Could Arsenal's Ezri Konsa hold off William Saliba from reuniting partnership with Gabriel? Premier League hits and misses
Sky Sports' football writers analyse Friday and Saturday's Premier League action as Ezri Konsa shows why he can keep William Saliba out of Arsenal's line-up on his return; 'Toothless' Spurs show why they're not back yet and why Coventry have a lot to like despite defeat
Saturday 7 November 2026 21:31, UK
Konsa showing he could hold off Saliba
Arsenal did not produce a vintage attacking display against Hull but defensively there were few faults. Their seventh clean sheet in 10 Premier League games, and 10th in 16 overall, owed a lot to their centre-backs. Gabriel and Ezri Konsa excelled again.
William Saliba's impending return will put pressure on Konsa to retain his place but on current form he may keep hold of the shirt. Highlights from his display included a last-ditch block on Mohamed Ali-Cho when was suddenly exposed on the break.
There was no self-congratulation afterwards. Instead he berated the referee for a perceived Hull foul, then got on with business. By the end of the game, he had won all seven of his duels and completed all but two of his 53 passes, a picture of composure.
He continues to make an immense contribution since his arrival at the club. Arsenal had one early scare when Elliot Stroud forced a save from David Raya but it is now 444 minutes without conceding a goal in the Premier League for the Gunners.
Martin Odegaard won it but Konsa did his bit too. Saliba, who will build his fitnesby appearing for Arsenal's U21s on Sunday, has his work to do to win back his place.
Nick Wright
Yates' return provides Forest spark
Oliver Glasner had suggested after Nottingham Forest's loss to Brentford that the time had come to make changes. As it was, only two players came into the team for the game against Manchester City but one of them was particularly significant with skipper Ryan Yates making his first start of the season.
The popular midfielder personified the intensity required, not allowing City any time on the ball and also conducting the crowd in the rare moments when the noise levels dropped. He even helped spark the counter-attack for the dramatic third goal.
Delap was the player of the match but Yates symbolises the spirit that supporters have wanted to see from their side throughout this barren run. The celebrations upon the final whistle made this feel like a big moment. Typical that Yates should be the catalyst.
And that was true even before kick-off because he delivered the team-talk. "I have played more than 500 games as a player," said Glasner. "I have managed more than 500 games as a manager. I have never heard such an inspiring speech to the team." Yates backed it up on the pitch too.
Adam Bate
Do Man City have a tempo problem?
The question that Manchester City supporters might be asking right now is whether Yates and Xaver Schlager nipping at heels and Jair Cunha pressing up the pitch should have been enough for their side to unravel as they did. Three defeats in a row tells a tale.
"Today we didn't match the intensity, we need to understand the reasons why," said Maresca. "If you make a mistake or you don't win duels, you can concede on transition."
Josko Gvardiol was dispossessed for the first goal, Elliot Anderson was too weak for the second and Marc Guehi made it too easy as well. City look like a side who want to be allowed to play their football but when teams refuse to give them that time then they become unsettled.
Seven wins in a row to start the season suggested that, for all the issues engulfing City right now, it would be a seamless transition under Enzo Maresca on the pitch. But the blueprint for stopping them is now becoming clear. And that should be a major concern.
Adam Bate
Toothless Spurs are not back yet
Are Spurs back? On this evidence, they are not.
Three consecutive wins had raised hopes that Tottenham may have turned a corner amid talk of a European push.
But the limp 1-0 loss at Leeds, which was fully deserved as Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi admitted himself, shows the north London side have plenty of work to do - especially in front of goal.
Spurs created just one big chance at Elland Road and were not good enough, even amidst the controversy of Jayden Bogle's red-card escape.
James Trafford's only meaningful save came from Jan Paul van Hecke's stoppage-time header. The defender is Tottenham's top Premier League scorer this season.
Dominic Solanke failed to have a shot despite coming on in the 43rd minute as Spurs mustered an expected goals of just 0.77 to Leeds' 2.02.
