Premier League: talking points from the weekend’s action

Arne Slot was seething arsenic he lamented nan determination to let Manchester United’s 2nd extremity to guidelines contempt claims of handball by Benjamin Sesko. “The curve connected nan shot changed truthful location must person been a contact,” based on nan Liverpool caput coach. “But it’s nary astonishment to anyone that if location is simply a VAR involution past nan determination goes against us. It’s happened to america each season.” As PGMO confirmed astatine nan time, however, location “was nary conclusive grounds that Sesko handled nan shot earlier scoring”. Slot was stretching it to pin Liverpool’s latest conclusion connected mediocre refereeing. United’s activity pulled nan visitors isolated successful nan first half and, without nan injured Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak, nan threat from Liverpool was nonexistent until capitalising connected 2 errors early successful nan 2nd half. Defeat stemmed from an anaemic first-half performance, thing else. Andy Hunter

What took you truthful long, Mikel Arteta? “Because astir apt I don’t person a clue,” nan Arsenal head joked. The location crippled against Fulham connected Saturday was nan first clip he had started Myles Lewis-Skelly successful midfield. Given nan stakes, it was a large risk. Never mind nan 19-year-old played successful midfield for Arsenal’s academy teams; this felt for illustration a descend aliases aquatics moment. Lewis-Skelly, who collapsed done successful specified dazzling style arsenic a left-back past play but has dropped disconnected this clip out, roseate to nan challenge, delivering a good all-round capacity defined by nan information of his passing and nan power that he brought. He helped to group a blistering tempo and support it. There has been nary small muttering astir really Arsenal mightiness look to waste him successful nan summer, nan words “pure” and “profit” bandied about. On this evidence, they cannot do so. David Hytner

The last whistle was nan cue for Yasir al-Rumayyan – Newcastle’s chair and nan politician of nan club’s mostly owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – to prehend nan shot and bask a footwear astir pinch his chap head Jamie Reuben. Newcastle’s number proprietor was heard calling Rumayyan “boss” earlier they headed wrong for a typical dressing room photograph to commemorate an edgy 3-1 location triumph complete Brighton that ended a five-game losing streak for Eddie Howe’s team. The image captures Rumayyan commanding centre shape alongside, possibly inevitably, Howe’s beaming assistant, Jason Tindall. Almost everyone is smiling, pinch 1 notable objection towards nan back. The Germany striker Nick Woltemade, Newcastle’s £69m grounds buy, stares blankly into abstraction aft spending yet different lucifer connected nan sidelines. Woltemade was among nan 5 costly signings made by Howe past summertime that warmed a chair valued, collectively, astatine £335m. A relief-tinged bonhomie whitethorn person reigned connected Saturday evening but, erstwhile nan play ends, Rummayan must determine whether he trusts Howe to preside complete this summer’s basal rebuild. Louise Taylor

Nick Woltemade astatine St James’ Park earlier nan sojourn of Brighton, during which he was an unused substitute. Photograph: Craig Cowan/Every Second Media/Shutterstock

Aston Villa made 7 changes from nan broadside that mislaid 1-0 astatine relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest connected Thursday nighttime and mislaid 2-1 against relegation Tottenham connected Sunday night. Unai Emery’s squad had not completed an arduous travel post-match, it’s astir an hour’s thrust backmost from Nottingham, but only Emi Martínez, Matty Cash, Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers remained successful nan starting lineup. This was intelligibly a bet based connected keeping his large guns caller for nan 2nd leg. It backfired, Villa were outfought and managed 1 changeable connected target each game; Emiliano Buendía’s precocious consolation. Emery’s grounds successful managing successful Europa League campaigns gives him leeway to return specified risks, but picking a midfield of Tielemans, Lamare Bogarde and Ross Barkley to spell up against a workmanlike, but creatively limited, trio of Connor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur and João Palhinha played into Spurs’ hands. This was a crippled won pinch industry, not craft, and in installments must spell to Roberto De Zerbi for instilling that endeavour successful his squad but nan Spurs head was surely handed nan inaugural by his other number. Tom Bassam

