Arteta making his mark, fragile Foxes and promising Palace – 5 things we learned

Arsenal lead the way in the Premier League after making it three wins from three against Bournemouth.

Manchester City had to fight back to claim a 3-3 draw with an impressive Newcastle at St James’ Park while Chelsea were beaten by Leeds but Tottenham, Brighton and Fulham all remain unbeaten.

Here, the PA news agency picks out five things we learned this weekend.

Patience is a virtue

Three games is of course far too few to make projections for the rest of the season – except perhaps that City remain the team to beat – but this has been a wonderful start for Arsenal fans. They once again have an exciting side, with summer signing Gabriel Jesus an instant hit, while at the back William Saliba looks the real deal. There were calls for manager Mikel Arteta to be sacked at the same stage last season when they lost their first three matches. What a difference a year makes.

Leicester lows

The emotions are very different at Leicester, where the Foxes have collected just one point from three games after losing at home to Southampton. They were without Wesley Fofana, who boss Brendan Rodgers said was “not quite in the right frame of mind” amid interest from Chelsea. The Foxes can ill afford to lose Fofana, while Youri Tielemans and James Maddison are also attracting interest. There is a lot of work ahead for manager Brendan Rodgers but Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is breathing more easily after victory for his young side.

Mitrovic meeting expectations

Aleksandar Mitrovic’s goal-scoring record in the Championship is phenomenal but it has been a different story in the Premier League until now. Since moving to Fulham in 2018, the Serbia striker averages 0.8 goals per game in the second tier but only 0.25 in the top flight. However, Mitrovic could be much more of a force in the Premier League this time if his start is anything to go by. After two goals against Liverpool, the 27-year-old grabbed an injury time winner against Brentford on Sunday. His form will be crucial to Fulham’s prospects.

Palace promise

Wilfried Zaha’s importance to Crystal Palace is, of course, no secret. But knowing the winger’s danger and stopping him are two very different things, as he proved again with two goals in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Aston Villa. Zaha has scored in each of the Eagles’ last seven top-flight victories, and his two goals on Saturday helped them to a first Premier League win of the campaign. Ebere Eze also impressed and can be another key man this season for Patrick Vieira.

Brighton and Leeds soaring

It was a super Sunday for both Brighton and Leeds, with the Seagulls defeating West Ham, who have yet to pick up a point, 2-0 and Leeds stunning Chelsea 3-0. Having battled against relegation all last season, the signs are a lot more positive this time for Jesse Marsch’s side, and the American manager must be close to winning over his remaining critics. Graham Potter’s stock was already high but the Seagulls continue to punch above their weight.