Anthony Taylor has some explaining to do

I'll admit to learning something on Saturday afternoon. My instinct was that, when David Marshall bounced the ball and saw it nicked away by Samuel Eto'o to prompt Chelsea's equaliser, the goalkeeper had rather handed the home side their route back to parity. After all, as soon as the ball left his hand, how could he be in proper control of possession? It seems Marshall himself, as well as his opposite number Petr Cech, thought the same. Eto'o was worthy of praise for his quick thinking, and the Cardiff goalkeeper of scorn for his carelessness.

As it transpired, Law 12 of the Fifa rulebook is very specific on the matter and Eto'o had, in fact, been guilty of a foul with Marshall considered very much to be "in control of the ball" – even in the act of bouncing it on the ground. Those on the bench knew this as, thankfully, did the referee, Anthony Taylor, and his assistants. They told Malky Mackay as much when he queried the award of the goal after full-time. Which does, therefore, prompt questions over the officials' interpretation of the incident.

Marshall very clearly, perhaps unnecessarily, but nevertheless deliberately bounces the ball as he surveys his options upfield. He does not drop it. It does not slip from his grasp. It is, according to Fifa's handbook, a textbook example of a ball being under control. And yet the referee and his assistant decreed that they had seen the incident and Marshall had, in fact, "dropped" the ball, meaning they granted the goal. Justifying that decision to the referees' assessor may be trickier, given the footage of the incident itself. Knowing the rules – and if they really saw it – there was only one way to make the decision. As Mackay pointed out, they did not make it. Dominic Fifield

Manchester City look explosive

Micah Richards revealed that David Silva is known as "Merlin" to his City team-mates while Mark Noble, the West Ham United midfielder, said that the Spaniard was better than Mesut Özil, the Premier League's man of the moment. Silva deserved the plaudits for his starring role in the 3-1 win at Upton Park but the scary thing for City's rivals was the talent and depth of the creative cast around him. Manuel Pellegrini, the manager, named £125m-worth of players on the substitutes' bench, with the punch coming from Edin Dzeko, Stefan Jovetic and James Milner, while there was no place in the squad for Jesús Navas, the £15m summer signing from Sevilla. City created fistfuls of openings. "I've got five free transfers on the pitch and that is the difference," Sam Allardyce, the West Ham manager, said. "Our best wasn't good enough against that quality." If Silva does not get you, then the chances are someone else will. David Hytner

Time for Ashley to fall back in love with Pardew

It is no secret that Newcastle United's owner has fallen out of love with his manager in recent months but having ditched last season's long balls, Pardew has the team back in a 4-3-3 formation and playing some pleasing football again. Moreover, as Saturday's creditable 2-2 draw against a dangerous Liverpool which saw Newcastle play with 10 men for almost 50 minutes highlighted, an eclectic band of players are clearly behind him. Ashley could do an awful lot worse than the 2012 manager of the year. Pardew has handled some recent tricky moments involving Yohan Cabaye, Cheik Tioté and Hatem Ben Arfa impeccably while continuing to deal cleverly with Joe Kinnear's installation as the game's most unlikely director of football. Deep down, Ashley must realise sacking him would be a self-destructive act. Louise Taylor

Hull have a striker shortage

Danny Graham feels like the butt of many a joke after a Premier League goal drought that dates back to 1 January and includes almost 25 hours on the pitch. Yet for Hull, missing the goal-shy striker is infinitely worse than having him available. Graham was carried off on a stretcher with a knee injury at Goodison Park and, while his replacement, Yannick Sagbo, scored, the reality is that Hull are short of strikers. Graham, Sagbo and Sone Aluko are the only centre-forwards Steve Bruce has trusted to appear in the league this season and there are times he has not put one on the bench. Hull continue to acquit themselves well but goals have been in short supply and their deadline-day failure to sign Shane Long could prove costly. Richard Jolly

Arsenal impressed again but now they face real test

Arsenal's attacking was wonderful against Norwich and Arsène Wenger's team are deservedly top of the Premier League, even if they have beaten only one side in the top half. The month ahead will give an indication of how likely they are to stay there. Around key Champions League matches they face domestic clashes with Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Southampton. Paul Doyle

Rock-bottom Sunderland look like staying there

No Premier League team have ever made a worse start to the season than Sunderland, who now have only one point from their first eight games. Can they survive? The omens are not good. They have been over this stoniest of ground before, of course. In 2005-06 Mick McCarthy's team lost their first five but then took five points from their next three matches. They were to finish bottom with a then all-time low total of 15, although Derby County surpassed that with 11 in 2007-08. In 1993-94 John Gorman's Swindon took three points from their first eight games and finished bottom. In 2004-05 Norwich had five points after eight games and were relegated, as were Derby County the previous year, who finished bottom after taking eight points from their first eight. QPR, who were bottom last season, had three points after eight matches. Joe Lovejoy

Is Hughes the right man to implement change at Stoke?

