Our chief football writer reviews the main talking points from the weekend's action
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Well, we have more of a title race than this time last week. Arsenal’s run of wins and clean sheets came to an end at Sunderland, and Manchester City did their part to cut the gap to four points with a comprehensive win over Liverpool to give Arne Slot another headache.
At the bottom, West Ham and Nottingham Forest were big winners with home wins against sides just above them, each scoring three goals in the process. That leaves Wolves – soon to welcome Rob Edwards – seven points adrift at the bottom.
The other big story of the weekend was Newcastle United losing away from home again. Eddie Howe is facing questions for the first time during his tenure and, so far, has no answers.
This weekend’s results
Saturday
Spurs 2-2 Man Utd
Everton 2-0 Fulham
West Ham 3-2 Burnley
Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
Chelsea 3-0 Wolves
Sunday
Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth
Brentford 3-1 Newcastle
Crystal Palace 0-0 Brighton
Nottm Forest 3-1 Leeds
Man City 3-0 Liverpool
Edwards has a monumental task at Wolves
The good news is that, during his early weeks at Middlesbrough, Rob Edwards made his team the most organised defensively in the Championship. The bad news is everything else.
Because Hwang is offering little and Larsen’s form has dropped off a cliff, and because the attacking replacements this summer are of lesser quality than the ones who left, Wolves are toothless. They had three shots (all off target) against Chelsea and Wolves have now registered an xG of 0.6 or below in more than half of their league games.
Oh, and the defending is getting worse too. Wolves have faced 39 shots in their last two league games, their two highest shots faced totals of the season so far. It’s one thing to shore up a defence, but Edwards can hardly do that by sacrificing intent given that Wolves are barely attacking coherently now. Good luck, fella.
Forest find a way forward
For 55 minutes, Nottingham Forest’s game against Leeds was a quality dirge. Forest were the better team in the first half, but any of the good work was too often undone by a lack of extra options in the final third. That leaves Gibbs-White having – and certainly trying – to do everything and getting frustrated.
The game changed from the moment that Omari Hutchinson came on. With wingers on each flank, Forest were finally able to stretch the game and create space centrally for Gibbs-White and Anderson, aided by Taiwo Awoniyi holding up the ball.
That has to be the answer now. I fully understand the safety-first approach while Dyche gets a handle on the squad and Forest are in the bottom three, but their best route out of this is to use their wingers, service strikers and create space on the edge of the penalty area.
West Ham get Nuno’d
Nuno's West Ham beat Burnley 3-2 on Saturday (Photo: Getty)
Nuno’s West Ham beat Burnley 3-2 on Saturday (Photo: Getty)
Nuno might just have rediscovered some helpful aspects of his Forest tenure. In their last two matches – both wins scoring three times in each – West Ham have had 38 per cent possession against Newcastle and 43 per cent against Burnley. That was Burnley’s highest proportion of the ball this season by 11 per cent.
This is surely the formula, if Nuno can improve the defence over time. Summerville and Bowen are the fast wingers playing into space. Callum Wilson is the closest that West Ham have to Chris Wood and he scored his first goal under Nuno this weekend.
Most interesting is who the Morgan Gibbs-White figure might be. The obvious answer is Lucas Paqueta, but on Saturday Matheus Fernandes broke out in a big way. He made 13 more passes than any other West Ham player, had more touches in the final third and produced more shot-creating actions. The question is whether Nuno can fit him and Paqueta in the same team, or prefers another defensive option (who they could buy in January).
Burnley are too open on the road
We all know that Burnley’s defence was their key to promotion last season. At Turf Moor, that has largely held true: four goals conceded in five matches and three of those were against Arsenal and Liverpool.
But Scott Parker has a problem with Burnley’s lack of resilience away from home. They have now conceded 18 goals in six games and allowed a total xG of 14.3. They won 3-2 at Wolves in a chaotic fixture, but that’s not really sustainable.
