Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel will serve a one-game touchline ban against Leicester City on Saturday, the Football Association (FA) has confirmed.

Tuchel received the ban after he clashed with Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte following a feisty 2-2 draw between the London rivals at Stamford Bridge on August 14.

The two had already rowed mid-game before Tuchel pulled Conte towards him during the post-match handshake, causing a melee that resulted in both coaches being shown a red card by referee Anthony Taylor.

Both were subsequently fined, but Conte avoided a touchline ban after the FA deemed Tuchel had initiated the altercation.

Tuchel appealed his ban, which allowed him to be on the touchline for last weekend's 3-0 defeat at Leeds United, but the FA has confirmed his appeal failed, meaning the German will be absent on Saturday.

In a statement, the FA stated: "Thomas Tuchel will be banned from the touchline for Chelsea's Premier League match against Leicester City.

"The manager admitted that his behaviour after the final whistle of the Premier League game against Tottenham on Sunday 14 August 2022 was improper.

"An independent Regulatory Commission subsequently ordered for him to be fined £35,000 and suspended from the touchline for one fixture during a hearing.

"Thomas Tuchel appealed against these sanctions, but this has been dismissed by an Appeal Board today [Friday]."

Thomas Tuchel accepts Chelsea could be left empty-handed in a late bid to bolster their squad before the transfer window closes.

The Blues are thought to be still targeting moves for Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana and Everton forward Anthony Gordon, as new owner Todd Boehly chases reinforcements.

A host of other players have been linked with Chelsea and ultimately not arrived during recent months, and head coach Tuchel is taking nothing as read.

Asked how many players Chelsea might hope to bring in before the window shuts on September 1, Tuchel said: "We have some ideas, but maybe nobody comes in.

"It's not a long window anymore, so it closes soon and the focus is on the things we can influence.

"No matter what we want, there are always several parties involved who have to agree."

Signing both Fofana and Gordon would be expected to cost Chelsea considerably more than £100million.

Fofana will not be involved on Saturday when Leicester visit Chelsea in the Premier League, with the Foxes leaving him out of their plans while uncertainty lingers about the Frenchman's future.

Tuchel is also unlikely to be particularly visible on matchday, as he is poised to serve a touchline ban. Barring a late reprieve, Tuchel will watch from the stands after being hit with a one-match ban for his spat with Tottenham's Antonio Conte following the recent 2-2 draw in the London derby.

The Chelsea boss remains aggrieved that Conte was not hit with the same punishment, despite a Football Association explanation of the punishments casting Tuchel as the instigator.

Both men were sent off after a set-to at the final whistle, and a still-smarting Tuchel said on Friday: "I can understand that I get a ban and I get a fine, but what I don't understand is the other coach does not get the same punishment."

Tuchel was presented with a list of issues on his plate, including having to pick Chelsea back up after last week's 3-0 defeat at Leeds United.

He suggested his job "sounds horrible" at the moment but said it with a smile and is optimistic Chelsea will soon be showing their best form.

All the same, he observed that his team are "in transition" and "need to improve".

It amounts to something close to a personality crisis at the moment, with Tuchel saying: "I'm not 100 per cent sure where we are, how we are, who we are."

He added: "It's not only about shouting for players. The squad was strong enough to win a match at Leeds, and by far too strong to lose 3-0."

The insipid performance has been reviewed, and Tuchel said: "We absolutely dislike to lose and as painful as it is to analyse these things and look at it again, it's necessary and we always get a response.

"These things, we don't like them, but they're maybe sometimes, in a process like this, necessary to sharpen your vision and have a clear view on things."

Heading into week four of the Premier League season, fantasy football managers find themselves in a position where team selection becomes even more crucial.

Some big-name players have disappointed in the opening weeks, leading bosses to consider whether to stick or twist in favour of in-form options.

With three weeks down, the week ahead may prove crucial for your hopes for the season, with the first midweek fixtures of the campaign also looming large.

Crucial decisions lie ahead and Stats Perform is here to help, using Opta data to select four picks for your consideration.

Robert Sanchez (Brighton and Hove Albion vs Leeds United)

Brighton's fine start to the Premier League season has seen the Seagulls secure wins against Manchester United and West Ham, either side of a goalless draw with Newcastle United, and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has played a significant part.

The Spaniard is one of four goalkeepers to have kept two clean sheets in the opening three matches and boasts a save percentage of 90 per cent – the highest in the competition.

