Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
1) Nketiah deserves chance to show he is an able deputy
Eddie Nketiah signed a new contract at Arsenal in the summer despite plenty of interest from elsewhere, and it was presumably made clear that he would play second fiddle to Gabriel Jesus up front. He is yet to begin a league game this season and, given Arsenal’s exceptional form and the outstanding performances of his new teammate, that is no huge surprise. But a lot is being asked of Jesus and, having been surprisingly deployed against PSV Eindhoven on Thursday, perhaps he could be excused a showing at Southampton that was rusty by his standards. Jesus has transformed Arsenal’s attack but Nketiah is a more than capable deputy and the time may have come to give the academy product another starting chance. Mikel Arteta will surely have to give his Brazilian centre-forward a rest at some point and
Nottingham Forest should be beaten on Sunday with or without Jesus. A successful outing for Nketiah would add confidence that Arsenal are the real deal beyond their starting XI. Nick Ames
Match report: Southampton 1-1 Arsenal
2) Don’t bet against Haaland beating Dean’s record
Erling Haaland’s double in Manchester City’s tricky win over Brighton took the astonishing forward to 17 Premier League goals after only 11 games. The Norwegian needs 17 more to break the Premier League singleseason record of 34 set by Andy Cole (1993-94) and Alan Shearer (1994-95) and that, remember, was at a time when the top flight was a 42-match competition. “Listen, you don’t have to be a genius, if he continues to do it in this rhythm, with the average every game, he is going to break the record, definitely,” said Pep Guardiola. “But in football, maybe you stop scoring – I don’t know.” Dixie Dean holds the all-time top-flight record in England with a stupendous 60 goals during the 1927-28 campaign. For Haaland to eclipse this he would have to up his current ratio of 1.15 goals per-game to 1.62 – an increase of around 0.5 for every 90 minutes (plus added time) remaining. Do not bet against the Jonah Lomu of foot
ball doing it. Jamie Jackson
Match report: Manchester City 3-1 Brighton
3) Almirón fuelled by tactics not Grealish’s barb
Miguel Almirón’s sixth goal of the season proved decisive for Newcastle at Spurs, taking them up to giddy heights of fourth. It’s the Paraguayan’s most prolific season in black and white. In some corners of the internet you’ll read that his upturn in form is down to being motivated by a tipsy Jack Grealish’s throwaway remark about the Newcastle winger during Manchester City’s victory parade. Almirón has always been a selfless runner, willing to track back the length of the pitch and then burst a lung trying to get back up the other end to help out in attack. But with Sean Longstaff tucking in behind him and Kieran Trippier at full-back using his experience to shore up Newcastle’s right side, the winger has been freed from his defensive duties and is now able to put more of his energy into punchy forays forwards. He gave Ryan Sessegnon and Clément Lenglet a torrid time at Spurs and his winning goal was little more than his attacking industry deserved. Gregg Bakowski
Match report: Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle
4) Leeds still reeling from Phillips’s departure
If that was the last Elland Road sees of Jesse Marsch – and the sight of a manager sheepishly applauding fans who are booing him rarely bodes well – then perhaps his downfall can be traced back to the summer departure of a much-loved local hero. Kalvin Phillips had long been a player whose absence was acutely felt by Leeds: his injury last December sparked the run of nine defeats in 12 games that did for
Marcelo Bielsa. On Sunday, the gaping hole he has left at the heart of Marsch’s midfield was filled by Sam Greenwood, a 20-year-old converted striker making his 10th senior appearance; the result was a man-of-the-match performance from Fulham midfielder Harrison Reed. Since swapping his status as club talisman for that of high-end squad player, Phillips has played precisely one minute of Premier League football – largely due to injury. His City career could well prove a success but for now it’s a move that conjures bleak visions of Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair. Leeds miss him. How long until he misses them? Alex Hess
Match report: Leeds 2-3 Fulham
5) Liverpool stall on the road again
Even the painful screech of a creaking door gnawed at a furious Jürgen Klopp in his post-match press conference at the City Ground. After three wins on the spin, his side stalled in Nottingham and succumbed to successive away league defeats for the first time since February 2017, when Lucas Leiva and Emre Can patrolled midfield. The Liverpool manager elected to freshen things up by replenishing his fullbacks and replacing Jordan Henderson in midfield but until his captain and Trent Alexander-Arnold arrived off the bench just beyond the hour mark they lacked the thrust synonymous with Klopp’s sides. Forest had that energy in abundance, however, with the Wales defender Neco Williams, who signed from Liverpool in July in a £16m deal, particularly lively marauding forward from left-back. “I had a chat with Neco before the game and just checked in that he was OK,” said Steve Cooper, the Forest head coach. “He had a big decision to make in the summer.” Ben Fisher
