Manchester City moved two points clear at the top of the table this weekend after hammering Stoke 7-2.
United, meanwhile, had to settle for a point against Liverpool at Anfield. Jose Mourinho seemed to have decided it was better to avoid defeat than go for victory and the performance reflected that stance.
Elsewhere, Watford came from behind to beat Arsenal and Crystal Palace picked up their first points of the season with a shock win over champions Chelsea.
Saturday’s other games saw West Ham draw with Burnley, Spurs end their Wembley hoodoo with a win over Bournemouth and Swansea beat Huddersfield 2-0.
On Sunday, Wayne Rooney rescued a point for Everton with a late penalty and Southampton twice came from behind to draw with Newcastle.
Here are the players that stood out from the weekend’s games…
Produced an outstanding save with his foot to deny Joel Matip the winning goal during the 0-0 draw at Anfield. He was Manchester United’s best player in an impressive defensive display.
Tottenham may not have looked impressive going forward but they were, once again, solid at the back and Vertonghen was the strongest performer for Spurs. His display helped Mauricio Pochettino get his first ever Premier League win and only their second clean sheet at Wembley.
Arsenal’s forward line were not at their best but Watford’s defence deserve credit for their contribution to the win over the Gunners. Alexandre Lacazette was anonymous throughout the game and the likes of Miguel Britos, Adrian Mariappa and Kabasele in particular were responsible for that.
Another brilliant display from Jones against the best attack Manchester United have faced all season. His usual partner Eric Bailly was missing but Jones hardly seemed to notice. Liverpool failed to score for the first time this season.
If there is one player that embodies the recent improvement in Manchester City, it is Sane. City were very good last season, but they have been outstanding since the summer. Sane scored one and set up another as City blew Stoke away.
Neither Palace nor Zaha have enjoyed their start to the season. The latter had, before this weekend, failed to score a goal or pick up a point while the latter had struggled with injury. But their luck—aided by hard graft—changed against the champions at Selhurst Park. Zaha was the hosts’ stand out player and grabbed himself a goal as Roy Hodgson’s side finally got a win under their belts.
Manchester United’s midifielders may not have produced the flowing football that has become their hallmark when they ground out a draw at Anfield, but they certainly stifled Liverpool’s attack. Matic, as he often is, was the master of muzzling opponents’ offensive flow and was a key component in Jose Mourinho’s ‘anti-football’.
It is hardly surprising that Pep Guardiola’s attacking players took most of the credit after dismantling Stoke but there were remarkable performances throughout the team. One of those performances was produced by Fernandinho, who appeared to be popping up in all areas of the pitch and even got his name on the score sheet.
The brightest star in an exceptionally luminous galaxy, De Bruyne was outstanding against the Potters. The Belgian provided two assists and generally ran the game from midfield. What a player he has become.
The Italian forward has struggled for goals this season and had just one to his name before Sunday’s match. Service was sparse throughout the game but twice he managed to draw Southampton level after they had gone behind. His clinical finishing earned them a point.
Sergio Aguero was named on the bench after being involved in a car accident during the international break but he was not missed. Gabriel stepped up in his place and scored twice. Danny Murphy said the Brazilian was the best young player he had seen since Lionel Messi - we wouldn’t go that far but he is certainly impressive.
| Southampton 2-2 Newcastle: Five Findings | Southampton failed to clinch their third win of the season on Sunday as they were held to a 2-2 draw by a resilient … 16-10-2017 |
Mauricio Pellegrino was pleased with the impact of his two-man strike force after Manolo Gabbiadini fired both goals in Saints’ 2-2 draw with Newcastle United yesterday.
Pellegrino started with the Italian alongside Shane Long up front, and the pair proved a tricky double act for the visiting defence at St Mary’s.
Gabbiadini twice drew Saints level in the second half, with the second of his goals coming from the penalty spot after Long was fouled.
“It’s important to him, but it’s also important for the team,” said Pellegrino of Gabbiadini’s brace.
“With his attitude he helped all of us, and I think he deserved his goals.
“Shane Long also played a good game – always fighting and making diagonal runs.
“Today I decided to play with two strikers and in some moments we did well.”
| Vote For The Ultimate Saints Team | Ahead of a major exhibition on the club to be held at the Sea City Museum in the Civic Centre, Saints fans are being … 16-10-2017 |
Centre-half Aaron O’Driscoll – a standout performer in Saints’ Checkatrade Trophy win over Cambridge a fortnight ago – believes the squad have been uplifted by that result, and will use the performance as a marker for the remainder of the season.
“It was a different type of game to what we’re used to,” the Republic of Ireland youth international began.
"But it was a good experience for us all. If some of the lads go out on loan, it gives you a measure of where you need to be to compete.