Sanchez is yet to concede against an opposition player, being beaten only by an own goal at Old Trafford, and has a goals prevented tally of 1.4, which can only be bettered by two players.

Ivan Toney (Brentford vs Everton)

With two goals and two assists in the opening weeks of the season, Ivan Toney stands as one of the division's most in-form players – only Gabriel Jesus and Rodrigo have more Premier League goal involvements in 2022-23.

Toney's form should be recognised as more than a purple patch, however, as it maintains a stellar run for the Brentford forward this calendar year; Toney has 15 goal contributions (10 goals, five assists) in 2022.

Only Harry Kane (23), Son Heung-min (21) and Kevin de Bruyne (21) have a higher return among Premier League players since the start of the year.

William Saliba (Arsenal vs Fulham)

Arsenal defender William Saliba has quickly adjusted to life in the Premier League, establishing himself as a rock at the heart of the Gunners' defence and helping Mikel Arteta's men keep two clean sheets this term.

Having also scored in last weekend's victory against Bournemouth, Saliba is one of three defenders to have kept two clean sheets and scored a goal this season – alongside Newcastle duo Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier.

Meanwhile, the Gunners' excellent defensive form has seen them face just 22 shots this season, only five of which have been on target. No other Premier League side has conceded fewer.

Ivan Perisic (Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham)

Tottenham's wealth of new additions have begun to make an impact for Antonio Conte's side, including Ivan Perisic – who has assisted each of Spurs' last two Premier League goals.

Both assists came from a corner and both were converted by Harry Kane, who equalised late in a fiery 2-2 draw with Chelsea before netting the only goal of the game in last week's victory against Wolves.

Perisic's form has seen him carry over a fine record from the latter stages of his time with Inter, having been involved in 11 goals in his past 13 league appearances (three goals, eight assists).

Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland will swiftly come toe-to-toe with their former teammates following Thursday's group-stage draw for the Champions League.

Fresh from his move to Camp Nou in the transfer window, Lewandowski will return to familiar surroundings with Barcelona and Bayern Munich – who boast 11 Champions League titles between them – drawn in a tough Group C along with Inter.

And another reunion will see Haaland come up against Borussia Dortmund, whom he left to join Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. They find themselves in Group G alongside Sevilla and Copenhagen.

Another heavyweight clash will take place in Group H, with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus set to lock horns.

Jose Mourinho's words of advice to Dele Alli have been well publicised ever since the release of the Tottenham-focused All Or Nothing documentary series in 2020.

"I am 56 now and yesterday I was 20. Time flies. One day I think you will regret it if you don't reach what you can reach," the former Spurs boss told Alli, who for the first time in his rough career was, at the start of the 2019-20 season, enduring a rough patch of form.

"I am not expecting you to be the man of the match every game. I am not expecting you to score goals every game. I want just to tell you that you will regret it. You should demand more from yourself."

Less than 18 months after the documentary aired, Alli's Tottenham spell was over, moving to Everton on what was initially a free transfer at the age of 25.

Frank Lampard was confident he could reinvigorate the midfielder, whose ability to find space in the area had often drawn comparisons to the Chelsea great. Yet with Everton fighting to survive, questions over the sensibility of the transfer were raised.

Now, his stint at Goodison Park is coming to an end, at least for the season. Alli has joined Turkish club Besiktas on loan, and while a hero's welcome in Istanbul will surely have been a boost to his confidence, it is hard not to look back at Mourinho's words and think where did it all go wrong for one of England's brightest prospects?

Superstar in the making

Alli's rise was nothing short of sensational. Having signed from MK Dons, Alli made his Premier League bow for Spurs against Manchester United in August 2015. He went on to score 10 top-flight goals and provide nine assists in a remarkable breakout campaign.

His best season followed in 2016-17, when he scored 22 goals in 50 appearances across all competitions, averaging a goal every 182 minutes. He followed that up with 29 direct goal involvements (14 goals, 15 assists) in the 2017-18 campaign, and was a key player for Gareth Southgate as England went on to reach the World Cup semi-finals at Russia 2018. It is hard to see him being involved in Qatar this time around.

Given a free role behind Harry Kane in Mauricio Pochettino's side, Eriksen was able to thrive, running beyond the striker to latch onto pinpoint Christian Eriksen deliveries, or able to find pockets of space on the edge of the box to show his prowess with shots from range. He truly looked to have it all.

