including myself, Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore. Once he settled, he became more vocal. If something was not right, he wouldn’t wait for the captain to say something. He always had that edge but in a constructive way.

“There might be a few swear words in there but it wasn’t moaning or groaning. He wanted to motivate other people.”

Davies made 144 appearances for Hull and regularly played next to Robertson as the left centre-back. Davies was 29 when Robertson arrived and had already represented Birmingham City, Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League. But Robertson was unafraid to call out senior players.

“I like it when young players are verbal,” says Davies, who regularly captained Hull. “I talk 24/7. I don’t want to be the guy who has to lead everyone and orchestrate everything. If I’m doing something wrong, pull me up on it. He was always good for that.

“When he first came to the Premier League, he was known more for his attacking. He had a few harsh lessons where he was caught out at the back post or ball-watching. In his second season, when we were in the Championship, he could express himself more and grow as a defender. There is nowhere to hide in the Championship when you play so often and he had a lot of learning to do quickly. The following season, he looked more confident, earned a transfer to Liverpool and never looked back.”

Robertson moved to Anfield for £8m in July 2017 but struggled in the first few months. He knocked on the door of then-manager Jurgen Klopp, seeking advice.

“It was getting to a point where I had to say something,” Robertson told The Athletic in May. “It wasn’t confrontational, I wasn’t having a go — and that is why the conversation was so good. I asked him, ‘What do I need to do to get in your team?’. He thought it was obvious. I just went in the next day and thought, ‘Everything he has said, defensively, I am going to do. If I fail, I fail’.”

Robertson evolved into one of the best left-backs in the world under Klopp. He won nine trophies in as many years at Liverpool, including the Premier League (twice) and the Champions League. Robertson reached double figures for assists in four seasons and scored some crucial goals, including a header in the Merseyside derby against Everton in April 2022.

He became a key voice in the dressing room after being heavily influenced by Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson and James Milner. Robertson was one of the first players to arrive at the training ground each morning and would receive treatment on the massage tables. He trained at a high level and pushed others to maintain the same standards.

He became part of the official leadership group in 2021 and took on the responsibility of collecting fines following Milner’s departure to Brighton & Hove Albion two years later. Robertson was named vice-captain in August 2025 following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid.

Goalkeeper Adrian, who played and trained alongside Robertson for five years at Liverpool, praised his “energy” and motivational skills.

“He lifted the dressing room constantly and set the tone with his intensity and quality,” Adrian told The Athletic in May. “Always joking, always talking, always winding people up, especially in training. He kept everyone entertained. He plays every game with aggression, passion and unbelievable work rate, but he’s also a top leader. Liverpool wouldn’t have achieved what they did without him.”

Robertson would offer advice to academy players and help them integrate into the first-team squad. When Liverpool secured the title with a 5-1 victory over Spurs at Anfield in April 2025, he celebrated by dancing with Alisson and the academy players who were ball boys.

Robertson had a strong bond with academy graduate Conor Bradley and supported the right-back through his rehab from a knee injury he suffered in January. Hopefully, Spurs’ highly rated young players, including Gray, Souza and 17-year-old defender Jun’ai Byfield, will soak up Robertson’s knowledge.

Robertson grew close to Freddie Woodman after the goalkeeper joined Liverpool last summer. Woodman is a former England Under-21 international who made a few top-flight appearances for Newcastle United before dropping into the second tier, initially on loan at Swansea City and Bournemouth, before he joined Preston North End permanently in June 2022. Woodman was 28 when he moved to Anfield. Robertson helped him adjust to the new environment and drastically different expectations.

Robertson’s game time dropped after Milos Kerkez arrived from Bournemouth last summer for £40m. Robertson had a healthy relationship with his positional rival and will aim to strike up a similar dynamic with Destiny Udogie.

