The Premier League Weekend as a Movie: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly | OneFootball

🎬 If this Premier League weekend were a movie, it would have title-race tension, derby drama, an unlikely screamer and another VAR controversy nobody asked for.

🎥 Best Picture

The match that defined the weekend

Are we already looking at a two-horse title race?Arsenal and Manchester City maintained perfect starts to the season with each showing heart to do so.

Arsenal rode their luck at Sunderland, with David Raya bailing out his side with a penalty save just moments before substitute Bruno Guimaraes scored a stunning opener.

The Gunners were not at their best, but completed a big week with a third straight win. This was the sort of win that title-winning campaigns are built on.

⭐ Best Actor

Player of the weekend

There's something satisfying about a big-money signing producing performances that almost instantly make people forget their price tag.Elliot Anderson has expectation on his shoulders after a £116m move to Manchester City and the departure of Rodri from the Etihad, but continue in this vein and he'll be a huge hit.

Anderson was outstanding as 10-man Manchester City battled to a 1-0 win atManchester United, despite playing for over an hour with a numerical disadvantage. The 23-year-old worked relentlessly in the engine room and ended the contest with four fouls drawn, seven duels won, and seven line-breaking passes. All-action from the marquee man.

🎬 Best Director

Manager of the weekend

It's time Fabian Hurzeler is given his flowers. There was a small period last season when Hurzeler stuttered through a spell of one win in 13 games.Brighton kept faith with the novice head coach, who led the Seagulls into Europe and has started the season magnificently.

Before the weekend, Brighton led thePremier League for goals scored, expected goals, big chances, possession won in the final third, and average possession (71%), before taking Coventry City apart with a five-goal clinic in fixture four.

Brighton are averaging 3.25 goals per game so far this season and sit in the top four.

🦹 Best Villain

The weekend's antagonist

There were a fair few foolish red cards over the weekend, but Taiwo Awoniyi's takes the biscuit.

The Coventry City forward's flailing arm earned him a straight red against Brighton, just after his side had fallen two goals down. Coventry collapsed with a man disadvantage, losing 5-0 to continue their pointless, goalless Premier League return. Awoniyi owes his teammates an apology.

🤯 Plot Twist

The result/event nobody saw coming

Take a bow, Lewis Dunk.

Brighton's long-serving centre-back is hardly renowned for spectacular goals, despite flirtations with knuckle-ball free-kicks in the past. This, however, was something special.

An unlikely Goal of the Season contender from the Seagulls' skipper.

🎭 Supporting Actor

Someone who didn't get the headlines

To put it lightly, Vitalii Mykolenko has not always been universally appreciated atEverton. The Ukrainian's limited output going forward has seen him regularly targeted for criticism, but this weekend the left-back showed what he can do.

Mykolenko made a string of vital interceptions as Everton held Tottenham Hotspur goalless to continue their unbeaten start to the campaign. His seven tackles won were the most any player has recorded in a Premier League game this season, as he locked down the left-hand side.

🍿 The Scene Everyone Is Talking About

The single moment dominating Monday's football conversation

There's not much more boring than discussing how VAR intervened and still got the big call wrong.

But there's no hiding from the fact that Manchester City's controversial derby day winner at Old Trafford is the moment dominating the headlines. Just how Enzo Fernandez can be deemed not to be attempting to play the ball is baffling, with VAR seemingly unable to concentrate on two sequences at once.

Pro Ref (formerly PGMOL) has issued an official apology to Manchester United after admitting to an "error of judgment" in allowing the goal.

A shambles, and not for the first time.

🔮 The Sequel

The storyline carrying into next weekend

Liverpool's midfield is a massive problem, and one win in four games will have Andoni Iraola desperately seeking a solution. Iraola made changes to the side that beat Atletico Madrid in midweek, but those who came in failed to take their chance.

Kostas Tsimikas was woeful at left-back, while Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai do not work as a two-man midfield. Gravenberch has struggled for form this season, while Szoboszlai's desire to be everywhere left huge gaps for Fulham to exploit.

If Liverpool are to persist with Florian Wirtz as an advanced central option, a natural defensive-minded midfielder is required. The current set-up is not working, and Liverpool are already off the pace.