Hard times in north London

Spurs reached the Champions League final in 2019, but it would be fair to say even by that stage, Alli's impact had started to wane. Injuries did not help, but he managed only eight direct goal contributions in the Premier League that season and failed to score in Europe.

Pochettino's tenure came to an end in November 2019. Alli had scored twice in the league prior to Pochettino's dismissal, but had been particularly close to his coach (indeed, when Alli left Spurs, he paid tribute to the impact the Argentine had on his career).

Mourinho arrived and, while some hard truths might have been given behind the scenes, Alli looked sharp in the Portuguese's first weeks at the club. But the promising signs did not last, and prior to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown of March 2020, he was by no means a guaranteed starter.

Alli finished the elongated Premier League campaign with eight goals in 25 appearances, but in Mourinho's first full season in charge he was relegated to a benchwarmer, making just two top-tier starts before the former Manchester United and Chelsea manager was sacked in April 2021. 

Nuno Espirito Santo attempted to play Alli deep in midfield in his short-lived Spurs spell, and his last goal for the club did come under the ex-Wolves boss, from the spot in a 1-0 win at Molineux. Yet Antonio Conte started him just twice in the competition, and the writing was on the wall when he was left out of Tottenham's squad altogether for a meeting with Chelsea in January.

Goodison to Istanbul

Alli and Lampard both spoke glowingly of the transfer to Everton, sealed on the last day of the January window.

Those words did not translate into minutes for Alli, though. He came on for his Everton debut in a 3-1 loss to Newcastle United in February, and despite a promising cameo in a 3-0 defeat of Leeds United, time on the pitch was even tougher to come by as the Toffees slipped further into the relegation dogfight.

While Alli came on to play a key role in a 1-1 draw with Leicester City, it did seem as though whatever plan Lampard had for the midfielder had been cast to one side, but a game-changing performance in Everton's survival-clinching comeback win over Crystal Palace in May suggested there could be a place for him at Goodison this season, especially following Richarlison's sale to Spurs.

Even without a recognised striker fit to feature from the off in matches against Chelsea and Aston Villa, though, Lampard went with Gordon – himself set for a move to London – up front over Alli, who had deputised in an attacking role in pre-season.

Last week, reports of Besiktas' interest were confirmed by Lampard, and once again the writing was on the wall, especially with Everton wary that if Alli played 20 times (he finishes with 13 appearances, no goals or assists and only seven chances created), they would have to fork out £10million to Tottenham.

Now, it is in Turkey that Alli will attempt to revive a career that once promised so much. He joins Istanbul on loan with an option for the Istanbul club to buy. It is hard not to think he won't have Mourinho's comments running around his head.

Dele Alli has completed a loan move to Besiktas from Everton, with the Turkish club having an option to buy the England international.

The midfielder only joined the Toffees from Tottenham in January on a two-and-a-half-year deal as one of the first signings for manager Frank Lampard.

Alli made 11 appearances for Everton as they escaped from Premier League relegation last season, with only one start, and has featured twice so far in the new campaign, both times from the bench.

The 26-year-old was an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park last weekend, and will now look to get his career back on track with Besiktas.

Everton signed Alli on what was essentially a free transfer, but would have owed Spurs £10million once he had played 20 games across all competitions. That fee could have potentially risen to £40m if performance-related add-ons were met.

Everton are paying a portion of Alli's wages for the duration of his loan period in Istanbul. 

While Alli will hope to play regular football again, the move abroad likely ends any distant chances he may have had of forcing his way back into Gareth Southgate's England squad for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The attacking midfielder, who has not scored an open play goal in the Premier League since January 2020, was a key member of the England team that reached the semi-finals at Russia 2018, scoring in the 2-0 quarter-final win against Sweden, but was omitted from last year's squad for Euro 2020.

The EFL Cup third round will see Premier League champions Manchester City host Chelsea while holders Liverpool will play League One Derby County at Anfield.

Erik ten Hag's Manchester United are set to welcome Aston Villa to Old Trafford and there is another enticing all-Premier League clash between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.

Brighton and Hove Albion will travel to Mikel Arteta's Arsenal as one of the seven games to feature two top-flight teams facing each other.

League Two Crawley knocked out Premier League Fulham on Tuesday, and they are rewarded with a visit to Championship outfit Burnley.

Meanwhile, last season's Europa League semi-finalists West Ham United will face second-tier Blackburn Rovers.

