EPL Weekend Roundup – Haaland Dominates, Liverpool Recover, Arsenal Stay Top (Nov 1–2, 2025)

The Premier League delivered action, goals, and tactical brilliance across the weekend. From Haaland’s ruthless finishing to Liverpool’s return to winning ways and Arsenal’s continued dominance at the top, this week had it all. Here’s a complete breakdown of the biggest matches, tactical insights, standout performers, and key stats.

⚽ Match-by-Match Breakdown

1. Liverpool 2–0 Aston Villa | Anfield

Liverpool bounced back from a poor run with a commanding home win.

• Goals: Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch

• Key Moment: Salah scored his 250th goal for Liverpool, a historic landmark.

• Tactics: Arne Slot set up a narrow 4-3-3 with inverted midfielders, allowing Liverpool to dominate centrally. Quick diagonal balls targeted the spaces behind Villa’s full-backs, especially exploiting Salah’s movement.

• Standout Players:

  • Mohamed Salah: Goal, 3 key passes, leadership.

  • Ryan Gravenberch: Energy, late runs, scored the second goal.

2. Manchester City 3–1 Bournemouth | Etihad

Erling Haaland confirmed why he’s the most lethal striker in Europe.

• Goals: Haaland (2), Phil Foden

• Stats: Haaland now leads the league with 13 goals in 10 games.

• Tactics: Pep Guardiola used inverted full-backs and a high press. Bournemouth pressed high as well, but left gaps, which City exploited with vertical passes and Haaland’s runs.

• Standout Players:

  • Erling Haaland: 2 goals, 4 shots on target, 100% conversion from inside the box.

  • Rayan Cherki: Controlled buildup and created big chances.

3. Arsenal 2–0 Burnley | Turf Moor

Arsenal maintained their position at the top of the table with another assured away win.

• Goals: Viktor Gyökeres, Declan Rice

• Tactics: Arsenal used a classic positional play setup — high press, overlapping full-backs, and fluid midfield control. Burnley sat deep but struggled against Arsenal’s rotations and vertical passing.

• Key Highlights:

  • Declan Rice dominated the midfield.

  • Arsenal have now kept 4 clean sheets in their last 5 games.

4. Brighton 3–0 Leeds United | Amex Stadium

Brighton returned to winning ways with a convincing performance.

• Goals: Pascal Groß, João Pedro, Lewis Dunk

• Tactics: Possession-based football, rotating midfield triangles, and constant overloads on the right wing. Leeds were battered by quick switches and set-piece execution.

• Standout: João Pedro – 1 goal, 1 assist, 5 successful dribbles.

5. West Ham 3–1 Newcastle | London Stadium

West Ham delivered their most complete performance of the season.

• Goals: Souček, Paquetá, Bowen | Isak (Newcastle)

• Tactics: Low-block + explosive counter-attacks. Quick transitions and second-ball dominance in midfield.

• Key Players:

  • Lucas Paquetá: 1 assist, pulled strings from midfield.

  • Tomáš Souček: Late goal, strong defensive presence.

6. Nottingham Forest 2–2 Manchester United | City Ground

A dramatic late equaliser saved Manchester United.

• Goals: Forest (Hudson-Odoi, Awoniyi) | United (Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes)

• Key Moment: 89th-minute volley from Amad Diallo secured a point for United.

• Tactics:

  • Forest pressed high and exploited United’s slow transitions.

  • United dominated possession but struggled against direct counter-attacks.

📊 Key Stats & Standings

🎯 Tactical Trends of the Weekend

• High Press + Vertical Transitions: Arsenal and Manchester City showcased elite pressing structures, creating quick goalscoring chances.

• Exploiting High Defensive Lines: Bournemouth and Leeds were punished by long passes and diagonal runs behind their defence.

• Set-Piece Influence: West Ham and Brighton scored crucial goals through well-drilled set plays.

🏅 Most Outstanding Player of the Week — Erling Haaland

• 2 goals vs Bournemouth

• 13 league goals this season — leading the Golden Boot race

• Elite positioning, power, timing of runs, and finishing accuracy.

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