One reason Mark Hughes was appointed at Stoke City was to ensure the tyranny of the 0-0 scoreline of the Tony Pulis years was brought to an end. But in the Premier League this season Stoke have scored more than once in only one game – against Crystal Palace in August. They have not won a Premier League match since August and last scored four weeks ago in the defeat by Arsenal. Wasn't it Hughes's job to change this? Following the West Brom game he laid the blame at the feet of his predecessor: "We are struggling for goals," he said, "but that was prevalent before I came here." At Manchester City Hughes could not force an identity on his team, at Fulham he simply continued Roy Hodgson's good work and at QPR he inherited an unstable squad that he failed to stabilise. So was Mark Hughes really the man to implement change at Stoke City? Tom Bryant

Shades of Evans in Rodgers' Liverpool

Two exciting strikers? Football that's pleasing on the eye? Wing-backs? A vulnerability in defence? Yes, Roy Evans's Liverpool of course. An entertaining but ultimately flawed team. Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool are shaping up similarly. And that's just fine with most Liverpool fans, seeing as Evans at least threatened the title in his time in charge. Rodgers may not do that just yet but his flexibility with formations and perseverance with a brand of passing football that still has room for improvement looks increasingly likely to result in a top-four tilt at least – particularly given that Philippe Coutinho is close to a return. No sign of cream suits at Anfield either, which can only be good news. Gregg Bakowski

Moyes' midfield designs remain a mystery

It is early days but David Moyes is yet to impart a clear identity on his Manchester United team. The most consistent trait of his reign has been an underwhelming caution – bar some outlandish bids for Cesc Fábregas and the backing of Adnan Januzaj – and this reticence was neatly captured in the final minutes against Southampton, when Moyes replaced Wayne Rooney with Chris Smalling moments before Adam Lallana's late equaliser.

Its significance was not so much in the result but that it was a defensive move rarely seen before at Old Trafford, much to the disgust of one enraged fan. In truth less caution seems required, particularly in midfield, to complement the metronomic Michael Carrick. The need for an exciting, creative addition was recognised in the fruitless summer chase of Fábregas and then Ander Herrera, but in eventual signing Marouane Fellaini United do not have that type of player.

He is more water-carrier than cocktail maker, shifting short passes sideways like a cumbersome and altogether more pointless Carrick. The England midfielder requires dynamism and industry around him yet the manager has largely ignored Tom Cleverley (he and Carrick lost just one Premier League match together last season, ironically to a Fellaini header at Everton) and appears unlikely to test the more enterprising solution of Shinji Kagawa dictating from deep. The present bland brand lacks a tangible style of play. Lawrence Ostlere

Villa struggling to stamp authority at home

So Aston Villa's search for successive home Premier League wins in the same season goes on. August 2010 was the last time it happened. On the face of it there is no crime in being unable to beat Manchester City and Spurs back-to-back. But it was not so much the result against Spurs as the performance. Paul Lambert, the Villa manager, said: "I didn't think there was much in that."

A personal view would be that Spurs were playing within themselves while Villa, until Christian Benteke came on, looked toothless and devoid of ideas. Look at the stats: Villa had 31% possession in the first half, a figure that increased to 37% come the end. In total Villa made 309 passes, Spurs made 532. Villa were the home team. It is hard to know what their game-plan is at times at Villa Park, where they so often struggle to impose themselves on opponents (we've debated the need for a 'No10' before). From the midfield trio through to the three up front, only Fabian Delph emerged with any credit against Spurs. There is no doubt that Lambert will not be impressed that André Villas-Boas, the Spurs manager, talked for the second time this season about Villa playing "long balls".

Villa are not a team that bangs it aimlessly from back to front (not that AVB said they were). And there is no doubt they carry a real threat on the counter-attack. But is there another way of playing that involves keeping the ball more, especially at home? Stuart James