1) Eto'o could be ultimate late-breaking ace

Chelsea's attacking midfielders dominated at Stamford Bridge, scoring five goals between them, running and harrying relentlessly and again showing the logic behind José Mourinho's decision to marginalise Juan Mata at the start of the season. Mourinho knows what he wants and he wanted this: a constantly revolving high-tempo presence going forward and tracking back. It worked so well the scorer of Chelsea's first goal was largely overlooked by the end, not least because Samuel Eto'o hobbled off the pitch after 10 minutes with a thigh strain. But, as with the de-Mata-fication of the team he inherited, a questionable early-season Mourinho call is being made to look like a quietly pragmatic stroke of good sense. Eto'o has dropped a short size since leaving the comforts of Dagestan. With goals here and in midweek against Galatasaray he now has 11 for Chelsea after 19 starts and looks like a vital occasional cutting edge for the big games to come. As well he should. The Premier League sniffed a little at the sight of the ageing Eto'o in a Chelsea shirt, but he remains a three-time Champions League winner, brilliant team-man and a superb finisher with both feet who, even at 33-going-on-36 has a compelling sense of big-game composure about him. Chelsea have a maximum of 13 matches remaining in all competitions, all of them likely to be tightly-contested by this team that has only conceded more than a single goal once in its last 19 matches. Eto'o has always had a habit of scoring at vital times in vital games. He may or may not be given a contract for next year. But for now – injured thigh permitting – he could yet prove the unlikeliest of late-breaking aces. Barney Ronay



2) Kagawa, Mata and Morrison

When it was put to David Moyes that Manchester United had benefited from Robin van Persie's injury, he did not bite and simply said that any side would miss a player of such great quality. Memories in football can be short and, lest we forget, it had only been three days since Van Persie's hat-trick against Olympiakos to fire United into the last eight of the Champions League, where his deadliness will be missed against Bayern Munich. However as perverse as the question may have sounded, there was some logic to it and, when away from the cameras, Moyes may have agreed. With the Dutchman missing against West Ham and some players requiring rest before Tuesday's derby against Manchester City, it was an opportunity for Moyes to experiment with his attack and his plan worked to perfection at Upton Park.

The focus will naturally be on Wayne Rooney's wonder goal but, in the first half at least, United were about so much more than that stunning hit from 57 yards. For the first time in a while, United were slick and fluent in attack, which was hardly a surprise given that this was the first time that Juan Mata and Shinji Kagawa had started a match together. Mata and Kagawa, who was starting for the first time since 22 January, were a delight to watch in the first half, moving effortlessly between the lines, eluding their markers and linking up beautifully. Moyes has not always appeared to be a fan of Kagawa but the Japanese midfielder was excellent in his role from the left, while Mata may just have made the position behind the striker his own. Mata can look lost when asked to play wide but he ran the game from the middle against West Ham and although Rooney was on his own up front, his movement meant that he was always a handful. It should of course be pointed out that West Ham were poor and that there will be far bigger tests for United to come, starting with City, but Moyes may just have stumbled upon a successful formula. Speaking of attacking midfielders, by the way, Ravel Morrison impressed again and scored another brilliant goal in Queens Park Rangers's 3-1 win at Middlesbrough. But sure, West Ham, who did not create a single noteworthy chance against a United side with Michael Carrick in central defence, have no need for him. Not when Sam Allardyce has Matthew Taylor pulling the strings in midfield instead. Jacob Steinberg

3) Can Liverpool win the league with such a poor defensive record?

There has been only one occasion in the last 13 seasons when the Premier League champions conceded more than a goal per game – that was Manchester United last year. Liverpool have shipped 38 goals in 30 Premier League matches and Saturday's extraordinary 6-3 win at Cardiff was the fifth time this season that Brendan Rodgers's side have conceded three times in the same match. Incredibly, Liverpool have taken 10 points from those fixtures, which provides a measure of their remarkable goalscoring threat at the other end.

As alarming as it was to see a Cardiff side that have struggled for goals all season put three past Liverpool, there was never really any doubt that the visitors would go onto win the game. What is clear is that Liverpool are nothing like as vulnerable at home, where they have conceded just 12 goals – something that bodes well given five of their remaining eight matches are at Anfield. As for the away games, Liverpool go to West Ham, Norwich and Crystal Palace, where you would back Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suárez to make up for any weaknesses that are exposed at the other end of the pitch. In other words, the answer to the question is probably: yes. Stuart James

4) Goals galore but still City have striker dilemma

Manchester City had completed their 5-0 rout of Fulham but there was a palpable sense of anguish around the Etihad Stadium when Alvaro Negredo missed a late chance to make it six. The Spanish striker grafted hard against Felix Magath's team but his struggles in front of goal have now continued for nine games. His last goals came in the dead-rubber that was the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at West Ham United on 21 January and the City crowd were desperately willing the striker to receive a shot of confidence on Saturday. It was not forthcoming, and with chances and goals flowing from other sources the striker's problems were quickly forgotten. But with visits to Old Trafford and the Emirates Stadium this week, and Sergio Agüero recovering from injury, Manuel Pellegrini faces a delicate decision over whether to persist with Negredo or recall Edin Dzeko – providing the latter recovers from illness – for the Manchester derby. Andy Hunter

5) Rodriguez pushing his case with another fine strike

There are only five players who have more Premier League goals than Jay Rodriguez this season. The names all deserve to be part of the conversation about potential player of the year candidates: Luis Suárez, Daniel Sturridge, Yaya Touré, Sergio Agüero and Eden Hazard. So, for Rodriguez to be close to that company reflects extremely well on the progress made by the Southampton attacker. His 15th goal of the season, placed beautifully in the corner beyond Hugo Lloris's reach showed there is no sign of his confident vein tailing off and he is the second highest scoring Englishman this term behind Sturridge. Rodriguez has already more than doubled his total for league goals last season. He is the most prolific of the Southampton contingent catching Roy Hodgson's eye this season, although the England manager would have also been encouraged to see Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana linking up for the other goal. Decisions, decisions … Amy Lawrence

6) Should Hodgson think again about Crouch?