“Andy helped me a lot throughout my first year,” Kerkez told a group of reporters, including The Athletic, during Liverpool’s pre-season tour. “He’s a legend. He’s someone I look up to. We had a few conversations about crossing and about how big lungs we need to have so we can run until tomorrow. Where to put the last ball, to stay focused, to get your head up and sometimes put better crosses in. We had chats like that. He was a big help.”

Robertson also had a strong connection with the backroom staff members at Liverpool’s training complex. This year, they took him on a tour of the traditional pubs in Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter. He pulled a pint in Ye Cracke and the evening finished with a meal at Cucina di Vincenzo, an Italian restaurant.

Robertson enjoys horse racing and organised trips to the Cheltenham Festival. He would offer spaces in his Anfield executive box to staff and their families. When his departure was finally confirmed, Robertson wrote individual letters to members of staff by hand and gave them signed shirts.

Robertson also supported and comforted team-mates and other staff around the club following Diogo Jota’s death in July 2025. The pair were close friends, and Robertson had attended Jota’s wedding to his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, just 11 days earlier with his wife, Rachel. Robertson’s kindness and emotional intelligence stood out at a difficult time.

Before Robertson could start the next chapter of his club career in north London, he captained Scotland at this summer’s World Cup. He started all six of their qualifiers and provided the assist for Scott McTominay’s goal in a crucial 2-1 victory over Belarus, as Scotland reached the tournament for the first time since 1998.

When Scotland’s squad arrived at their base camp for the World Cup, Robertson left a handwritten letter to every single player in their hotel room, along with gifts. He started all of their games but they were eliminated in the group stage.

Robertson was given the armband in 2018, when he was only 24, under then-manager Alex McLeish, and retained it following Steve Clarke’s appointment the following year. Robertson made his debut for Scotland a week before his 20th birthday and is second on the all-time appearances list (97, behind Sir Kenny Dalglish on 102).

In north London, Robertson has made a positive impression on his new team-mates and staff. Spurs finished 17th in consecutive seasons and have lost 41 of their last 80 league games. De Zerbi thinks Robertson can play a crucial role in breaking that cycle.

“I believe in him as a player, as a guy,” De Zerbi said before Spurs beat Charlton. “I want him to show his personality. We need his mentality as a winner because we have to get used to winning games and games and games.”

Beating his former side would be a statement victory that could kickstart Spurs’ season.

Additional reporting: James Pearce

Welcome to The Athletic’s data notebook, a periodic look at the key trends, standout figures and tactical quirks shaping the Premier League season.

Newcastle United’s trip to Leeds United on Monday night rounds out its fourth gameweek, so it is far too early to draw any sweeping conclusions from the initial data. Free-scoring Brighton & Hove Albion will probably not play every second game against 10 men, and presumably Tottenham Hotspur will score a goal at some stage between now and the final whistle away to Aston Villa on May 30.

Still, the early signs are worth digging into, and some already look like more than early-rounds noise. Arsenal and Manchester City are four points clear of the rest already, and it is hard to see anyone else muscling in on the title race, while rock-bottom Coventry City look doomed less than a month in.

Allow us to guide you through some of the numbers behind the weekend’s fixtures that you might not have spotted.

Mauled by left-sided crosses

Speaking of early-season variance, even the most ardent Hull City fan will struggle to imagine them holding on to their lofty third-place position in the Premier League until the season ends in the spring. But their unbeaten run has been no fluke either, shaped by the clear tactical identity head coach Sergej Jakirovic established in the Championship last season, one which has scaled up well to their new surroundings.

Hull were never going to dominate possession in the top flight, and they have averaged only 29.7 per cent so far — the lowest rate in the division, but their promotion campaign was built on fast, direct football rather than a patient passing game. Alongside that robust approach, another theme from last season resurfaced in Saturday’s 2-2 draw away to Chelsea: threatening crosses from left wing-back Ryan Giles.

