It was a weekend of contrasting emotions for Nigerian players in the Premier League, as Arsenal impressed while Super Eagles stars battled through ups and downs across England.

At St. James’ Park, Tolu Arokodare endured a tough introduction to English football. The 23-year-old striker, who arrived at Wolves from Belgian side Genk this summer, led the line on his debut but struggled to make an impact. His afternoon ended in the 66th minute, with Nick Woltemade’s first-half header condemning Wolves to a 1-0 defeat against Newcastle United. The result leaves Wolves bottom of the table without a single point after four matches.

Over at Selhurst Park, Chrisantus Uche tasted his first Premier League action in Crystal Palace colours. The young Nigerian midfielder came on late in the game, featuring for the final six minutes as Palace settled for a goalless draw against newly promoted Sunderland. Palace remain unbeaten, sitting eighth on the log with six points.

In London, Fulham found some joy as Super Eagles duo Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi helped their side to their first win of the season. Bassey was a rock in defence throughout the 90 minutes, while Iwobi, fresh from international duty, started but was replaced in the 76th minute. The decisive moment came deep into stoppage time, when Gabriel Gudmundsson’s own goal handed Fulham a 1-0 victory over Leeds United.

Elsewhere, Arsenal turned on the style with a dominant 3-0 triumph over Nottingham Forest at the Emirates. Martin Zubimendi struck twice, while new signing Eberechi Eze assisted Viktor Gyokeres, leaving Ange Postecoglou’s first game in charge of Forest one to forget.

At the Vitality Stadium, Ghana’s Antoine Semenyo was the standout performer. The Black Stars forward set up Alex Scott’s opener before winning and converting a penalty to secure Bournemouth’s 2-1 win over Brighton, despite Kaoru Mitoma’s equaliser.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur produced a statement performance, hammering West Ham 3-0, while Everton and Aston Villa played out a goalless draw at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Remarkably, Villa remain the only side across England’s top five divisions yet to find the back of the net this season.