Matchday 9: 21 goals in ten matches of Premier League, four results ending 2-0

The Premier League produced 21 goals in ten matches on matchday 9, an average of 2.1 a game. The away sides took three wins, the hosts five, and two matches ended level. Four matches finished 2-0. Nine goals came before half-time and twelve after. A goalless first half gave Manchester United hope that they could ease the pressure on Carrick, but Chelsea broke through five minutes after the restart when Morgan Rogers converted a Romeo Lavia assist to make it 1‑0. Fourteen minutes later Cole Palmer doubled the lead from the penalty spot, sealing a 2‑0 victory that leaves the visiting manager’s future hanging by a thread after a run of eight matches without a win across all competitions. A 31st-minute opener from Francisco Evanilson, teed up by Justin Kluivert, put Bournemouth in control before the interval and they never let Leeds find a way back on Saturday. The home side carried the 1-0 lead through the second half and sealed the points in the 94th minute when Amine Adli finished after an inventive pass from Eli Kroupi, who marked his return from a summer metatarsal fracture with a decisive contribution in only his third appearance of the week. An eleventh‑minute defensive error decided the contest at the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City fell 0‑1 to Brighton on Saturday. Matheus Nunes gave the ball away and Yasin Ayari pounced from five metres to slide the only goal past a helpless home defence. City pushed for a response after the break but found Bart Verbruggen in outstanding form; the goalkeeper denied both Iliman Ndiaye and Nunes, while Maxim De Cuyper wasted a clear chance to double the lead. Erling Haaland was kept quiet throughout. An own goal by Nikola Milenković half an hour in and a 76th‑minute strike from Igor Thiago, set up by Jaidon Anthony, gave Brentford a 2‑0 victory that ended their four‑match winless run and pushed Nottingham Forest deeper into crisis at the Gtech Stadium. Milenković turned the ball into his own net in the 30th minute to put the hosts ahead, and Thiago doubled the lead after the break to seal what manager Keith Andrews described as their best win of the season. For Forest, the defeat left them second bottom and prompted Oliver Glasner to warn that he could be sacked if results do not improve, calling the situation unacceptable and vowing radical change after losing four of the last five games. A first-half lead for Ipswich through Florentino Luís was overturned after the break, but Julio Enciso struck in the 74th minute to ensure Hull City shared the points in a 2-2 draw. Abdoul Ouattara set up the opener in the 22nd minute, and that advantage held until Tim Iroegbunam levelled in the 58th minute with Oliver McBurnie providing the assist. McBurnie then put Hull City ahead ten minutes later, only for Enciso to equalise six minutes after that, assisted by Azor Matusiwa. Exequiel Palacios featured for Ipswich and spoke after the match about watching the upcoming Superclásico with a Boca-supporting friend while preparing mate. A first-half display that put the contest beyond Sunderland was overshadowed by off-field events as Coventry saw off the visitors 3-1 at the Coventry Building Society Arena. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto opened the scoring in the 17th minute before Taiwo Awoniyi doubled the advantage in the 37th. Jack Rudoni made it three in the 52nd, converting after a Victor Torp assist, before Enzo Le Fée pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 67th. The match was marred by an incident in which a home supporter allegedly used a photograph of the late Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery to taunt away supporters, sparking widespread condemnation and a police investigation. A red card to Jean‑Philippe Mateta after a VAR review for a lunge on Micky van de Ven turned the contest decisively in Tottenham’s favour, and the hosts capitalised ten minutes later when Mohammed Kudus delivered a corner that Archie Gray headed home in the 25th minute for a 1‑0 half‑time lead. Jan Paul van Hecke made sure of the points in the 73rd minute, heading in a Gray cross that came back off the bar to seal a 2‑0 victory over Crystal Palace and give Roberto De Zerbi’s side a third straight win. A 64th‑minute own goal by Suzuki brought Fulham level after Aston Villa had led from the 39th minute, the sides sharing the points in a 1‑1 draw. Jackson opened the scoring for the home team, turning in Manzambi’s assist to make it 1‑0 at the break. The second half saw Fulham push for an equaliser and they found it when Suzuki inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, cancelling out Villa’s first‑half advantage. Neither side could find a winner thereafter, ensuring the contest ended with honours even. A sixteenth‑minute lapse in the Liverpool build‑up decided a tense Anfield contest on Sunday as Arsenal claimed a 0‑1 victory that ended a fourteen‑year wait for a league win at the ground. Kai Havertz punished the error coolly, steering a Declan Rice cross home for the only goal of the match. Liverpool enjoyed large spells of possession and Florian Wirtz rattled the crossbar, but the hosts failed to register a single shot on target across seventeen attempts. Arsenal’s defence, superbly drilled, protected the narrow lead through the closing stages to move three points clear at the top of the table and leave Liverpool nine adrift in fifth. A goalless first half gave little hint of the breakthrough, but Everton settled the contest four minutes after the restart. In the 49th minute, Thierno Barry struck the opening goal to put the away side 1-0 ahead, a lead they would not relinquish. Newcastle, unable to find a response, slipped to a 0-1 home defeat against a resolute Everton on Monday evening.