Five Knee-Jerk Reactions to Premier League 2024-25 Matchday 2

Roll up for our latest dose of snap judgements on the weekend’s Premier League action.

Here at Opta Analyst, being a data-led sports website, we tend to think long and hard before coming to conclusions. We need numbers to back up what we say, so there is usually some justification to what we put out on the interweb.

But sometimes, we just want to be a bit more knee-jerk. Step in this weekly column.

So, without any further ado, here are our five Knee-Jerk Reactions to Matchday 2 of the 2024-25 Premier League season.

Everton to Finish Bottom

It’s going to be a long season for Everton. It will be their last at Goodison Park, but could it also be their last as a Premier League ever-present? On the evidence of their first two matches, it might well be.

That sentiment isn’t quite in keeping with the ethos of our Knee-Jerk Reactions, though, so let’s go all the way; they’re going to finish bottom this season.

After beginning 2024-25 with a rather grim 3-0 home defeat to Brighton, the Toffees endured another brutal afternoon on Saturday as they were swept aside 4-0 away to Tottenham. Not the easiest place to go, granted, but Sean Dyche’s men hardly laid a glove on Spurs.

The performance of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was especially concerning. Most glaring was his error for Son Heung-min’s first goal, as he dawdled on the ball and was robbed by the South Korea international, who slotted into an empty net.

But then he will also feel he should’ve done better for Son’s second, which was blasted straight through him from a tight angle after Micky van de Ven channelled his inner Forrest Gump and just ran.

Everton’s start to the season, comprising no goals scored and seven conceded in two matches, would be worrying for any team. But in 2023-24, they had such a problem with scoring (40 goals, second-fewest in the Premier League), while only Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool conceded fewer than them (51). If they’re now no better in attack and also far less solid at the back, they’re likely to be in deep trouble.

Arsenal Will Better Last Season’s Points Tally

The Opta supercomputer may still regard Manchester City as big favourites for the Premier League title, but Arsenal have picked up where they left off last season and look every inch a side that can push the champions all the way again.

Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa was never going to be straightforward; it’s a game that has the potential to trouble the best teams around – Arsenal know that better than most.

After all, 40% of the Gunners’ Premier League defeats last season came against Villa, losing home and away to Unai Emery’s men, who also outplayed Man City at Villa Park last term.

With that in mind then, Arsenal have already collected more points from games against Villa than they did all last season thanks to Saturday’s 2-0 win, and that shouldn’t be overlooked.

It’s also worth saying that Villa showed signs of quality, but Arsenal made the most of the let-offs that were Ollie Watkins’ two big misses and were clinical at the other end. And then, in the latter stages, the Gunners were dominant and on another day might’ve added another couple of goals.

While some might not see a win at Villa Park being as big a deal as, say, a win away to one of the so-called big six, or even Newcastle, but this was an early statement from the Gunners, a hugely promising result against a team who have really troubled them in the past.

Mikel Arteta’s side have looked incredibly business-like over the first two weeks of the season; the 89 points they accumulated last term was the most they’ve won in a single Premier League campaign since the 90 recorded by The Invincibles in 2003-04, which is their most ever in a top-flight season.

Don’t be surprised if they surpass that this term – they’re more than good enough to.

Arne Slot Already Working Wonders with Liverpool

Jürgen Klopp is a difficult act to follow, but it’s so far, so good for Arne Slot and Liverpool, who made it two wins from two at the weekend with a 2-0 defeat of Brentford.

While their new head coach made the point on Sunday that neither of their first two opponents – Brentford and Ipswich – are expected to be challenging for the top six this season as he tried to temper any excitement, we don’t do tempering of excitement in Knee-Jerk Reactions.

The Reds have played some brilliant football at times over their first two games, putting together intricate passing moves and carving open their opponents. They also don’t appear to have lost much of their potent work rate in the final third either.

