The third round of the 2026/27 English Premier League season is underway.
As Idman.Biz reports, the round opened with Ipswich hosting Liverpool. Andoni Iraola's side, after two consecutive 2-2 draws, finally claimed their first league victory of the season with a 2-0 win. Alexander Isak scored both goals inside the opening ten minutes, finding the net in the 6th and 9th minutes, with Cody Gakpo providing both assists. Liverpool now have five points from three matches.
Hull City vs Aston Villa
One of the biggest surprises of the opening weeks has been newly promoted Hull City. They began their Premier League return with a 2-0 home victory over Manchester United before beating Coventry City 1-0 away thanks to a late Liam Millar goal. As a result, Hull have six points from two matches, with three goals scored and none conceded.
Hull's start has also earned them a place in Premier League history. This is only the fourth time in the Premier League era that a team promoted from the Championship has won its first two matches of a new season. Bolton Wanderers achieved the feat in 2001/02, Hull themselves did it in 2016/17 and Huddersfield Town followed in 2017/18.
The current Hull side have gone one step further by winning both matches without conceding. Goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis became the first goalkeeper for a newly promoted Premier League club since David Raya with Brentford in 2021 to keep clean sheets in each of his first two matches of the season.
Aston Villa find themselves at the opposite end of the spectrum. The Birmingham club opened their campaign with a heavy 4-0 defeat to Brighton before losing 1-0 to reigning champions Arsenal. After 180 minutes of football, Villa have neither scored nor collected a point – and have yet to register a single shot on target.
There are also personnel problems ahead of the trip to Hull. Amadou Onana is sidelined with a knee injury, while Joao Gomes continues to serve a suspension. For the hosts, Lewie Coyle and Matt Crooks are doubts.
One of the most unexpected early leaders therefore has an opportunity to extend its perfect start against a team still searching for form.
Everton vs Manchester United
Everton head into their home meeting with Manchester United unbeaten this season. The Liverpool club defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 in the opening round through goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry before rescuing a 1-1 draw away to Bournemouth, with James Tarkowski equalising in stoppage time.
Those four points have kept David Moyes' team in the top half of the table.
Everton's squad has also undergone further changes in recent days. The club have brought Jack Grealish back on loan and signed Ainsley Maitland-Niles, although a move for Folarin Balogun fell through. Following the departures of Beto and Iliman Ndiaye, Moyes has limited options in attack.
Manchester United have experienced a far less consistent start. After a surprising 2-0 defeat to Hull, the Red Devils responded by beating Ipswich 5-2. Bruno Fernandes was the star of the match, scoring a hat-trick. United have three points after two rounds.
The Everton match will also be Manchester United's final test before the start of their Champions League campaign. On Thursday, September 10, the Red Devils will host Baku club Sabah at Old Trafford in the opening round of the league phase.
That means United's performance in Liverpool will be followed with particular interest in Azerbaijan.
Arsenal vs Chelsea
The standout fixture of the round takes place in London, where two teams with perfect records will go head-to-head.
Reigning champions Arsenal began their title defence with a convincing 3-0 victory over Coventry before defeating Aston Villa 1-0 at home. Bukayo Saka scored the only goal of the second match. After two rounds, the Gunners have six points and a 4-0 goal difference.
Chelsea have also started with two victories, although in a very different fashion. Xabi Alonso's side first defeated Fulham 3-2 before edging Brighton 4-3 in another high-scoring encounter.
Chelsea have already scored seven goals – three more than Arsenal – but have also conceded five. The derby therefore pits one of the strongest defences of the opening weeks against the league's most prolific attack after two rounds.
Chelsea also underwent another major change on the final day of the transfer window, with Enzo Fernandez joining Manchester City for £125 million.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have fitness concerns over several players. Cristian Mosquera, Declan Rice and Bruno Guimaraes have all been considered doubtful, while William Saliba and Jurrien Timber have been on the injury list.
Another intriguing aspect of the fixture will be the first Premier League managerial meeting between Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso. The two Spanish coaches have known each other since childhood, having grown up in the same region of the Basque Country.
The history of the rivalry also favours Arsenal. The teams have met 215 times in all competitions, with the Gunners winning 87 matches, Chelsea 66 and another 62 ending in draws.
In the English top flight alone, Arsenal lead the head-to-head record with 71 victories to Chelsea's 54, alongside 53 draws. Arsenal have won the last three meetings between the teams in all competitions, while Chelsea's most recent victory over their London rivals came in August 2021.
With both sides level on points, Sunday's derby could provide the first significant separation between the two London contenders at the top of the standings.
Premier League Matchday 3 schedule (Baku time)
September 4
Ipswich 0-2 Liverpool
September 5
15:30 – Newcastle vs Bournemouth
18:00 – Brentford vs Sunderland
18:00 – Brighton vs Leeds
18:00 – Fulham vs Crystal Palace
18:00 – Manchester City vs Coventry
18:00 – Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham
20:30 – Hull City vs Aston Villa
September 6
17:00 – Everton vs Manchester United
19:30 – Arsenal vs Chelsea
Premier League standings as of September 5:
1. Manchester City – 6 points
2. Arsenal – 6
3. Hull City – 6
4. Chelsea – 6
5. Liverpool – 5
6. Brentford – 4
7. Newcastle – 4
8. Everton – 4
9. Leeds – 4
10. Brighton – 3
11. Manchester United – 3
12. Sunderland – 3
13. Ipswich – 3
14. Bournemouth – 1
15. Nottingham Forest – 1
16. Fulham – 0
17. Coventry – 0
18. Crystal Palace – 0
19. Aston Villa – 0
20. Tottenham – 0
