Crystal Palace need to stand tall after another defeat, Arsenal’s steel bodes well for title challenge and West Ham’s problems up front have been laid bare
1) Palace must start showing they can handle pressure
In the freezing south-east London rain, Crystal Palace players chose to face the music. While Manchester City’s victorious megastars hurried silently to the team bus, a succession of Palace players fronted up. Connor Wickham, the goalscorer in the 2-1 defeat, said the spirit in the camp was still strong. “It’s times like this that will bring out the real man in us. We need to stand up and be counted.” Scott Dann, the captain, was dismayed after Kevin De Bruyne’s rolled corner made it all the way to the six-yard box for Yaya Touré to decide the match: “We work on it week in week out and it shouldn’t be allowed to get there.” The spirit may be willing but the flesh is weak. For all that Palace rallied after conceding the opening goal, attacking with aggression and verve, there was always the suspicion that their determination would only rouse a torpid City, and so it proved. Alan Pardew’s side remain admirably committed to forward play, but woefully short when pressure is applied on their back-line. Next week they travel to Swansea. “We’ve got to show next week that we can go out and get the three points,” Dann said. “And that’s all that matters.” Paul MacInnes
2) Koeman and Everton face up to size of rebuild
Ronald Koeman’s customary post-match tweet called it correctly on Saturday as he lamented Everton’s failure to react to their 5-0 mauling by Chelsea until the second half of a sterile draw against Swansea City. An additional comment to highlight that Everton remain unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season, however, was out of step with the prevailing mood around Goodison Park and another performance that demonstrated the rebuilding job required is arguably greater than he anticipated when switching from Southampton. Yes, Everton are unbeaten in six league games at Goodison this term, but it is a run of one win in seven league games that provides a more accurate gauge of a team struggling to justify Koeman’s early season ambitions of European qualification. The Everton manager admitted before Swansea’s visit that he harboured more concerns over the forwards at his disposal than the defenders and what unfolded on Saturday will have reinforced that view. But he has additional problems with Phil Jagielka, a cornerstone of the team for almost a decade, appearing to have lost that vital sharpness at the age of 34, and Everton’s central defence is still reliant on the 35-year-old Gareth Barry, who was suspended against Swansea and badly missed as always. Lethargic, passive starts are also a characteristic of this Everton side. “We always seem to need something from outside before we react,” Koeman said. “It’s not coming from ourselves and that is something we need to improve.” Andy Hunter
3) Arsenal’s steely side bodes well for title challenge
Lucky or resilient? Perhaps the verdict on Arsenal’s late equaliser at Manchester United is both: the bloody-mindedness that drove them to fashion Olivier Giroud’s 89th-minute header despite being muted throughout the match deserved the fortune of escaping with a draw. Arsène Wenger was keen to praise his side’s backbone. “The resilience was the main thing and we kept our composure as well, even at the end,” he said. “I believe there’s a great harmony in the squad. The players who come on make a difference every time and that’s not a coincidence. That is down to attitude and overall I took some gambles as well. That’s not the first time but they only work if the players have the right attitude.” Alexis Sánchez symbolises the Gunners’ flinty seam. Despite injury concerns and a long flight back from South America, Wenger fielded him because of his class and the leadership he offers. “Overall, for a guy who has played a decisive game on Tuesday for Chile, or basically Wednesday morning, travelled after and had jet lag, it’s remarkable. I did it because Sánchez is a guy who can take people on and I knew that would be a quality. He’s good in counter-attacks in short spells as well, he’s always a player who is not scared of anybody.” Arsenal also harbour little fear, whoever the opposition. It seems a new quality for the team and one that may allow them to finally break a title duck that has run since 2004. Jamie Jackson
4) Consistency key for Chelsea and Conte
Six wins without conceding a goal now for Chelsea, ever since Antonio Conte decided that being given a chasing by Arsenal was just too undignified to bear, and switched to his favoured 3-4-3 formation. That matches a run at the start of the 2005–06 season that prompted one newspaper to offer a reward to whoever scored against them, but they have still got a way to go before surpassing a 10-game spell without conceding in the previous campaign. Those runs, incidentally, were broken by Luke Moore and Leon McKenzie, but you probably already knew that. As well as a more suitable system, there is plenty to be said for consistency: in all of those six games, 10 of the starting lineup have been the same, the only variant coming against Hull, where Willian played instead of Pedro. Midweeks free of fripperies and clutter like Champions League games have helped take Chelsea back to the top of the league. Nick Miller
5) Van Dijk serves further notice of his rich potential
Southampton’s conveyer belt of talent has been in operation for some time now and it is tempting to wonder how long it will be before Virgil van Dijk is the next player to be signed by a high-profile club. Aged 25, Van Dijk is an opposing central defender who seems to be getting better and better. Claude Puel recently said that the Dutchman, who signed a six-year contract in May, has the potential to go on and become one of the top five defenders in the world and it was no surprise to hear the Southampton manager again being asked about those qualities in the wake of the goalless draw against Liverpool. It was certainly a brilliant piece of defending that denied Sadio Mané the chance of marking his return to St Mary’s with a goal as Van Dijk showed a turn of pace as well as expert timing to get back and block the Liverpool forward’s goalbound shot. Stuart James
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