Matchday three of the 2022/23 Premier League season conjured up yet more entertainment as we saw high-scoring clashes and upsets produced across the top-flight.
With 32 goals scored overall, the 10 clashes produced the most goals in a matchday so far this campaign with Leeds, Newcastle, Arsenal, Fulham and Manchester City all hitting three strikes apiece.
Below, The Sporting News dives into the data to give you the storylines that matter the most from the third matchday of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
Harry Kane makes Premier League history
Despite touching the ball just 12 times in the opening half of Tottenham’s home match against Wolves on Saturday – the fewest of any player on the pitch – Harry Kane still managed to find time to again write his name into the Premier League record books.
In a match that saw the visitors dominate in the first half, heading into the break 12-2 up in terms of attempts on goal, Kane’s 64th-minute finish meant Spurs ground out a 1-0 victory to make it seven points from their opening matches.
The movement before the finish 👌
🎬 @MonsterEnergy pic.twitter.com/lw0uDFyp73
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 21, 2022
That strike made it 185 Premier League goals in Tottenham colours for Kane, the most by a player for a single club in competition history as he overtook Sergio Aguero’s 184 goals for Manchester City.
The victory also means Spurs are unbeaten across their previous nine top-flight outings (W6, D3), as manager Antonio Conte potentially plots a potential Premier League title charge.
Wilfried Zaha and Crystal Palace pile the pressure on Gerrard
A Wilfried Zaha-inspired Crystal Palace side outmuscled Aston Villa on Saturday as the London outfit took their first victory of the new campaign.
The Eagles – who are impressing under manager Patrick Vieira – were boosted by a brace from Zaha to take his tally to 12 Premier League goals in 2022, the third-most of any player behind Spurs pair Kane and Son Heung-min. A late Jean-Phillippe Mateta strike sealed the 3-1 win as Steven Gerrard continues to struggle in the Villa Park hotseat.
Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze also excelled, winning 12 duels throughout which was the joint-most by any player across matchday three.
As a result of his latest loss, Gerrard has now won just 11 of his 31 matches in charge of the Villains (D5, L15), making him one of the unlikely early frontrunners in this season’s sack race.
Arteta’s Arsenal go top and stay perfect
After matchday three, it’s Arsenal who lead the way at the top of the Premier League standings as they made it three wins from three courtesy of a routine away win at Bournemouth.
New captain Martin Odegaard netted a quickfire brace – his first since hitting a double against Lillestrom while playing for Stromsgodset in November 2014 – before defender William Saliba sealed a 3-0 win.
Electric ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/NlNXs9dVGm
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 20, 2022
The Gunners’ three wins from the opening three Premier League matches is their best start to a campaign since 2005/06 when they tasted victory in all five of their opening matches. That season Arsenal went on to finish second in the league.
Saint-Maximin stars in game-of-the-season contender with Man City
After losing to Manchester City 4-0 and 5-0 last season, Eddie Howe and the Newcastle faithful may have been expecting more of the same when Ilkay Gundogan put the visitors ahead in the fifth minute.
But this Newcastle side is made of far sterner stuff now under the former Bournemouth boss, as evidenced by a fightback that saw them lead 3-1 halfway through the second-half thanks to goals from Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier.
Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva ensured City fought back to claim a 3-3 draw but Howe finally took his first point from the champions at the 13th attempt.
A certain Allan Saint-Maximin also took our Premier League MVP award on matchday three after delivering a stunning performance in which he registered two assists and won the free-kick for Trippier’s goal.
Ten Hag’s Manchester United up and running
Facing a Liverpool that hammered them 5-0 in the corresponding fixture last season after being embarrassed by Brighton and Brentford, it was easy to see why Manchester United fans feared their Monday encounter with Liverpool.
But goals from Jadon Sancho and a rejuvenated Marcus Rashford – who scored for the first time in 17 matches – guided them to a deserved 2-1 win as Erik ten Hag’s decisions to drop captain Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench were entirely vindicated.
After their listless showing in the 4-0 loss at Brentford, the most notable element of United’s performance was their superb collective effort. In the Liverpool game, they covered 113.8 kilometres – up from 95.5km last weekend – which was the second-most distance the team has covered in a match since the start of the 2018/19 campaign.
🏃 Man United players collectively ran 18.3km more against Liverpool than they did against Brentford.
😅 Erik Ten Hag’s tough love in training worked a treat. #MUFC #MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/4nLdaA4c1I
— Sporting News Football Club (@sn_footballclub) August 22, 2022
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