With 22 goals in 42 games, there's no denying that Peter Crouch is one of the few players who shines in an England shirt. The 6ft 7in striker hasn't played for the national side since November 2010 – that game was a 2-1 defeat by France and, unsurprisingly, Crouch scored a late goal when he stretched out a leg and turned home Ashley Young's corner. Fabio Capello was the England boss back then and although Capello did not pick Crouch in the last 15 months of his tenure, the Stoke striker must feel that he is much further from Roy Hodgson's mind than he ever was from Capello's. But should he be?

Crouch has scored nine times for Stoke this season from 32 appearances, seven of those goals coming in the league. He is only two behind Danny Welbeck and Rickie Lambert in the Premier League scoring charts, and both of those players are in the mix for a place in Brazil. Patently, Hodgson wants to develop a youthful side - and it is to his great credit that he is eyeing up emerging strikers like Jay Rodriguez. But would it be worth him heading to the Britannia Stadium and reassessing Crouch – an experienced target man that few foreign teams seem to know how to handle? Jonny Weeks

7) Swansea have the firepower to stay up

"We can say we're unlucky, but we have to get points from somewhere. I do believe we're better than results say, but good teams get results from somewhere," reflected Swansea manager Garry Monk. After eight games without a win, Swansea aren't getting the results anywhere. Yet it is worth noting five of those eight matches have been against Everton, Liverpool and Napoli. Only two of their next eight are against top-six opponents. It is also significant that Nathan Dyer and Jonjo Shelvey made their comebacks at Everton and Michu played for just the second time in 2014 as a substitute. He scored 22 times last season while Wilfried Bony's first-half finish took his tally for the current campaign to 18. The Ivorian is probably the outstanding striker at any of the relegation-threatened clubs and, as Swansea's supply line also includes Pablo Hernández, Wayne Routledge and Jonathan de Guzman, he and Michu should get the chances to secure their Premier League status. Yet much rests on a rookie manager and Monk's decision to substitute Bony, who looked a threat, at Goodison Park seemed odd. Richard Jolly

8) Palace fans must rank as some of the best travelling supporters

Watching Tony Pulis's choreography is not always easy on the eye. Undeterred, the Crystal Palace fans who trekked up to Tyneside only to see their team denied by Papiss Cissé's 93rd-minute winner were surely the best and loudest away fans seen and heard at St James' Park this season. Newcastle house visiting supporters awfully high up in the steepling Leazes End and many make little impact but Palace's away contingent were simply superb. If the result ultimately proved disappointing they should be encouraged by a much improved performance on the previous week's ghastly 0-0 draw at Sunderland. John Carver, Newcastle's assistant manager, may have claimed Pulis "parked three buses" on the pitch but Palace had their attacking moments and conjured a few decent chances. On another day they could conceivably have won. Forget this slightly deceptive result, the time is surely right for Pulis to remember that fortune often really does tend to favour the brave. Louise Taylor

• Match report: Newcastle United 1-0 Crystal Palace

9) Atmosphere lifts Canaries

Opinion is divided when it comes to the paper 'clacker' things that Norwich placed on every seat before their game against Sunderland. Judging by the response on social media, a fair number of fans despise them, and more so when their use is, literally, orchestrated to music. The Carrow Road stadium announcer even made each stand practice before the players came out. Grumbles notwithstanding, however, the atmosphere was as united and noisily rumbustious as it has been all season, and it's hard not to believe did not play at least some part in sustaining Norwich's splendidly energetic performance. Of course, some of us are old enough to remember proper wooden rattles – ask your parents, kids – which, laboriously painted in club colours, used to make a similarly sustained, and from the point of view of an enthusiastic eight-year-old, satisfying racket, albeit it took a touch more effort and had to be wielded high in the air to avoid the risk of clumping a fellow spectator. Wading through several acres of discarded paper after Saturday's game was to be reminded they were also one heck of a lot more environmentally friendly than their modern equivalent. Banned in the 1970s because of their potential to be used as weapons, they're still available. Whether you'd get one into a stadium, or indeed want to, is another matter. Richard Rae

10) Baggies board deserve anger directed at Long

After West Bromwich Albion's defeat to Hull, some of the away fans reportedly bumped into ex-Baggie Shane Long and his family. Want to guess what happened next? Let us narrow it down by giving you two options. Did they thank Long for all the hard work he put when he played for the club, say it was a shame to see him go but offer him the best of luck in the future? Or did they curse and swear at him, calling him all manner of names under the sun right in front of his wife and young daughter? How many of you went for the first option? You were wrong. It is safe to assume we all know what was wrong with the other one so let's skip directly on to where the West Brom fans should really have been directing their anger and opprobrium. It was their board that allowed Long to leave the club. It was their board that failed to tie down a player who did not want to go. It was their board that sold him to a direct rival. It is they who should feel the fans' wrath. Long was instrumental in Hull's 2-0 victory, scoring once and winning the penalty for the other goal. He has now scored three in his last eight Premier League games for Hull. With West Brom struggling so much up front, what were the board thinking in letting him go? Ian McCourt

Andy Carroll soars for West Ham. Photograph: Adam Holt/Action Images

• Match report: Hull City 2-0 West Bromwich Albion