Giles assisted eight goals in the 2025-26 Championship, more than any other Hull player, and registered his first of this campaign at Stamford Bridge. After goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis launched the ball towards the left corner, Giles shrugged off Malo Gusto with a strong shoulder before lofting a cross towards Mohamed Belloumi. Jorrel Hato misjudged the flight of the delivery, allowing Belloumi to emphatically half-volley a shot into the bottom corner.

Hull have made 70 per cent of their crosses from that left flank, the highest share in the league. Giles should have been rewarded with a match-winning assist too, sweeping an inch-perfect cross to the back post for Mohamed-Ali Cho in the 87th minute, only for the French forward to fire straight at goalkeeper Emi Martinez.

The death of the outswinging corner

Belloumi’s second goal of the game also came from a cross, though this time it was a corner. Regan Slater curled his delivery towards centre-back Semi Ajayi, whose header crashed off the crossbar before Oli McBurnie poked the loose ball back to Belloumi on the edge of the box, from where he converted with the help of a deflection.

That sort of whipped, inswinging ball from Slater that caused so much havoc is hugely familiar to avid Premier League watchers.

The set-piece revolution of the past few seasons has coincided with the decline of the outswinging corner, with teams increasingly looking to drop crosses on top of the goalkeeper. Only 8.2 per cent of corners league-wide across these first four gameweeks have been outswingers, marking a fifth consecutive season-on-season decline.

Even with new rules designed to clamp down on the physical grappling that has helped make inswinging deliveries so effective, teams are not turning to alternatives.

Hull are one of nine teams yet to deliver an outswinging corner this season.

Tottenham’s dribble-heavy approach brings no reward

It looks set to be another season of contrasting fortunes for north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.

Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs, who remain winless and without a goal, take a wildly different approach in possession from that of their Premier League champion neighbours — one built around dribbling. They have completed 11.5 take-ons per game this season, the most in the league, while Arsenal are joint-bottom with Coventry on just 4.3.

New arrivals Omar Marmoush and Savio are joint-second with nine completed dribbles, while Mathys Tel tops the leaderboard alongside Ipswich Town’s Abdul Fatawu on 10. Yet despite that squad-wide one-v-one ability, Tottenham still lack cutting edge where it counts, with De Zerbi telling the BBC’s Match of the Day that their problem lies in the final “30 metres”.

Their take-on numbers perhaps point to a team full of talented soloists, but not one with the cohesion and understanding to construct free-flowing attacking moves.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, by contrast, have developed that understanding over several years, focusing less on one-v-ones in risky areas and more on well-choreographed, fluid routines.

Bournemouth and Brentford continue to embrace the chaos

These two are the flag-bearers for the more chaotic, end-to-end brand of football that has taken root in the Premier League in recent years. And sure enough, their 2-2 draw on Saturday was, by the numbers at least, the most frenetic game of the season so far.

The ball changed hands 206 times, more than in any other match, and both sides top the list when it comes to the number of possessions per game.

Many struggle to live with their high-octane styles, but there is an inevitable downside to such an approach. Their reliance on second balls and fast breaks makes it hard to control games, a trait that can make leads difficult to protect. Bournemouth have dropped a league-high nine points from winning positions, while Brentford are second on six. Both were in the lead on Saturday, but couldn’t hold it for more than four minutes.

Neither team will suddenly abandon the entertaining style that has brought them so much success, but both Keith Andrews of Brentford and Bournemouth counterpart Marco Rose might want to consider a more measured approach when protecting a lead.

Manchester United’s ongoing woodwork woes

Even with an insipid attacking performance in which they failed to capitalise on Phil Foden’s early red card, Manchester United can still feel slightly hard done by after Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat by Manchester City.

Officials’ body Pro Ref admitted making an error in judgement when VAR adjudicated that Erling Haaland was onside for the winner.

Outside of those moments of drama, United hit the post twice, first through a thunderous Marcus Rashford free kick and then a sweetly-struck Kobbie Mainoo effort in the second half. It is now 22 times that United have clattered the woodwork since the start of last season, the most of any Premier League side and five clear of Crystal Palace in second.

Beyond those two near-misses, and a huge late chance for Bryan Mbeumo, United created little though, and can only apportion so much blame for the loss to bad luck.

Tottenham Hotspur will be without Pedro Porro and Sandro Tonali when they travel to Liverpool for their Carabao Cup third round game on Tuesday night, while head coach Roberto De Zerbi will not be recalling Richarlison for the tie.

Porro is still missing with the muscular issue which ruled him out of Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Everton, while record signing Tonali, who started the game, picked up a knock and will not be available.

But there was better news for Destiny Udogie, with the Italy left-back available again having missed the draw with the Merseyside club. Meanwhile, De Zerbi added that Dominic Solanke is “not fit yet” but will be involved on Tuesday night as he builds up his fitness and rhythm.

Solanke had a difficult season with injuries last year but De Zerbi spoke with him on Monday morning and believes he can get back to his best.

“I would like to manage him in the best way I can,” the Italian said. “In the physical aspect and in mental aspect, because he’s a sensitive guy, he needs to feel full confidence and from myself he has big, big confidence.

“I believe he can score 10 to 15 goals for sure. He has already scored in Bournemouth and so why can’t he score in Tottenham. It’s the same sport, a different stadium, but no pressure, because in our stadium if we push, if we play well, the fans are with us.”

De Zerbi will not be bringing back Richarlison for the trip to Anfield, even though the Brazil international would technically be eligible because the game is not in the Premier League. Richarlison was not included on Spurs’ 25-man Premier League list, but still has not been able to find a move away from the club.

“You already know everything,” De Zerbi said, when asked about Richarlison’s potential involvement in his press conference on Monday afternoon. “Nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same.”

De Zerbi re-iterated that he had proposed a new contract for Richarlison at the start of the window but that after that there was nothing else he could do.

“I can’t say anything more because it’s not my job,” De Zerbi said. “I can answer about the results, the players in the squad, the offensive space, the defensive space, but not for the other things. What I’ve done, at the beginning of this season, was to speak with him, and to propose an extension of the contract. If he said no thank you, I have finished my job.”

De Zerbi reiterated that it was not his job to “pray” for Richarlison to stay after he had already made up his mind to leave.

“I said in the last press conference, I know what happened in the last 45 days,” he said.

“It’s not right if I explained. It’s not my behaviour, it is the relationship and the problem is with [between] the player and the club. And I stay inside of the club. It’s coach and club together because at the start of this season, I spoke with him many times to convince him to stay and he didn’t want to. I can’t go every day to pray for him to stay.”

This felt like a significant result for Arsenal. In the second half against a spirited Sunderland side, they conceded a penalty when Ezri Konsa appeared to grapple with Dan Ballard. It was a decision that incensed Mikel Arteta, who described it as “unacceptable” in his post-match press conference and left the champions facing the prospect of defeat at the Stadium of Light.

David Raya had other ideas. Enzo Le Fee struck a perfectly good penalty, low to Raya’s left, but the Spanish goalkeeper had anticipated it and plunged down tot tip the ball onto the base of the post. It was a stunning save. Even more remarkable: 121 seconds later, Arsenal were ahead, with Bruno Guimaraes scoring a debut goal from outside the area, having come off the bench at half-time.

Sunderland threw everything at Arsenal, but the champions stood firm. Can anyone stop them this season?

Their north London rivals Tottenham, however, endured another tough afternoon, failing to score for a fourth straight game as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton. At the final whistle, boos echoed around the Tottenham Stadium.

Liverpool and Chelsea, two other sides who came into the season full of optimism, were also held to frustrating home draws. Andoni Iraola’s side still do not look like they are clicking and could not find a way past Fulham at Anfield, while Chelsea continued to attack with verve and defend catastrophically in their 2-2 draw with Hull.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was furious after his side’s defeat to Nottingham Forest, believing James McAtee should have been sent off for the challenge that left Ian Maatsen injured. In Crystal Palace’s defeat to Ipswich, Axel Disasi was sent off for a reckless challenge on Jack Clarke.

