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Five things we learned from the latest round of Premier League action

Liverpool marched on and Manchester United's new man made an impression, but Manchester City's penalty woes continue.

Liverpool's relentless surge towards the Premier League title continued with another home win, while the race for European football is as tight as ever with just six points separating Tottenham in fifth place and Southampton in 13th.

At the other end of the table, Norwich face an uphill battle to avoid relegation but the scramble for survival above them looks to have many twists and turns to come.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at what we learned from the latest round of Premier League fixtures.

Reds racking up the records

Liverpool's 4-0 win against Southampton at Anfield saw Jurgen Klopp's team move 22 points clear of Manchester City on Saturday. That is the biggest lead ever at the end of a day in English top-flight history.

The Merseysiders have won 20 successive league games at home, equalling Manchester City's Premier League record. Only Bill Shankly's Liverpool side exceeded that, winning 21 straight at home and taking 73 points from 25 matches back in 1972.

Klopp's men have won 100 points from the last 102 available and are now just seven victories away from being crowned champions and the possibility of the earliest ever title win in the Premier League.

Bruno looks the business

Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers – Premier League – Old Trafford
Bruno Fernandes caught the eye on his first appearance for Manchester United (Martin Rickett/PA)

Bruno Fernandes was unable to inspire Manchester United to victory on his debut but the £46.6million signing did impress in his first appearance against Wolves.

In a game of few chances, the Portuguese looked the most dangerous player on the pitch and brought a couple of decent saves from visiting goalkeeper Rui Patricio. He had more shots (five), more shots on target (three) and made more passes (88) than any other United player.

Fernandes played with composure and intelligence, knowing when to hang back and when to push on and displaying a good range of passing. Early indications are he looks like just the sort of midfielder United need.

Wolves look weary

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City – Premier League – Molineux
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo will hope the forthcoming winter break will help his players recharge their batteries (Nick Potts/PA)

Nuno Espirito Santo's team are a joy to watch, so well structured and organised. However, Saturday's goalless draw at Old Trafford was their 41st match of the season so far – a campaign that started in July with the Europa League qualification rounds.

Their squad is small and recently they have been showing signs of tiredness, winning just one of their last eight games in all competitions and losing four, and it would be a great shame if their season was to unravel due to fatigue. Hopefully their trip to Marbella during the forthcoming winter break will help to recharge the batteries.

Cherries picking up

AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa – Premier League – Vitality Stadium
Nathan Ake celebrates scoring Bournemouth's second goal on Saturday (Mark Kerton/PA)

The Vitality Stadium is a tight little ground and it needs to become a fortress if Bournemouth are going to stay up. Eddie Howe has been under pressure in recent weeks but back-to-back home wins against Brighton and then Aston Villa have steadied the ship a little – Saturday's success saw Howe's men climb above Villa and out of the relegation zone.

Bournemouth had to battle on with 10 men after Jefferson Lerma's 51st-minute red card and that kind of fight and spirit will stand them in good stead.

Spot of bother continues for City

Pep Guardiola is quickly running out of candidates he can rely on from the penalty spot after Ilkay Gundogan became the latest to fluff his lines from 12 yards on Sunday. Hugo Lloris' save meant the first penalty miss of the Germany international's career as City crashed to a 2-0 defeat away at Tottenham.

Gabriel Jesus has missed three of his five Premier League penalties and Raheem Sterling and even talisman Sergio Aguero have also crumbled under the pressure of taking spot-kicks recently.

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Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe on February 1, 2020
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


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