Football writer Alex Keble highlights the hot topics and tactical lessons from Matchweek 10 so far, including:
- Liverpool benefit from Villa’s risky tactics as the old guard rediscover their form
- Cherki-Haaland connection shows the value of Guardiola’s new tactical approach
- Pressing machine Caicedo shows the error in Spurs' approach
- Nuno gets crucial first win to crank up the pressure on Newcastle
- Familiar Man Utd issues in possession suggest lean times are not over just yet
- Gomez brace gives Hurzeler another excellent attacking option
- Pereira pays the price with Wolves as it's all-too-easy for Fulham
- Victory gives Crystal Palace a timely boost after faltering form
- Arsenal march on - but is there reason to worry about their set-piece reliance?
Liverpool benefit from Villa’s risky tactics as the old guard rediscover their form
An unforced Emiliano Martinez error was the difference at Anfield. Aston Villa could easily have been 2-0 up at half-time and the Liverpool losing streak might well have been extended.
Unai Emery’s high-risk, high-reward strategy of passing out from the back under extreme pressure was designed to exploit the huge gaps in Liverpool’s midfield this season – and it very nearly worked.
Several times Villa got out, releasing Morgan Rogers into space, such as this example below that led to him hitting the post.
But it was a direct result of this desire to pass out under pressure that led to Martinez giving the ball straight to Mohamed Salah to score. Villa, though shooting themselves in the foot, were unlucky.
Liverpool fans won’t see it that way and neither will the players who, by ending a four-match losing streak in the Premier League, will feel the old confidence returning.
It is no coincidence the win came with the old guard back. Alexander Isak and Jeremie Frimpong were injured while Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz were left on the bench, with Hugo Ekitike (the only new signing to hit the ground running) being the only outfield starter who was signed in the summer.
Arne Slot may now decide to integrate the new players more slowly, starting with the trip to Manchester City next weekend. A gradual approach certainly makes sense until some stability returns.
Cherki-Haaland connection shows the value of Guardiola’s new tactical approach
Slowly but surely, Man City are putting together a run of form that ought to worry Arsenal supporters.
Pep Guardiola’s side have won nine of their last 10 Premier League home matches and have lost just one of their previous 12 in all competitions. For a team that so often finds its feet in the second half of the season, it’s an ominous sequence for their rivals.
And Man City’s subtle shift towards more direct football is coming together. On Sunday, they found themselves through one-on-one on four occasions and twice Rayan Cherki put Erling Haaland in behind to score.
*Green=successful pass; Red=failed pass; Blue=assist
The Cherki-Haaland connection is something Guardiola has been planning for a long time, but this was the first instance of it working.
Man City's No 10 is a more direct and urgent player than the man he is replacing, Kevin De Bruyne, and when coupled with Jeremy Doku, he creates by far the most vertical team of Guardiola's tenure.
If there was any concern about Man City’s title credentials, it was in the full-back positions, but Nico O’Reilly’s excellent performance at left-back was another big step in the right direction.
Man City are second and six points off top spot – and they haven’t really got started yet.
Pressing machine Caicedo shows the error in Spurs' approach
The match-winning moment at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium summed up the best of Chelsea’s approach to this game and exemplified why Thomas Frank got his approach wrong.
Moises Caicedo, outstanding again, made two tackles as Spurs attempted to play out from the back before squaring for Joao Pedro to score the winner. Or, Chelsea’s high and hard press defeated Spurs’ attempts to play through the visitors, which was the game in a nutshell.
Frank has so far taken four points from five home matches, partly because he prefers to coach the kind of reactive football that isn’t possible when Spurs are expected to be the progressive team.
But that only made it stranger that he didn’t sit deep, invite Chelsea on, and go direct.
Instead, Spurs repeatedly attempted to pass their way through the thirds despite their typically workmanlike midfield of Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr – and despite Chelsea’s excellent pressing game repeatedly winning out.
That basic mismatch explains why Spurs were so poor, recording an Expected Goals (xG) of just 0.05, their lowest on record (since 2012/13) in a Premier League match.
What’s more, Chelsea were only really dangerous when able to break quickly or win the ball high, making it all the more surprising Spurs did not hit high and long, turning this into a physical game.
If Spurs are to improve their home form, they need to do one of two things - either use more adventurous players in central midfield to enact a progressive game plan, or sit deeper and play a brand of reactive football that might not go down well with the fans.
On Saturday evening they did neither, and were lucky not to lose by more.
Nuno gets crucial first win to crank up the pressure on Newcastle
Nuno Espirito Santo has his first win as West Ham United head coach, an enormous moment in his tenure and in the club’s season.
Nuno typically makes fast starts after his managerial appointments, and although he has not achieved that with West Ham, there is a decent chance his first three points will get the ball rolling; a trip to Burnley next is a fantastic opportunity to put back-to-back victories together and move the Hammers out of the bottom three.
West Ham certainly looked a lot more organised, sitting diligently in a deep shape before attacking quickly through the impressive Crysencio Summerville. It is a template for future games.