Amid the goals and the controversy, the two least-fancied promoted teams continue to impress. At the end of the day, Ipswich were sitting in eighth and Hull in third and might have a better chance of staying up than many expected.

This is the latest Premier League Forum, in which writers from The Athletic give their views on the weekend talking points so far, and you can join the discussion in the comments.

This time, they discuss whether anyone can stop Arsenal defending their title, whether Spurs are in trouble again and if Ipswich and Hull might stay up.

Let us know your views and what else you noticed from the weekend’s action so far.

Game week 4 results so far…

Aston Villa 1-2 Nottingham Forest

Bournemouth 2-2 Brentford

Chelsea 2-2 Hull City

Crystal Palace 2-3 Ipswich Town

Liverpool 0-0 Fulham

Tottenham 0-0 Everton

Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal

Can anyone stop Arsenal?

Ahmed Walid: No.

While every other contender is still sorting their weaknesses and adapting to a new manager, Arsenal already have a strong base and have added to it by signing Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa.

With a fully fit Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz — who only started one Premier League game together last season — stopping this team is harder than it seems.

This is a side with no clear weakness, proficient in all phases of play, and has the individual quality to win any match even if they aren’t at their best.

Dan Sheldon: The strength of Arsenal’s squad is undeniable, and their win over Sunderland, which saw Bruno Guimaraes come off the bench to break the deadlock, is evidence of that.

It wasn’t Arsenal’s best performance, but they scored twice, kept a clean sheet and maintained their unbeaten start to the season.

But if anyone is going to be able to catch them, which, over the course of a 38-game campaign seems unlikely, then it will likely be Manchester City.

In Erling Haaland, Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City has the firepower to blow teams away, but they are getting used to life without Pep Guardiola, whose exit left a huge void, and that, along with their squad, is why Arsenal will be difficult to stop.

Greg O’Keeffe: Arsenal have come through a couple of difficult Premier League games, at home to Chelsea and now the Stadium of Light, and still their defence looks fearsome.

Chelsea and Sunderland — not to mention Napoli in the Champions League — all posed different and exacting challenges, but Mikel Arteta’s men are imperious.

Their spine is built of top players operating at their best, with goalkeeper Davd Raya’s penalty save in the second half proving pivotal.

Bruno Guimaraes is fitting in just nicely, and getting that long-awaited title over the line seems to have dimmed not an ounce of Arteta’s intensity (he fumed afterwards about the decision to award Sunderland the spot kick).

Manchester City will push them all the way, and Enzo Maresca’s extra firepower might just make the difference, but it’s only the men from the Etihad who look capable of making the Gunners sweat as they mount their convincing case for a title defence.

Are Spurs in trouble again?

Dan Sheldon: All that money spent in the summer, yet not a single goal scored in six hours of Premier League football is nothing short of an embarrassment.

If there was any momentum heading into this season, buoyed by the promise of a respected coach in Roberto De Zerbi, and significant investment in the transfer window, then it left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

And it left to a chorus of boos as the club’s supporters let their feelings be known.

Although the table currently says otherwise, Spurs should still have more than enough quality to avoid a repeat of 2025-26, but the onus is on De Zerbi to solve their myriad problems sooner rather than later.

Greg O’Keeffe: Everton didn’t spend a penny on strikers, they even ended the transfer window in a goalscorer deficit.

It’s well known that Tottenham, at least on paper, had a far more ambitious summer. They are committed to forking out £60million ($81.2m) on Omar Marmoush, and spent more on attackers such as Savio. They also boast the experience and prowess of Dominic Solanke.

Somehow on Saturday evening, though, Marmoush did not manage a single shot on target in his 77 minutes on the field, and his team tested Jordan Pickford directly just twice as their goalless pain continued.