After the defeat at West Ham, Parker laid the blame at a lack of focus and concentration after taking the lead. I think the cold, hard fact is this: Burnley’s team is not good enough to suffer 30-minute periods when everyone is even 10 per cent off their best or they will be too open. Martin Dubravka cannot be expected to overperform as he did between August and October.
Where is the urgency with Leeds?
Leeds weren’t awful at the City Ground, but our worst fears about them stand. When they are allowed into a game by the passivity of their opponents they can win. As soon as their opponent forces the issue they look incapable of withstanding pressure and equally uninventive in open play. And that’s what happened at the City Ground.
I think the best way to explain it is this. Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol played 125 successful passes in 172 combined minutes and far, far too often they were simply to each other or into central midfield to receive it back. Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson also played 172 minutes and completed 41 passes.
The two full-backs don’t get the ball high enough or in space often enough and are thus largely nullified as a threat. The only way Leeds create chances from open play is if an opponent switches off – probably through boredom – and the press is passed through.
Fulham’s lack of intensity is a serious issue
After the defeat at Everton, Marco Silva bemoaned the lack of intensity in his team. The attacking numbers have declined badly – own goals is their top scorer so far.
I wonder if the lack of freshness in the team is a factor in this. Kevin was the only summer signing in Saturday’s XI and he has created four chances all season in the league (none on Saturday). Fulham have become too formulaic and thus easier for opposition managers to predict.
Unsurprisingly, this rears its head more visibly away from home (where you must earn your right to play by setting the tone). In 2024-25, only Arsenal, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest won more away league games. So far this season, Fulham have taken one point from a possible 18. It creates undue pressure on their home form simply to reach lower mid-table.
Eddie Howe has questions to answer at Newcastle
Newcastle’s form in the Champions League and Carabao Cup probably means that he escapes serious pressure for now, but Newcastle’s away results and performances demands probing questions of Eddie Howe.
The main problem: they’re all the same. Sometimes Newcastle take the lead, sometimes they don’t. But in every game, they lack energy in midfield – which was always their strength – and only create chances if the wingers (and Barnes and Murphy are the best, despite the spend on Gordon and Elanga) do something special.
Howe merits the scrutiny through his refusal to countenance changing other than the soundbites to the media of “We have to sort it”. Dan Burn doesn’t merit a place ahead of Lewis Hall, Nick Pope’s form has been so bad that Aaron Ramsdale deserves a chance and Joelinton looks miles off the pace too.
Everton have found a new midfield star
Dewsbury-Hall has filled Abdoulaye Doucoure's boots at Everton (Photo: Getty)
Dewsbury-Hall has filled Abdoulaye Doucoure’s boots at Everton (Photo: Getty)
For all the talk of Jack Grealish’s impact, the biggest tactical shift at Everton this season is the reconfiguration of the most advanced central midfielder role. Last season it was Abdoulaye Doucoure; now it’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Doucoure created 28 chances in the league last season and Dewsbury-Hall has already reached 18, so it’s clear that Everton have shifted slightly up the pitch (also aided by swapping Jack Harrison for Grealish). The key to this working is Dewsbury-Hall contributing in defence and attack and thus not losing the solidity and physical energy that Doucoure offered.
Which made Saturday massive. Dewsbury-Hall was excellent with the ball, but he also had 70 touches and made six tackles (the rest of the team made eight combined). He made more blocks than anyone else too, and those six tackles were shared equally between each third of the pitch. Keep this up and it reinvigorates Everton’s midfield.
Andrews proving the doubters wrong at Brentford
I wrote about Keith Andrews and Brentford at the start of the season and it may be time for a follow-up given that his side are three points off fourth. The supposition was that Brentford had simply given the job to an inexperienced caretaker and would pay the price. As I wrote at the time, that went against everything we knew about Brentford.
Also, Sunday answered our own question from this column last week: “Brentford have fallen behind six times in the league this season and only gained a point from those matches. They have conceded first three times – Palace, Forest and Manchester City – and in the first two were unable to gain a foothold in the match.”
Fear not. Brentford trailed but were better than Newcastle across the pitch, never once lost heart and used the magnificent Igor Thiago to lead the line and constantly cause problems.
