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Five things we learned from the Premier League weekend
Salah could be player of the year
With every week, Mohamed Salah’s scoring feats grow more remarkable. He has already mustered more goals (15) by the end of November than any Liverpool player did in any season since 2013-14. A well-taken strike and a man-of-the-match display against his old club Chelsea showed that the Egyptian does not just prey on the weak; he can trouble the best as well.
READ MORE: Liverpool v Chelsea – how the match unfolded
READ MORE: Willian’s stroke of luck denies Salah his moment
READ MORE: Henderson hails ‘fantastic’ Salah after Chelsea peg back Liverpool
The winger is already ahead in the Golden Boot race and a runaway leader in the unofficial contest to be crowned the signing of the season. Yet if he can sustain this golden run, he may end up with an actual trophy. Kevin de Bruyne is the favourite to be anointed Footballer of the Year. Salah could be his closest challenger. Which, as both are Chelsea discards, would increase the embarrassment at Stamford Bridge.
2. Conte’s defensiveness in midfield backfires
Antonio Conte was a defensive midfielder himself so it is little wonder he cherishes others. Part of the reason Chelsea became champions last season was the partnership of Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante. He has taken that policy a step further this season, sometimes selecting three defensive midfielders for the toughest tests. David Luiz, deployed out of position, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Kante formed a formidable trio when they won away at Tottenham.
READ MORE: Chelsea’s Anfield spirit delights Conte
At Anfield on Saturday, he chose Danny Drinkwater alongside the two France internationals. And in the process, he took things too far. Chelsea were trailing when Bakayoko and Drinkwater went off. The introduction of Cesc Fabregas gave them a different dimension: the Spaniard can operate as deep as the destroyers, but as a quarterback. Chelsea’s equaliser came from a misdirected cross from Willian, but it would not have felt possible without Fabregas’ incisive passing.
3. Sterling stars at the death again
It is a late show few forecast. Raheem Sterling hardly had a reputation for delivering at the death. Until this season when, besides becoming more clinical than before, he started to make a habit of scoring crucial goals in the final few minutes. There was more than a hint of fortune in his winner at Huddersfield, when the ball bounced in off him to give Manchester City their 18th consecutive triumph in all competitions, but it continued a theme.
READ MORE: Huddersfield v Manchester City – how the match unfolded
READ MORE: Late Sterling goal sets new away wins record
Sterling had an 82nd-minute equaliser against Everton, a 97th-minute winner against Bournemouth, an 89th-minute penalty against Watford, a 90th-minute clincher against Shakhtar Donetsk, a 90th-minute finish against Napoli and an 88th-minute decider against Feyenoord to his name already this season. Beating Huddersfield has the potential to be one of the most significant results of City’s season, considering how tough the game was and Sterling, who had never previously topped 11 goals in a club campaign, has brought up his dozen before December.
4. Lindelof enjoys his best Premier League game so far
It is fair to say that Victor Lindelof has not exactly had a flying start to his Manchester United career. The Swede even struggled in pre-season. After his Super Cup display against Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho decided he was not ready for the rigours of the Premier League. When he was parachuted in against Huddersfield, he had a nightmare and was a key reason for the Terriers’ surprise win.
READ MORE: Manchester United v Brighton – how the match unfolded
READ MORE: Unfortunate Dunk own goal sinks Seagulls
READ MORE: Brighton deserved more, concedes Mourinho
So while it would not normally be noteworthy that United kept a clean sheet at home to Brighton, it marked a step forward for Lindelof. The £31.5 million defender, who had been terrific when Sweden won their World Cup play-off against Italy, acquitted himself well against Glenn Murray and suggested he is acclimatising to the physicality of the English game when he made a full-blooded challenge on Anthony Knockaert.
5. Silva shows why he is so coveted
Everton’s high-profile interest in Marco Silva has brought mentions that Watford made a similarly impressive start to the last two seasons under Quique Sanchez Flores and Walter Mazzarri respectively. That is true, but it should not detract from the fine job that the Portuguese is doing. Newcastle are managed by a strategist supreme, in Rafa Benitez, and Silva dissected them expertly in Saturday’s 3-0 win.
READ MORE: Newcastle v Watford – how the match unfolded
READ MORE: Concerns growing for Benitez as Watford crush Newcastle
It was notable for the influence of Marvin Zeegelaar, the left wing-back Silva signed from his former club Sporting Lisbon, and the goal scored by Will Hughes, a central midfielder reinvented to rove from a starting position on the right. Each is a case of inventive management with comparatively low-profile players. It is understandable Everton should be interested in Silva. It is no wonder Watford seem determined to keep him.
