Charlie Grace

Sun 5 October 2025 19:30, UK

Manchester City and Chelsea both earned wins in West London in the Premier League, but their victories came at a cost.

Manchester City saw out a professional victory over Brentford at the GTech Community Stadium, winning 1-0 thanks to Erling Haaland’s strike.

Meanwhile, 24 hours earlier, Chelsea beat Liverpool in dramatic fashion thanks to Estevao’s late winner, which secured a 2-1 win for Enzo Maresca’s side.

Both teams will cherish the three points that see them sitting comfortably as the international break now lurks around the corner.

Premier League injury pile-up highlights concerning workload

Both Maresca and Pep Guardiola will hope the international break can provide some time for their injury woes to recover.

In Chelsea’s win over Liverpool, both of their starting centre-backs, Benoit Badiashile and Josh Achempong, went off with injuries.

It wasn’t all positive for Man City either, despite their win against Brentford, as Rodri left the match with another injury in the first half.

The hefty amount of injuries that clubs are facing early in the campaign is bringing more light to concerns over player welfare and workloads.

Chris Wood’s strike calls look justified after injury-ridden Premier League weekend

With the introduction of the FIFA Club World Cup as well as an expansion to the Champions League, both Man City and Chelsea have played a lot of football in the last 12 months.

The increase in player workload has left a member of the players’ union, Chris Wood, calling for a strike from the Premier League’s elite players.

The Nottingham Forest striker was reportedly threatening a strike in September after the effects of multiplying the number of games on the schedule came to light, with several early-season injuries.

As the season continues, the fatigue and injuries among players will only grow, and the concerns of player welfare will increase with it.