MX23RW : Thursday, December 12 11:52:23| >> :600:195056225:195056225:

5 things we learned from a dramatic weekend in the Premier League

Liverpool and Manchester City share the points in title showdown as Jose Mourinho delivers win in Old Trafford spotlight.

An event-filled Premier League weekend saw late drama between two title challengers while Jose Mourinho was in the spotlight again at Old Trafford.

Here Press Association Sport looks at five talking points from an intriguing round of fixtures.

Never substitute Sergio Aguero

Liverpool v Manchester City – Premier League – Anfield
Manchester City paid the price for substituting penalty-taker Sergio Aguero at Anfield (Martin Rickett/PA)

Manchester City paid the price for taking off Sergio Aguero in the 66th-minute of their goalless draw against title rivals Liverpool. City had a golden chance to record their first win at Anfield since 2003 when Leroy Sane earned a penalty five minutes from time. But with usual penalty-taker Aguero off the pitch, Riyad Mahrez – having seemingly won a battle with Gabriel Jesus to take the kick – stepped up to deliver a decisive blow in the title race. But Mahrez, who had missed five of his last eight penalties at previous club Leicester, blazed wildly over and Liverpool were spared.

United, at least for the time being

Manchester United v Newcastle United – Premier League – Old Trafford
Under-fire Jose Mourinho saw his Manchester United side produce an astonishing comeback win against Newcastle (Martin Rickett/PA)

Nothing appears straightforward at Old Trafford these days, but reports of Jose Mourinho's demise did prove greatly exaggerated. Yet who knows what might have happened had United not fought back from a 2-0 deficit against Newcastle, a side yet to win this season, to win 3-2 in the most dramatic fashion. Mourinho later complained about being the subject of a "manhunt" and the pressure may not ease with Chelsea and Juventus to come after the international break. But, in the second half against Newcastle, at least it was a case of Manchester United – and not Manchester dis-United.

Ramsey proves point to Gunners

Aaron Ramsey seems to be nearing the exit door at Arsenal after his representatives revealed that contract talks had collapsed. So the Wales midfielder chose the perfect time to remind Arsenal, as well as potential new employers, of his ability to influence matches. Ramsey had only been on the pitch a few seconds when he effectively secured three points at Fulham. He later set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the final goal of a 5-1 win. One thing's for sure, Ramsey will not be short of offers if he does leave Arsenal after a decade at the club.

Cherries best of the rest

Discard the so-called top-six and it is Bournemouth who are looking down on everyone. The Cherries suffered a blow in midweek when plans to expand the smallest stadium in the league were put on hold. But small is beautiful as Eddie Howe's enterprising squad continue to punch way above their weight. A 4-0 win at Watford took them to the heady heights of sixth, and 16 goals in eight games underlines the potent offensive threat of Callum Wilson, Joshua King, Ryan Fraser and David Brooks.

The Iceman cometh

Gylfi Sigurdsson came to be the symbol of Everton's wasteful spending in the summer of 2017 when he was purchased from Swansea for £45million. Sigurdsson struggled to adapt to life at Goodison Park under Ronald Koeman and then Sam Allardyce, but the Iceland playmaker is a different proposition in the Marco Silva era. His stunning winner at Leicester was his fifth goal of the season and 50th in the Premier League. Since his debut in the competition no player has scored more from outside the box, with his 19th such strike moving him level with former Liverpool favourite Philippe Coutinho.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Phil Blanche, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'df146f05-1b1d-4860-94e8-860784e59eb6');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': '5 things we learned from a dramatic weekend in the Premier League'});

ID:338092: cacheID:338092:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:10285:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Virgil van Dijk fouls Leroy Sane in Liverpool's goalless Premier League draw with Manchester City on October 7, 2018
Read Next:
Van Dijk relieved after late Mahrez pen miss
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!