The international break is finally over and we are back with a bang! What an opening weekend to get us started after the break!

Wolves 1-3 Liverpool

Liverpool's first games after the international break, historically has spelt nothing but disaster, especially the games with the early kick-off. Liverpool hadn't won a single of their early kickoff games for as long as memory serves. The first 20-25 minutes have always been lethargic, wasteful and filled with mistakes in this fixture from Liverpool. The opposition usually kills the game in the opening half an hour. Wolves today however, despite being the far far superior side throughout the entire first half, failed to do so. They had at least 3 clear chances to bury Liverpool for dead, of which they capitalized only one - meaning Liverpool went into the half-time break still breathing, just.

In fact Liverpool were so bad that, to watch the first bit of some sensible football we had to wait till the 38th minute of the half. As the commentator put so very accurately, "A better bit of football from Liverpool, the ONLY bit of football from Liverpool.."

Joel Matip was easily the worst player on the pitch from both the teams combined. Matip has had some great moments with liverpool in the past - some clutch goals, some deadly tackles - but it has always been evident, more so today, that he does not really belong as a reliable center back for a big club like Liverpool. You can not challenge for any titles if you starting center back is Joel Matip- no hate for Matip there, just stating the fact. He'd be fantastic for a mid table team, just not for Liverpool. There were a few moments when Matip had the ball and his brain just froze on the spot. He had no idea what to do with it, and when he finally decides to pass the ball, it's such a bad pass that he puts the teammate in trouble.

Make no mistake, the entire team was bad in that disastrous first half - but Matip's mistakes were hard to watch.

I still can not get my head around the fact that Liverpool did not go gung-ho into the transfer market looking for defensive reinforcements this summer. The only two top center backs at the club are Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. There are no world class backups and liverpool were thrown into the deep end so early into the season already with Konate's injury (which they should know by now - he is too injury prone) and Van dijk's 2 game suspension. It was a retarded decision to not go for center backs this summer.

Quansah was good, but he still has a lot to learn and he is not yet ready to be the long term solution if either of Konate or Van Dijk is unavailable for long periods. And this lack of depth is going to be tested heavily as theEuropa league kicks off soon and we start getting mid week games.

We'll see.

The second half however was far better from Liverpool. Bringing on Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez added an extra dimension to Liverpool's attack. Every time Nunez steps on to the field, things happen for liverpool. He is their 'agent of chaos' in a very very good way. Liverpool played with far more authority in the second half, especially after equalizing. By then it only seemed like a matter of time before they took the lead and liverpool looked more like the team that could kill games off when the have the chance. This Liverpool is dangerous, reminds very much of that legendary team - "Mentality Monsters." This is the 3rd match out of 5 this season Liverpool have come from behind to win all three points. Last season, you could write Liverpool for dead after the conceded the first goal - at most they could probably scrape out a draw and one point. But this team surely gives off that "Mentality Monsters" vibe! Still to early say though.

We'll see, again!

Manchester United 1-3 Brighton

Source, free to use

I was really looking forward to this game for two reasons. One, I really like what Roberto de Zerbi is doing and how he is turning Brighton one of the most exciting teams to watch in europe. Two, Ansu Fati's Premier League debut.

And boy Brighton didn't disappoint! Going to old trafford, where United haven't lost a single game in the last 15-16 matches and absolutely dominating the Theatre of dreams is some feat! United did have their early chances and they failed to capitalize. Okay that's a bit unfair on brighton's defense I think - more than United's failure to capitalize, it was Brighton's super solid defense that kept denying United the early breakthrough. And when Brighton had their first real sniff at goal, Welbeck didn't fail. By then, the clear daylight between the quality of these two defenses were evident and you'd think the next brighton goal is just a matter of time.

Erik Ten hag's rebuild is failing miserably.