Share

5 things learned in the Premier League

London - Manchester City were in sparkling form during a 5-0 win over Burnley while Liverpool kept pace with the leaders by grinding out a 1-0 victory at Huddersfield.

Amid a touchline flare-up, there were encouraging signs for Manchester United manager in a 2-2 draw away to former club Chelsea, with Tottenham remaining in title contention after a 1-0 win at West Ham.

Elsewhere, Everton continued to climb up the table with a 2-0 victory at home to Crystal Palace - their third straight league win.

Here are five things learned from the Premier League this weekend:

City sharpshooters

Premier League champions Manchester City are moving ominously into gear, boasting nearly 2.9 goals per game in the Premier League after nine matches -- an even higher strike rate than over the course of their record-breaking return last season.

"The goals were so outstanding, beautiful, beautiful goals," said City manager Pep Guardiola.

Salah strikes

Mohamed Salah has made a slow start to the new campaign after scoring 44 goals in a memorable debut season for Liverpool.

The Egypt international came into Saturday's match against Huddersfield with just one goal for Liverpool in his past eight matches but a trademark clinical finish gave him his fourth Premier League goal of the season.

His strike was his 50th goal for English clubs - Liverpool and Chelsea - in just 83 games in all competitions.

United offer Mourinho hope

Just as in a dramatic 3-2 victory over Newcastle before the international break that kept Jose Mourinho in a job, it took Manchester United going behind for the Red Devils to summon a response against Chelsea. But although Ross Barkley's 96th-minute equaliser denied United victory at Stamford Bridge, there were plenty of positives for the United manager.

The Portuguese's adventurous line-up featuring Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku was rewarded with Martial's double.

Defensive deficiencies remain a concern, but United have shown in their past two games what they are capable of when given the freedom to go forward and Mourinho could now remain in charge at Old Trafford for a while yet.

No signings, no problem for Pochettino?

Assailed by criticism after failing to sign a single player during the close-season transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur have mounted the perfect response.

A mature 1-0 win at West Ham made it the best start to a season for Tottenham in the Premier League era.

Erik Lamela's first-half header and a composed defensive display sealed a fourth successive league victory for Mauricio Pochettino's team.

Asked if his side's progress proved they were right not to splash out like their title rivals, the manager refused to claim it was part of a plan.

"If you said to me you are so clever because we didn't sign players, I would not tell you I am a genius because after nine games we made the best start for the club in the Premier League.

"To be honest, the truth is we try to sign players."

Silva service succeeding at Everton

Managers often get plenty of blame when results go against them, so it's only fair to give them some credit for their team's victories.

Everton boss Marco Silva might have been tempted to shore up his defence late on against Crystal Palace but instead he sent on a trio of attacking substitutes and saw two of them, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun, score in a 2-0 win at Goodison Park.

"We (the staff) are here to make decisions, it is not just the starting XI," said Silva.

"We have solutions on the bench."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
32% - 1843 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1810 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1100 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 470 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 193 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 261 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE