Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

After Ederson made several vital saves to deny Fulham – and particularly Adama Traoré – Pep Guardiola revealed that summer interest from Saudi clubs for the Manchester City No 1 was never firmed up. “He knew from day one I didn’t want it, we didn’t want it,” said the City manager. “But the offer didn’t come – the real offer. Because they [Al-Nassr] made an offer, but for the keeper, for the team who won four Premier Leagues in a row, he has a value, a price. Otherwise, he cannot leave.” Guardiola praised the Brazilian for regaining his focus after the uncertainty. “Ederson is so strong: in one second, he says: ‘OK, I’m here, I’m going to do my best.’” Guardiola also believes the presence of Stefan Ortega has pushed his first-choice keeper. “Sometimes Ederson has to have the feeling that he has to perform well, otherwise Stefan can play. And this healthy competition, because they respect [each other] and have an incredible relationship, makes our team better.” Jamie Jackson

The interminable debate, of course, revolves around the future of Erik ten Hag. Manchester United’s stalemate at Aston Villa was symptomatic of his reign, a result built entirely on moments, near-misses both for and against. Bruno Fernandes cracked a free-kick against the bar, Diogo Dalot turned his back and prevented Jaden Philogene from scoring what would probably have been a stoppage-time winner, and surely the end for Ten Hag. Afterwards the Dutchman clung to mild positives but mediocrity cannot wash much longer. The sight of big-money signings limbering up on the sidelines at Villa Park served to ram home the financial misspend. The pre-match focus centred on Jonny Evans, who turns 37 in January, keeping Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martínez out of the team but United’s biggest concerns lie in attack, having scored five goals in seven matches. Joshua Zirkzee, who replaced Rasmus Højlund midway through the second half, got one of those but the early evidence is the £36.5m buy from Bologna is another poor signing. “We trust the players and one day it will click,” Ten Hag said. United cannot wait much longer. Ben Fisher

Southampton may have ended up losing both matches by the same scoreline but there was no doubt Russell Martin was much happier with his side’s performance against Arsenal on Saturday than he had been five days earlier against Bournemouth. Cameron Archer briefly offered hope they could conjure a surprise first league win of the season at the Emirates before the Southampton defence was eventually overwhelmed. But with home fixtures against Leicester and Everton and away trips to Manchester City and Wolves to come after the international break, Martin acknowledged it was against the teams around them in the table that Southampton must improve. “The games that define us are coming up,” he said. “We have three of them in the next block of four games. We have to do better in those games.” Ed Aarons

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Enzo Maresca’s blase reaction to two Chelsea players becoming the first in the Premier League to reach five bookings shows that disciplinary laws will always hurt the small clubs harder than the big ones. Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella will miss the trip to face Liverpool on 20 October after getting yellow cards in all bar two of the club’s first seven games. But when you’ve had a £220m investment on players and can afford to change your entire team after a tiring Conference League game, that sort of a sanction does not seem to hit as hard as it might. Maresca, after praising his players for their team spirit after they joined a 20-man brawl with Forest at Stamford Bridge, was relaxed about travelling to Anfield without two key men. “We have an international break to prepare and we will just use players who were not in the first XI,” he said. Matthew Dunn

Four years ago this month, the out-of-contract Danny Welbeck was signed to fill out a Brighton squad short on forwards. He reaches 34 next month and last played for England in 2018, but remains a player who has never let down managers ranging from Sir Alex Ferguson to Fabian Hürzeler, who is two years younger than him. Welbeck was never a pure marksman, but the intelligence of his running and link-up play made Arsène Wenger and Roy Hodgson confirmed admirers. Brighton now benefit from his experience and continued adeptness in stretching play, adding coherence to their zippy forward line. He led the second-half revival that sank Spurs, scoring the winner. Hürzeler is a young manager but he appears not to fear having senior, older professionals around. Welbeck revealed that the non-playing veterans Jason Steele and James Milner had reminded their colleagues at half-time of the need to take the fight back to Tottenham. Welbeck then embodied that fight. John Brewin

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There were obvious targets for both sections of the crowd at Goodison Park, but while Anthony Gordon struggled in front of goal against his former club, Jordan Pickford thrived amid the usual Newcastle hostilities. There was a time when the Sunderland-born keeper would have risen to the bait but, as he said after Everton’s first Premier League clean sheet of the season: “I just crack on with my game. I learned from the past, I stay focused and I want to do my best for the badge. They can give me stick, I’m only up the road from them.” Pickford’s penalty save from Gordon may have been the standout moment but there was a noticeable improvement in the Everton goalkeeper’s command of his area in comparison with recent performances. In a defence again disrupted by injuries – in which the stand-ins James Garner and Michael Keane flourished – Pickford’s sense of responsibility proved infectious. Andy Hunter

The striking thing about Liverpool under Arne Slot is there have already been improvements made to various departments. Too often under Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool would concede goals that took time and effort to recover from. Virgil van Dijk looks close to his best again and is no longer left so exposed, with Ibrahima Konaté getting a long run beside him. Ryan Gravenberch looks like a stroller and pinpoint passer in the mould of John Barnes and Jan Molby, but with a modern physique suited to the pressing game. “He’s tall, and he’s strong in duels,” noted Slot. Cody Gakpo supplied Diogo Jota’s goal and is far more comfortable on the flanks than a central role. The downsides? In the tougher tests to come, the tempo may have to lift; Chelsea, Arsenal and City are unlikely to grant Slot’s players so much time. And if Mohamed Salah has continued to score goals, his individualism – and wastefulness – can jar when compared with his teammates’ embracing of the system. JB

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Before Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Ipswich, the goal output from West Ham’s starting front four in their opening six Premier League games was one Jarrod Bowen strike and a Lucas Paquetá penalty. Not quite the abundant yield expected under the new manager, Julen Lopetegui – but, aided by some woefully soft Ipswich defending, Saturday provided the first glimpse of the entertaining, expansive style the fans crave after the often tedious David Moyes era. The hosts’ 13 shots on target were their most in a Premier League game in the 19 years since records began, and all four attacking players – Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus, Bowen and Paquetá – scored. With Niclas Füllkrug battling injury and Crysencio Summerville yet to fight his way into the reckoning since his summer move, it falls to a familiar quartet to deliver goals. They managed it against a side who will do well to stay up on this evidence; the Hammers’ next two games, against Tottenham and Manchester United, will provide a tougher test. Ben Bloom

After Steve Cooper recorded his first league win of the season, there was no grandstanding but rather, together with his Leicester players, a low-key lap of appreciation for the support of those in the stands. It is not even a fortnight since some fans directed their anger at Cooper after his side squeezed past Walsall in a Carabao Cup penalty shootout. While Cooper was in charge of Nottingham Forest, the sight of him punching the air after wins became commonplace. Victory against Bournemouth means Leicester enter the international break with the monkey off their back but Cooper knows more is required. “I’ve got to build trust here,” the Welshman said. “It’s clear I’ve got work to do in terms of people really believing in me. That’s my real big motivation because it allows me to show how much I want to get this job right with this set of players who are so committed. I have got a lot of work to do here to really be the team we want, really be connected, and to become a force.” BF

If Wolves failed the weekly test of Brentford’s onslaught from the kick-off, conceding after 76 seconds, it got far, far worse after that. Their pain was largely self-inflicted, Mario Lemina ill-disciplined in fouling Nathan Collins for the penalty that put Brentford 2-1 up, while the defending that followed was hopeless. The rumbles of discontent that began when Wolves beat only Luton in their final 10 Premier League matches of last season became howls of insurrection against Gary O’Neil as Brentford ran riot. “You don’t know what you’re doing,” chanted fans in the away end. “Crazy, crazy goals we gave away,” said the Wolves manger, echoing his words in August when Chelsea won 6-2 at Molineux. Underlying numbers and flashes of the residual talent within O’Neil’s squad seem unlikely to save him. No clean sheet in the league since February – against Sheffield United – is a stark statistic. “No idea,” said O’Neil on his future. “At some point, someone will tell me to stop and I will stop.” JB

Source: theguardian.com