1) Bravo spreads unease through City’s defensive ranks
A good goalkeeper spreads calm. Claudio Bravo may end up doing this at Manchester City. Right now he can look the opposite of calm, a flailing, frazzled, unsettling presence. Bravo spent this match semaphoring about affecting a frantic pose of nonchalance under constant targeted pressure. He made some good saves. Otherwise the preoccupation with playing cute, back-spun passes to his defenders was a source of unease, like a party guest who keeps insisting everyone get up and play charades every five minutes. Nicolás Otamendi has many qualities, but he doesn’t look like a man who likes being asked to Cruyff-turn away from Spurs’ white-shirted wraiths six or seven times a half. Bravo may in time help transform City into the desired passing machine. Right now he feels like a pressure point for opponents, gamely following the Pep schematic when it might be more sensible to play the game and the team-mates in front of you. Barney Ronay
• Match report: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Manchester City
• Son sets tone as Spurs put pressure on league leaders
• Spurs and NFL confident London link-up will bring mutual benefits
2) Officials hand Wenger an anniversary gift
There was only one talking point at Turf Moor – the legitimacy of the 93rd-minute goal that gave Arsenal a fifth successive Premier League win and denied Burnley the point their organised, assured performance clearly deserved. The match officials may have been correct to deem Laurent Koscielny onside as he connected with Theo Walcott’s header across the face of Tom Heaton’s goal but they receive no credit for failing to spot the France international applying the final touch with his hands. Even in real time, from high in the press box at the back of the James Hargreaves Stand, the handball was clear. Arsenal’s winner may reactivate the calls for video technology to be extended beyond goal-line technology but it should not have been necessary on this occasion. There was little excuse for several professional match officials failing to spot the offence. Arsène Wenger’s finest gift to mark his 20th anniversary as Arsenal manager was delivered by the referee Craig Pawson and his assistant. Andy Hunter
• Match report: Burnley 0-1 Arsenal
• Arsenal fans’ journey to Burnley hit by chaos as train hits cows
3) Barkley no closer to fulfilling all his potential
- Appearances
- 7
- Goals
- 1
- Shots
- 19
- Shots on target
- 32%
- Offsides
- 3
Ross Barkley, who has already had a public dressing down from Ronald Koeman this season, has managed to reinstate himself in the Everton team and made attempts to stop giving the ball away so much, yet the road to full redemption still seems long and hard. Barkley had one of his less convincing games against Crystal Palace, judged by the high standards everyone has set for him he was actually quite poor, and there were signs of the Goodison crowd getting on his back again. The player will have to cope with that added pressure, as Koeman said on setting him an ultimatum that if a player cannot handle pressure he has no place in the Premier League. But another thing Koeman said was that Barkley is not a kid any longer; a player with England caps who turns 23 in December ought to be producing now, not being talked of in terms of potential. That is not happening, for club or for country, at least not on a regular enough basis. Though admired for his toughness and honesty in trying to rehabilitate Barkley, Koeman appears no closer to a solution than all the other managers who have found the player’s inconsistency frustrating. Koeman sent on Kevin Mirallas for Barkley, which was fair enough, but apparently did not have enough confidence in the new signing Enner Valencia to bring him on at the end when a goal could have won the game. Paul Wilson
• Match report: Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace
4) Will Conte stick to a three-man defence?