Liverpool’s lack of transfer activity has been portrayed as a negative by many, and perhaps there are areas they need to bolster, but arguably the flipside is that it has helped keep a little more stability in a summer when there’s been one major change in the dugout.

Certainly, Slot’s ideas appear to be resonating well with his new team. Players have spoken about a desire to keep hold of the ball and their 92% passing accuracy on Sunday was the club’s highest in a single league game on record (since 2003-04), which is a promising start.

Furthermore, Slot became the first Reds boss to win his first two league games in charge without conceding a goal since Graeme Souness in 1991.

Considering there would definitely have been some worrying about an immediate drop-off after Klopp’s departure, it’s fair to say the early days of the Slot era have been rather encouraging.

Erling Haaland to Break Hat-Tricks Record… This Season!

You always feared for Ipswich Town ahead of the weekend; an early season trip to Manchester City after facing Liverpool on Matchday 1 is unfortunate, and Erling Haaland provided a fairly succinct reminder of the step up at this level.

Man City beat Ipswich 4-1 on Saturday, and although Sam Szmodics’ early opener gave the hosts a minor scare, the response was emphatic; Pep Guardiola’s men were 3-1 to the good by the 16th minute thanks to a couple from Haaland either side of Kevin De Bruyne’s strike following an Aro Muric gift.

Haaland completed his hat-trick two minutes from time with a clinical 20-yard finish into the bottom-right corner.

That was his seventh Premier League hat-trick already in just 68 games, meaning he’s averaged one every 9.7 matches in the competition; it’s an astonishing record whichever way you look at it, but especially when you consider Sergio Agüero’s 12 hat-tricks – more than anyone else in Premier League history – came at a rate of one every 22.9 games, and that was far better than other players with the most trebles.

Haaland now needs only five more hat-tricks to draw level with Agüero for the all-time record – at this point, it seems a given that he’ll overtake the City legend. But that’s not reactionary enough for our Knee-Jerk Reactions; so, what’s stopping him getting there this season?

It’ll require him to improve on his average of one hat-trick every 9.7 games, but if anyone can, Haaland can. After all, with four goals in two games this season, he’s already on course to net 76 times…

Okay, reaching that total might be a little farfetched, but netting six hat-tricks in one season – to match Aguero’s record – doesn’t feel beyond Haaland, who, on the evidence of his first two campaigns in the England, is a finisher unlike any other we’ve previously seen before in the Premier League.

Erik ten Hag Won’t Be Man Utd Manager Come December

Given Manchester United went into the weekend having lost four of their previous five Premier League meetings with Brighton (albeit winning on the final day of 2023-24), their trip to the Amex Stadium felt like it could be a decent barometer of any progress made in pre-season.

And, to be fair, they weren’t bad for the most part. Those gaping midfield holes don’t look quite as prominent as last season and there were some encouraging signs in their football, with Kobbie Mainoo especially eye-catching once again.

But it was the same old story when it came to both being unable to properly control (or kill off) a match and letting a result slip at the end.

On another day, United would’ve gone into stoppage time 2-1 up but didn’t because Joshua Zirkzee couldn’t avoid nudging Alejandro Garnacho’s shot over the line while offside. As it was, they left emptyhanded because of João Pedro’s dramatic late winner.

That was the sixth time since Erik ten Hag’s arrival that United have lost a Premier League game thanks to a goal scored in the 90th minute or later, more than any other team. In the 30 seasons prior to 2022-23, United had only lost two games in such a manner.

Admittedly, the Premier League is different these days and stoppage time goes on for longer, but the fact they’ve let in more decisive goals at that stage of the match than any other side speaks volumes about United’s mentality and lack of focus.

What made João Pedro’s winner even more galling from United’s perspective was the fact he was one of three Brighton players completely unmarked at the back post.

The lack of organisation, the frequency at which United concede decisive goals late on; none of it reflects well on Ten Hag, and considering the club’s attempts off the pitch to bring them into the 21st century, they’re only going to be so patient with him regardless of the one-year contract extension given to him.

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