The home advantage that defined the opening weekend did not survive the second. In our Gameweek 1 review we called seven home wins from ten “the single fact that explains most of what follows”, and added that it was one round of football. Gameweek 2 produced three home wins, four away wins and three draws. Across both rounds that is ten home wins to six — still tilted toward the home side, but nothing like the seven-in-ten that made the first weekend look like a rule. We did not publish scoreline predictions for this round, so there is no scorecard this week; checking last week’s claim against this week’s results is the next best thing.
Every result
- Crystal Palace 1–4 Man City — Donnarumma (og), Cherki (2), Haaland (2)
- Liverpool 2–2 Nott'm Forest — Munoz, Isak, Gibbs-White, Ndoye
- Bournemouth 1–1 Everton — Scott, Tarkowski
- Coventry City 0–1 Hull City — Millar
- Spurs 0–2 Newcastle — Elanga, Wissa
- Chelsea 4–3 Brighton — Palmer, Neto, Lavia, João Pedro, Groß, Yalcouyé, João Pedro (og)
- Leeds 1–1 Brentford — Calvert-Lewin, Schade
- Sunderland 1–0 Fulham — Isidor
- Man Utd 5–2 Ipswich Town — B.Fernandes (3), Mbeumo, Greaves (og), Davis, Akpom
- Aston Villa 0–1 Arsenal — Saka
The standout performers
By FPL points, the players who did most in Gameweek 2:
- B.Fernandes (MID, MUN) — 23 points, 3 goals, 1 assist, 3 bonus
- Cherki (MID, MCI) — 14 points, 2 goals, 3 bonus
- Haaland (FWD, MCI) — 13 points, 2 goals, 3 bonus
- Gibbs-White (MID, NFO) — 13 points, 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 bonus
- Groß (MID, BHA) — 13 points, 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 bonus
- Scott (MID, BOU) — 12 points, 1 goal, 3 bonus
Bruno Fernandes’s 23 was the biggest single-gameweek score of the first three rounds, and the arithmetic shows why a midfielder got there. FPL pays a midfielder five points a goal to a forward’s four, so his hat-trick in the 5–2 over Ipswich was worth 15 on its own; an assist (3), maximum bonus (3) and a full match (2) make exactly 23. The same premium is visible one fixture over: Cherki and Haaland both scored twice in Manchester City’s 4–1 at Crystal Palace and both took maximum bonus, and the midfielder still finished ahead. For a Manchester United side beaten 2–0 at newly promoted Hull on the opening day, five goals a week later was also the loudest reply in the league.
The table after Gameweek 2
Man City lead on 6 points, with Arsenal 2nd.
Four clubs have won both games, so the top of the table is still mostly a question of goal difference. The more durable information is in the goals-against column: Arsenal and Hull City are the only sides yet to concede, and Hull have done it as a promoted club, beating Manchester United at home and then winning at Coventry. At the other end, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Coventry have not scored in two matches, and Crystal Palace’s only goal so far was put in by Manchester City’s own goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma. Two games is a small sample either way — but a side that has not yet scored tells you more than a side sitting on six points.
For where it stands now, see the live Premier League table and this week’s fixtures.
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