Antonio Conte changed tack against Hull City and opted for three at the back. Branislav Ivanovic was dropped, and perhaps it was no coincidence that Chelsea gave one of their most assured defensive performances for weeks. Granted, Hull were poor and faded badly, but Chelsea responded well from their recent defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool by changing formation. With John Terry still injured, David Luiz played in the heart of a back three flanked by César Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill, with Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso playing as the wing-backs. Conte has utilised such a system successfully in the past with Juventus and Italy, and he spoke of wanting to make his team more compact after recent leaky displays. His defence was certainly learning as it went, though a shaky start gradually became a confident performance. Whether Terry can fit into such a system and if it will stand up to more potent attacking teams remains to be seen. James Riach
• Match report: Hull City 0-2 Chelsea
• Phelan admits he is no closer to being named manager
5) Southampton’s Romeu channels Kanté to frustrate Leicester fans
While not enjoying the way their team were outnumbered and outmuscled in central midfield by Southampton here, Leicester City fans must have found themselves reminiscing fondly about N’Golo Kanté as they watched Oriol Romeu in particular. The Spaniard was not quite as dynamic as Kanté – he is not battery-charged, after all – but he patrolled midfield with tremendous power and precision, as he has been doing for Southampton since the start of the season. The triple block he made to deny Jamie Vardy and Islam Slimani after a mistake by the normally imperious Virgil van Dijk was one of the highlights of the weekend. A knee injury hindered Romeu’s career at Stamford Bridge but now, as the 25-year-old emerges as a real force in the Premier League, Chelsea may be regretting selling him to Southampton for £5m last year. Claude Puel is not complaining. The Frenchman said: “Since the beginning of the season he has been very good in front of the defence. He is a technical player and he also can block a lot of balls. He’s very important for us. He gives a good structure to the team. He’s very interesting with the ball and without it. I like this player.” Paul Doyle
Injuries Southampton: The foot injury that forced Cédric Soares off in the 26th minute is not thought to be serious but he may undergo a scan early this week to make sure.
• Match report: Leicester City 0-0 Southampton
• Ahmed Musa: ‘I want to give something to people back home in Nigeria’
6) United impress to leave Rooney ever more peripheral
Manchester United did not beat Stoke City but José Mourinho was not far wrong to state it was the side’s best performance of the campaign. This makes the road back into the first XI appear a little longer for Wayne Rooney, who was dropped again for the serious business of the Premier League. The captain was also left out for the 4-1 win over Leicester City and though he was once more introduced as a second-half replacement against the second-bottom club Rooney was largely ineffective. The forward will now lead England – and expect to start – during the international break but will he really be reinstated for the trip to Liverpool? It seems unlikely given the side that overran Stoke was unchanged from that which did the same to the champions. A lot can change in football and quickly, of course, but Rooney now seems in the position where he needs an injury (or three) to wrest his place back. Jamie Jackson
• Match report: Manchester United 1-1 Stoke City
• Video: Mata holds up Manchester United team bus to greet young fan
7) Moyes benefits from Van Aanholt’s attacking instincts
David Moyes is not a big fan of 3-5-2 but switching to that system, at least on a temporary basis, could just work for a Sunderland side still seeking their first Premier League win this season. That configuration might also bring out the best in Patrick van Aanholt, so often a liability at left-back but an attacking threat when operating as a wing-back. Perhaps it was coincidence but Sunderland improved after shifting to 3-5-2 once Van Aanholt replaced the injured Jan Kirchhoff in the draw with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. The substitute scored the equaliser that provided only their second point of the campaign. With Lee Cattermole injured and Kirchhoff probably out for some time too, changing to a back three could also help camouflage Sunderland’s weaknesses in central midfield, where, right now, Didier Ndong seems the one bright spark, and at centre-half. Louise Taylor
Injuries Kirchhoff (hamstring, unknown).
• Match report: Sunderland 1-1 West Brom
8) Goal-shy Swansea need to find a sharpshooter
Swansea City have got themselves into a mess and, irrespective of the managerial situation, all the signs are there that this will be a long, hard season. The past two games have offered a glimmer of hope, but playing well for an hour against Manchester City and 45 minutes against Liverpool is not enough. “It is all about results, it is not about being nice to watch,” Lukasz Fabianski said. It remains a worry where goals will come from – Swansea have scored only six all season and Leroy Fer has four of them – the side lacks pace, and Ashley Williams’s leadership is badly missed. Whether it is Francesco Guidolin, Ryan Giggs, Bob Bradley or someone else in the dugout, those issues will not be easily solved. Borja Bastón, the club‑record signing, needs to come good up front, Ki Sung-yueng could do with regaining the form he showed two seasons ago and how about Jefferson Montero returning from the wilderness? Stuart James
Injuries Liverpool: Lallana (groin, 17 Oct), Lovren (groin, 17 Oct).
