EPL: Three talking points from the weekend’s matches
Tottenham inflicted more misery on Manchester United with a 3-0 win at Old Trafford, as Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League thanks to their impressive start under Arne Slot.
The Reds’ 2-1 win at Wolves saw them overtake Manchester City, who were held to a 1-1 draw at Newcastle.
Third-placed Arsenal needed two late goals to beat Leicester 4-2, but the performance of the weekend came from Cole Palmer, who scored all four of Chelsea’s goals against Brighton.
AFP Sports looks at three talking points from the Premier League.
Time ticking for Ten Hag
Erik ten Hag survived an eighth-place finish last season
thanks to a shock FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
However, his time in the Old Trafford hot seat appears to be running out after United’s latest humiliation on home soil.
Bruno Fernandes’ controversial red card before half-time did not help his manager’s case. But by the time the United captain was sent off, his side were already 1-0 down and being outclassed by a Spurs side missing their skipper, Son Heung-min.
“It was an absolutely disgusting performance in that first half, in effort, quality, everything you would want in a football team,” said former United captain Gary Neville.
“There will be a lot of questions to answer for that group (of players) and the manager in the next week.”
United sit 12th, having won just two of their opening six league games, with little sign of Ten Hag being capable of turning things around.
Man City’s reliance on Rodri exposed
City stumbled in their first match without influential midfielder Rodri. The Spaniard will miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury in last weekend’s fiery 2-2 draw against Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola promised to find a collective solution for a player he deemed “irreplaceable”.
City struggled to assert their usual levels of control at St James’ Park, with teenage full-back Rico Lewis thrust into a midfield role. However, Guardiola was quick to point out that his side were also missing other key players through injury, who will return to aid their title challenge.
“You’re going to ask me all the time – of course, you’re going to miss Rodri, his physicality, his presence, I know,” said Guardiola.
“I had to find a solution. I would love Rodri to be here and Oscar Bobb to be here, and Kevin (De Bruyne) to be here, and (Nathan) Ake to be here, I would love it. But it is what it is.”
Palmer hungry for more
Palmer set a record by becoming the first player to score four times in the first half of a Premier League match.
The England international shows no signs of slowing down after his breakout campaign last season. Palmer has six goals and four assists in the first six games of the new term.
Yet, the 22-year-old was still not satisfied after missing a huge chance to score his fifth in the second half.
“When I missed the chance in the second half, I was fuming,” said Palmer. A 4-2 win over Brighton continued an impressive start for Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, after another summer of turmoil off the field at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are up to fourth, just two points behind Liverpool, but Maresca is also seeking even more from his talisman.
“He’s a special player, a simple guy, a humble guy. He doesn’t need to tell people how good he is because you can see it clearly,” said the Italian.
“For sure, when you score four goals, it is a great performance. But I said to Cole, he scored four, he could have scored two or three more, so it’s good that he continues to be hungry, ambitious.”
