Our writers reflect on Saturday's action as Manchester City went top of the table with a 4-0 win over Southampton; Tottenham remained three points behind City with a 1-0 win at Brighton; there were also wins for Chelsea, Newcastle and Bournemouth
Sunday 9 October 2022 18:56, UK
Pep Guardiola is having to get used to fielding questions about his new striker. In the build-up to this game, he was asked about a light-hearted petition to stop him playing in the Premier League. Even the club stuck him on the front page of the programme for this one.
Twenty goals in 13 games will do that, but this afternoon was a little different. Erling Haaland had hit the post from a one-on-one chance with the game goalless, missed his kick when it seemed easy to side-foot in and then failed to take the ball around the goalkeeper.
The supporters seemed a little bemused by it, so accustomed have they become to seeing him score. But it highlighted the fact that even while Haaland dominates defenders and the media coverage, there is so much more to this side - and we saw that against Southampton.
Joao Cancelo was the best player on the pitch, while Phil Foden rivalled in until being withdrawn just before the hour mark. Kevin De Bruyne was magnificent. Manuel Akanji, playing out of position at right-back, has been a revelation since his own move from Borussia Dortmund.
Even Haaland's goal highlighted that this is a team effort. There were 21 passes in the build-up to it - no goal has featured a longer passing sequence in the Premier League this season. The fascination with Haaland remains. But this is a formidable Manchester City team.
Adam Bate
Manchester City failed to beat Southampton home and away last season so maybe this should not have been the foregone conclusion. Yet, the gulf between the two teams was apparent from the start. It was as one-sided as Premier League games come.
The question for the under-pressure Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl was posed by the man himself when speaking in his post-match press conference. "Are they better than before or were we not on the level? I think we were not at the level on the ball."
The Austrian did go on to explain why the presence of Erling Haaland creates new problems but Southampton created plenty for themselves, turning over the ball in bad areas. They are still trying to be a pressing team but they look less confident than ever in possession.
That win over Chelsea in which the now injured Romeo Lavia starred feels a long time ago now. Four defeats have followed and though they remain outside of the relegation zone, the trajectory for this young team is worrying. It is West Ham next. It feels huge.
Adam Bate
It's hard for onlooker who has no foot in the Tottenham camp to understand truly just how much the staff has been hit by the sudden death of popular fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone. We can gauge the clear sadness from the tributes posted online by the players and of course the clear holding back of tears by Harry Kane when interviewed after the game. But it's hard to truly feel it from a personal standpoint.
Yet, a moment did hit me quite hard. It was hard not to get emotional walking down the steps from the press box at the Amex, long after the final whistle had gone and witness the Spurs substitutes doing their warm down. To the backdrop of an empty stadium, the players were undertaking their first post-match fitness duties since the passing of their guru.
A part of the puzzle missing. Gone. There was an eerie silence as the nine substitutes were put through their paces by two members of the coaching staff. Ventrone would have certainly been proud of Tottenham's performance. It was one where the fitness built up under Ventrone's watch was used to maximum effect as Spurs battled and ran hard to repel Brighton despite this being their third game in seven days.
The man nicknamed 'The Marine' because of his rigorous training regimes would have liked what he saw.
A fitting tribute, indeed.
Lewis Jones
It was suggested at points last season that while Manchester City and Liverpool had the best teams, Chelsea had the best squad. That was not always evident during the previous campaign but their strength in depth was plain to see on Saturday, as a much-changed line-up swept aside Wolves.
The visitors have their own problems, with injuries and suspensions leaving them leaning on an ageing Diego Costa to lead the line and youngsters sent from the bench when they were looking to come back into the game. But the gulf to the quality Graham Potter could call upon was enormous.
There were seven changes from the midweek crushing of Serie A title holders AC Milan in the Champions League but even with Wesley Fofana injured, Thiago Silva nursing a cold and Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling invited to rest up in the dugout, Chelsea clicked from the first whistle.
The incoming Conor Gallagher was excellent, while Trevoh Chalobah did not drop a beat on his first start of the season, and Cesar Azpilicueta was at his reliable best at right wing-back. Rather than suffer without the game-to-game rhythm, the likes of Jorginho looked refreshed by the rotation.
Potter made it clear in his post-match press conference that getting that balance of minutes right is crucial, both for the success on the pitch and the morale in the dressing room. But it appears right now he has a whole squad of players singing from the same hymn sheet and relishing their moments on the field. During a long, draining season it could be Chelsea's biggest weapon.
Peter Smith
Diego Costa had not started a competitive football match since December of last year before Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge so you cannot blame him for looking a bit rusty.
But he will certainly need to do more in future if he is to revitalise this woeful Wolves attack.
A measly nine touches, most of which were clumsy, is a sorry return on his Chelsea homecoming. Once such a threat at Stamford Bridge, Costa looked a shadow of his former self.
He also had one unsuccessful dribble, five failed duels and gave up possession on four occasions.
There was, however, a glimpse of Costa's threat when he almost found Matheus Nunes with a cross in a dangerous area in the first half, only for Conor Gallagher to provide a crucial interception for Chelsea.
