The weekend at a glance
Matchweek 1 gave us Brighton putting four past Aston Villa, Hull City out-playing Manchester United, a Xabi Alonso winning start at Chelsea and Manchester City leaving it late against Bournemouth. Matchweek 2 spreads the drama over four days — and because British Summer Time and West Africa Time sit on the same clock this month, every kick-off below is Lagos time.
| Day | Kick-off | Fixture | The storyline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 28 Aug | 20:00 | Crystal Palace v Man City | City’s rebuilt midfield — Anderson in, Rodri gone — gets a Friday-night road test. |
| Sat 29 Aug | 12:30 | Liverpool v Nott’m Forest | Liverpool, held at Newcastle, cannot afford another slow step. |
| Sat 29 Aug | 15:00 | Bournemouth v Everton | Bournemouth were the better side for an hour at the Etihad. Now they’re home. |
| Sat 29 Aug | 15:00 | Coventry v Hull | Hull, 2-0 winners over United, face another side full of belief. |
| Sat 29 Aug | 17:30 | Spurs v Newcastle | Tonali-era Spurs, beaten 3-0 at Brentford, against Newcastle’s resilient 2-2 draw with Liverpool. |
| Sun 30 Aug | 14:00 | Chelsea v Brighton | Rogers against Hinshelwood — the two breakout attackers of matchweek 1. |
| Sun 30 Aug | 14:00 | Leeds v Brentford | Brentford, three goals and a clean sheet away from home, look very real. |
| Sun 30 Aug | 14:00 | Sunderland v Fulham | Both lost narrow, open games — someone banks a first win here. |
| Sun 30 Aug | 16:30 | Man Utd v Ipswich | United, beaten at Hull, host an Ipswich side that already won away. |
| Mon 31 Aug | 20:00 | Aston Villa v Arsenal | Villa, shell-shocked at Brighton, against an Arsenal side that spent big and won 3-0. |
Three games we would not miss
Chelsea v Brighton. A genuine top-of-the-table Sunday clash: two teams that scored four and three respectively last weekend, and the league’s two in-form attackers in Morgan Rogers and Jack Hinshelwood.
Crystal Palace v Man City. Friday night, a raucous Selhurst Park, and the first proper look at how City control games without Rodri. Palace will sit deep and ask the new midfield to unlock them.
Aston Villa v Arsenal. Monday night closes the round with the biggest fixture on paper — a wounded Villa against an Arsenal rebuilt at the back with Konsa and Meslier.
One early pick per game (editorial)
City win at Palace; Liverpool win; Bournemouth draw Everton; Coventry v Hull ends level; Spurs edge Newcastle; Chelsea edge Brighton; Brentford beat Leeds; Sunderland beat Fulham; Man Utd beat Ipswich; Arsenal draw at Villa. Picks are opinion, not science — BRYME publishes verified results and tables once the football has actually been played.