1) Wenger hopes Mustafi absence won’t harm spirit



Are Arsenal made of sterner stuff these days? It is not the first time the question has been aired in recent years, and the answer usually goes down a predictably shaky path. Having said that, Arsène Wenger has observed a few clues in their victory against a strong Stoke City side that give him quiet optimism. Among the good habits his team are enjoying this season, the capacity to come back from a deficit encourages him. “It’s the sixth time that we are down in the game and come back or win since the start of the season,” he said. “That’s not a coincidence. It doesn’t happen just because you say: ‘Come on, you have to keep fighting.’ That means there is something in the team that is quite strong. We have to keep the team energy in the side, and everybody has to take care of that.” The scorer of the equaliser, Theo Walcott, echoed that sentiment, and stressed that everyone in the squad is keyed up to do so. “The manager always digs that into us – how important the whole squad is. When called upon everyone who has been involved coming off the bench or starting has done a fantastic job and that is the difference this year to previous years where maybe we weren’t quite ready as a whole squad.” Managing rotation is on Wenger’s mind before the matches at Everton and Manchester City this week. Arsenal coped pretty well without Héctor Bellerín, who came back to excellent effect, but have lost the influential Shkodran Mustafi. Making a new central defensive partnership work will be vital. Amy Lawrence

Match report: Arsenal 3-1 Stoke City

2) Dyche power play calls all the shots



Having suggested Bournemouth were role models for Burnley, Sean Dyche reflected: “They are not doing bad bringing on Jack Wilshere as sub.” If it was a way of highlighting the reality that even Bournemouth’s resources greatly exceed his own, Dyche was also indirectly responsible for Wilshere’s demotion. The Arsenal loanee had begun nine of the previous 10 league games but, while it was telling Bournemouth did not want him starting three times in eight days, it felt more significant the manager Eddie Howe said: “We felt this one, with the physicality of Burnley, would be the one to miss.” When he is omitted against hard-running, relentlessly forceful opponents, it should put Wilshere’s revival into perspective. Instead, the dominant midfielder was Jeff Hendrick, whose grounding in the Championship proved useful for a full-blooded game. “Not many teams in the Premier League play that style and they do it very, very well,” Howe said. “It is up to teams to adjust.” Too few have, and while Ryan Fraser and Benik Afobe, two graduates of the lower leagues, were their two best players, Bournemouth still became the fifth team beaten at Turf Moor this season already. Richard Jolly

Match report: Burnley 3-2 Bournemouth

3) Fàbregas is a substitute who cannot be replaced

Antonio Conte now knows he has a Plan B in his midst. Cesc Fàbregas has started only one of the leaders’ nine-game winning sequence, at Manchester City, and reverted to bench duties on Sunday only to be summoned 16 minutes from time to unlock West Bromwich Albion’s massed ranks of centre-halves. By then, Conte’s 3-4-3 had switched to 4-2-1-3 via a brief stint of 4-2-4, and it was Fàbregas’s pass within two minutes which Diego Costa’s brawn, determination and rasping finish turned into an assist. “It was important to change the cards on the table and find a new solution,” Conte said. “So I put on a great player, with great technique and personality. At that moment in the game it was necessary.” It will be required again in the weeks ahead now that sides have gained a glimpse of how Chelsea can be stifled. Fàbregas may hate life as a bit-part player, but this club cannot afford to let him go. Dominic Fifield

Match report: Chelsea 1-0 West Brom

4) Snodgrass acting in self-preservation



Maybe, just maybe, we should offer Robert Snodgrass the benefit of the doubt. Yes, his collapse in the face of Scott Dann’s non-existent tackle looked an atrocious dive, deliberately intended to con the referee and win a penalty, but things are not always quite as they seem. Perhaps he really was protecting his rebuilt left knee by avoiding an expected challenge. After all, Hull’s most gifted individual was sidelined for 16 months following career-saving surgery, returning only last spring. The complex repair involved multiple procedures including an MPFL reconstruction which generally spells very bad news for footballers. For a time, Snodgrass feared he would not return at this level so should we not understand why he might have taken evasive action rather than automatically excoriate him? Should we not ask why someone already booked would risk dismissal by calculated diving? And shouldn’t we simply enjoy his talent while we can? Louise Taylor

Match report: Hull 3-3 Crystal Palace

5) Slimani proves worth to Leicester in return to title-winning form



Following Leicester City’s win against Manchester City it was hard not to focus on the performances of two men: Jamie Vardy, who ended a 16-match goal drought with his first hat-trick for the club, and Riyad Mahrez, who performed with the drive and panache that was so crucial to Leicester’s title success last season, and arguably provided the assist of the season with his one-touch velvety lay-off to Vardy for Leicester’s third goal. There was, however, someone else in blue who caught the eye. In the first half in particular, Islam Slimani performed an important role as a slightly withdrawn forward, holding up possession and occupying defenders so that Vardy and Mahrez had the time and space to hurt City, as well as assisting the hosts’ first two goals. Having arrived from Sporting Lisbon for £29m in late August, the striker has often found himself competing with Shinji Okazaki for a place in the Leicester side, but having begun their past two league games, and performed as he did here, it could be time for Slimani to become a regular starting pick for the champions. Sachin Nakrani

