1) Shaw puts Salah in the shade
Luke Shaw’s display at Old Trafford was his best for Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, according to the interim manager. To see Mohamed Salah replaced on 79 minutes was all the evidence required. Solskjær said: “[When] they take Mohamed Salah off you know Luke Shaw has played a good game.” The left-back was a blur of defensive obstinacy. Solskjær said Salah’s threat meant Shaw could not attack as much as desired and this is understandable given the forward’s quality. But the prevailing caveat regarding Shaw’s contribution in most games is that he does not create enough when roving forward. If Shaw can add more overlapping play, crosses and bursts into the area then United will have an extra dimension and the potential that got him the move five years ago from Southampton will have finally been realised. Jamie Jackson
• Match report: Manchester United 0-0 Liverpool
2) Hazard central to Chelsea’s improved display
Leaving Gonzalo Higuaín on the bench until extra-time appeared bad faith in a big-name striker signed on an 18-month loan with attendant hefty wages. But with Eden Hazard as a central attacker, and Pedro and Willian flanking, Maurizio Sarri selected the trio who dug in for December’s 2-0 defeat of City. This display was as solid as Chelsea have looked since and Hazard was licensed to exhibit his individual genius. The Belgian may be reluctant to play centrally but Sarri was in little position for taking a long-term view. With former manager José Mourinho, working as a TV pundit, unhelpfully reminding viewers of the broadcaster DAZN Spain that Hazard has “the talent and personality to wear the Real Madrid shirt”, Chelsea’s star may not be around beyond the short term. If Sunday was his final Wembley appearance for Chelsea, he graced the occasion; his Panenka shootout penalty was an impudent beauty. John Brewin
• Match report: Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea (City won 4-3 on pens)
3) Ranieri confounds over Sessegnon
At half-time, Claudio Ranieri removed Ryan Sessegnon and Jean Michaël Seri: the latter because he might have otherwise been sent off, the former because the manager remains unconvinced by one of the brightest young talents in the country. Many things have gone wrong for Fulham this season, some of them out of their control, but the treatment of Sessegnon is increasingly curious. At 18 Sessegnon is not the answer to all their problems, but the issue is that he is not even being given the chance. Having set up their goal against West Ham with a forceful low cross and generally been their most threatening player, to take him off at the interval was baffling. It was hardly a surprise that, despite having the better of the second half, they could not create any clear chances, much less score a goal. Nick Miller
• Match report: West Ham 3-1 Fulham
4) Nuno on hi-tech – and low cunning
On the face of it, Wolves’ 1-1 draw at Bournemouth was a perfect advert for VAR. There were three dubious penalties and another that might have been given to Wolves for handball by Chris Mepham. But of the four, only Ivan Cavaliero’s foul on Ryan Fraser – which was outside the area, and might not have been a foul anyway – was close to the “clear and obvious error” that is theoretically required for a decision to be overturned. The rest were all subjective. Though VAR in the Premier League will increase the number of correct decisions, it will also heighten the sense of injustice at the debatable ones. Once technology is used, players have a much greater entitlement to the correct decision – or, rather, the decision they perceive to be correct. The issue was summed up by the Wolves head coach, Nuno Espírito Santo, when he was asked whether the reaction of his players to certain decisions showed they were hard done by. “I don’t know,” he said. “You cannot always trust the reaction of the players – sometimes they cheat.” The biggest problem with technology will always be humans. Rob Smyth
• Match report: Bournemouth 1-1 Wolves
5) Manchester City women go Continental
Manchester City, having fallen apart this time last year from a similarly unbeaten starting point, have found the answer to staying competitive across the board and their blueprint may well be one Arsenal will pore over come the summer even if the Gunners stumble first across the finish line in the league. Arsenal have been bullish in their assertion that the league, and Champions League, have been their priority. Yet City have shown this season that compromising one trophy for another does not have to be a given. “We knew that we wanted to still be in the FA Cup, we’ve done that; we wanted to stay top of the league, we’ve done that; and to come here and win the third game of the week shows what a great squad we have, the great staff we have behind us and all the great work people don’t see,” said City’s captain, Steph Houghton. Suzanne Wrack
• Match report: Manchester City 0-0 Arsenal (City won 4-2 on pens)
6) Reversal puts Hasenhüttl in a fix
