1. Manchester United excel in Jose Time again

If injury time at Old Trafford was long known as ‘Fergie Time’, perhaps the last 10 minutes of matches should now be branded ‘Jose Time’. The bare facts are that Manchester United have scored 16 league goals this season. Nine of them have come in or after the 80th minute. Three of the four that defeated Everton came in a frantic finale. United are starting to excel at boosting their goal difference while killing off demoralised opponents.

It has not escaped attention that Jose Mourinho has assembled an enviably big, quick team. They are contriving to overpower fading opponents. Anthony Martial is a particular specialist, his injury-time penalty meaning he has already scored three times as a substitute this season. Yet it was also significant that Romelu Lukaku set up one goal and scored another in the final few minutes. He has been a faster, fresher, younger replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. When Wayne Rooney, long United’s talisman, was substituted on his first return to Old Trafford, Lukaku was just getting going.

2. Arsenal show their streetwise side to subdue Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

Perhaps it says something about Arsenal that it felt more surprising that they drew 0-0 away at Chelsea than that they lost 4-0 at Liverpool. After nine defeats in 14 previous Premier League away games and five straight defeats at Stamford Bridge, it certainly represented an improvement, in terms of result, performance and tactics. Arsenal were more pragmatic, more streetwise and more organised. It is rare they only record two shots on target, but arguably more significant that Chelsea only had four.

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Aaron Ramsey symbolised the change: removed at half-time at Anfield, he showed far more positional discipline to excel at Stamford Bridge. Shkodran Mustafi, who almost left at the end of the transfer window, illustrated why he remains, after the excellent Laurent Koscielny, Arsenal’s best centre-back. But it is also notable that, with Danny Welbeck defending from the front, Arsenal seemed a more solid unit off the ball in the absence of the injured Mesut Ozil. He was far from the only culprit at Anfield but his colleagues kept their shape, defensive discipline and work ethic better when he was absent.

3. City make another September statement of intent

Go back a year and Manchester City made a statement of intent in a title race. They outplayed Manchester United at Old Trafford, showing a level of dominance that was not reflected in a 2-1 scoreline. They won their opening Champions League group game 4-0. They were playing superb attacking football. They were title favourites. Fast forward 12 months and City have again begun a Champions League campaign with a 4-0 win. They have eviscerated another of the top teams, beating Liverpool 5-0.

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Hammering Watford 6-0, to record Pep Guardiola’s biggest win in England, took the aggregate score in their last three games to 15-0. Once again, City are intimidating opponents. Last year, the first cracks in their armour became apparent at the end of September, along with proof their defence could be breached too easily. History is repeating itself in one respect. City’s next challenge is to ensure it does not in another.

4. Coutinho tried too hard on his Liverpool comeback

Liverpool had already given signs they were welcoming Philippe Coutinho back into the fold. The fans had cheered him on when he appeared as a substitute against Sevilla. Jurgen Klopp had provided supportive comments about the man who wanted to join Barcelona. For his reintegration to be complete, however, Coutinho may have thought he had to score, preferably in spectacular style.

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He had enough attempts against Burnley, but a player who has a portfolio of wonderful strikes from distance failed to hit the target. Perhaps the Brazilian was too eager to score in style. Perhaps he played into Burnley’s hands. Liverpool had 35 shots but Sean Dyche noted that many were from long range. If it can often be a dangerous policy to allow Coutinho to take aim from outside the penalty box, it wasn’t on Saturday as the Clarets drew. It felt that Coutinho was too keen to impress.

5. Tottenham’s Wembley hoodoo continues

What do Watford, Tottenham, Swansea and Crystal Palace have in common? They are, partly thanks to the Swans’ Wembley resistance, the only four teams without a home league win. Mauricio Pochettino had reacted to Spurs’ Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund by suggesting it was time to “stop the talk about the hoodoo” at the national stadium. Three days and one 0-0 draw against Swansea later, that may have proved wishful thinking. Tottenham hit the woodwork. They should have had a penalty. They had 24 shots in total.

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Yet the fact is that, just as when Burnley visited, they failed to beat a team tipped to be among the relegation contenders. Even had Spurs stayed at White Hart Lane, it would have been hugely difficult to replicate last season’s imperious home record, when they took 53 points from a possible 57. Now they have two from nine. It means, among other things, that their away record will have to be dramatically better if they are to get 86 points again, let alone more.