• Match report: Swansea City 1-2 Liverpool
• Angry Klopp says Liverpool’s first-half display ‘made no sense’
9) Has Deeney put himself in England frame?
- Appearances
- 7
- Goals
- 3
- Shots
- 11
- Shots on target
- 45%
- Offsides
- 0
In an England-centred week, attention at Vicarage Road inevitably focused on two much-discussed figures in the visitors’ entourage: the Bournemouth manager, Eddie Howe, in the frame to replace Sam Allardyce, and their on-loan midfielder Jack Wilshere, feeling his way back to fitness and form. But it was Troy Deeney, with his 99th goal for Watford, who caught the eye more on Saturday. Deeney’s path to Premier League prominence has been a chequered one but at a club that chops and changes personnel as much as Watford, he remains a constant and a talisman in his seventh season at Vicarage Road. His goal against Bournemouth was not as spectacular as his effort at West Ham last month, but rewarded a performance that showed his ability both in holding the ball up and finishing, and suggested he is close to regaining his best form. England could do worse. Tom Davies
• Match report: Watford 2-2 Bournemouth
• Howe happy at Bournemouth amid England speculation
10) Bilic’s new faces also struggle to adapt to new surrounds
In keeping with Simone Zaza’s awkward start to Premier League life, the striker on loan from Juventus produced a busy second-half cameo but his one real sight of goal was ballooned over. He is one of a large collection of new faces Slaven Bilic is trying to assimilate as quickly as possible in challenging conditions. There has been a real mix of signings. From young prospects to the well decorated and all sorts in between. There is a lot going on and a lot to take in. How on earth do West Ham make them feel at home when the club are struggling to feel at home themselves? Bilic is backing his newcomers to come good. “Some players need time to click with the team, to adjust – and then comes the new stadium and everything,” he says. “Of course they are all good players and they will work – or at least that is what we are expecting them to do. They are good players and they came to improve our team. But we have to help them also as a team to settle in, to a new country, new environment, new league or whatever, as soon as possible.” In the short term he is looking to some older faces to return to help the cause. Aaron Cresswell returns to training during the international break, and Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho are not far away. Both the strikers are not without issues, but Bilic is not in the position to rule anyone out of contention unless he has to. He intends to get to the bottom of Carroll’s late night escapades. “I’m going to see what really happened. We are going to pick up all the information and we are going to talk about it and if needed we are going to act, of course.” Amy Lawrence
• Match report: West Ham United 1-1 Middlesbrough
• Three fans arrested after more trouble at new stadium
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 7 | 11 | 18 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 | 9 | 17 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 7 | 8 | 16 |
| 5 | Everton | 7 | 6 | 14 |
| 6 | Man Utd | 7 | 5 | 13 |
| 7 | Chelsea | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 7 | 3 | 11 |
| 9 | West Brom | 7 | 1 | 9 |
| 10 | Southampton | 7 | 1 | 9 |
| 11 | Watford | 7 | -1 | 8 |
| 12 | Leicester | 7 | -3 | 8 |
| 13 | AFC Bournemouth | 7 | -5 | 8 |
| 14 | Burnley | 7 | -4 | 7 |
| 15 | Hull | 7 | -7 | 7 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 7 | -3 | 6 |
| 17 | Swansea | 7 | -6 | 4 |
| 18 | West Ham | 7 | -9 | 4 |
| 19 | Stoke | 7 | -11 | 3 |
| 20 | Sunderland | 7 | -7 | 2 |