EFL Cup third-round draw in full:

Stevenage v Charlton, Leicester City v Newport County, West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers, Wolves v Leeds United, Nottingham Forest v Tottenham, Manchester United v Aston Villa, Bournemouth v Everton, Liverpool v Derby County, Burnley v Crawley Town, Bristol City v Lincoln City, Manchester City v Chelsea, MK Dons v Morecambe, Newcastle United v Crystal Palace, Southampton v Sheffield Wednesday, Arsenal v Brighton and Hove Albion, Brentford v Gillingham.

Ties will be played week commencing November 7.

The Football Association (FA) imposed a one-match ban on Thomas Tuchel but not Antonio Conte because the German was deemed to have instigated their clash after Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

A thrilling Premier League contest between the two London rivals on August 14 ended with tense scenes as head coaches Tuchel and Conte engaged in a confrontation.

The pair had rowed during the match and tempers flared again after the full-time whistle as Tuchel forcefully pulled Conte back towards him as they shook hands, sparking a melee.

Referee Anthony Taylor showed both Tuchel and Conte the red card.

Tuchel explained after the game that he perceived Conte's lack of eye contact in the moment to be a show of disrespect.

The FA later announced both bosses had been fined after admitting charges of improper conduct and Tuchel was hit with a one-match touchline ban, which was suspended temporarily pending publication of the independent panel's written reasons for the sanctions.

Those reasons were published on Tuesday, with the regulatory commission making clear its assessment that Tuchel was to blame for the spat.

Within the document, the FA panel said: "It was quite clearly TT [Tuchel] who instigated the confrontation between himself and AC [Conte] by choosing to grip AC's hand and jolt him back after AC had passed him by.

"Had TT not gripped AC's hand the confrontation between the two and the subsequent melee that followed would not have occurred.

"TT gripping AC's hand for the reason he gave (AC did not look him in the eye) was simply not justifiable; cursory handshakes are a common occurrence at the end of highly charged football matches and there exists no obligation for one person to look the other in the eye whilst shaking hands.

"TT telling AC to look him in the eyes whilst gripping his hand and not allowing AC to move away was a highly provocative act; AC was unwillingly pulled, literally, into the confrontation with TT.

"AC did react aggressively to TT's actions but the commission did not consider him to have hugely over-reacted given the circumstances.

"Whilst certain aspects of AC's behaviour could be considered as being improper, indeed he admitted as much, the commission considered TT to be largely culpable for the incident and unanimously felt that this ought to be clearly and definitively reflected in the level of sanction imposed on TT and AC."

Tuchel's ban remains subject to appeal.

Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski has revealed head coach Antonio Conte wants him to "kill the opponent in a sporting way" in order to become more ruthless.

Spurs sit fourth in the Premier League having won two and drawn one of their opening three games as they look to follow up last season's fourth-place finish, where a strong run at the end meant they pipped fierce rivals Arsenal to the final Champions League qualification spot.

Kulusevski has impressed since arriving from Juventus at the beginning of the year and has started this campaign well, scoring and assisting in the opening day 4-1 victory over Southampton.

But the 22-year-old says Conte is demanding even more from him, despite the versatile winger having 15 Premier League goal involvements in 21 appearances since his arrival in North London in January.

"I can attack the goal more for sure. Sometimes I'm just in a different world when I play," Kulusevski told Standard Sport. "I feel so comfortable sometimes, so I just play and have fun. But [Conte] doesn't want me to have fun. He wants me to kill the opponent in a sporting way.

"I feel very good. I think I can do better but the important thing is always to be humble, to work harder because we have a goal this season and I think we can do it.

"For sure it's easier with a pre-season. You have more time to adapt. Last season you came into the game and you had one chance. If you played bad you did not play again. It was more pressure. Now I feel much better, a better start and physically in better form."

Spurs' strong opening to the season has been aided by their threat from set-pieces, with Harry Kane scoring headers from corners in successive games after bagging against Chelsea and then Wolves at the weekend.

And Kulusevski has playfully suggested that new set-piece coach Gianni Vio should be asking for a better contract because of Tottenham's newfound potency from dead-ball situations.

"I told [Vio] three times that we have to give him more money. He has to get a pay rise for sure! Shout out to him. He's very important," Kulusevski added.

"He makes a difference, like you can see. At the end of the day, we won on a set-piece so we have to keep working on that. It's not the funnest thing in the world but it makes results. It helps a lot. We have to keep listening to him and do what he says.