Match report: Leicester City 4-2 Manchester City

6) Karius safe in goal for now despite Carragher criticism



Loris Karius has found himself the focus of unwanted attention for his performances this season but talk of a Simon Mignolet recall looks fanciful. Pundits have pointed the finger at the 23-year-old, suggesting it’s time for Jürgen Klopp to turn to his former No1. However, Klopp looks likely to keep faith with his summer signing from Mainz. Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports: “At the moment he [Karius] is killing the team on the pitch. They’re five points down due to him. I’d change to Mignolet.” Klopp, however, shielded Karius from criticism for the goals conceded against Slaven Bilic’s side, saying: “The [West Ham] goals – one is a wonderful free-kick and one we were very unlucky – they were a big surprise for everybody.” Klopp’s men have now conceded six goals in their past two Premier League games, dropping five points in the process. Mark Dobson

Match report: Liverpool 2-2 West Ham

7) Jones returns to full fitness and also top form

Phil Jones’s excellent display in Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur was the defender’s seventh game in succession without breaking down. The 24-year-old’s dire luck with injuries had kept him out since 2 January until he featured in the 3-1 win at Swansea City on 6 November. Starting from then Jones has slotted in smoothly, as if he had played with no break all year rather than the current run being the second best of a United career that began in the 2011-12 season. His best unbroken personal sequence is 13, which occurred in the final third of the 2013-14 campaign. Now, Jones will hope to coast past that number and given how well he is performing is surely first-choice even though Eric Bailly is fit once more, Marcos Rojo is playing admirably too, and there is Chris Smalling still to return from a foot problem. Jamie Jackson

Match report: Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur

8) Nine minutes not enough for Traoré

The travelling fans struck up the chant on 73 minutes and it rang out clearly. “We want Traoré,” they shouted. Moments later, they once again implored their manager, Aitor Karanka, to give the former Barcelona player a chance. “Aitor, Aitor, give us a sub,” and it was easy to see where they were coming from. Middlesbrough’s need for urgency and incision was apparent to all. They had created precious little against a jittery-looking Southampton and it was no good being in the game at 1-0 down if they were not going to force a chance to equalise. Adama Traoré’s pace on the wing was an obvious weapon, particularly as Southampton’s defence can look vulnerable to that kind of thing, but Karanka only sent for the man who signed from Aston Villa in the summer in the 81st minute. It was not long enough for him to have the desired impact. David Hytner

Match report: Southampton 1-0 Middlesbrough

9) Sigurdsson is Swansea’s best hope of salvation

Where would Swansea City be without Gylfi Sigurdsson? Resigned to relegation probably. Fernando Llorente has hit form at the right time, scoring scored twice at home for the second game in succession, yet there is no question about who is the star of the show at Swansea. Sigurdsson scored the first and set up the second against Sunderland. In the previous home game, against Crystal Palace, Sigurdsson equalised with a stunning free-kick and had a hand in the next four goals. He is the most influential member of the Swansea team by a distance and it was no surprise to hear Mauricio Pochettino, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, saying this month that Sigurdsson would have been a “perfect player” for him had the midfielder stayed at White Hart Lane. Instead, the Icelander moved to Swansea in a swap deal that took Ben Davies to Spurs. No disrespect to Davies, who is a fine player, but it was arguably the best piece of business Swansea have done. Stuart James

Match report: Swansea City 3-0 Sunderland

Gylfi Sigurdsson celebrates scoring Swansea’s opener against Sunderland. Photograph: McManus/Rex Shutterstock

10) Koeman cannot wait to spend on Everton



Is Ronald Koeman’s job on the line? The answer to the question is likely no, but it’s not unreasonable to ask. After an opening six weeks in which his team went unbeaten, combining familiar skill with new-found steel, Everton have been on the wane. They looked bereft of confidence and ideas in this defeat. Koeman then lamented an absence of world-class players in his squad and wants big money spent next month. He will surely be given time and some cash, but the Dutchman must also make better use of the resources at his disposal. Having recently abandoned the 3-4-3 formation of the early season, Koeman went with a 4-2-3-1 formation at Vicarage Road, ambitious in itself. James McCarthy was chosen ahead of Ross Barkley as the man to link midfield and attack, but drowned in the responsibility. Another forward option, Aaron Lennon, sat on the bench until the 83rd minute. Everton may not have a squad to rival the top four, but Watford spent less money in the summer and, on this evidence, are more advanced in their development. Paul MacInnes

Match report: Watford 3-2 Everton