Arsenal had to fight back from behind to beat Leeds United 2-1, Chelsea celebrated a convincing 5-1 victory over Bournemouth, while Manchester United dropped two valuable points after allowing 10-man Tottenham Hotspur to snatch a stoppage-time equaliser.
That was the picture in the English Premier League (EPL) following six matches played on Saturday. Aston Villa and Brentford drew 2-2, Ipswich Town produced a late turnaround to beat Fulham 2-1, while Brighton defeated Sunderland 2-0 despite being reduced to 10 men.
Arsenal 2-1 Leeds United: Arteta's substitutions decide the game
Arsenal secured an important victory at the Emirates Stadium, but it was far from a straightforward afternoon for Mikel Arteta's side. Leeds United troubled the hosts for nearly an hour before Arsenal regained control and claimed the win.
Leeds started with a well-organised defensive approach, denying Arsenal's forwards the space they needed to build effective attacks. The visitors also made good use of set pieces to put the home side's defence under pressure.
In the 55th minute, James Justin put Leeds ahead, suddenly leaving Arsenal facing the prospect of another defeat after their 3-0 loss to Brighton before the international break.
However, Riccardo Calafiori equalised in the 62nd minute to restore Arsenal's hopes. The goal changed the momentum of the match, particularly after Arteta made three substitutions in the 63rd minute, bringing on Bruno Guimarães, Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyökeres.
In the 70th minute, Guimarães scored the winning goal, underlining the importance of Arteta's changes. After the match, the coach explained that he needed players capable of winning individual duels, driving forward and adding more attacking threat.
Manchester United 1-1 Tottenham: Spurs rescue a point with 10 men
This was a match that left even more questions hanging over Manchester United. United took the lead in the 73rd minute through Bryan Mbeumo but failed to protect their advantage until the final whistle, despite Tottenham being reduced to 10 players.
Tottenham started brightly and created several chances. United goalkeeper Senne Lammens made errors in possession that gave the visitors opportunities to attack, while Dominic Solanke and Mohammed Kudus both came close to scoring.
Tottenham created four big chances compared with United's one and recorded an expected goals (xG) figure of 1.56, against 0.77 for the hosts. Those statistics suggest that Spurs posed the greater attacking threat for much of the match, even though they failed to take their earlier opportunities.
United scored after Matheus Cunha set up Mbeumo, who finished expertly in the 73rd minute.
In the 78th minute, Rodrigo Bentancur was shown a red card following a heated incident involving Luke Shaw. Tottenham were forced to play the remainder of the match with 10 men, a situation that should have improved United's chances of securing victory.
However, United failed to capitalise on that advantage. In the 90+2nd minute, Solanke connected with a ball from Sandro Tonali and sent it into the net to rescue a point for Tottenham.
Chelsea 5-1 Bournemouth: Henderson and João Pedro lead the attack
Chelsea produced one of Saturday's most impressive performances, thrashing Bournemouth 5-1 at Stamford Bridge.
Jordan Henderson opened the scoring for Chelsea in the second minute before Morgan Rogers added a second in the third. That explosive start put Bournemouth under immediate pressure and allowed Chelsea to play with confidence.
João Pedro scored in the 46th minute, while Evanilson netted Bournemouth's only goal in the 51st. However, the visitors' hopes of mounting a comeback lasted only briefly.
João Pedro added his second goal in the 67th minute before Henderson scored again in the 70th to complete Chelsea's five-goal haul.
Henderson was the standout figure of the match. In addition to scoring twice, he also contributed to Rogers' goal. The experienced player demonstrated his ability to control midfield and make a direct impact in attack.
The victory was also important for Chelsea as they were seeking their first league win in four matches. For Bournemouth, conceding twice within the opening three minutes derailed their game plan before they had a chance to settle into the contest.