It was David Moyes’ side who had the greater expected goals too (1.17 to the hosts’ 0.64).

Last week Marmoush said his new team should “not be too hectic” or “pressured” to score goals, and eventually they would arrive. He also had glowing praise for the manager, Roberto De Zerbi.

But after another hapless blank, the pressure on Tottenham to start scoring will only become greater.

De Zerbi didn’t waste a second at the final whistle, running onto the pitch to give Mathys Tel some coaching. He will need to expedite those lessons if he is to convince the booing fans they are not, somehow after all that lavish recruitment, in for another difficult campaign.

Ahmed Walid: Yes, and they need to sort their attack and high press quickly.

Tottenham struggled to break down Everton’s defence, which follows weak attacking performances against Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United — even if they had bright spells in the latter.

Meanwhile, the high press was dysfunctional once more against David Moyes’ side, as was the case in the defeats against Brentford and Newcastle.

Time is needed for this newly assembled team to gel, but without goals — and consequentially wins — pressure is added on a squad that is clearly devoid of any confidence.

Despite the millions of pounds spent, it’s ironic that Spurs’ best player in their four Premier League games has been Rodrigo Bentancur.

Ipswich and Hull were favourites for relegation. Can they stay up?

Greg O’Keeffe: Selhurst Park is a notoriously difficult place for away teams, and yet there went promoted Ipswich — boldly sealing victory at the death and finishing the day in eighth place.

Hull City pulled off an even more surprising result, grabbing a well-deserved point from an encounter at Stamford Bridge which they navigated with confidence and ambition.

Sergej Jakirovic’s defensively tough side are now third. Tigers fans may want to print off the league table right now, because while it may not get much better for them this season in terms of league position, it serves as further tangible proof that their many doubters before a ball was kicked this season were premature.

For Gary O’Neill’s side, Zian Flemming always felt like a smart signing. His first goal for the club since his deadline-day move bodes well, as does the patient and potent manner in which they sought the win when other promoted teams may have settled for a point.

It’s early days but you’d be a brave man to bet against at least one of these two, if not both, leveraging their bright starts into survival.

Dan Sheldon: The Premier League is seemingly bucking what was becoming a worrying trend.

In the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, the three promoted teams were all relegated at the end of the campaign, which was the first time in the league’s history that this had happened in consecutive years.

Sunderland and Leeds United bucked that trend in 2025-26, and Ipswich Town and Hull City have shown early signs that they will, too.

It has been a tough start for Coventry City, rooted to the bottom of the table, but their fellow promoted teams have shown enough quality in the opening matches that survival is more than possible.

Ahmed Walid: Maybe — it’s too early to tell.

Hull City and Ipswich Town have put in positive performances, with clear ideas of what they want to do on and off the ball.

The problem, though, is that the rest of the league is stacked with individual talent.

Even if Fulham and Crystal Palace have endured tough starts to the season, they have the player quality and experience to edge Hull, Ipswich and Coventry City.

It’s always good to remember that Hull were third in the Premier League table in late October 2008, and only managed to avoid relegation on the final day of that season.

What next?

Manchester has become one of the most talked-about cities in the world in recent months and today the city hosts its first derby of the season. Enzo Maresca’s side travel to Old Trafford with a 100 per cent record as the transition to the post-Pep era appears to be going smoothly.

Michael Carrick has had a more challenging start to the season, after that surprising defeat to Hull in their first game, but there have been positive signs in recent performances that United are finding their stride.

In the earlier kick-off, Frank Lampard is looking for his first Premier League point as his Coventry side host free-scoring Brighton.

On Monday, Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle travel to Elland Road to face Daniel Farke’s Leeds, with both sides unbeaten in their first three games.

