5 things we learned from the Premier League this weekend

29 October 2017 23:15

Manchester City remain five points clear after the latest round of Premier League fixtures.

There was a big win for Manchester United over Tottenham, while Claude Puel got off to a winning start as Leicester boss and deepened Everton’s woes in the process.

Here, we pick out five things we learned from the weekend’s matches.

Mourinho does as Mourinho does

Jose Mourinho’s critics among the Manchester United fans must surely know their complaints are falling on deaf ears. Mourinho is about as likely to change his approach as Pep Guardiola is to become an aficionado of route one. Mourinho’s teams may not always be the prettiest but they are undoubtedly effective and the Portuguese’s record in big games is superb. Saturday’s clash with Tottenham was a case in point. Defeat would not have meant the end of United’s title challenge but victory leaves them within touching distance of City and having halted Spurs’ momentum. Job done.

Puel off to a flyer

Puel’s appointment at Leicester has not exactly been met with wild excitement – it is tough to imagine Puel getting wildly excited about anything – but a 2-0 victory over Everton was the perfect way to start. Puel’s demeanour and stoic approach seems to have overshadowed his achievements at Southampton, which were relatively impressive if not spectacular, with an eighth-placed finish and a cup final. The first goal of his reign from Jamie Vardy was certainly not dull and he appears a steady pair of hands. There are worse things.

Everton lose again

If all is rosy in Leicester this weekend, the Foxes’ victory means more doom and gloom for Everton and their caretaker manager David Unsworth. If fans were hoping the dismissal of Ronald Koeman would herald an immediate change in fortunes, they were to be disappointed. There appears little chance Unsworth will be given the role permanently and the search for Koeman’s successor has been given added urgency by Everton’s position in the bottom three. They could be out of Europe by the end of the week, too, if they lose to Lyon on Thursday.

Life in Palace

Crystal Palace remain bottom of the table but they no long appear doomed since Roy Hodgson’s appointment as manager. Things looked very gloomy when they trailed West Ham 2-0 at half-time but Wilfried Zaha’s injury-time equaliser prompted scenes of jubilation at Selhurst Park. It was only worth a point but might yet prove to be much more valuable in terms of its effect going forward.

Relief for Liverpool

The history books will record a comfortable 3-0 victory over Huddersfield for Liverpool but for a long time at Anfield things were significantly more complicated. Liverpool were insipid in their attempts to break down the Terriers during a goalless first half and needed a mistake from the Huddersfield defence to present Daniel Sturridge with the breakthrough. Jurgen Klopp should have Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana back after the international break and both have been missed.

Source: By PA Sport Staff