Tottenham have had the second-most shots in the Premier League this season, but have only hit 10 goals.
Spurs' goal-scoring issues will be a major area of work over the international break for De Zerbi if he is to truly get Spurs back fighting for European qualification.
Declan OIley
Has international break come at wrong time for Leeds?
A superb second-half performance from Leeds was deservedly rewarded by a Noah Okafor's winner over Spurs.
His goal was Daniel Farke's making after he brought him and the man who assisted, Harry Wilson, on together as the pair combined just 97 seconds after entering the pitch.
This is a much-needed win for the Whites, who had gone off the boil after starting the season brightly with eight points from their first four league games to go third.
A first win since mid-September will have Leeds fans dreaming again of a potential European push, with their defence central to this.
The clean sheet against Spurs means Arsenal and Brighton remain the only two teams to have conceded fewer goals than Leeds.
And summer-signing Tarik Muharemovic is at the heart of this solidity, having made a match-high 13 clearances in the Spurs win. In fact, his 85 in total is the most of any player in the Premier League this season.
Elland Road also remains a fortress for Leeds, who are now unbeaten in their last nine Premier League home games (W5 D4).
It just feels like the November international break has now come at the wrong time for Leeds and Farke.
Declan Olley
Don't write Jaissle off at St James' Park just yet
Newcastle's display at Fulham may not have been pretty but it was close to the perfect away performance - and may have been but for VAR.
Matthias Jaissle had come under increasing pressure following four defeats in five. He could not argue with the noise surrounding St James' Park after a double-header with Everton saw them drop out of the Carabao Cup and suffer a limp home league defeat within three days last week.
This was the moment he needed to put out a call to his team to show they were still playing for their manager. And they answered.
Despite Fulham's domination, Newcastle had the better of the chances at Craven Cottage and restricted their hosts to an xG of 0.62, the most frugal of any visiting defence this season.
Jaissle talked of "complete commitment and togetherness" in the Magpies' performance - and it was hard to argue.
He might not have had the victory he desired to diffuse the pressure around his position, but the performance still went most of the way.
Ron Walker
So much to like about Coventry despite defeat
Coventry may end up in the Premier League relegation zone this weekend, but there's so much positivity from Frank Lampard's side that they will be out of it in no time.
Had the two wrong penalty calls gone their way - and the fine margins about Thierno Barry's second goal for Everton also fallen in their favour - they would have surely picked up three precious points.
And it would have been deserved too. At the back, Stephen Mfuni and Ethan Pinnock look a perfect blend between youth and experience. Caleb Yirenkyi and Jack Rudoni look to have finally caught up with the demands of the Premier League in midfield. Taiwo Awoniyi is a handful up front.
What let them down on Merseyside was the officials and most importantly VAR - perhaps the biggest difference between Championship and Premier League football in this modern era.
With Crystal Palace and Ipswich to come in their next two home games, Lampard's Sky Blues have to shake this disappointment off quickly. The international break will help with that.
Sam Blitz
Have Everton found their own Erling Haaland?
Who had Thierno Barry down as Everton's answer to Erling Haaland? Well, the numbers are starting to look rather similar.
Barry's double against Coventry took him to 10 goals and three assists in all competitions, already surpassing his entire goal tally from last season. Better still, he has now scored in three successive games for Everton for the first time. Suddenly, the Frenchman is discovering a taste for goals that even the most optimistic Evertonian would have struggled to predict.
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However, no player in the Premier League has missed more big chances this season than Barry too, with 13. That's an extraordinary number and suggests his finishing has been anything but clinical. Barry was even seen watching the replays of his goals on the big screen at the end of the win over Coventry where he remarked on how efficient he'd been with his finishing. Even he seemed surprised.
Had he been more ruthless this season, his numbers could be even more spectacular. The challenge now is keeping this remarkable consistency in front goal. If he does, then Haaland may have company in the Golden Boot race.
Lewis Jones
