6 thoughts from Saturday's Premier League action

theScore examines the most important developments and discusses the biggest talking points from Saturday’s busy slate of action in England’s top flight.

Replacing Coady isn’t easy

Nathan Collins doesn’t shy away from a challenge. He captained Stoke City at 18, tried to break up the James Tarkowski and Ben Mee defensive partnership at Burnley, and now, at 21, he’s stepping into Conor Coady’s shoes at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

And that will be tough. Coady arrived at Molineux as a busy, raw midfielder and left as a reliable, ball-playing center-back who seldom missed a game. He was a leader on the pitch and hugely popular in the stands through his key role in Wolves’ rise from underwhelming Championship outfit to established Premier League side.

There was an element of goodwill involved when Wolves granted Coady’s move to Everton. His starts would’ve waned as head coach Bruno Lage moved toward a back-four rather than a defensive trio so, with England’s World Cup campaign approaching, Wolves let their captain find precious minutes elsewhere.

So, replacing Coady might be Collins’ greatest test of all. How do you follow a legend?

There’s no denying Collins’ physical qualities. Wolves were caught out by a quick free-kick during Saturday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur that sent Son Heung-Min through on goal. Son needed to control the delivery on his chest, but the way Collins caught up with the pacey South Korean and squeezed him off the ball was impressive. He was also confident when striding out of the backline, completing two dribbles.

But he was at fault for the only goal of the game: Harry Kane was livelier than Collins and outwrestled the defender for his back-post header. Wolves will miss Coady’s distribution, too. The former skipper instigated so many attacks through his long-range homing missiles to Wolves’ wing-backs, and neither Collins nor Max Kilman possesses that level of quality.

This might take time.

Perisic fits like a glove

If Antonio Conte could create his ideal wing-back in a lab, it would likely be modeled after Ivan Perisic.

The two-footed Croatian was Tottenham’s standout performer in his full debut Saturday. Still boasting the elite athleticism needed to cope with the intense demands of playing the wing-back position under the Italian manager, Perisic, 33, was instrumental in fashioning the lone goal in Spurs’ 1-0 win.

He won the game’s decisive corner kick with a surging run forward and earned the assist on Kane’s historic tally with a flicked header to the back post from the ensuing set piece. Physical power, incisiveness, and attacking contributions: All of Perisic’s preeminent qualities were on display.

He did all that without shirking his defensive duties, either.

With Ryan Sessegnon (22) already in the squad and recent signing Destiny Udogie (19) slated to join Spurs next season after spending a year on loan at Udinese, Conte has his long-term succession plan in place at left wing-back.

But, at least for now, that spot firmly belongs to Perisic.

Zaha should have no regrets

Wilfried Zaha was in Manchester United’s Champions League group-stage squad for the 2013-14 season, but he didn’t make a single appearance. He wasn’t even an unused substitute, while David Moyes handed chances to other youngsters like Adnan Januzaj and Alexander Buttner.

And since then, Zaha hasn’t had any opportunities to participate in those Champions League evenings he craves. He turns 30 in November, so it probably won’t happen.

He should have no regrets, though. He could’ve thrown a tantrum and forced a transfer to a Champions League regular, but would those European appearances be more valuable than his lofty status at Crystal Palace? Zaha’s the main man, and he won’t need to buy a pint in Croydon long after his playing days are over. Surely that’s more valuable than a few Champions League outings that probably wouldn’t have ended up with silverware.

It’s an exciting time at Palace right now, and Zaha’s at the center of it all. He seems to relish his role. With two goals to his name against Aston Villa (one fine strike on a breakaway and a finish after his initial penalty was saved), he wasn’t prepared to kick back. He could’ve bombed down the flank after winning the ball in a tussle with Boubacar Kamara, sending Villa’s celebrated summer recruit tumbling. Instead, he invited Kamara to return to his feet before beating him again. It was cruel, it was cocky – it was fantastic entertainment.

Zaha’s touch before Jean-Philippe Mateta made it 3-1 was another joy. He was strutting, reveling in being the entertainer at Selhurst Park, and produced an audacious flick with the outside of his right foot to send Tyrick Mitchell down the left flank. Mitchell’s cross for Mateta was sublime.