"I don't remember that we scored so many [from set-pieces] last season but it's very important. Now we have to get better. Every time we get a set-piece we have to believe we can score."

Thomas Tuchel has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association (FA) over comments he made about referee Anthony Taylor in the aftermath of Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

Chelsea were denied a London derby win by Harry Kane's 96th-minute equaliser in their first home game of the Premier League season on August 14, leaving Tuchel fuming over a series of perceived errors from Taylor.

Tuchel claimed neither of Tottenham's goals should have stood, insisting Richarlison blocked Edouard Mendy's line of sight from an offside position when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg first levelled, before Cristian Romero pulled Marc Cucurella's hair in the build-up to Kane's late header.

The Chelsea boss then claimed "it would be better" if Taylor no longer officiated his team's games, adding: "I can assure you the whole dressing room of us, every single person, thinks that."

It was reported last week that the FA was investigating those comments, and a spokesperson for English football's governing body confirmed Tuchel's charge on Monday.

"Thomas Tuchel has been charged with a break of FA rule E3 in relation to comments that he made after Chelsea FC's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur FC on Sunday 14 August 2022," a statement read.

"It is alleged that the manager's comments in his post-match press conference constitute improper conduct as contrary to FA rule E3.1, they imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match referee, and/or bring the game into disrepute."

Tuchel, who has until Thursday to respond to the allegations, has now been charged with improper conduct twice in the last week, with both instances relating to the thrilling draw against Spurs.

Both he and opposite number Antonio Conte were issued red cards after becoming involved in a touchline fracas at full-time, with the German subsequently handed a suspended one-match touchline ban. 

Chelsea have collected four points from their first three games of the new season and host Leicester City in their next Premier League outing on Saturday.

Harry Kane feels Tottenham have shown a steelier resolve under Antonio Conte, with the England captain suggesting his side are ready to handle "high-pressure situations".

The striker became the all-time record goalscorer for a single club in the Premier League this weekend with his 185th goal, which fired Spurs to a 1-0 win over Wolves.

Conte replaced Nuno Espirito Santo last season and ultimately guided Tottenham to Champions League qualification, at the expense of north London rivals Arsenal.

Under the Italian, Tottenham arguably look the best they have been since the Mauricio Pochettino era, and Kane certainly believes they can show their mettle this term in the hunt for success.

"We've definitely strengthened," he said, as reported by The Evening Standard. "The mentality was starting to change towards the back end of last year.

"To get Champions League in the way we did and performing in high-pressure situations at the end of the season was really important.

"We've added to the squad, we've got better, we've improved, we've had a good pre-season with the manager. He demands a lot from us on the pitch, off the pitch, [with the] mentality.

"We're in a good place. We know we need to improve, especially the last two first-halves against Chelsea and [Wolves], we need to better. But I think as the season goes on we'll get stronger and stronger.

"I think that if you want to do something important in the season you have to be able to handle those high-pressure situations.

"In the big games, in the tight games, you have to be able to come out on top and build those points throughout the whole year.

"We've started the season well. Obviously the first game we played really well and the next two we know we can improve but we've got good results."

Spurs travel to Nottingham Forest for their next Premier League outing on Sunday.

Manchester United are working overtime to land at least one of the Eredivisie's top stars, with their chase for Ajax's Antony and PSV's Cody Gakpo reportedly heating up.

Antony racked up eight goals and four assists in 23 league games last season, and has started the new campaign in hot form, collecting a goal and two assists from his first two fixtures.

Gakpo netted a brace in PSV's season opener against FC Emmen, and while the Telegraph claims United will only be able to afford one of the two wingers, a conflicting report from the Netherlands' De Telegraaf says that might not be the case.

TOP STORY – UNITED TO ADDRESS WINGER SHORTAGE WITH EREDIVISIE RAID 

The report from De Telegraaf says "it is not a question of [Antony or Gakpo], but the club wants to contract both players", which would mean well over £100million in transfer fees after their last offer of £68m for Antony was rejected.

Ajax have no interest in letting Antony leave, with the Brazilian's contract tying him to the club through 2025, but Goal is reporting he has missed recent training sessions, and the reason he was absent from his side's 1-0 win against Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday was due to him trying to force his way out.

The Telegraph claims United are "expected" to complete a £34m deal for Gakpo, but it remains to be seen if they are willing to pull the trigger on the Dutchman while they still believe they can land Antony.

