Five things we learned from the Premier League weekend

1. Martial seems better as a substitute

Anthony Martial was emphatic in his post-match interview. “Me, I want to play,” he insisted after delivering Manchester United’s winner against Tottenham to establish Jose Mourinho’s side as the closest challengers to league leaders Manchester City. His problem is that he seems to play best in bit-part roles. He has four goals in six substitute appearances in the Premier League, none in three starts.

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When given the chance to make his mark from the beginning against Huddersfield last week, he got booked, risked a red card and was removed at the break after an ineffective display. When brought on against Tottenham, in a decision that brought boos as Marcus Rashford was sacrificed, he vindicated Mourinho. Old Trafford is no stranger to the concepts of super-subs – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Javier Hernandez were both prolific replacements – and Martial risks being pigeonholed in a similar way.

2. Fernandinho upstages De Bruyne for once

The limelight has lingered on one of City’s central midfielders. Kevin de Bruyne has been outstanding, touted as a potential Player of the Year and even mentioned as arguably the best footballer in the world. The Belgian has played some extraordinary passes, but the fact City have equalled the best start in Premier League history is not merely because of his excellence.

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Throughout Pep Guardiola’s reign, City have seemed at their finest with a central midfield trio of De Bruyne, David Silva and Fernandinho, and the Brazilian was outstanding in the 3-2 win at West Bromwich Albion. It was not merely the fact he scored – his second long-range goal in October alone – or the fact he helped set up Leroy Sane’s opener. It is the combination of his excellence in possession – 114 passes with a 92.1 percent success rate – and his industry off the ball. He is the selfless worker who lets Silva and De Bruyne play.

3. Arsenal are benefiting from selling Oxlade-Chamberlain

Some thought it would be the day Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his belated first league start for Liverpool. Instead, with Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana all out, he was still confined to a cameo. Nevertheless, someone is benefiting from his £35 million move north: Arsenal. Go back a couple of months and Sead Kolasinac was on the bench for their 4-0 thrashing at Anfield while the England international was deployed out of positon at left wing-back.

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Oxlade-Chamberlain’s sale simplified Arsene Wenger’s selection. The marauding summer signing has come into the side. Kolasinac scored the equaliser against Swansea and set up Aaron Ramsey’s winner, taking his tally this season to three goals and four assists. Not bad for a wing-back. No wonder Wenger was citing the free arrival as proof that there are still bargains to be found in the transfer market.

4. Klopp sticks with his troubled defence

Dejan Lovren has been selected in the starting 11 for Liverpool’s last two games. He has only played 31 minutes in that time. If not a record, it is still remarkable. The Croatian did not actually begin the 3-0 win against Huddersfield on Saturday; he was withdrawn after injuring a groin in the warm-up. Yet the very fact he was picked, after a traumatic display against Tottenham that culminated in his first-half removal, was instructive. Jurgen Klopp wanted to show faith in his much-mocked defence. “If something doesn’t work you can change everything or stick with what you did before,” said the Liverpool manager. “I will not change after one very bad performance.”

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Ripping up the blueprint might have been an admission he erred by not signing a centre-back in the summer and most managers display a stubbornness. It may yet be deemed a missed opportunity, a chance to try Joe Gomez as Joel Matip’s partner. Instead, the pecking order remained the same and, minus Lovren, Ragnar Klavan came in. But it was notable not just that Liverpool kept a clean sheet but that Huddersfield’s expected goals was 0.07, an absurdly low figure. Klopp’s defence barely gave them a sniff of an opening.

5. Puel rewarded for trusting Gray

Claude Puel seemed the grey choice to manage Leicester. His persona, his tactics, his rhetoric: all appeared to emit a dullness. Perhaps he was actually the Gray choice. The Frenchman marked his debut as Foxes manager by bringing Demarai Gray into the starting 11. The winger responded by tormenting Everton, playing a part in Jamie Vardy’s opening goal and being credited with the second, even if it was really a Jonjoe Kenny own goal.

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It was a particularly noteworthy selection because Gray was picked with Riyad Mahrez moving into the No. 10 position and because only 11 of the Englishman’s first 50 league games for Leicester came as a starter. He has impressed in cameos, showing flashes of speed and skill, but neither Claudio Ranieri nor Craig Shakespeare trusted him to start often. Puel had plenty of other options – his bench included Shinji Okazaki, Kelechi Iheanacho, Islam Slimani and Marc Albrighton – and certainly did not have to choose Gray. But he did, he was vindicated and now the usual substitute ought to get a run in the team.