Wolves' struggles in the final third have been well documented - three goals in nine games is a league low - and it would be harsh to put all the blame at Costa's door. He did, though, look miles off it at Stamford Bridge.
Had it been a different story, he may not have received such a warm reception from the Chelsea faithful when subbed off in the second half. Costa milked the standing ovation by taking the long route back to the bench slowly as he soaked up the chants of, 'Diego, Diego, Diego', stopping for a high-five or two along the way.
If Wolves are to get themselves out of the relegation zone Costa must rediscover some of the form that helped him become such a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge.
Zinny Boswell
How long can Leicester go on performing like this? Five away Premier League defeats to start the new campaign and 19 goals conceded. The Foxes have now dropped 30 points from winning positions in 2022 - 13 more than anyone else in the Premier League. It's unthinkable.
They invited the pressure onto themselves here - architects of their own downfall, as Rodgers himself eluded to afterwards. There was no bravery but plenty of backward passes. Too safe.
You could make excuses for them to some degree during a wretched run of fixtures which has seen them face five of the top six, but not for this. On the evidence at Bournemouth, Leicester are not in a false position because without leadership in this league, away venues can be a very lonely place.
The last time Leicester lost a Premier League game when winning at half-time was here at Bournemouth in July 2020, when they ended up being thumped 4-1. Not long after, Bournemouth were relegated but it was a defeat which came a hammer blow to the Foxes' hopes of clawing a Champions League berth.
There is plenty of games left but Leicester are in a fight of a different kind at this stage. How times have changed.
Ben Grounds
Bournemouth deserve due credit for the manner in which they dug this out. Ryan Christie was the match-winner for Rodgers as Celtic lifted the 2018 Scottish League Cup, the last of his seven trophies at the club.
The Leicester boss knew all about his ability, and having been recalled to Bournemouth's starting line-up here by O'Neil, he repaid his manager's faith with a lively showing that was capped with a confident finish.
It felt like it would be another case of there being no lack of endeavour but no end product from the hosts but like London buses, two goals came along at once. Virtually everyone Bournemouth as nailed on to go down but they continue to confound their critics. The Cherries sit eighth.
Unbeaten in five Premier League games, there is not the same crippling lack of consistency seen in Leicester.
O'Neil has shown good in-game management, too, making a tactical alteration at half-time against Nottingham Forest to turn a 2-0 loss into a memorable 3-2 victory and here he influenced proceedings by moving to a back five once Christie had nudged them in front. Leicester never looked like recovering.
"It's an incredible group and it's a privilege to work with them," O'Neil said afterwards.
Surely it is now only a matter of time before he is given the chance to lead them on a permanent basis.
Ben Grounds
Bruno Guimaraes quickly became a fan favourite at St James' Park after arriving from Lyon in the middle of last season and it's not hard to see why.
Since he made his Premier League debut in February, no Newcastle player has scored more than his seven goals from midfield - a clear indication of his importance to Eddie Howe's impressive side.
Against Brentford, Guimaraes' two goals stole the show but he produced an all-round performance, leading from the front with and without the ball.
Only Kieran Trippier - who also produced another outstanding performance from right-back - had more touches of the ball among Newcastle's players, while Guimaraes' 43 accurate passes led the way for his team.
Guimaraes was also a thorn in Brentford's side when they were able to take the ball off him. Apart from Sven Botman - who is finally making a spot in Newcastle's defence his own - no player on either side won possession on more occasions or won more duels than the Brazilian.
While £40m is far from an insignificant sum, Newcastle will view the fee they paid for Guimaraes earlier this year as a bargain, given he has been at the heart of so much of the progress the club have made on the field following the Saudi-backed takeover a year ago.
Joe Shread
Brentford's afternoon appeared to have started perfectly when Bryan Mbeumo drilled them into an early lead at Newcastle but the decision to rule out the goal was the beginning of the end for Thomas Frank's side.
The Bees boss could have chosen to have drawn attention to the call after the game, given the player penalised was Ivan Toney, who did not touch the ball as it found its way to Mbeumo.
But, despite admitting how hard it was to digest the heavy defeat his side had just suffered, Frank did not just refuse to criticise the officials but instead backed their decision.
The honesty was admirable from Frank, who was true to his name when it came to assessing the performances of his players in their 5-1 defeat at Newcastle.
Brentford gave the hosts a helping hand with four of their strikes, according to the head coach, who may be becoming concerned with the amount of goals his side are conceding.
While they have scored just once in their last three games, the Londoners have conceded eight in that period.
In total, Frank's side have now conceded 17 goals in just nine Premier League games. Only 20th-placed Nottingham Forest, 19th-placed Leicester and Bournemouth, who have a 9-0 defeat to Liverpool on their resume, have conceded more than Brentford.
It's certainly not time for the Bees to panic, given they are 12th and have winnable games against Brighton - live on Sky Sports - Aston Villa, Wolves and Nottingham Forest coming up.
However, Frank's side are leaking goals and have just one win in their last six games. It can be presumed the boss will be handing out some of his trademark honesty to his players.
Joe Shread
