Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend's action | first division

Halfway through Rubén Amorim's post-defeat press conference, the roof of the press room, located in the bowels of Old Trafford, did what some of the stadium's outdoor sections do: leak. Water stains hit a scribe sitting in the front row, joy broke out and Manchester United's head coach offered a wry smile, a fitting end to an afternoon when Bournemouth had been rained on in the pre-Christmas Day parade of your team. Nine games into his tenure, the Portuguese coach's record is poor (four wins, four losses and one draw) and the next four games look difficult: Wolves (away), Newcastle (home), Liverpool (away) and a trip to Arsenal in the FA Cup. Amorim, who continually repeats the need for victory, knows that things have to improve. Jaime Jackson

Match report: Manchester United-Bournemouth 0-3

If Manchester City's collapse were not such, Liverpool's Premier League supremacy and Arne Slot's reinvention of a team that looked exhausted at the end of Jurgen Klopp's tenure would be the story of the season. Who can stop them? It is certainly not a Tottenham team that lives up to the historical clichés, and those added by Ange Postecoglou's conceit of being the alpha male coach whose team stings like a butterfly and presses like one too. Liverpool's forwards breaking through the Spurs defence, shooting as they pleased at Fraser Forster, who for all his weaknesses kept the total in single figures, was a devastating sight for those following in Liverpool's wake. Not that Arsenal and Chelsea would have relied on Tottenham for favours. Spurs, who continued to play with a win-the-next-goal style, put holes in Liverpool's defense and Mohamed Salah's behavior upon being substituted raised questions about his future. Beyond that, Liverpool could well be untouchable. John Brewin

Match report: Tottenham-Liverpool 3-6

“Maybe one day we will win,” said Pep Guardiola. It was a touch of dark humor after Manchester City hit another low point at Villa Park, his team slumping to their ninth defeat in 12 games. The city machine is malfunctioning in ways few, if any, considered possible. City host Everton on Boxing Day, a team they have not lost against since the 4-0 defeat in 2017 at Goodison Park, which ended Guardiola's hopes of winning the league in his first season. City have not lost at home to Everton since 2010, when Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta scored and Roberto Mancini was in charge. Everton couldn't, right? “We won a lot, it was exceptional and now we are living the parallel,” Guardiola said. “We broke all the records and now we start breaking records on the other side. “I thought it would be a difficult season but, to be honest, I didn't expect this.” Neither do we. ben fisherman

Match report: Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester City

A problem with the profitability and sustainability rules that Nottingham Forest The fans take in vain may have contributed to the team's rise to a Champions League position. The same club that lost four points due to financial issues last season is benefiting from the liberalized talent market that the rules have created. Bigger clubs and direct rivals have been dumping talent, often seeking pure profit to break even. Nuno Espírito Santo's squad is full of players who embody this trickle-down effect. In Brentford, Ola Aina, former Chelsea player, and Anthony Elanga, retired from Manchester United, scored the goals. A midfield pairing of Elliot Anderson, reluctantly sacked by Newcastle, and Morgan Gibbs-White, who left Wolves for similar financial reasons, weathered Brentford's initial storm. Callum Hudson-Odoi, another cheap Chelsea graduate, played well up front. Forest, who not long ago was ridiculed for his random transfer business, is now able to compete at the highest levels. jb

Match report: Brentford 0-2 Nottingham Forest

No goalkeeper has saved more first division clean sheet this season than Jordan Pickford, who registered his seventh goal as he prevented Chelsea from scoring in a league match for the first time since their opening day defeat to Manchester City. It is a turnaround for an Everton team that conceded 13 goals in the first four games of the campaign and limited Chelsea to an xG of 0.77 in a game in which they enjoyed 74.6% possession. But Sean Dyche is under no illusion that until his attack matches the effectiveness of his defence, progress will be slow. “Five clean sheets out of six and seven out of 10,” said the Everton manager. “We knew that we had to correct that start to the season and the challenge now is to find the balance, I have talked about that incessantly. We're playing some tough teams. “Chelsea are a good team and you don’t spend a billion pounds and weaken yourself… I’m not naive, you have to win games.” andy hunter

