It was the Premier League weekend that Liverpool sealed a comeback win against Tottenham, Arsenal made a draw with Crystal Palace and Man Utd went up to 7th with a victory vs Norwich. What did we learn?
Liverpool's fullbacks were a chance creation machine
Some of the best chances in the game fell to Tottenham. However, in terms of sheer number of chances, Liverpool led by a mile.
They were taking shots from a distance, getting in crosses from deep, running down the byline and on a couple of occasions even attempting to slip through the odd runner down the middle.
The fact that a large chunk of this came through their full-backs is nothing new. But the fact that they managed to do so even with Spurs paying close attention to them is a testament to how hard this Liverpool team works to get them into areas where they can do damage.
Firmino's role coming in deep and pulling players towards him not only creates space for the wide runners, but also drags midfielders into narrower positions than they would need to be in to tackle the full-backs.
That makes for a dangerous loop in Liverpool's attack.
The sublime Gazzaniga
Liverpool had 21 shots in the game, and 13 of those shots were on target. It's not often that they rack up those kind of numbers without seeing much of a return; the unusual numbers were largely because of a spell-binding performance in goal from stand-in goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
Shots from Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Roberto Firmino, Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk, which could all easily have nestled in the back of the net, were kept out by the custodian. He gave his side a fighting chance in the game at Anfield, and that's more than any team can ask of their goalkeeper.
Pochettino’s big call does not pay off
It was Pochettino’s most surprising team sheet of the season and could be his most significant too. After sitting out of the 5-0 thrashing of Red Star Belgrade, wantaways Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose were all recalled. The sense on Tuesday was that Tottenham were looking to a future without these players. All that was risked by Pochettino’s eye-catching selection.
It was 38 minutes away from producing a famous win but Tottenham never looked capable of holding a lead for a full 90. Eriksen did very little, bar tripping over his own feet when put through on goal. Rose was made to suffer at times by Liverpool’s right flank. Alderweireld had a tame late header saved. At the final whistle, you were left wondering whether the team that handily dispatched Red Star deserved another outing.
Problems at the back for Klopp
Liverpool were just like they have been for the most part of the last couple of seasons - an absolutely frightening unit going forward.
Since Virgil van Dijk's arrival, they have been secure at the back and are well-equipped to deal with different attacking sides. But they struggled to cope with Spurs at the back, especially on the counter, with Harry Kane sitting in front of Dejan Lovren and winning headers or Son Heung-Min running down either flank.
Towards the end, when Liverpool were protecting their lead and the visitors had sent their full-backs further up, they struggled to cope with Spurs' overloads on either side. Had the chances for the away side fallen to different players, or if Danny Rose and Dele Alli had showed more composure, the scoreline might have read differently.
Martial and Rashford find a way to work together
A return to fitness for Anthony Martial was always likely to be important for them, but even so it was impressive the way he and Rashford were able to dovetail nicely, switching positions at times and linking with each other in the final third.
Rashford was, nominally, the left-sided player, but his diagonal runs caused Norwich as many problems as Martial’s darts down the channel and willingness to drop deep did. United’s third goal was a work of art in terms of their combination play: one running off the other, a neat back-heel and a clinical finish.
The fact they both missed penalties in the first 45 minutes shows there’s work to do in terms of finding a clinical edge and top form, but it was still a big step in the right direction for a previously blunt Man United attack.
Full-back impressions
Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s recent return to action has come at a good time and his defensive solidity was on display once again for United, making several crucial blocks and showing good recovery pace, even through the centre at times.
Against that, Norwich’s pair of young full-backs are already in-demand and will be sought-after if the Canaries fail to avoid the drop this season, though it was certainly Max Aarons who fared better here, both on the ball and defensively, compared to team-mate Jamal Lewis.
With all that youth, pace and potential on show, a moment of reflection for the fourth full-back in the game, Ashley Young, and his attempts to keep up against the counter-attacks down his flank. A yellow card for a wild late challenge was his biggest contribution.
Tim Krul’s throwback to 2014
He might have conceded two first-half goals, but Norwich could have been looking at an embarrassing hammering were it not for goalkeeper Krul.
In a performance reminiscent of his 2014 World Cup cameo, he saved two penalties against the Red Devils – just as he did for the Dutch national team against Costa Rica, after coming off the bench in the last minute of extra time.
If that was his speciality five years ago, here he showed his reflexes are undiminished, with another terrific stop coming to deny Martial from point-blank range when the match was still goalless. Several second-half stops also served to keep the scoreline respectable.
Liverscores here....
Norwich need more than just a last line of defence, though, and the fact they conceded 21 shots, three goals and two penalties on home soil shows as much.
Clean sheets still elude Arsenal
Arsenal’s home form has been strong and they have little trouble scoring goals. But a lack of clean sheets – the Gunners have managed just two in the Premier League so far – will be a concern for Unai Emery.
A rash challenge in the box on Zaha from Chambers allowed Palace back into the game (although the Palace man was originally booked for diving until a VAR check saw the decision changed). And in the second half Kouyate was given far too much space to sneak in at the back post and head home from a few yards out.
Arsenal, if they hope to challenge for the top four, will need significant improvements at the back.
Pepe proves effective from dead ball situations again
On Thursday night, with Arsenal 2-1 down against Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Europa League, Nicolas Pepe was introduced as a substitute. By the end of the game he had scored twice, both superb free kicks, to turn the game on its head and earn his side the victory.
Clearly, the Frenchman is an adept set piece taker. Against Palace, he turned provider, twice swinging in corners from the right which the away side could not deal with.
Arsenal’s record signing has, perhaps, yet to really inspire from open play. But if he is efficient as the last two games suggest from dead ball situations, that alone will make him an invaluable part of this team.
Xhaka takes brunt of criticism as fans voice discontent
Granit Xhaka is a divisive figure at Arsenal. He is the club captain, a technically-gifted midfielder capable of producing moments of brilliance on his left foot.
But he is too often wild and erratic, too often anonymous when Arsenal need a leader. The reaction from the home supporters when he was withdrawn was one of contempt, and that is concerning for everyone at the club.
It is a sign of a growing feeling of uneasiness at Arsenal. The season so far has not been disastrous, but the club’s fans expect far more than they are getting.
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