When Southampton ended Arsenal’s 22-match unbeaten run on 16 December at St Mary’s – in Ralph Hasenhüttl’s second game in charge – it was a performance and occasion that teemed with intensity; a clear example of a new-manager bounce. At the Emirates on Sunday, the most striking aspect of the club’s 2-0 defeat was their flatness and fragility. Hasenhüttl had enjoyed two clear weeks to prepare for it after the home loss to Cardiff but his team conceded the goals early on and fell apart. They could have leaked four or five by half-time. Individual errors remain a massive problem and can Hasenhüttl legislate for those? But the broader picture is two points from an available 12 and a group of players that look inhibited. Hasenhüttl appeared to have the weight of the world on his shoulders afterwards. He has to find a way to unlock the tension. David Hytner
• Match report: Arsenal 2-1 Southampton
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7) Turf Moor’s elephant in the corner
The presence of VAR was also felt at Turf Moor – though there is no truth in the rumour that it would have sorted out the confusion over the award of the corner that led to Burnley’s first goal against Tottenham. VAR is not going to be wheeled out next season for every toss-of-a-coin line decision in the course of a game and in any case, given that there was still room for debate even after several slow-motion replays of Jan Vertonghen and Jeff Hendrick sliding over the line together, there was no clear and obvious mistake. Mike Dean’s decision became important in the context of the game because a goal resulted from the set piece, but VAR cannot be used in hindsight either. Even if an amount of guesswork on the part of the referee was necessarily involved, Tottenham should still have defended the corner better. Paul Wilson
• Match report: Burnley 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
8) Gerard Deulofeu is coming of age
Gerard Deulofeu has promised much but failed to deliver since his arrival on English shores with as a fresh-faced 18-year-old with Everton in 2013 – yet could he finally be coming of age after his dazzling hat-trick left Cardiff City stunned? Growing up in Lionel Messi’s shadow cannot be easy, especially after he was given one final shot at Camp Nou last season. But the shackles were off on Friday night as the Spaniard used the Cardiff City Stadium as his playground to lay bare Cardiff’s defensive frailties. Playing around Troy Deeney, his irrepressible movement terrified Sean Morrison and co, and he had the cool head and firepower to make his chances count. His maturity in front of goal allowed him to pick out the bottom corner before calmly finishing a pair of one-on-ones. So could this be the game where Deulofeu proved he is ready to become one of the Premier League’s better performers or will it prove to be another false dawn? James Candy
• Match report: Cardiff City 1-5 Watford
9) Free-wheeling Zaha pays homage to Hodgson
Roy Hodgson celebrated becoming the oldest person to manage in the Premier League by witnessing his side dismantle Leicester. Having worked across Europe, Hodgson has learned how to get the best out of players of all styles and ages. The 71-year-old has finely tuned Wilfried Zaha since arriving at Selhurst Park, giving his star man the freedom he requires to earn points. There were another two goals for the winger on Saturday, making it the first time Zaha has scored in three consecutive Premier League games, earning praise from Hodgson who says Zaha is benefiting from concerted team effort to score more and, ironically, being liberated by having a central striker. Zaha proclaimed on Instagram: “Today’s win is for you gaffer,” alongside a photo of a smiling Hodgson. They might use different platforms to show their mutual admiration, but they are certainly getting the best out of each other. Will Unwin
• Match report: Leicester 1-4 Crystal Palace
10) Lejeune brings comfort to Newcastle
Newcastle fans welcomed Miguel Almirón to Tyneside with a special “Wor Almirón” banner and, in return, the £21m Paraguay playmaker brought searing pace, smart swivels and slick passes to the party. He and Salomón Rondón competed for man of the match honours, with the midfielders Sean Longstaff and Isaac Hayden not far behind. But one man’s influence should not be underestimated. Newcastle’s shaky start to the season coincided with Florian Lejeune being sidelined with a ruptured cruciate ligament but since the centre-half’s return they have improved appreciably. Lejeune is an excellent defender whose comfort on the ball, technical assurance and vision enables Rafael Benítez’s 5-4-1 formation to switch seamlessly to an attacking 3-4-3. His party trick is switching play courtesy of long diagonal passes and the latest example prefaced Rondón scoring the first goal against 10-man, all but relegated, Huddersfield. Louise Taylor
• Match report: Newcastle 2-0 Huddersfield
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 27 | 44 | 66 |
| 2 | Man City | 27 | 54 | 65 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 27 | 28 | 60 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 27 | 18 | 53 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 27 | 17 | 52 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 26 | 16 | 50 |
| 7 | Watford | 27 | 4 | 40 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton | 27 | 1 | 40 |
| 9 | West Ham | 27 | -5 | 36 |
| 10 | AFC Bournemouth | 27 | -10 | 34 |
| 11 | Everton | 27 | -3 | 33 |
| 12 | Leicester | 27 | -6 | 32 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 27 | -4 | 30 |
| 14 | Burnley | 27 | -17 | 30 |
| 15 | Newcastle | 27 | -10 | 28 |
| 16 | Brighton | 26 | -11 | 27 |
| 17 | Cardiff | 27 | -27 | 25 |
| 18 | Southampton | 27 | -18 | 24 |
| 19 | Fulham | 27 | -35 | 17 |
| 20 | Huddersfield | 27 | -36 | 11 |