Match report: Everton-Chelsea 0-0

Alexander Isak's hat-trick grabbed the headlines at Portman Road, but the man of the match was a few meters behind him. No one in an Ipswich shirt could get close to Sandro Tonali, who was running the show. The Italian has had a tough first year in English football but looks like a top-tier talent and is in exceptional form. Tonali was precise and varied on the ball and his influence out of possession was equally crucial. Ipswich threatened to make hay with their trademark quick transitions on several occasions, but invariably found them a step ahead of everyone else, and their reading of the game kept Newcastle's defensive line safe. Eddie Howe's team may finally be finding its wings; Ipswich can only hope that, having given Kalvin Phillips his first action in almost two months in the final half-hour, they can encounter a purring midfield at half-confident. Nick Ames

Match report: Ipswich 0-4 Newcastle

Oliver Glasner rued Crystal Palace's defense as they surrendered to Arsenal for the second time in four days, although it was Daniel Muñoz's absence through suspension that really highlighted his team's weaknesses. The Colombian also missed the 3-2 defeat in the Carabao Cup after getting himself suspended for both competitions as 18-year-old Caleb Kporha made his first start at the Emirates, with veteran Nathaniel Clyne stepping in on Saturday. Neither have Muñoz's ability to offer an attacking threat on the right, while Tyrick Mitchell did not enjoy his best play on the opposite flank. Palace have been linked with a move for Benfica's Jan-Niklas Beste and finding alternatives to a system that relies heavily on full-backs will be Glasner's top priority in January. Ed Aaron

Match report: Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal

Danny Ward had not started in the league for Leicester since March 2023, but was called up to replace Mads Hermansen against Wolves. He never looked comfortable, made an early mistake with the ball at his feet and once the first goal went under his arm, his day was not going to get any better. The goalkeeper has enjoyed an impressive career, but the lack of regular football has affected him, leaving his reactions slow and cutting his confidence. It couldn't have helped the Welsh international that his own supporters booed him and then sarcastically applauded him when he pulled off a simple save or intercepted a goalless ball over the top. Fans have the right to express their views on the team's performance, but it must have pained Ward to suffer such specific criticism from those who were supposedly expecting him to save the next shot. He had a poor performance, but it is necessary to recognize that footballers are human beings. won't win

Match report: Leicester 0-3 Wolves

The return of Niclas Füllkrug poses a dilemma for Julen Lopetegui. In theory, if he is fully fit and in some form, the man who played 46 times and scored 16 goals for Borussia Dortmund last season, plus two out of five substitute appearances for Germany at the Euros, should be the best West Ham centre-forward. But the player who had very little impact in his first start of the season on Saturday is not that man. Lopetegui's suggestion, in summary, is that while Füllkrug may not deserve to be in the team now, the only way he will ever deserve to be in the team is if he is already in the team. “Sometimes you know that a player is not in his best shape but you have to put him to play,” he said. “We believe that we are going to need it in the best way. You can do training but he needs to have minutes.” So in order to choose his best possible team in the future, Lopetegui has decided not to choose his best possible team in the present. Given the increasing pressure on him and the need for immediate improvement, he is certainly brave. Simon Burnton

Match report: West Ham 1-1 Brighton

Aaron Ramsdale had not played since November 9. In the six games he has missed, Southampton They have achieved only one point and have conceded 18 times. It's fair to assume they would still have fought even if he had been available, but perhaps not as much as they did: the form, good and bad, has a thousand sources. “His energy is fantastic for the group,” said Southampton interim manager Simon Rusk. “We are fortunate to have such a high-level player playing for our football club. It offered a top-notch moment. “It’s great to see him back.” Ramsdale played with a broken finger attached to the one next to it, aided by a modified glove that had one thumb, two standard fingers, and one double-wide finger. It's hard to say whether his presence really made a difference, but he is a more imposing figure than Alex McCarthy or Joe Lumley, and the save he made from Harry Wilson's volley from the far post was spectacular. jonathan wilson

Match report: Fulham 0-0 Southampton