He won’t be playing against Club Brugge or RB Leipzig this fall, but Zaha is leading a young group who are playing some of the best football that Crystal Palace fans have seen in generations. That’s something the winger should cherish. The Champions League isn’t everything.

Rodgers in a tough spot

Brendan Rodgers must be desperate for the transfer window to close.

Leicester City’s rough start to the season continued Saturday, as the Foxes threw away a 1-0 second-half lead against Southampton, conceding a pair of goals to Che Adams en route to a dispiriting 2-1 home defeat.

Wesley Fofana’s absence loomed large.

Prior to the contest, Rodgers said Fofana and midfielder Youri Tielemans weren’t in the lineup because it would be detrimental to field players who “aren’t quite in the right frame of mind.” The influential pair have been incessantly linked with transfers this summer. Chelsea are desperately chasing Fofana, while Arsenal have long admired Tielemans, who was at least on the bench Saturday and came on as a substitute.

Daniel Amartey slotted alongside Jonny Evans in central defense as Rodgers switched to a back-four. While Leicester handled the Saints well enough for the opening hour, Adams’ introduction proved too much for the makeshift backline. A clever – though by no means revolutionary – throw-in routine bamboozled the Leicester defense for Adams’ first goal of the encounter, and then he slipped into a hole between Amartey and Timothy Castagne to net his acrobatic winner in the 84th minute.

Perhaps he would have scored both even if Fofana was on the pitch. Maybe the 21-year-old would have locked down Adams, and Leicester would’ve retained the lead and claimed three points. We’ll never know now.

But one thing is certain: the uncertainty surrounding the French defender’s future – and the club’s bemusing transfer window as a whole – is threatening to drag Leicester down early in the season.

Mitrovic silencing doubters so far

Coming into the season, Aleksandar Mitrovic was considered a tweener. Too good for the Championship – he smashed the single-season record with 43 goals last year to help Fulham earn promotion – his ability to replicate that success in the top flight, or recapture a fraction of it, was widely questioned.

He’s silencing any doubters thus far, though.

With a last-gasp winner against Brentford on Saturday, the burly Serbian equaled his goal total from the entire 2020-21 season, his last in the Premier League before the current campaign.

It’s not just the goals, either. Mitrovic has been a constant menace inside the opposition penalty area through his first three matches. Just ask Liverpool.

It’s very early, of course, but the returns so far suggest Mitrovic is more well-rounded than two seasons ago, and he’s surrounded by a better Fulham team than the one that faltered badly in its previous Premier League adventure. That won’t translate to 43 goals, but it’s a great sign for Marco Silva and the Cottagers.

Arsenal, fans having fun again

It’s hard to imagine a fan base in the Premier League that’s having more fun these days than Arsenal supporters, who were treated to another captivating performance as Mikel Arteta’s men continued their scorching-hot start to the season.

In an away encounter that might’ve proved tricky for the Gunners in the past, Arsenal got the job done in decisive fashion Saturday. They delighted their traveling support with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Bournemouth in a match that featured beautiful goals – and the birth of perhaps the catchiest tune in the Premier League.

The fun started early and continued right up until the final whistle. Arsenal came out flying with two early goals from Martin Odegaard that essentially put the match out of the reach for the struggling home side.

But, despite the early heroics from the Norwegian playmaker, it was William Saliba’s name that rang from the away stand to the tune of “Tequila,” the wildly catchy 1950s hit. It’s all anyone could hear for the last 15 minutes of the first half and blared even louder after halftime when the French defender recorded his first Arsenal goal with an incredible strike to make it 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium.

While he didn’t get on the scoresheet this week, Gabriel Jesus extended his phenomenal start to life as a Gunner. The tenacious Brazilian was once again at the heart of Arsenal’s rampant attack and finished another eye-catching shift with an assist for Odegaard’s second goal.

In usurping north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to finish Saturday atop the Premier League, Arsenal also opened the season with three straight league wins for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign (when they were in the midst of an unprecedented 49-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League).

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