Premier League: What we learned this weekend

• This weekend saw Manchester City and Manchester United record crucial wins as Chelsea and Arsenal settled for a 2-2 draw.
• We look at the major talking points after the weekend fixtures.

This weekend saw Manchester City and Manchester United record crucial wins as Arsenal and Chelsea settled for a 2-2 draw.

We look at the major talking points after the weekend fixtures.

Newcastle’s high confidence

Newcastle United. Photo/ Eurosport.

Newcastle, who are undoubtedly the most competitive club in the Premier League right now, crushed Crystal Palace 4-0 at St. James’ Park to extend their recent unbeaten streak to eight games across all competitions. Eddie Howe’s squad recently defeated Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, and they easily dispatched Crystal Palace, who had played three games without conceding.

After having a rocky start to the season, Newcastle has recovered and is once again at their best. The Magpies are relentless in their work off the ball and danger from everywhere on the field. Jacob Murphy made his season debut and tormented Palace from the right wing while Kieran Trippier has now assisted a goal in four straight Premier League games.

In the upcoming weeks, Howe’s team will play a difficult but essential stretch of games, and confidence is high. This week’s Champions League opponents are Borussia Dortmund, followed by games against Wolves, Manchester United, Arsenal, and a trip to Dortmund.

Arsenal’s goalkeeper crisis

David Raya against Chelsea. Photo/Getty Images

Ever since the summer, when Arsenal signed Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, the position of goalkeeper has been a topic of discussion. Last season, there were very few occasions when Aaron Ramsdale’s status in the team was in doubt, but the England international has spent the last five games watching as Raya has taken his spot.

Raya is currently the goalie under the most pressure as a result of the circumstances. Following lackluster performances against Lens and Manchester City, the Spaniard looked shaky during the tie with Chelsea this past weekend.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross-shot caught Raya off guard due to his poor positioning, and Cole Palmer’s recovery of the ball from Raya in a risky place saved Raya from costing his team a second goal.

Premier League teams value competition for positions, but goalkeeper is a special position, and there is a claim that it is now hurting Arsenal. The strain of being one mistake away from being replaced is felt when one is in an area where confidence is essential.

Maguire’s remontada

Harry Maguire hasn’t had many warm welcomes lately; the Manchester United defender has faced criticism while playing for both club and country. But when the center-back came back to Sheffield United this weekend, the Bramhall Lane fans cheered for their former academy product before the game.

Maguire performed admirably on the field as Manchester United gained a spirited 2-1 victory; at the conclusion of the game, Sky Sports awarded the 30-year-old player with the match’s Man of the Match honor. Maguire put on a tremendous performance, completing a staggering 13 long balls, winning five aerial duels, making three blocks, and making three tackles. Erik ten Hag was quite complimentary of Maguire.

Although Maguire’s career may still be outside of Old Trafford, this performance shows that he can still add value while wearing a Manchester United jersey. For a guy who has had his fair share of hardships, seeing both sets of supporters applaud him was a pleasant experience.

Liverpool’s front three

Liverpool beat Everton 2-0 on Saturday. Photo/ Eurosport.

The front three of Liverpool were well-established for a while. Jurgen Klopp had three attackers who were the first names on the squad sheet—Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane—a trio who terrorized opponents and whose spots in his side were assured.

Since then, Mane and Fimino have left Liverpool, changing the front line. With seven goals and four assists in nine games so far this season, Salah is still crucial to the team. This past weekend’s Merseyside Derby saw the Egyptian score twice. No player has been involved in more in the Premier League.

Although Luis Diaz appears to have found his spot on the left wing and performed admirably against Everton, it is still unknown who will start at position nine. Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, and Darwin Nunez are all vying for a spot for the Reds, giving them a bewildering array of alternatives, but none of them has done enough to make them untouchable on this team.

Jota was given the chance to play this past weekend but failed to take advantage of it, while Nunez increased Liverpool’s danger after coming on but is still developing and hasn’t earned Klopp’s trust in terms of leading the defense from the front.