Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

This was a phenomenal Liverpool performance, and the quality and consistency of the players’ decision-making – except, perhaps, in front of goal – was extraordinary. It is almost insulting to the collective to single out any individual for credit and Jarell Quansah was certainly not seeking any when he told Sky after the game that he “didn’t have the perfect game but I’m striving to be good”. There was one obvious mistake from him, when he surrendered the ball toJulián Álvarez in the 57th minute with a goal very nearly the result but beyond that moment he was strikingly assured. A couple of highlights: controlling Erling Haaland’s run in the 35th minute and dancing through a few challenges in the 80th before sending in a low shot that was palmed away – demonstrations of his calmness and bravery. Quansah has played 24 times this season, enough to feel part of the group, but before this game his Premier League starts had come against Luton, Burnley, Crystal Palace and Wolves. For him to produce such an assured display in a game of this importance is testament to his character and another demonstration of Jürgen Klopp’s almost peerless man-management. Simon Burnton

Asked after the game about Kevin De Bruyne’s unhappiness at being substituted, Pep Guardiola said: “I like it if he’s upset … he’ll have a chance next game to prove how wrong I was.” Last May, after De Bruyne had repeatedly told him to “shut up” during Manchester City’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, Guardiola spoke about how much he enjoyed being challenged by the Belgian. “I love it when we shout at each other,” he said. “I like this energy. It’s not the first time – you don’t see, but he shouts at me in training. After that he becomes the best.” Such demonstrations of frustration in football are often assumed to be signs of disrespect, to be swiftly and emphatically stamped out on by a head coach. But for Guardiola to sit next to a senior player mid-game, to treat his opinion with respect, seems a much more grown-up response – and another demonstration of his own, almost peerless man-management. SB

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For Ange Postecoglou, there were plenty of positive takeaways from Tottenham’s second-half dissection of Aston Villa but one of the biggest was surely the sight of James Maddison bursting into the six-yard box to open the scoring. Not because it was a spectacular goal – though it followed a brilliant cross from Pape Sarr – but because of the desire showed to reach the box and apply a dainty finish. Maddison missed almost three months of the season with an ankle injury and while he has been back in the thick of things for Spurs since the end of January he is now closing on peak condition, which bodes well for club and country. “We’ve got a few like that who are just getting their rhythm back,” Postecoglou said after a win that means Spurs’ hopes of returning to Champions League action is in their own hands. Ben Fisher

On the one hand, Brentford are on a desperate run: 11 defeats in their last 14 league games. When their fans started booing Thomas Frank during last week’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea, the sense from outsiders seemed to be one of surprise. Frank has achieved great things with the club but no fanbase has infinite patience. On the other hand, that run has coincided with a clutch of injuries to key players and, if the return of Ivan Toney from suspension hasn’t quite kickstarted a revival, that is at least in part down to the fixtures: in eight games since he came back in the win over Nottingham Forest, Brentford have played Manchester City twice, Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal. They’ve lost all of them, but only Liverpool won comfortably. Performances have picked up; the question over the remaining 10 games of the season, as the fixture list becomes a little kinder, is whether enough self-belief remains to start picking up results again. Jonathan Wilson

On a loop: Sean Dyche whirling away in frustration on the Old Trafford touchline as Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Beto or Amadou Onana miss yet another gilded chance to hurt Manchester United. These came before and after Bruno Fernandes’s opening penalty and before and after Marcus Rashford’s later spot-kick. Everton’s manager was admirably upbeat when speaking to the media considering how his side could and should have won if only they had finished. Could and should have mean zero, of course, because, as Dyche said, the statistic that actually matters is the end scoreline. Everton have 25 points, four above the drop zone, and they should survive, but they have to ensure they do – converting their chances would help. Jamie Jackson

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Of all Luton’s fairytale stories, it’s hard to beat Cauley Woodrow’s. The hero of Saturday’s draw against Crystal Palace had only ever scored once in the Premier League – against the same opponents back in May 2014 when he was still a teenager making his name for Fulham and various England youth sides. But the 29-year-old, who returned to the club where he began his career in 2022, has been handed an opportunity in the absence of top scorer Elijah Adebayo and helped to end his side’s run of five straight defeats with a dramatic late goal. “It’s typical of us – there’s a lot of stories like that at Luton Town,” said the manager, Rob Edwards, who revealed that Ross Barkley played on at Selhurst Park despite suffering a suspected broken nose in the first half. “Cauley’s a brilliant lad who had a difficult start to the season with injuries but always gives everything. We have to be a collective – if we’re going to achieve anything we’ve got to do it together.” Ed Aarons

Did anyone have Gary O’Neil down as a decent shout for manager of the season back in August? Be honest now. After their win over Fulham, Wolves have now matched their points tally for the entirety of last season with 10 games left to play. It’s a testament to just how much O’Neil has improved the side he inherited from Julen Lopetegui: after a shaky first half against Fulham, they showed the attacking instincts which have turned them from the league’s lowest-scoring team last season to one of the most dangerous sides outside of the top six this campaign. Two points behind seventh-placed West Ham, O’Neil can realistically aim to climb higher and secure the club European football for the first time since 2020. Will Magee

When Brighton announced Ansu Fati’s loan arrival from Barcelona, their supporters were giddy with excitement. The Seagulls generally avoid temporary arrivals, but Fati – despite his injury problems – was deemed worthy of making an exception. But in Sunday’s teeming rain, Fati’s performance against Nottingham Forest was equally damp. True, the game’s decisive goal came from a free-kick he had won. Overall though, his spark was missing. If the season stopped tomorrow, his stint on the south coast would be deemed a failure. But Fati still has time to turn it around. And with Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March out for the rest of the season, and top scorer João Pedro still sidelined, now would be the perfect time for Fati to shine. Sam Dalling

West Ham are not as secure without Declan Rice in midfield. Rice could bulldoze through teams and also screened the back four brilliantly. He was irreplaceable, so much so that West Ham have signed three players in a bid to replace him and are still not as effective. David Moyes, though, cannot look to the past. He has to find the right balance. His favoured central trio of Edson Álvarez, Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse is functional. Álvarez is not dynamic, Soucek is not a passer and Ward-Prowse is offering little in open play. But Kalvin Phillips, on loan from Manchester City, did not look the answer against Burnley. Phillips and Ward-Prowse were both substituted at half-time and West Ham were more dangerous with Lucas Paquetá in the middle, Michail Antonio up front and Jarrod Bowen back on the right. Jacob Steinberg

With 22 set-piece goals to their name last season, and a lofty back three, many assumed that corners and free-kicks would be among Sheffield United’s strengths this season. The opposite has proved true: Jack Robinson scored from a corner against Bournemouth but that was only the Blades’ third set-piece goal of the campaign and they have consistently struggled to defend dead-ball situations at the other end. United would have left the south coast with a crucial win had they not conceded twice more from corners – Bournemouth’s Dango Ouattara leapt unchallenged at the near post before Enes Unal snatched a point for the hosts in injury time after United had failed to clear their lines. Chris Wilder must know that, if his side is to have any chance of avoiding the drop, he has to address this frailty. WM