Premier League fixtures

Sunday Sep 12

Coventry City v Brighton & Hove Albion (2:00pm BST/9:00am ET)

Manchester United v Manchester City (4:30pm BST/11:30am ET)

Monday Sep 13

Leeds United v Newcastle United (8:00pm BST/3:00pm ET)

The problems mount for Tottenham Hotspur and Roberto De Zerbi.

A summer outlay of more than £300million appears to have done little for his team’s attacking output and for a fourth successive game they failed to scored. It was the first 0-0 in a Premier League game since the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was rebuilt.

Savio, Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush started as the front three for the first time for Spurs and it was the Brazil forward who was often the brightest spark for the hosts from the off.

But the first half was far from entertaining, not helped by a visibly patchy pitch, and James Garner’s free kick, beaten away by Antonin Kinsky, was the only shot on target. Mateus Fernandes finally tested Jordan Pickford in the opening exchanges of the second period before Kinsky kept out Thierno Barry’s header with his head.

The home fans’ frustration was audible and Kinsky almost gifted Everton the lead when he passed straight to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall but he redeemed himself by saving well. Former Spurs forward Brennan Johnson should have broken the deadlock in the 75th minute from 15 yards but failed to hit the target.

Pickford followed Kinsky’s lead in the closing stages by handing Lucas Bergvall possession but got back to palm the shot wide and Spurs’ challenge fizzled out.

How did Spurs’ new-look front three perform?

One of the concerns when signing De Zerbi to lead Tottenham was how he was going to set up his team to break deep defences. It was one of the problems he had at Brighton & Hove Albion in his previous spell in the Premier League.

The logic was that with the quality of players added to Spurs’ squad, the input of the individuals and their profiles would provide De Zerbi with more solutions in the final third.

However, Tottenham struggled to break down Everton’s defence, which follows weak attacking performances against Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United — even if they had bright spells in the latter.

The front three of Savio, Solanke, and Marmoush, who occupied a narrow position from the left side, didn’t knock on Everton’s door and had no shots on target between them.

Spurs’ main attacking threat came from right-back Archie Gray and midfielder Mateus Fernandes’ runs in the right half-space, which David Moyes’ side were more aware of in the second part of the first half.

Even when Spurs changed the attacking shape by introducing Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Bergvall in place of Solanke, Fernandes and Rodrigo Bentancur, they were still toothless.

Thus far, Tottenham’s inability to break down deep defences remains the biggest question for De Zerbi and his players this season.

Ahmed Walid

What’s going on with Spurs’ pitch?

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is not just a football ground. It has become one of London’s primary venues for music artists and is home to two NFL games per year.

The revenue Tottenham earn through their stadium is, in part, the reason why they were so busy in the transfer market. It is not often that a team that finishes 17th in successive seasons fall behind only Manchester City and Chelsea as the Premier League’s third-biggest spenders, with their total outlay well beyond the £300m mark.

But an unwanted consequence of hosting so many events is that the pitch’s quality may suffer. Last week, American rapper Jay-Z performed two nights in the stadium, which may explain the patches of yellow turf dotted around the pitch.

The pitch at the stadium is retractable, and grow lights are used to keep it in top condition even when it is underground. Tottenham ground staff operate autonomous mowers programmed to cover the entire pitch and ensure it is Premier League-ready.

Still, despite it being just the third game hosted at the stadium this season, Tottenham’s pitch appeared more like one you would expect to see in May.

Elias Burke

Is Archie Gray’s future at right-back?

Archie Gray wants to be a central midfielder, but, on the evidence of his performance against Everton, his qualities may be better suited to a right-back role under De Zerbi.

Tottenham opted against replacing Djed Spence as Pedro Porro’s back-up right-back, after the England international moved to Inter in a deal worth around €30m (£25m; $34m). Part of that is down to Porro’s outstanding record of availability — he has comfortably played more minutes than any Spurs player since he signed permanently in 2023.

It was also down to the faith De Zerbi has in Gray, to whom he handed the armband throughout pre-season and for their season opener against Brentford.

