TEN things we learned from the Premier League this weekend
Arsenal CAN dream of a title challenge but Liverpool’s leaky defence will continue to cost them… while Fulham look toothless without Mitrovic – TEN things we learned from the Premier League
- Arsenal dominated Tottenham to show they are good enough to fight at the top
- Liverpool’s defence was a mess again as Brighton scored three at Anfield
- Fulham’s reliance on Aleksandar Mitrovic was clear when striker got injured
Another weekend of Premier League action is in the books with two huge local derbies garnering the majority of the attention.
Arsenal got the better of arch-rivals rivals Tottenham at the Emirates on Saturday before Manchester City dominated Manchester United at the Etihad on Sunday.
There were seven other games in the top flight as well and Sportshas assessed all the major talking points, summarising 10 things we learned from the weekend.
Arsenal got the better of arch-rivals Tottenham during another exciting weekend of action
You would have thought a £70million defensive midfielder would be exactly the type of player needed when visiting the toughest ground in the league.
However, five-time Champions League winner Casemiro found himself sat on the bench again as Erik ten Hag opted for Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay at the base of his midfield at the Etihad.
It looked lightweight from the off and City were able to completely have their way in what was an utterly embarrassing half for the visitors.
Ten Hag may have wanted to stick with players in form but players of the quality of Casemiro have to be allowed to play themselves into form.
Casemiro (centre right) has not enjoyed the electric start he was hoping for at Man United
2. Fulham toothless without Mitrovic
The shortcomings of the Cottagers were exposed as star man Aleksandar Mitrovic was forced to leave the pitch due to injury just 35 minutes into their clash with Newcastle.
As was feared, Marco Silva’s team offer next to nothing going forward without the big Serbian acting as a focal point up top.
Fortunately the substitution does look to have been more of a precaution with the player having been carrying a knock recently.
But Saturday will no doubt have acted as a warning of how Fulham will fare should Mitrovic pick up a more serious injury this season.
Fulham looked short of ideas when star man Aleksandar Mitrovic had to leave the game
3. Liverpool’s defence will continue to cost them
Jurgen Klopp’s backline has already come under plenty of scrutiny this season and they had another day to forget against Brighton.
The Seagulls were 2-0 up after 17 minutes and could have even had a couple more.
The anxiety around Anfield every time the visitors came forward was palpable and it’s hard to see how this won’t continue to be a problem for the remainder of the season.
Virgil van Dijk has lost that air of invincibility and and Trent Alexander-Arnold was somewhat at fault for all three goals.
Liverpool’s defence was found wanting again as they allowed Brighton to score three goals
4. Villa hopeless in the final third
Aston Villa will be kicking themselves after failing to take all three points against Leeds on Sunday.
Their hosts were a man down for almost the entire second half after Luis Sinisterra was shown a second yellow card.
Steven Gerrard’s side went on to dominate the ball with more than 75 per cent possession and fired off 12 attempts, but just two of these ended up on target.
To watch Villa is to see a team in control of the midfield – Douglas Luiz was brilliant on Sunday – but there are too many individuals in the final third.
Ollie Watkins cut a frustrated figure as Aston Villa drew 0-0 at 10-man Leeds United on Sunday
5. Lampard is turning things around
Few figures in English football have been under more pressure in 2022 than Frank Lampard but the Everton manager is starting to prove his critics wrong.
Saturday’s 2-1 win at Southampton means the Toffees have now gone six games undefeated in the top flight after losing their two opening matches of the season.
Lampard repeatedly alluded to the strength of character in his Everton squad after victory at Southampton, a spirit that was often conspicuous by its absence last season.
Conor Coady and James Tarkowski have forged a steely partnership in front of Jordan Pickford, while Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana, two more summer signings, dictated the midfield at St Mary’s. Another of Everton’s eight new faces, Dwight McNeil, scored the winner to send the 3,000-strong away support home happy.
Everton manager Frank Lampard oversaw a second straight win and sixth game undefeated
6. Only injury can stop Haaland breaking the records
No player has ever taken the league by storm quite like Erling Haaland is doing.
The striker continued his absurd goalscoring form with a third consecutive hat-trick, this time against rivals Manchester United in what many predicted to be a tight game.
Haaland is the league’s top scorer with 14 goals in eight games, double that of second-placed Harry Kane.
He’s not just on track to beat the record for goals in a season, he’s on track to obliterate it. The Norwegian’s current rate of 1.75 goals per game puts him on course for 66 goals almost double that of record holders Andy Cole and Alan Shearer (34).
The only thing that could stop him now is injury… and he’s no stranger to them. He spent nearly 100 days injured last season, missing 16 games due to three different problems. This has been somewhat of a theme throughout his young career but Pep Guardiola claims he is past them. We shall see…
Erling Haaland scored his third-straight home hat-trick during Manchester City’s derby win
7. Costa cameo showed he can have an impact
Diego Costa made his first Premier League appearance in over four years at the weekend and the veteran striker showed he still has qualities that can make him effective in the top flight.
The 33-year-old came on and it wasn’t long before he was rising above both West Ham centre-backs and powering a bullet header agonisingly wide.
He showed all the attributes the side have been missing, running in behind, hold up play and can clearly be a goal threat.
Diego Costa proved he could still be a handful on his Premier League debut for Wolves
8. Arsenal can dream bigger than fourth
Arsenal came flying out of the blocks this season but there were still some doubting whether it was down to significant improvement or an ‘easy schedule’.
A lot of those questions were answered on Saturday, however, as they outplayed and defeated Tottenham in the north London derby.
The Gunners were in control for all but a 10-minute period of the game and showed why they really do pose a threat to another City title.
The season started out with aspirations for Champions League qualification but supporters at the Emirates can start to look higher.
Arsenal sit top of the Premier League following eight games after a brilliant start to the season
9. Almiron shows Grealish he has got it
Fans have all been left saying the same thing after Miguel Almiron’s electric start to the season drew comparison’s with Jack Grealish.
Grealish took a stunning swipe at Almiron at the end of last season, declaring: ‘He (Riyad Mahrez) played like Almiron yesterday,’ during the season finale.
The Newcastle man bagged a brace on Saturday and now has three times as many goals as Grealish this season…
Miguel Almiron (right) scored a stunning goal for Newcastle as they thumped Fulham 4-1
10. Gallagher finding new life under Potter
Conor Gallagher could benefit more than other other Chelsea player from the change in manager.
Thomas Tuchel insisted on playing him deeper in more of a box-to-box role instead of positioning him near the opponent’s box where he thrived on loan at Palace last season.
Played in his preferred position by Graham Potter on Saturday, Gallagher looked far more at home when he came on and repaid his manager with a late winner.
Conor Gallagher scored a stunning effort at the death to claim all three points for Chelsea
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