GW3 Review

Right, GW3 in the books and we've officially got some genuine title-race chat brewing at the top.

Arsenal made it three from three, 2-1 at home to Chelsea, Ødegaard among the goals again — but here's the detail worth clocking: that's the first goal they've actually conceded all season. Three wins, one goal against, still one of the strongest defensive assets in the game even with the shutout streak gone. Man City are matching them stride for stride too, 1-0 away at Coventry, also unbeaten through three. Two into one at the top of the table doesn't go forever — but we're not there yet.

Elsewhere it was a properly scrappy round — four draws out of ten games. Newcastle and Bournemouth shared six goals between them (2-2), Barnes among the goals for Newcastle and Scott chipping in with two assists for the Cherries (quietly building a genuinely productive season already, more on him below). Brighton and Leeds shared the points 1-1, Brentford and Sunderland did the same, and Forest held Spurs to a goalless draw at the City Ground — Spurs still without a win through three games, not the start anyone at Tottenham had circled on the calendar.

Down at the other end of the table, Crystal Palace grabbed a big 3-2 away win at Fulham, Mitchell with a brace from the back line — genuinely one of the standout individual displays of the week from a defender. Liverpool put Ipswich away 2-0, Isak among the goals in what's shaping up to be a really encouraging start to life at Anfield. And Everton and Man United traded blows in a wild 2-2 at Goodison.

Worth flagging too: Hull City held Aston Villa to a goalless draw — their THIRD clean sheet in three games once you count the earlier win over Coventry. For a promoted side, that's an outrageous defensive record, and it's exactly the kind of thing our differentials tool exists to surface before the ownership numbers catch up.

Three gameweeks in and the shape of the season is properly starting to form: Arsenal and City out in front unbeaten, Spurs and a couple of the bigger names scrapping at the other end, and Hull quietly building the best defence nobody's talking about yet. If your squad's feeling stale off the back of this one, have a look at the predicted lineups and transfer picks tools before the GW4 deadline — early enough to make a calm decision rather than a panicked one.

See you after GW4.