Manchester City emerged victorious from a Premier League weekend in which five of the typical top six teams dropped points.
Erling Haaland’s brace returned the champions to victory over Brighton, reducing their deficit to just two points behind leaders Arsenal.
In a painful 1-1 draw against Southampton, Arsenal surrendered points for just the second time this season.
Chelsea and Manchester United also split the points with the same scoreline, while Liverpool dropped to ninth place after a shocking 1-0 loss to bottom-place Nottingham Forest.
Nonetheless, the “big six” may need to get used to Newcastle encroaching on their territory at the top of the table after a 2-1 victory at Tottenham vaulted the Magpies into fourth place.
Three talking points from the Premier League weekend are examined by AFP Sport.
Newcastle is a danger to finish in the top four
With the support of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Newcastle’s owners have declared their desire to win the championship within a decade.
Eddie Howe’s squad is currently in contention for a top-four finish, therefore their return to the Champions League could come sooner than planned.
🗣 “I’m living my dreams here.”
We’re proud of you, @brunoog97. 🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/W5ztq4Wtjj
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 23, 2022
Newcastle have only been defeated once in their last 12 games and are almost expected to add more players in January.
Howe has defended the club’s expenditure of £220 million ($248 million) on new players over the past two transfer windows as commensurate with their Premier League competitors.
Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, and Bruno Guimaraes appear to have had a significant influence, indicating that the majority of those funds were invested wisely.
But Howe also deserves praise for the improved performance of players who were in the relegation zone a year ago, namely Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron, who scored the goals that ended Tottenham’s streak of 10 straight home victories.
Casemiro makes his mark
Casemiro is emerging as a vital component in Erik ten Hag’s Old Trafford makeover despite a poor start to his Manchester United career.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea was salvaged by the Brazilian midfielder’s first goal for the club, which concluded an impressive display.
💥 @Casemiro‘s first United goal couldn’t have come at a better time! ❤️#MUFC || #CHEMUN
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 22, 2022
Minutes after Jorginho’s penalty had given Chelsea the lead, the 30-year-old scored in stoppage time with a magnificent header.
Former Real Madrid player Casemiro had to wait six weeks to get his moment to shine under Ten Hag, who kept the £65 million signing on the bench during a 6-3 loss to Manchester City.
However, his inclusion in the starting lineup has given United a tenacity in midfield not seen for a decade since Alex Ferguson’s departure as manager.
“We hired him because we know he is capable of achieving this. In Spain, in the Champions League, he demonstrated this at the highest level. Therefore, he may also succeed in the Premier League “Ten Hag added.
“It took him a little time to adjust, but now you can see his development and how vital he is to our game from game to game.”
The next victim will be Marsch.
Leeds dropped into the relegation zone on Sunday as a result of a 3-2 home loss to Fulham and 4-0 victories by Aston Villa over Brentford and Leicester at Wolves.
Jesse Marsch is currently the favorite to be the next Premier League manager to be fired following an eight-game winless streak.
After a fourth consecutive loss, the American asserted that he and the club’s board are “totally united.”
However, for the second straight game, Marsch had to endure a revolt from the Leeds fans, who demanded that both the former RB Leipzig manager and the board be fired.