Read more: We are about to discover the real genius behind Brentford’s rise
Possession is nine-tenths of Brighton’s chore
It was hardly unexpected that Crystal Palace might sacrifice the ball given their Thursday night workload. It was hardly unexpected that Brighton toiled in those circumstances: 0.4 xG on the majority of the ball and 28 touches in the Palace box is a particularly poor return. If Danny Welbeck doesn’t get it done, which other forward can?
In the seven league games that Brighton have “enjoyed” their highest share of possession, they have taken six points. In the four games when they have had 45 per cent of the ball or less, they have taken 10 points. It is increasingly clear that this team needs space to run into.
Crystal Palace count the cost of fixture chaos
A reasonable point during a busy run, but this international break comes at a good time. The news that Marc Guehi is on crutches is a huge blow, not least because one defensive injury left Oliver Glasner picking a teenager on debut in their biggest home game of the season.
Glasner picked eight of the same players on Sunday as Thursday. There simply aren’t enough options to heavily rotate because it’s the key players – Mateta, Guehi, Munoz, Wharton (now fully fit) – who don’t have obvious replacements to recreate either their quality or their exact role. That only stands out more with Doucoure, Guehi, Riad and Nketiah out with injuries.
Bournemouth’s neat trick breaks down
Andoni Iraola’s man-marking system across the pitch can stymie certain opponents. Against Nottingham Forest recently, they won so many duels that Forest could barely get a kick for periods of five or more minutes.
But when it breaks down, it does look bad. Ever since Iraola joined Bournemouth, Emery has had the better of their encounters. Villa’s players had clearly been instructed to pull out and make runs into non-normal spaces, dragging Bournemouth players with them. In a man-marking system, that can leave a team looking a little formation-less and unable to cope.
Konate is causing panic at Liverpool
Konate had a tough afternoon against Manchester City's Erling Haaland (Photo: Getty)
Konate had a tough afternoon against Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (Photo: Getty)
Ibrahima Konate has been better in recent weeks, but Sunday was another sorry afternoon for a central defender whose lapses in concentration are costing Liverpool and creating panic around him. Opposition teams are noticeably letting Konate have the ball through the suspicion that he might make a mistake.
Ideally, Slot would rotate Konate until he improves. But Joe Gomez is the only central defender on the bench because Marc Guehi never arrived and Giovanni Leoni suffered an ACL tear in September. Gomez too occasionally looks jumpy and wobbly in possession and can suffer with the ball. The only choice is to hope that Konate just clicks again; that’s far less than ideal.
Casemiro is not the problem for Man Utd
Manchester United have conceded five goals with Casemiro on the pitch this season and 15 when he’s not there. It’s a statistic that epitomises the Brazilian’s return to top form this season, but it also speaks volumes about others who should be capable in that role.
United spent £60m on Manuel Ugarte, a sale by Paris Saint-Germain that funded a move for the brilliant Vitinha. On Saturday, Ugarte was beaten by Wilson Odobert and then played Richarlison onside for Spurs’ second goal while offering little in his positioning.
That has become an unpleasant theme: Ugarte positionally all over the place. He has started three matches – 2-2 vs Grimsby, 0-3 vs Manchester City, 1-3 vs Brentford – and in each of them United have been overrun in midfield. The last time Ugarte started a win against a current Premier League team was January (Fulham) and even then he had been substituted before United won the game. This isn’t good enough and Ugarte already looks like a spare part.
Emery gets the big calls right at Aston Villa
There is definitely something weird going on with Harvey Elliott, who was left out of the matchday squad again. There are rumours that Unai Emery was against the signing and, if so, he has certainly made his feelings clear.
Some Villa fans are understandably peeved by that call. Elliott is a fine attacking midfielder who can play on the right and Villa will lose Evan Guessand to Afcon in January. The accusation is that Emery is cutting off his nose to spite his face.
And… maybe. But when you beat one of the form teams in the division, one of your attacking midfielders (Buendia) scores a free-kick and two others (Barkley and Malen) come off the bench and also score, you earn the complete trust of your supporters.