But it must be said they had it easy. This was Newcastle’s worst performance of the campaign so far and arguably the worst of the Eddie Howe era. It left the Magpies with just 12 points from 10 league matches, the poorest start to a Premier League campaign by a Howe-led side since 2017/18.
They are creeping towards crisis point. Brentford (A), Man City (H), Everton (A) and Spurs (H) are a very tough next four fixtures, especially with two UEFA Champions League matches also crammed into that sequence.
Familiar Man Utd issues suggest lean times are not over just yet
A late goal from Amad rescued a point for Manchester United at Nottingham Forest but it could, and perhaps should, have been a lot worse.
Man Utd's first goal came from a corner that was perhaps fortuitously awarded, while Amad was fortunate to that an apparent handball in his own box went unpunished.
Man Utd struggled to create chances in open play, scoring twice from corners primarily because their hosts have difficulties in this area; Forest have conceded a competition-high 16 Premier League goals from set pieces (excluding penalties) in 2025.
The issue for Man Utd was familiar. They are able to play direct and open attacking football when the opponent comes onto them, but if asked to dominate possession, Ruben Amorim’s team slow right down.
After beating Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion, two very attacking teams, Man Utd were frustrated for long periods at the City Ground.
Under Amorim, Man Utd have won 1.79 points per game when holding less than 50 per cent possession and 0.83 points per game when they hold over 50 per cent.
It’s a problem, but not as big as the one facing Forest. Amad’s equaliser was a crushing blow that denied Sean Dyche his first Premier League win as their head coach and Forest their first victory in the competition since the opening weekend.
Beating Man Utd might have relaunched their season. Instead, the wait goes on.
Dyche’s side cannot afford anything less than three points when Leeds United visit next weekend.
Gomez brace gives Hurzeler another excellent attacking option
Brighton appear to have unearthed yet another gem.
Paraguay international Diego Gomez didn’t make much of an impact in 2024/25, but after scoring four goals in an EFL Cup match at Barnsley in September, he has been given more of a run in the team and he scored a brace against Leeds on Saturday.
Gomez now has seven goals in 12 appearances in all competitions this season, as the 22-year-old finds his feet in English football following his move from Inter Miami.
Watch Gomez's goals v Leeds
His influence on the team goes beyond goals, too. Brighton have won four and drawn one of the five Premier League matches Gomez has started, which includes wins against Chelsea and Man City.
With Yankuba Minteh on one side and Gomez on the other, Fabian Hurzeler’s side look more balanced in attack as they chase European football; 10 points from their last five matches has lifted Brighton back into the top 10.
Pereira pays the price with Wolves as it's all-too-easy for Fulham
Wolverhampton Wanderers have sacked Vitor Pereira, perhaps not just for the results themselves but for the manner of recent performances.
Winless Wolves, on the back of consecutive defeats to promoted clubs, had to see fixtures like this one as winnable; had to make sure they put up a good fight.
But instead Fulham eased to victory. The opener resulted from two simple passes that tore a hole in the Wolves defence, putting Ryan Sessegnon through on goal, before one straight pass was enough to again create a one-on-one, this time leading to a red card for Emmanuel Agbadou.
This is now the second year in a row that Wolves have failed to win any of their first 10 Premier League matches, but their situation looks a lot worse this time.
Wolves relied on beating the promoted sides last season – five of their 11 league wins, in fact – but those clubs are much stronger this year and Wolves have already been beaten by Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland.
In 2024/25, Wolves' 11th match was at home to Southampton, which they won, whereas this time they are away at Chelsea.
Whoever comes in as Pereira's successor has a very difficult job on their hands.
Victory gives Palace a timely boost
Three Premier League matches without a win had taken some of the wind out of their sails, but any concern Crystal Palace might fall away was cast aside at the weekend.
Oliver Glasner’s side beat Brentford 2-0 to continue an excellent record at Selhurst Park; Palace are now unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League home matches (W6 D5).
Having said that, this fixture is becoming one of the most straightforward in the competition. Brentford have lost four of their five Premier League away matches under Andrews (W1), after losing just one of their last 11 under Thomas Frank last season (W7 D3).
Andrews has made a very good start to life as a manager, but it’s obvious where he most needs to improve.
Is there reason to worry about Arsenal's set-piece reliance?
Arsenal have won seven consecutive matches to nil in all competitions for just the second time in the club’s history, last doing so in 1987.
There is nothing to worry about, although if Mikel Arteta is making plans for the international break, he might wonder how he can get his team to score more goals from open play.
Arsenal have scored 10 set-piece goals this season, which means only eight open-play goals in 10 Premier League matches. That doesn’t feel particularly sustainable.
Injuries to Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke might explain that somewhat, but with Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka in the team, Arsenal would hope to be more ruthless in open play.
Teams have won the Premier League via a brilliant defensive record. But nobody has ever done so when relying so heavily on set-pieces.
* Sunderland host Everton at the Stadium of Light in the final fixture of Matchweek 10 on Monday 3 November. Kick off 20:00 GMT.