“It was a good win and a big boost of confidence. We limited their chances. Me and [Ollie] Cookie have played together a few times now. A clean sheet, no clear cut chances, and as defenders that is what you want.”
A solid partnership at the heart of the Saints rearguard, O’Driscoll and Cook played key roles in maintaining that all-important clean sheet against Cambridge, and will be hoping to take that experience in to Monday night’s league action, as the team looks to make a swift return to the top division of Premier League 2.
The 18-year-old added: "The aim is promotion – we belong in the top division. So hopefully we’ll push on and achieve that. There’s plenty of time left.
“Newcastle are a good side, it is at St Mary’s as well, so that is added incentive. It’ll make it a good test, they’ll be up for it. Hopefully if we play our game we’ll get the right result.”
Once again, Olomola’s strike set up an important victory for his loan club as they emerged 2-0 victors over Crewe Alexandra at Huish Park.
The Saints youngster netted after half-time to double his team’s advantage, collecting Ryan Dickson’s deep cross on his chest before looping the ball over the goalkeeper on the half-volley.
In the Championship, Harrison Reed featured for 67 minutes in Norwich City’s 1-1 draw with Hull City. The Canaries salvaged a point thanks to Nelson Oliveira’s 96th-minute equaliser. Sam Gallagher was a stoppage time substitute for Birmingham in their 1-0 victory over Cardiff at St.Andrew’s.
Fellow forward Ryan Seager remained on the bench as MK Dons lost 2-0 to Portsmouth at Fratton Park while goalkeeper Jack Lewis and Dundee United were defeated by Livingston by the same scoreline.
Liverpool fans were blue in the face from calling for the club to sign Virgil Van Dijk throughout the summer transfer window.
But it seems some are having second thoughts over whether he is the right man to take the Reds forward following his display in Southampton’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle on the weekend.
The Holland international was picked out for criticism by both fans and pundits, particularly for his positioning for the Magpies’ second.
Speaking on Sky Sports Jamie Redknapp said: "I think Southampton defend really poorly. I think Virgil van Dijk plays a part in that.
“Once that ball gets played wide he’s got to drop five yards because then that ball doesn’t get played in behind him.”
Replays from the game showed Van Dijk failing to track the run of Ayoze Perez, moments before he restored Newcastle’s lead.
The Dutch centre-back even pointed out the threat to his teammates but failed to take on the responsibility and close the striker down.
Van Dijk hasn’t featured much for the Saints this season due to injury, and it seems he isn’t yet quite up to scratch with the intense pace of the Premier League.
But that hasn’t stopped Liverpool fans taking to Twitter to question whether the defender can do a job improving their defence.
Teenage pairing Thomas O’Connor and Jonathon Afolabi both played for Ireland’s Under-19s in their Euro qualifying campaign, with the latter netting twice, as the remainder of the Under-23s squad have been preparing to face Newcastle at St Mary’s tonight.
Previewing the game, Jaïdi said: "We want the players to keep the momentum from any positive results or success at any level. We’ve had some international boys away on duty, and we want them to bring that positive mentality to their club football.
“We’ve been working hard, keeping the boys focused and concentrated on the next objectives. We’d have liked a game this week but obviously there have been internationals. It is a break, and an opportunity for us to revisit some details.”
Asked if stadium games provide the younger players with added incentive, Jaïdi said: "It is always good to play at St Mary’s. It isn’t going to be full up like the seniors, but it will give the boys some reference of how the first-team players feel and their experience on a Saturday.
“We expect an intensive game, in terms of the way they play. High-tempo, a lot of rotation between midfielders and wide players. Hopefully we’ll respond positively.”
Throughout the course of the week in the build up to our home fixture against West Brom, we will be focusing on our work in a number of key areas, the first of which is gender.
The club is proud of having the highest percentage of female season ticket holders in the Premier League, and to help understand what has led to this success and how we can build on it further, we spoke to Sharon Sayers, who began watching the team in the 1970s and now works in the finance department at St Mary’s.
Sharon regularly attends games with her daughter, Alex, and in the above video discusses how the experience of following the team over the years has changed for her.
The club is committed to bringing more female fans into football and is keen to hear any ideas or recommendations that people feel may improve the matchday experience for them. If you would like to get in touch, please contact our Supporter Relations team by emailing supporterrelations@saintsfc.co.uk or calling 02380 711980.
Don’t forget, there are also opportunities for women and girls to develop their skills on the pitch as part of the club’s Women’s and Girls’ Programme. Please click here for more information.
To help us tackle discrimination, as part of the One March equality initiative, we’ve introduced a new text number that will make it easy for you to report any instances of discrimination or abuse that you witness in the stadium or at an away match.
To report anything you see or hear at a game, simply text onemarch to 60060 with a description of what you’ve witnessed and your location so we can tackle it appropriately and discreetly.
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