But with Porro sidelined with a minor injury — something that may become more commonplace as Tottenham switch to preventive measures to limit the chances of another injury crisis — the 20-year-old got another chance.

Defensively, Gray dealt well with the trickery of Tyrique George, and later Jack Grealish, who replaced the 20-year-old in the 65th minute. But it was on the offensive side where he looked most natural, rotating with Fernandes in the right half-space and demonstrating his athleticism and passing range.

When playing in midfield, Gray has occasionally struggled with the speed of the Premier League. From right-back, he was able to charge forward into space with and without the ball, which suits his qualities much better at this stage of his career.

The Premier League is stacked with electric wingers, so he may face tougher defensive tests down the line. But, overall, it was one of his more complete displays in a Spurs shirt.

Elias Burke

Did both teams need a Richarlison?

Had things turned out differently, he might have been in Rio de Janeiro. But the man who could have made a difference for both these teams was still at the Tottenham stadium on Saturday — if only as a disconsolate onlooker.

Clad in casual black shirt, shorts and trainers, Richarlison watched as his current(ish) and former teams traded blows but suffered from mutual woe in front of goal.

It was a contest that showed how both Spurs, who have found scoring so painfully hard, and Everton, with only one senior centre forward on their books, may regret not having him in their ranks. The Brazil forward’s 11 Premier League goals last term made him Tottenham’s top scorer and would, had they come in royal blue, have meant the same on Merseyside.

Instead, De Zerbi left the 29-year-old out of his top-flight squad after losing patience with his wantaway outbursts, and Everton’s attempts to re-sign a player who was so popular during his spell as a Toffee faltered on deadline day.

At least the visitors can say their failure to have Richarlison in their ranks was out of their control. He decided against a return to Merseyside, as part of a reported deal in which the numbers made little financial sense anyway, even if his goals would have been much welcomed.

For the second game running Barry, who Moyes must hang his hat on solely, failed to convert a strong chance as he headed Tyrique George’s teasing cross straight at Kinsky.

Richarlison has said he was close to getting the move he wanted to Vasco de Gama on loan until December, but the move broke down.

Limbo for him then — and just as many question marks for both of these clubs in terms of goalscoring.

Greg O’Keeffe

What did De Zerbi say?

“I’m honest. I’m always honest with you, no? Because when we play bad, I say we play we played very bad. But when I come in to the press conference, 99 per cent I’m honest, like with the players, like with the club. I said we started this season late in many many reasons. Many players for the World Cup, many problems, injuries in Australia. Mateus Fernandes, Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke. Not our responsibility or the club’s, but we bought two players late: Savio and Marmoush. I started to work with this group two Thursdays ago. We do not have the right physical condition yet.

“We played very well the first 30 minutes, and then maybe the energy, maybe the fact we didn’t score, maybe we lost in some players a little confidence. We have to be not positive but realistic. If we extend that part of the game 30 minutes to 70, 80, 90, my belief is that we’re gonna win many games. We have to improve in the last third of the pitch. The last decision, the last pass. We have to shoot more times, especially when we have space and time to do. We have to do with the right spirit. But I can’t say nothing bad because I know how the players are working very well.

“It’s tough to explain because four games without goals is tough to accept. We are sorry for the fans, but the fans they went today behind the players. When the players in the first 30 minutes they played very well, it was a hot, hot stadium. And then, like me, like every fan of Tottenham or the people inside of the club, we were sad because we were 75 times in the goal area and did not shoot enough.

“But what is the problem? The problem is the goal. The real problem, the most important problem, is the players have to be focused on the first 30 minutes and on the improvement we can do and we have to do. Not about the media, social media, not about the the journalists, because today, if we had we won today we’d have stayed in a different way with a smile. Great first half, great spirit. The second half: great, great, great. But the result changed the opinion. My opinion, no. Because I’m a coach, not a journalist. I’m not a fan.”

What next for Spurs?