Dale Johnson believes there is still a long way to go for people to trust the referees in the premier league. The first part of the story is over. There was another weekend of headlines, golazos and unpredictable finishes. There was no shortage of drama throughout the season, from AC Milan securing the first derby win of the season to the VAR controversy in the premier league. The big things you need to know about the weekend are given by the correspondents of the network. - ESPN+ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more (U.S.)
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- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access The best goals, teams in trouble, and talking points are included. The Derby della Madonnina between AC Milan and Inter was the first big match of the season and it was great. There were goals, drama, suspense, quality individual performances, mistakes, and a winner. Milan is AC Milan's kingdom while Inter are two points behind. There is only one king in the city. The player of last season had 2 goals and an assist. His second one is a tribute to the great George Weah with many similarities to how he took that goal. The 3-2 win for the reigning champion shows that whoever wants their crown will have to fight hard. At times it feels like a horror film with serene moments interrupted by the stuff of nightmares. Two days ago, they collapsed at home to Werder Bremen. Taking that jump scare out of the equation, they've been superb to open the season, going back to basics and winning their second game in a row. They have had three 1-0 streaks in that time. It is possible to watch again the game between Hoffenheim and Dortmund. It's proof that Edin Terzic is worth supporting. Friday's win over Hoffenheim was fairly routine: Marco Reus (two goals, two assists this season) was his vintage self in stroking a Julian Brandt first time pass beyond Oliver Baumann to give Dortmund a 16th minute lead they'd hang onto. The trick from here will be continuing to build momentum while maintaining perspective as to what Terzic is building That will tell us a lot about the title race. Marco Reus scored the first goal of the game. It was an emotional afternoon at Goodison Park with two clubs and sets of fans united in grief after a nine-year old girl was shot dead in her house last week. The two keepers, Alisson and Jordan Pickford, were the reason for the stalemate after some fantastic saves and if the game took a while to get going, it turned epic in the second half. They felt like they had dropped two points, while the other team felt like they had won. The game reminded us that there is something wrong with the player. He didn't look at his best even though he had a good game. A man points a finger at a player after a game. Half of the Barcelona team was praised after their win at Sevilla. It's five LaLiga goals in four games. Jules Kounde assisted his former club. Raphinha opened the scoring and made a contribution to the third. The first goal of EricGarcia was grabbed. The man of the match was a player. We should not forget that two of the most exciting young players in the world, Gavi and Pedri, were already at Camp Barcelona. This will be a big year for the organization. He looked like a star in the beginning of the season in Barcelona. It's time to shine in a side that has been transformed by Xavi's coaching and playing with world-class professionals. The key role he should play for Spain at the World Cup is already mentioned. Eric Garca scored a goal. Marcus Rashford's finish is good, but Bruno Fernandes' pass is amazing. It begins with a quick pass from Christian Eriksen, but it's made by the vision and delivery from Fernandes. For the end from Rashford. He has struggled for form for a long time but that was a high-pressure moment in a big game and he kept a cool head. MAN UTD ARE IN FRONT AGAIN! 🔴 Arsenal have gotten counter-punched 🥊 pic.twitter.com/LGiRT4xmmXTalking points
Milan draw first blood in Serie A
Dortmund purring ... for now
Honours even on Merseyside
Gavi lights up the Sanchez PizjuanGoals
Man Utd deliver the goods
All class from Vinicius
Vinicius Junior's development into a clinical goal- scorer is not new. This is a player who scored 17 goals in LaLiga. The quality of his finishing still has the ability to surprise, and that was the case on Saturday when he opened the scoring for Real Madrid.
His clever movement in the ninth minute saw him beat the Betis offside trap, stepping inside Youssouf Sabaly and setting off safe in the knowledge that teammate David Alaba has the vision and technique to find him. Vinicius ran off in celebration after scoring the ball over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Vinicius has three goals in his last three games, which has helped propel Madrid to the top of the table.
Vinicius Jr. with a beautiful chip 👏 pic.twitter.com/SHIJ6p5U1h
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 3, 2022
Brilliant Becker befuddles Bayern
There were a lot of things to frustrate the Bavarians on Saturday, but surely even the most miserable of fans could appreciate the brilliance of the goal scored by Sheraldo Becker.
Union's top scorer pulled off an elegant volley from Christopher Trimmel's looping set piece to leave Manuel Neuer grasping for air, and it must be said how difficult a shot this was to pull off. Union had more than enough to hold on for a well-earned point, even after Joshua Kimmich had leveled the game.
Pressure on Cooper at Forest
Despite spending close to £150 million on new players this summer, they still find themselves in the bottom half of the table after six games.
The defeat at home to Bournemouth on Saturday is a huge blow to the team, especially after they went in at half-time 2-0 up. Steve Cooper needs to get his new-look squad to gel quickly to avoid an immediate return to the Championship and the next three games are crucial if they want to get their season up and running quickly.
It will be very tempting for Forest to change managers if Cooper cannot turn things around. If it wasn't for Cooper, Forest wouldn't be in the top-flight. Cooper is still trying to figure out his best team but it needs to happen sooner rather than later.
Leipzig in freefall
You don't want to panic at the beginning of the season, but something isn't right in Leipzig. Their second defeat in their last three games was nothing to smile about. One of those afternoons in which you concede early goals and then just have to grind out a victory is what the Red Bull boys went through.
The schedule ahead is not going to be easy as he settles back in at his former club and unlearns some of his bad habits, but it should be better by the end of the year. The hope is that Domenico Tedesco has the magic words to get the team to believe in themselves.
You can watch the game highlights.
VAR-cical scenes in the Premier League
Even though he dominated the game for Manchester United, the former Spurs player couldn't compete with the Video Assistant Referee in terms of performance.
The video assistant referee is supposed to be there to make sure that no goals are wrongly awarded and that clear and obvious mistakes by officials are fixed.
The VAR dominated the league for a number of reasons.
The match referee was instructed by the VAR to review his initial decision to award the goal. The referees' body has been ordered by the premier league to explain how the decisions were incorrect.
There was a failure to spot a bad foul by van Dijk on Onana, as well as the length of time it took for the decision to be made.
VAR should be there to make the game better, but this weekend it made it worse and took the attention away from the great performances of players and teams on the pitch.
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