Match report: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Liverpool
6) Elyounoussi’s energy shows there is life in Hasenhüttl yet
With Southampton trailing 1-0 on 59 minutes, Mohamed Elyounoussi came close to equalising as he stretched out a boot in the six-yard box that was inches away from connecting with a cross. Moments later Martin Ødegaard sent Gabriel Jesus scampering through for what looked like a one-on-one with Gavin Bazunu. The Brazilian’s shot wasn’t stopped by the keeper, though. Elyounoussi had tracked the run from deep and caught up with the striker before stretching out a leg to deflect the ball out for a corner. It was a sign that Southampton – who had struggled up to that point – still had life in them and, crucially, players were still willing to run themselves into the ground for their likable manager, Ralph Hasenhüttl. Six minutes later Elyounoussi burst up the right, skipped inside Takehiro Tomiyasu and slipped a perfectly weighted ball in for Stuart Armstrong’s equaliser. Saints will need hard-working team players such as the Norwegian if they are to steer clear of a relegation battle this season. “I don’t know how many positions he has played but you can trust him anywhere. This is amazing for me.” Hasenhüttl knows it. Gregg Bakowski
7) Chelsea simply aren’t creating enough chances
Where are Chelsea’s goals coming from? Manchester United’s late equaliser on Saturday denied Graham Potter a sixth successive clean sheet but it is the other end of the pitch that should concern him more. Nor is this simply a question of finishing: unlike Potter’s Brighton, who were the kings of expected goals while scoring fewer actual goals, Chelsea are 12th in the xG table since Potter’s arrival. Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have both regressed after bright starts; Armando Broja’s industry has gone largely unrewarded; Kai Havertz and Mason Mount are players who chip in rather than score consistently. None of this is necessarily a problem if the system is creating enough chances; Potter’s challenge, therefore, is to generate one that does. Jonathan Liew
Match report: Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
8) Wolves’ lack of goals putting defenders on edge
An inability to score does nothing for the confidence of strikers but it is highly unhelpful for defenders too. Wolves know once they concede an opener they are unlikely to get anything out of a match because they have only scored five times in 12 matches. The back four looked nervous from the opening whistle, making poor decisions in and out of possession. Jonny Otto gave away the free-kick that led to the goal, compounding matters by heading clear straight to Youri Tielemans to fire in a wondrous opener. Otto then slipped to gift Harvey Barnes the second and finish the game as a contest, despite Wolves dominating possession. Max Kilman looked constantly on edge, often giving the ball away with errant passes in his own defensive third, while José Sá took too many touches to almost gift Patson Daka a goal for Leicester. Profligacy in front of goal affects the confidence of the whole team and with Wolves’ limited striking options, it could have a lasting impact. Will Unwin
Match report: Wolves 0-4 Leicester City
9) Coleman’s enduring quality does not go unnoticed
There were bigger themes from Everton’s finest win of the season – Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s impact in front of Gareth Southgate, quality team goals in keeping with the collective display, Patrick Vieira’s anger with Crystal Palace – but there are no apologies for singling out Séamus Coleman for individual praise. Thirteen years to the day since making his Everton debut as a makeshift left-back at Benfica, the 34-yearold marked the anniversary by dominating Wilfried Zaha to such an extent that the Palace winger was driven to distraction. Coleman is closing in on 400 appearances for Everton and could have Nathan Patterson challenging for his place again against Fulham on Saturday, but the influence of a captain who Frank Lampard described as “one of the best men I’ve ever met in football” continues to be felt on and off the pitch. “Zaha is one of the best one-v-one players in the league but in those moments you could see Séamus’s determination and quality,” said Lampard. “You can’t understate having that at 34, having been injured and played three games in a week. It is testament to his character and his quality.” Andy Hunter
Match report: Everton 3-0 Crystal Palace
10) Could Watkins make a late dash for Qatar?
Ollie Watkins scored his first Premier League goal in nine games for Aston Villa, against the side he helped reach the Premier League for the first time in their history. It was a scrappy goal – the striker’s initial shot was saved and the rebound struck a post before deflecting back on to him and going past David Raya to make it 4-0 in the win over Brentford. It was the club’s first game following the sacking of Steven Gerrard as manager – but Watkins on song is an England contender and could yet make a late dash for Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad. Peter Lansley
Match report: Aston Villa 4-0 Brentford