1
Rice takes red flag in stride
While Mikel Arteta fumed at the perceived injustice of Declan Rice’s sending off against Brighton, there was a far more measured response from the England midfielder. Despite admitting he had been “shocked” to see referee Chris Kavanagh show him a second yellow card for preventing Joël Veltman from taking a free-kick, Rice acknowledged a first dismissal on his 245th Premier League appearance had cost his side victory, as they head into the first international break already trying to make up for lost ground. Manchester City“I just wanted to apologise to my team-mates, which I already did, and to the fans,” he said. “When you get sent off, it’s never nice, you feel guilty about it, and I was lucky that my team-mates helped me a lot and we didn’t lose the game. I’ll learn from it.” Ed Aarons
2
Grealish on the comeback trail
As usual, Erling Haaland grabbed the headlines, but it was also good to see Jack Grealish back on the scene at last. Making his first start since his conspicuous absence from England's Euro 2024 squad, Grealish was excellent during Manchester City's win over West Ham. He was always ready to take on Aaron Wan-Bissaka, linked up well with City's other attackers and more than justified Lee Carsley's decision to call him up for England for this month's Nations League games. “He was aggressive off the ball, but especially on the ball against Wan-Bissaka and did some good work,” said Pep Guardiola. The City boss has clearly not given up on the £100m man whose form dipped after playing a key role in City's treble two seasons ago. Last year was a flop. Grealish struggled for form and was dropped from Guardiola's first XI, but City will be even harder to stop if he returns to his best. Jacob Steinberg
3
Gravenberch thrives in his new role
The heaviness – and familiarity – of Manchester United’s defeat almost certainly ended Casemiro’s time at the club. With Sir Jim Ratcliffe sitting forlornly in the stands, it may fast-track Erik ten Hag’s tenure towards the time when Ruud van Nistelrooy becomes caretaker manager. Casemiro’s dreadful 45 minutes were littered with self-inflicted and uncontrolled errors, but another Dutchman, Ryan Gravenberch, had something to do with that. He dominated central midfield in both halves. Arne Slot’s most obvious innovation at Liverpool so far is turning his countryman into a holding midfielder. Fifty years ago, Bob Paisley turned Bill Shankly’s latest signing, Ray Kennedy, from a forceful striker into a brilliant attacking midfielder. By re-adapting Gravenberch, perhaps Slot can turn Jürgen Klopp’s latest addition into a top-class Liverpool player. Klopp never got to the bottom of things with Gravenberch. The next step in Slot's renewal: Darwin Núñez? Juan Brewin
4
Trippier more than a team player
As Tottenham drew and then dominated at St James' Park, Kieran Trippier heated up furiously. But with Tino Livramento occupying his preferred right-back role, Trippier was not one of the four substitutes introduced by Eddie Howe. Given that Howe recently handed Trippier's captain's armband to Bruno Guimarães, it is easy to see why a defender who turns 34 this month is apparently so keen to leave. However, Howe says he still cannot do without Trippier's qualities and desperately hopes he does not leave before the Turkish and Middle Eastern transfer windows close this month. Did Newcastle make a mistake in not selling the full-back to Bayern Munich last January or is Howe right and Trippier still has one last hurrah left on Tyneside? Whatever the truth, he remains too good to be merely a squad player. Luisa Taylor
5
Could Stansfield Street Cottagers be sold?