The Brentford fans would not stop. “We want Josh,” they cried arsenic nan 2nd half of their side’s triumph complete West Ham wore on. “I didn’t person immoderate thought they were nagging me,” Keith Andrews said, but nan Brentford head still made judge not to disappoint nan crowd. There were 89 minutes connected nan timepiece erstwhile Andrews turned to his chair and brought Dasilva connected for his first quality since January 2024. “A very typical infinitesimal for him,” Andrews said of nan 27-year-old midfielder, who had been retired for complete 2 years pinch a knee injury. “I sewage rather affectional looking astatine him coming into nan pitch.” Andrews added: “He’s a very typical quality being. He’s a very intelligent young man and his expertise isn’t successful doubt. I was looking astatine him from afar successful years gone by. We conscionable request to support Josh fresh and I deliberation nan remainder will beryllium perfectly fine.” Jacob Steinberg

Football clubs unrecorded and dice by recruitment. Leeds and Burnley vanished connected 100 points successful nan Championship past play and had plentifulness of clip to scheme for life backmost successful nan Premier League but 1 nine sewage their business correct and nan different highly wrong. It was further proven connected Friday nighttime erstwhile 3 of Leeds’ summertime arrivals scored to each but unafraid their Premier League status. Noah Okafor and Anton Stach costs a mixed £35m and were not nan benignant of names being linked pinch each nine nether nan sun but fitted nan exemplary of play Daniel Farke wanted, providing velocity and physicality, not to mention plentifulness of extremity threat. The different scorer, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, was disposable connected a free transportation but was ignored by others connected relationship of a chequered wounded grounds but his 12 convention goals person been vital. At Burnley, their caller striker, Armando Broja, costs £20m and has netted once, coming connected for a meaningless cameo successful nan latest defeat, wondering if he needs to driblet down a level to reignite his career, while Calvert-Lewin has been afloat revived. Will Unwin

Anton Stach is embraced by his Leeds teammates aft scoring against Burnley. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

European shot draws adjacent for Bournemouth. Marco Rose, nan erstwhile RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund coach group to switch Andoni Iraola, will inherit a squad of wide admired talent. Continental title will agelong that squad. Crystal Palace’s show was grounds of nan drain playing a Thursday-Sunday schedule places connected resources. Where Bournemouth’s profit and sustainability position enforced nan waste of talent past summer, nan Europa League – aliases possibly nan still unrecorded chance of nan Champions League – would trim specified necessities. Those wrong nan nine are nether nary illusions that imported players and coaches, Iraola arsenic a premier example, will usage nan Vitality Stadium arsenic a launchpad. “They are 2 world-class talents,” said nan Bournemouth captain, Marcus Tavernier, a subordinate from nan club’s different seam, nan little English leagues, of scorers Rayan and Eli Junior Kroupi. “I don’t deliberation they will beryllium astatine Bournemouth for a agelong play of time, fixed nan value they person got.” His club’s dependable emergence is accompanied by patient realism. John Brewin

The Sunderland defender Dan Ballard received a reddish paper for pulling Tolu Arokodare’s hairsbreadth successful his side’s 1-1 tie pinch Wolves. It’s nan 3rd reddish paper of its benignant successful nan Premier League this twelvemonth aft Michael Keane was sent disconnected for pulling Arokodare’s hairsbreadth successful January and Lisandro Martínez saw reddish for tugging Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hairsbreadth successful April. The PGMO person made it clear that hairsbreadth pulling is considered an enactment of convulsive behaviour worthy of a reddish card, but it was still difficult for nan Sunderland caput coach to “digest”. Régis Le Bris said: “If nan norm is nan rule, erstwhile you person a striker pinch agelong hair, you will person problems because you can’t defend.” While it’s easy to understand his frustrations astir nan severity of Ballard’s three-match prohibition and nan classification of nan defender’s actions arsenic convulsive conduct, it’s harder to bargain nan thought that you can’t take sides against players pinch agelong hairsbreadth aliases that they are nan problem. Like galore rules, it will return a spot of accommodation from nan players and immoderate pragmatism from referees. That should beryllium easy then. Xaymaca Awoyungbo