ROUND-UP

– According to The Sun, United will block any moves for captain Harry Maguire after Chelsea expressed interest earlier in the week.

– Calciomercato is reporting Milan have approached Tottenham about a potential transfer for 23-year-old English centre-back Japhet Tangana.

– Tottenham and Newcastle United are waiting to see if Juventus secure Barcelona's Memphis Depay, with the two Premier League clubs hoping to swoop in if the Bianconeri's deal falls apart, according to The Sun.

– Free agent Andrea Belotti has rejected an offer from Wolves, according to Calciomercato, instead preferring to wait for Roma to make room for him.

– Sport1 is reporting Paris Saint-Germain are planning a move for RB Leipzig defenders Josko Gvardiol and Mohamed Simakan, but the German side hope to retain both. 

Arsenal went top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win at Bournemouth – and for the first time since 1972 they lead the way concurrently with Manchester United sitting bottom of the pile.

Gunners captain Martin Odegaard scored his first double in a top-flight league game since he was 15 years old and playing in his native Norway, while Arsenal's north London rivals stayed in close touch with the leaders after Harry Kane reached a Premier League goals record in a win over Wolves.

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard watched his side slide to a 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace – a sixth loss in seven games in London for Villa since the start of last season – while Fulham were 3-2 winners in their derby against Brentford. That was a first home victory for the Cottagers in a Premier League London derby since January 2014, ending a 12-game wait.

Elsewhere, Southampton came from behind to take a 2-1 victory at struggling Leicester City, and Everton and Nottingham Forest duked out a 1-1 draw.

Stats Perform has rummaged through Opta's data trove to present numbers-led angles on the day's top Premier League action.

Tottenham 1-0 Wolves: Harry's game as Kane writes more Spurs history

It was up there with the easiest of finishes, but they all count and Harry Kane's close-range header was his 185th Premier League goal for Tottenham – thereby making him the highest scorer for a single club in the competition's history.

What's more, it was Kane's 250th goal in all games for the club, and Tottenham's 1,000th at home in the Premier League. Only Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea had previously totted up 1,000 goals at home since the league's 1992-93 launch.

Even if the performance left room for improvement, Tottenham are unbeaten in their opening three games. The same applied last season when they won three out of three under Nuno Espirito Santo. Five defeats in the next seven cost Nuno his job, and Spurs will hope to avoid any such slide now.

With Antonio Conte in charge, a Spurs collapse seems unlikely. This was head coach Conte's 70th win in the Premier League from 107 games, the bulk of which came across his two seasons at Chelsea. Among managers or head coaches with at least 70 Premier League wins, only Manchester City's Pep Guardiola (74 per cent) has a better win percentage than Conte's 65 per cent.

Bruno Lage's Wolves are without a win in their last 10 league games, spread across this season and last. They have only had one previous double-digit streak of winless Premier League games in their history – a 17-game sequence that spanned a relegation campaign in 2011-12 and the start of the 2018-19 season on their return to the top flight.

Bournemouth 0-3 Arsenal: From teenage kicks to picking off Cherries, Odegaard doubles up again

Odegaard was already grabbing the attention of Europe's elite clubs when he scored twice for Stromsgodset against Lillestrom in October 2014. Three months later, he would sign for Real Madrid.

Almost eight years down the line, he has finally netted another double in a league game, leading by example and helping Arsenal hit top spot for now.

It was August 22 in 1972 when Arsenal last sat top and great foes Manchester United were propping up the rest in the English top flight, but that is once again the scenario. In this third round of the 2022-23 season's fixtures, United play Liverpool on Monday.

Arsenal have won their opening three league games for the first time since 2004-05, the season that followed their 'Invincibles' campaign. Boss Mikel Arteta has named the same starting XI for their first three games, and that last happened with Arsenal in the famous 2003-04 campaign that saw them complete a league programme undefeated.

William Saliba became the 21st Frenchman to score a Premier League goal for Arsenal – only Newcastle United (also 21) have had as many different French goalscorers – while Bukayo Saka played his 100th Premier League game. At 16 days short of his 21st birthday, it made Saka the youngest player to do so since Raheem Sterling in September 2015.

Arsenal's win percentage against Bournemouth stands at 77 per cent after this 10th win in 13 meetings. Among teams they have faced at least 10 times, they only have a better win ratio against Reading (100 per cent, won 14/14) and – you'll never guess – Glossop North End (86 per cent, won 12/14).

Everton 1-1 Nottingham Forest: Gray day as Toffees scrape a point

After defeats to Chelsea and Aston Villa, coming from behind to draw against promoted Forest represents some sort of progress for Frank Lampard and Everton.

Yet their one point from three games is the fewest Everton have achieved at this stage of a season since 2010-11 (also one point), and the Toffees have stumbled on an obvious early-season problem against newcomers. They have won none of their last eight matches against promoted clubs in August (D5 L3) so might be glad they have Brentford and Leeds United in their remaining league games this month.

Jordan Pickford became the first Everton goalkeeper to assist a Premier League goal since Joel Robles in December 2016 against Leicester City, with a long kick creating the opening for Demarai Gray to snatch the 88th-minute equaliser. The goal ended a barren run of 21 league games for Gray, who had last netted against Arsenal in December.

Brennan Johnson's opener seven minutes earlier took him to 20 goals since the beginning of last season, the most by any Forest player. He thought it was a winner, but the ending of Gray's drought brought a little cheer for the struggling hosts.

Chelsea have banned a supporter from Stamford Bridge after carrying out an investigation into the alleged racist abuse aimed at Tottenham's Son Heung-min.

The incident occurred in the second half of last Sunday's 2-2 draw between the rival London teams, as hosts Chelsea were twice pegged back and denied victory.

Footage emerged on social media on Wednesday appearing to show Son being targeted with a racist gesture from the Stamford Bridge stands as he went over to take a corner in front of home fans.

That was followed on Thursday by Chelsea condemining "idiots like this that attach themselves to this club as so-called 'fans'", saying such an incident brought shame on the Blues.

Chelsea pledged to take "the strongest action" as they worked to identify the fan in question, and on Saturday the Premier League club revealed they had found a culprit.

The club said: "Following our statement this week on racist abuse at the Tottenham game last Sunday, Chelsea Football Club can confirm that it has identified and banned a season ticket holder indefinitely."

Antonio Conte suggested Harry Kane would gladly swap his goalscoring accolades for a major trophy after he broke the Premier League's one-club goals record in a hard-fought win over Wolves.

Kane nodded home from close range to earn Tottenham a 1-0 victory over Bruno Lage's men on Saturday, with his 185th Premier League goal for Spurs moving him clear of Sergio Aguero's tally of 184 strikes in the competition for Manchester City.

The 29-year-old's second-half winner also represented his 250th goal for the club in all competitions, as well as Tottenham's 1,000th Premier League goal on home soil.

But for all his goalscoring prowess, Kane is yet to lift a major trophy, finishing as an EFL Cup and Champions League runner-up with his club and failing to lead England to glory in the Euro 2020 final last year.

While Conte was full of praise for Kane when speaking to BT Sport after the win, he emphasised the striker's desire to play his part in a collective triumph.

"It is a great achievement, a great personal achievement, but I know that Harry would like to exchange this achievement with a trophy," Conte said.

"I know this, he is working for this and we are working for this, to try to improve the team and bring the club on another level, not only to have big personal achievements.

"At the same time, you know very well my consideration about Harry, we are talking about a world-class striker.

"But what makes me happy is not only with the ball – that we have in our team a top scorer, a top player – but we have a player totally involved with the other team-mates and [who] works a lot for the team. 

"For this reason, I am really pleased to have him and to be his coach."

Tottenham's win means they have remained unbeaten through their first three matches of the Premier League season, just as they did under Nuno Espirito Santo last term. This is the first time Spurs have done so in consecutive campaigns since 2004-05 and 2005-06.

And Conte believes Tottenham's run of positive results – all against teams who won the corresponding fixtures last season – is a reflection of their development in recent months. 

"The performance at the end was good, because I had to consider everything, first of all the importance of the opponent," he said.

"Wolverhampton I think in the last week signed important players like [Goncalo] Guedes, like [Matheus] Nunes. I think when you see their starting XI today, you have to be a bit scared. 

"I think it's a really good team. In the first half we struggled a bit, but in the second half I think we deserved to win, we created many chances to score. The first half was good to stay calm, to stay focused, to suffer together. 

"Don't forget, last season with these three teams we played this season, we lost. Against Southampton, against Chelsea and against Wolverhampton, with me [as coach]. 

"Now we've got seven points, I think that is a good sign. The team is continuing to improve."