Perhaps lost amid the shenanigans elsewhere on transfer deadline day is the curious case of Jay Stansfield. On Friday, Birmingham paid a record £15m for their former loan player, a rare positive in the Blues' relegation last season. He scored in last week's EFL game for Fulham At St Andrews. At Ipswich, Fulham were short of firepower, with Rodrigo Muniz yet to hit last season’s rhythm and Raul Jimenez appearing only in the dying moments. Stansfield’s finishing skills might have been useful – Cottagers fans have been patiently awaiting his first-team appearance. Instead, the big fee helps Fulham’s earnings and sustainability, while Marco Silva seems unimpressed by the departure of a very promising youngster. “It was a plan from us, from him and me, for him to stay with us this season, to fight for the position, to be able to score goals and help the team,” Silva said. “It’s about business, it’s not a normal figure for that kind of club.” Juan Brewin
6
Maverick Ndiaye could save the Blues
Amid the fallout from Everton's desperate defeat to Bournemouth, there were some positives to be taken from Sean Dyche. Iliman Ndiaye's full video Premier League The debut seemed to spark Everton’s season but, after he was taken off, his team fell apart. He has an element of maverick in his No 10 shirt, strutting down the left wing, doing what he wants with a series of tricks. He seems very un-Dychian in his approach but could be a real asset to the Toffees. The Senegal international was dynamic, played a big part in the second and his only personal disappointment was not scoring a goal, seeing two shots well saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga and firing another wide. “I was very impressed by him,” Dyche said. “There is a future day, you feel it, because of his performances. But at the end of the day, I felt like I was watching these players when they were ready. I think he is and he showed that today and played very well.” He will not win
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7
Sancho joins Chelsea's unknowns
Jadon Sancho's introduction to the Chelsea The pre-match crowd was dutifully applauded but it is clear that the fans will have to be convinced. There are too many suspicions about the club's management despite the array of talent. Pedro Neto lasted 68 minutes of his home debut with little impact while Enzo Maresca brought a host of mercurial talents into the team without much consequence. João Félix, Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku failed to prevent two points slipping through Chelsea's fingers. It remains to be seen whether Sancho, the fallen England international, can lead Chelsea into future fixtures. If he cannot, Maresca's theory will be quickly tested: “It's not that kind of Chelsea now, so sometimes if you don't win it's normal.” After an outlay of more than £1bn, it remains that kind of Chelsea. The only variable is whether it is the board or the fans who cave first. Matthias Dunn
8
Durán realizes the truth in Villa
Throughout the summer it was difficult to remember that Jhon Durán was a Aston Villa The 20-year-old made it clear he would like to join Chelsea and then crossed his arms on Instagram amid offers from West Ham. Villa knew they were acquiring a colourful character and extraordinary talent when they signed the Colombian striker from Chicago Fire in January last year. Duran hinted at it last season, and his late double against Liverpool in May offered a reminder of his ability. In just over 90 minutes this campaign, the 20-year-old has scored two winners in three substitute appearances. The movement and execution of his header at Leicester were sublime. “He doesn’t seem to have let anything from the summer affect him,” said Villa captain John McGinn. “Maybe he’s realised. He’ll get his chances, opportunities and his goals. Even his attitude off the pitch … the way he relates to people, to staff, has improved a lot, and it’s great to see that.” Ben Fisher
9
Johnstone hopes England will bounce back
Sam Johnstone believes he can revive his England career if he establishes himself at Wolves. The £10m signing from Crystal Palace, where he lost his first-team place to former England player Nottingham Forest Goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who impressed on his debut in the 1-1 draw at the City Ground, was chosen ahead of Jose Sa. The former West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa goalkeeper, who has kept a clean sheet in all four of his senior appearances, said that when he was playing regularly at club level in recent years, he was selected for the senior squad by Gareth Southgate, Carsley's predecessor as England manager. “First of all, I need to focus on Wolves and settle in and put in a good performance,” he said. “Then if I put in a good performance, hopefully England will pick up. Obviously it has changed under the new manager, but it would be nice to come back now and play. As you've seen previously, when I play, I tend to get into the squad, but again, it's new now.” Peter Lansley
10
Martin remains firm in his beliefs despite the mistakes
Russell Martin is the latest Premier League manager to face the challenge of balancing an attractive style of play with the need to get results. Despite his side’s struggles – notably on Saturday when Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Jack Stephens failed to deal with Brentford’s pressure for their opening two goals – Martin remains committed to his possession-based approach that secured promotion to the top flight. “We made two mistakes which we were punished for, which is frustrating and disappointing. The detail and structure of the team is not right. The players are doing what I’ve asked them to do but the positions are not right. You get punished in the Premier League… It’s about taking a breather at that moment, that’s my job to get rid of the tension,” he said. While it’s clear how Martin sees his team playing – they manage to execute that for parts of the game – the jury is still out on whether that is the best long-term strategy. Sticking with this style has left teams with a 1-0 margin for error. Southampton No points. They are already behind in the race to retain their Premier League status. Yara El-Shaboury
