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Five things we learned from the Premier League weekend

Jose Mourinho rewound the clock to get an away win at top-six opponents, his first as Manchester United manager.
Jose Mourinho rewound the clock to get an away win at top-six opponents, his first as Manchester United manager.
  1. Mourinho gets his mojo back

Jose Mourinho needed victory at Arsenal. Not just because otherwise Manchester United ran the risk that the title race could have appeared over if they lost to the Gunners and then in next weekend’s derby, either. After his teams had only scored one goal in their last 11 away games at big-six opponents, he needed the three goals to shake off the impression he is overly defensive.

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A manager who used to be defined by tactical masterclasses in major away games needed the proof he could devise a game-plan to beat his peers on their turf, not simply draw 0-0 with them.


Certainly United’s early, effective pressing and quick counter-attacking caught Arsenal by surprise. The best Mourinho teams have always showed speed on the break, and all three goals came from incisive moves. The best Mourinho wins have offered featured inspired choices, too, and while the Portuguese named an unchanged team, many others wondered if Jesse Lingard would start.

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He did, and he scored twice, proving the perfect man for the occasion. The best Mourinho teams also showed a resilience and while the United manager cannot be happy with the number of chances Arsenal created, his side’s spirit delighted him.

Alexandre Lacazette scored Arsenal’s goal on Saturday and would have got more but for the heroics of David de Gea.
Alexandre Lacazette scored Arsenal’s goal on Saturday and would have got more but for the heroics of David de Gea.

2. Arsenal’s defence let them down – but their attackers don’t

One of the great Premier League games overflowed with incident. Arsenal’s regret should be the early errors that left them playing catch-up. Antonio Valencia’s opener came after Laurent Koscielny conceded possession. It was the first league goal they had conceded with Shkodran Mustafi on the pitch since August. The German was then culpable when Lingard scored the second.

Yet while the Gunners’ progressive players are often scapegoats when they lose to elite opposition, as Mourinho said, “Arsenal played some amazing attacking football” and the numbers were an indication of their efforts: an expected goals total of 5.01, 33 shots, with David de Gea equalling a divisional record by making 14 saves.

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The extraordinary nature of some of them explained why Mourinho branded him the best goalkeeper in the world. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez created a series of chances, the persistent Alexandre Lacazette scored in a display of persistence and Aaron Ramsey, who set his goal up, got into glorious positions. They did not go missing. They just encountered an outstanding goalkeeper after their own rearguard was breached too easily.

Nicolas Otamendi got City back on level terms against struggling West Ham
Nicolas Otamendi got City back on level terms against struggling West Ham

3. City show the mentality of winners with yet another late goal

Think of Pep Guardiola’s brand of football and technical perfection, tactical cleverness and purism can spring to mind. Recently, Manchester City are showing altogether different qualities. Their last four games have been decided by late goals. Raheem Sterling proved the scourge of Feyenoord, Huddersfield and Southampton in the final few minutes. David Silva assumed the role of the last-gasp hero to see off West Ham but the identity of individuals can feel less important that the determination of the team.

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City have proved they can destroy opponents when they play at their best. They are also illustrating they can defeat them on days when teams defend well and when they are not at their most fluent or fantastic. It could prove the crucial factor in the title race. But for three late goals in eight days, they would head to Old Trafford with a two-point lead; instead they are eight clear.

Jurgen Klopp left Sadio Mane on the bench at Brighton and still saw his much-changed team score five goals
Jurgen Klopp left Sadio Mane on the bench at Brighton and still saw his much-changed team score five goals

4. Klopp’s rotation is working

Scoring eight away goals in four days would be impressive enough even without the context: Brighton had not let in more than two in a game this season before Liverpool won 5-1 in Sussex; a team subjected to considerable criticism for their 4-1 hammering by Tottenham have responded by scoring 25 goals in eight unbeaten games. But it is also worth noting how Jurgen Klopp has engineered a revival: partly by surprising opponents with his selections – and even with a defensive injury crisis, who expected to see Gini Wijnaldum on the left of a back three? – and partly by showing the strength in depth to cope with a crowded fixture list.

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They were too reliant on their first 11 last season and they ran out of steam. Victory at Brighton came with Sadio Mane left on the bench, just as Philippe Coutinho, superb against the Seagulls, sat out the win at Stoke and Mohamed Salah was only a substitute then. Such decisions will be deemed to have backfired if Liverpool lose, but Klopp has kept his players fresher and results coming.

Sam Allardyce made a winning start as Everton manager with a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield.
Sam Allardyce made a winning start as Everton manager with a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield.

5. The Allardyce effect lifts Everton

“Fantastic” and “brilliant” were the two adjectives Sam Allardyce reached for to describe his reception on his debut as Everton manager. His words were tinged by relief. He was applauded. There were no protests against him, no booing, no banners decrying Everton’s choice of manager. Instead, there was a pragmatic acceptance of a pragmatic manager.

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Allardyce started with a 2-0 win over Huddersfield that may be typical of his management: it was not great football, but it was effective and it did feature a clean sheet. The former England manager made a mark at half-time, urging Gylfi Sigurdsson to adopt a more advanced role, and the Icelander promptly scored. In the long term, most Evertonians would want a more attacking choice. In the short-term, Allardyce’s astuteness ought to guarantee them safety.