Gary Lineker: Good evening and welcome to Match of the Day for our thoughts on the third round of the Premier League season! I will be your host after each round of games and Alan Shearer and Alan Hansen will assist me as we provide fresh post-match analysis on the seven clubs we have highlighted this season.
Alan Hansen: We will also show you some interview specials with the managers right after the games, as well as occasional player profiles.
Alan Shearer: And finally, but not at last place, you will be updated with the latest news on injuries, dressing room events or even rumours surrounding your favourite clubs.
Gary Lineker: So are you ready? What really happened in the latest round of world's best league? Here we go...
Gary Lineker: Arsenal answered fears of inconsistency by going full force down on the Saints after the visiting team took the lead with a Benayoun goal. Giroud equalized before half time and Ozil finally got himself on the scoresheet for the Gunners after the break. Podolski finished Southampton off in the final seconds of the game with a third goal.
Alan Hansen: I think the Saints have themselves to blame for this score as they were irresponsibly brave with the formation they fielded. No deep lying midfielder often left their defenders exposed and outnumbered and the Gunners took full advantage of that. The visitor's cause wasn't helped by Wanyama's relatively early booking that forced him to tame his game.
Alan Shearer: Let's focus on Arsenal players though. The stand-out figures were Cazorla who assisted for two of the goals and PoM Jack Wilshere who covered most ground for the Gunners and attempted the amazing 102 passes (95 of which were successful). There weren't any injuries or suspensions after this game so let's move on.
Gary Lineker: This was a crucial game for Manchester City after their unexpectedly poor start of the season. Lucky for them their hosts Hull weren't exactly on fire either before the game. Even then if could have been more misery upon the oil-rich club when Danny Graham converted a penalty just before half time to cancel out Aguero's opener for the Citizens. The Tigers were unable to hold the Argentinean though as he got another goal after the break and sank any hopes the promoted team had of walking with something from this game.
Alan Hansen: We have been talking about how much Pellegrini counts on Aguero and this time it paid back. The wings also worked to a decent extent as both wide men provided an assist for the striker. It is troubling City can't get their other guns firing but for the time being what mattered most was to get this first win under the belt and job was done.
Alan Shearer: Aguero was the unrivaled PoM and Nasri and Navas has a good game on the wings. In addition captain Kompany and Lucas Leiva contributed to hold Hull at bay in the second period. There weren't any injuries or suspensions after this game so let's move on.
Gary Lineker: Spurs lifted any doubts they may be in crisis with a hard-fought victory in Wales. Two first half goals by Soldado and Lennon were enough to get the job done before Dembele was sent off near the halftime whistle. Tottenham dug deep in the second half but managed to keep a clean sheet and that's three more points in the bag for Andre Villas-Boas.
Alan Hansen: It wasn't a walk in the park as the scoreline might suggest though! Cardiff gave everything in the second half and missed a number of chances to get back in the game. They had 20 shots opposed to Spurs' 12! I think the traveling fans will be relieved at that win and some of them might even tell you they don't know how the team held off.
Alan Shearer: Captain Michael Dawson picked up the PoM award but it was a fine all-round defensive effort and Walker and Kaboul were tremendous, too. Soldado had a good game on top of his goal, and Dembele was impressive before his sending off. He will now face a ban though and there are further worries for Spurs as Aaron Lennon had to be substituted with an injury just after the break. He only got gashed arm and should be fine in time for the next round.
Gary Lineker: I am beginning to feel sorry for Liverpool now. The schedule they had to go through is abysmal and does no justice to the team. But you can't hide from the facts and the harsh reality is they conceded a third loss in a row at Old Trafford. The Red Devils were patient but persistent and had their attempts to control the game rewarded with late goals by Robin van Persie and Kagawa.
Alan Hansen: I think Liverpool can have no complaints about this game. They were slow to the ball, awkward in defense and I don't even know how they contained Man United for eighty minutes. Brendan Rodgers fielded a weird 3-5-2 formation and it backfired spectacularly. On the other hand Moyes had a more conservative approach but made all the right calls. His subs were spot on and his decisions to sub Rooney and Nani instead of van Persie and Kagawa paid back.
Alan Shearer: Manchester United players stole the show tonight with Rafael picking up the PoM award for his amazing performance. I though Fellaini awas great too, his passing was tidy and he won nearly all his tackles and headers. Kagawa and van Persie scored the goals so deserve a mention, too. On the other side no Liverpool players impressed. Hernanes and Aspas were exceptionally poor tonight and I feel Mignolet should have done a lot better with the goals.
Gary Lineker: Let's see what the managers had to say after the game!
Reporter: This was a great performance and a great win! Are you seeing the Manchester United you want to see?
David Moyes: Let's not get carried away, while the clash with Liverpool has a great significance for the fans for historical reasons, it is still one game of many. But we are on the right track!
Reporter: Rafael was as good as we have ever seen him but you also played Fabio while Evra wasn't even in the group. Can we expect to see the twins as regular fullbacks in your team from now on?
David Moyes: There will be some development in that area. Just wait and see for yourself.
Reporter: Did you expect to sit rock-bottom three games into the season, Mr. Rodgers?
Brendan Rodgers: We knew it would be hard considering the tough fixtures. But this isn't where any of us want to see this club and we are working to change this every single minute.
Reporter: You made some changes after the loss at Newcastle and answered calls to play Sturridge in a more central role. Did you have to play three in the back to do so though?
Brendan Rodgers: No, that was dictated by our desire to come and attack Manchester United. We were doing a decent job, not a good one but merely decent, up until the final ten minutes but our offensive players couldn't take their chances. We are lacking in confidence now. Truth is we need Suarez back but we have to make-do for some more games before he returns.
Gary Lineker: It seems something is going on behind scenes with Patrice Evra. I'm not sure Moyes can afford to lose him after failing to bring Baines in though and Fabio is simply not at the same level.
Alan Hansen: I wondered how long it would take for Rodgers to admit the club relies heavily on Luis Suarez. We are simply not the same without his drive and energy and I fear what he sees in these early games may make up his mind about demanding a move in January.
Alan Shearer: And there were no injuries or suspensions after this game so both sets of fans can look forward to the next round without checking for fitness updates.
That is all from this edition of Match of the Day! Watch out for the newspaper columns of our regular pundits to find out their take of the games. And don't forget Mark Lawrenson's review of August is coming up shortly after!