Tottenham’s weird relationship with their fans
“We need cooler heads. If we had a bit more help during some situations from the stands, maybe we could do a bit better. But we can’t do anything about that.”
You can reasonably argue that Guglielmo Vicario should probably not have criticised supporters so soon after the story of two players walking straight off the pitch at full-time, but you can see why Vicario is asking for a little more.
Supporters have every right to express their feelings – they pay too much to expect anything else. But booing the substitutions of a new manager (before those changes worked) strikes as unhelpful as Thomas Frank is trying to rebuild an attack. He has started 14 different attacking combinations in 18 matches this season. You’re going to have to let this play out a little before arriving at mutiny as the natural reaction.
Read more: Tottenham’s hopeless attack finally has three solutions
Sunderland stay true to their club motto
Brian Brobbey celebrates his 94th minute equaliser against Arsenal (Photo: Getty)
Brian Brobbey celebrates his 94th minute equaliser against Arsenal (Photo: Getty)
During their playoff campaign last season, Regis le Bris created a motto for Sunderland fighting late in games: “‘Til the end”. Sunderland scored in the 88th minute of their semi-final first leg, the 123rd minute of the second leg and scored the winner in the final in the 95th minute.
That mantra has remained this season; and how. Sunderland have scored winners in the 96th minute and 93rd minute against Brentford and Chelsea respectively and, on Saturday, equalised in the 94th minute against Arsenal. Those goals are the difference between being where they are now and 14th in the Premier League. It’s a frankly ludicrous run over a 14-game league run either side of the summer.
Read more: How Sunderland’s ‘perfect storm’ got them dreaming of top 10 and trophies
Estevao is worthy of more starts at Chelsea
Estevao has started four Premier League games as a Chelsea player. He came off when they were winning 5-1 against West Ham, 2-0 against Fulham, 1-0 against Brighton (they eventually lost 3-1) and drawing 0-0 against Manchester United (after Robert Sanchez’s red card).
On Saturday, Chelsea were dominant against Wolves but seemed too structured with Liam Delap as the focal point up front. Within 60 seconds of Estevao’s introduction, he had created a goal for Joao Pedro, who was able to attack from deep as the nominal centre forward.
Stamford Bridge was visibly lifted simply by Estevao coming onto the pitch. Pedro pointed at him during the celebrations to say “he’s my guy”. I think Chelsea work better as an attacking unit with players dropping into space and driving directly at defenders because it creates panic and space and, for that reason, Estevao has to start more often over Delap. It doesn’t matter that he’s 18 – the time is now.
Man City’s O’Reilly might be the real deal
For his 1,000th match as a manager, Pep Guardiola played the hits by trying something new: a system that had the three attacking midfielders narrow and asked the two full-backs to offer the width by pushing high. It absolutely worked.
But the biggest praise goes to O’Reilly, a 20-year-old natural attacking midfielder who has slotted in so well at left-back and become part of the senior England setup in the process. It wasn’t just how he shackled Salah, but also how he managed to have two shots, three shots in the opposition box and made more tackles than any other City player. This lad might just be England’s answer in the position.
Read more: How Man City turned their back on tiki-taka to demolish Liverpool
Arsenal: Don’t panic!
Arsenal have led in 15 matches in all competitions this season and have won 14 of them. The point is this: drawing against Sunderland isn’t a problem. The title will not require 95 points this season because those days have gone.
So it was interesting to hear Mikel Arteta talk about “Disappointment and frustration” and “A pain in my tummy” and interesting too to see Arsenal supporters online admit that the dread was back after a run of eight clean sheets ending. This is what happens when you haven’t won the league for 22 years.
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What Arsenal, and Arteta, must do is stay calm. There is no problem. You were better than Sunderland for long periods just as you are better than every other team in the country right now. You’re better than Tottenham and Chelsea and if you win both of those matches you will be massive favourites to win the title. Now is not the time to let one tiny setback consume your psyche.