Wolves vs Liverpool LIVE: Result and reaction as Salah penalty gives unconvincing Reds win

Dwight McNeil’s two goals secured Everton’s first win of the season after a rare comeback as they beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Goodison Park.

Not since October 2022 had the team recovered from going behind to pick up three Premier League points and after twice squandering 2-0 leads to lose in the last month it was a relief for manager Sean Dyche to experience the other side.

Trailing to Marc Guehi’s early goal the game swung in the space of nine minutes at the start of the second half.

Raul Jimenez’s controversial penalty clinched Fulham a 1-0 win at the City Ground and halted Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten Premier Leaguestart.

Jimenez converted his 50th goal in the English top flight early in the second half after a lengthy VAR check, which ended with referee Josh Smith viewing the pitch-side monitor.

Forest had won two and drawn three of their previous five matches and their highest crowd in over a decade – 30,139 – was denied a first home league win since April.

Brentford raced into the Premier League record books but still only had a point to show for it after a 1-1 draw with West Ham.

The Bees went ahead after only 37 seconds through Bryan Mbeumo to become the first team to score in the first minute of three consecutive matches.

But, just like in the previous two games, they were unable to hold on to their early lead and Tomas Soucek grabbed a second-half equaliser for the Hammers.

It was in the summer of 2023 when Erik ten Hag declared he wanted Manchester United to be “the best transition team in the world”. If he has succeeded, it is probably not quite in the meaning he intended, as the Red Devils enter this weekend following a 1-1 draw with Twente.

His side conceded too many goals on the counter-attack last season, forever looking susceptible to the break. But United are specialists in transition in a different respect. In the third season of Ten Hag’s reign, after 122 games and an outlay of £600m, they remain in transition.

They can seem forever mired there. It may be unfair to judge the Dutchman’s newest team after five league games, before the biggest summer signing Leny Yoro has even made his debut, but they are six points off the lead in the Premier League already. A marquee match against Tottenham is also a mid-table clash, with the sides sitting in 11th and 10th. Lose and the temptation would be to suggest it will already be a 12th successive season without a true title challenge.

Enzo Maresca lauded Cole Palmer as the “best in the Premier League” after he became the first player in the competition’s history to score four goals in a first half during Chelsea’s 4-2 win over Brighton.

Palmer’s record-breaking performance saw him net four times in 20 minutes at Stamford Bridge, including a whipped free-kick into the top corner.

Last season’s young player of the year made it six goals in six matches as he helped Chelsea to their third league win on the spin.

Cole Palmer has become the first Premier League player to score four times before half-time as he powered Chelsea FC into the lead in an entertaining clash with Brighton.

The visitors had gone in front at Stamford Bridge before Palmer struck for a first time, equalising 15 minutes after Georginio Rutter’s opener.

A second from the penalty spot soon followed from the England international, before he completed his hat-trick in just nine minutes and 48 seconds of match time with a sublime free kick.

If this title race is to be “a war”, as Gabriel put it, Arsenal have claimed victory in a battle that may end up much more decisive than anyone expected. What should have been a comfortable 3pm home win against a relegation-threatened Leicester City was transformed into a game that tested the club’s nerves but will have reaffirmed the spirit, through a late 4-2 win.

The very fact it went to that from 2-2 in the 95th minute only tells part of what this game was, especially given it had been 2-0 at half-time. It might also tell us a bit more about what Arsenal will be by the end of the season, mere challengers again or actual champions?

Just hours after Manchester City had dropped two points against Newcastle United, Arsenal looked set to unexpectedly do the same against Leicester. Except, it would have been even worse than squandering the chance to go level with the champions.

Rodri has been ruled out for the remainder of the season by Pep Guardiola after the Manchester City confirmed the Spanish midfielder has successfully undergone surgery.

Rodri suffered ACL and meniscus damage to his knee in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

“He had surgery this morning,” Guardiola said. “ACL and some meniscus. So, next season he will be here. This season is over [for him].”

There are different ways of deducting points from Manchester City. Since Rodri limped off against Arsenal, with a season-ending cruciate ligament injury, they have dropped four. A 100 per cent start to the defence of their title has given way to back-to-back draws. Rodri famously never loses but the most pertinent part of his record may be how often he wins.

And City normally beat Newcastle United, just as Pep Guardiolainvariably triumphs against Eddie Howe. Not this time. Just Howe’s second point against his City counterpart was secured by Anthony Gordon’s penalty.

It is impossible to prove that the Spaniard would have stopped Bruno Guimaraes from supplying the defence-splitting pass that led to it, but tempting to wonder anyway. Rodri can appear omnipotent when present; the loss of the man Guardiola deems the world’s best in his position means many a shortcoming could be attributed to his absence.

Tomorrow begins with Ipswich vs Aston Villa in the 2pm kick-off, before the weekend finishes with Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford at 4.30pm.

There’s Monday night football too, with Bournemouth hosting Southampton at 8pm.