If you thought that a weekend of soaring temperatures would slow the pace and intensity of Matchweek two’s fixtures, think again – the Premier League served up a weekend of incredible entertainment, for virtually every reason you could imagine.
We start of course with Brentford’s astonishing 4-0 demolition of Manchester United, a result that saw the Mancunian giants sink to the rock bottom of the table after two matches. Elsewhere, new boys Nottingham Forest claimed their first top flight victory in a generation, a Gabriel Jesus masterclass saw Arsenal overcome Leicester City, and Chelsea’s fiery draw with rivals Tottenham Hotspur ignited memories of the infamous Battle of the Bridge.
As always, we now attempt to compress a weekend of breathless action into five standout, star individuals.
Stars of the Week – GW 2
Goalkeeper: Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest)
The wait is over. After more than 23 years, Nottingham Forest have won a Premier League game, achieving it at just the second time of asking and in their first home game as well.
Forest fought to the end to successfully hold onto their 1-0 lead over West Ham, and on-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson played a monumental part in the result. Henderson made four saves throughout the game, which included a brilliant reaction stop from Tomas Soucek‘s header and later saving (and holding) a penalty from Hammers captain Declan Rice.
The goalkeeper had a bit of luck go his way throughout the game, with West Ham hitting the woodwork twice and having another effort cleared off the line, but his performance arguably deserved such luck.
Manchester United could already be regretting sending him on loan.
Defender: Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest)
Staying with the Nottingham Forest theme for now, it might seem unusual to feature both a defender and goalkeeper from the same team, but the colossal team effort that went into achieving a clean sheet against West Ham makes this game an exception to the rule.
As well as Henderson in goal, fellow new signing Neco Williams put in an extraordinary defensive effort from the right wingback position. The former Liverpool player was everywhere for Forest, making four clearances, one interception and six tackles. Not only that, but on the one occasion that his goalkeeper was beaten, Williams was in the right place with a terrific recovery to hook Kurt Zouma’s header off the line.
Not a bad way to announce yourself to your new supporters on your home debut.
Midfielder: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Two games, six points. A home victory for Manchester City against Bournemouth may have been the most predictable result of the weekend, but the champions still looked excellent against newly promoted Bournemouth, wrapping up the victory early with three goals in the first 40 minutes.
The mercurial Kevin De Bruyne was in sublime form for City in the second half of last season, and the Belgian picked up where he left off by producing a fantastic individual performance here. After picking up the ball on the right, De Bruyne drove at the Bournemouth backline before poking in a delightful finish with the outside of his boot, and not long afterwards he popped up on the opposite side before playing in Phil Foden to claim an assist as well.
Just another day for one of the best players in the world.
Forward: Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)
From a current Manchester City player to a former one, we move onto a forward who seems to be loving life at his new club following his exit from the Etihad this summer.
Arsenal new boy Gabriel Jesus has now been given the main striker role which he so obviously craves, and wasted no time getting to work for his new team following a brilliant display against Leicester on Saturday. With the ball at his feet in the Leicester penalty area, the Brazilian produced a pinpoint standing finish into the far corner to give his team a first half lead, and soon claimed another with a poacher’s header at the back post.
He wasn’t done there though – after the break, he took advantage of goalkeeper Danny Ward’s error and found Granit Xhaka for an easy finish, before finally playing a simple pass to Gabriel Martinelli who was fired home superbly.
Two goals, two assists; home debuts don’t get much better than that.
Manager: Thomas Frank (Brentford)
For the second week running, our Star Manager choice comes at the expense of Manchester United, but could it really have been anybody else?
Thomas Frank’s Brentford served up a footballing masterclass in the weekend heat, delivering a first half blitz that left United shell-shocked. Admittedly, Brentford did get a bit of good fortune with the first goal, which was purely a goalkeeping error, but throughout the half their pressing and intensity was just too much for United, and the hosts’ second goal came as a direct result of this high-energy approach. The fourth and final goal was just as good as any of them, stemming from a lightning-fast counterattack and precise passing that Brentford have come to be known for in the past 12 months.
One year on from their Premier League debut victory over Arsenal, the journey just keeps getting better and better for the Bees and for Thomas Frank, with this result standing alone as their most incredible moment yet.
