The sheer size of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur rebuild continues to grow bigger in the wake of a third-straight defeat, while Manchester United continue to pick up points and had some young guns to thank.
Meanwhile, a crucial tweak lifted a team into the top four for the first time in nearly 14 years as the title race looks like it won’t be a one-horse race just yet.
Foxsports.com.au reviews the weekend that was in the latest edition of Premier League Talking Points!
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Villa sink Spurs to 3rd straight loss | 03:00
MORE COVERAGE
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IS ANGE HONEYMOON OVER?
Whisper it quietly, but is Ange Postecoglou’s honeymoon period at Tottenham over?
A 2-1 loss at home to Aston Villa condemned Tottenham to a third-straight defeat and dropped Postecoglou’s team down to fifth.
It’s a deflating result, especially when Tottenham finished with an xG of 2.09 to Villa’s 1.77.
But there’s no points awarded for winning hypotheticals andThe Telegraph’s Thom Gibbs believes Postecoglou’s task of rebuilding Tottenham grows with each passing game.
“After winning the first three Premier League manager of the month awards available to him, the honeymoon is not just over for Ange Postecoglou and his new partner,” Gibbs wrote.
“Instead they have returned home to mountains of work, argument-inducing admin and a sullen Irish bloke passing judgment on the cleanliness of their house.”
However, it’s worth remembering the options, or lack of, available to Postecoglou at the moment.
Tottenham were missing James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Richarlison, Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon, Micky Van de Ven and Pape Matar Sarr through injury while Cristian Romero was absent through suspension.
As a result, Postecoglou had to name a team without a specialist defensive midfielder or centre back.
Somehow, he almost managed to pull off the victory against a Villa side that started sluggishly but took over in the second half of a pulsating contest.
MAN UTD HIT THEIR STRIDE AS YOUNG GUNS SHINE
Everton was viewed as a potential banana peel for Manchester United, especially after a hefty 10-point penalty lit a fire underneath the Toffees players and fans.
But the Red Devils struck in the third minute through a wonder-goal to Alejandro Garnacho and made Everton pay for some poor finishing, winning 3-0 as Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford both got on the scoresheet.
United are now up to sixth place and in red-hot form – since the start of October, they’ve picked up five wins from their last six games, the best run of any team in the league.
This was their biggest road win in over two years, and remarkably, it is the first time this season they have won a match by more than one goal.
Marcus Rashford’s goal was his first since September and just his second this season in 17 games (all competitions), while Martial picked up his first league goal of the season and just his second in 16 games across all competitions.
With €95 million winger Antony having failed to score at all this season (9 league games, 12 total) – and missing this game with injury – Rashford and Martial finding form in front of goal could be crucial to United’s hopes moving forward.
Bruno Fernandes hinted as much after the game, revealing he gifted Rashford the penalty-taking duties to build his confidence.
“I felt Marcus needed a little bit of confidence, [he] needed his goal,” Fernandes said.
But perhaps the biggest boost was the stunning debut of 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, a standout in pre-season before an unfortunate injury ruled him out until today.
With Casemiro injured until the new year, Mainoo was simply outstanding on his first league start, putting his hand up to replace the Brazilian.
“Mainoo has been Manchester United’s best player by a street,” Manchester United great Gary Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast. “A brilliant, brilliant Premier League debut from him.”
He added: “The biggest compliment I can pay him, and it hurts to say this is that he looked like a Manchester City player. I was thinking he was someone Pep Guardiola would look at and think he’d want him in his midfield.”
Former Man Utd captain Roy Keane told Sky Sports Mainoo was “Unbelievable.
“We don’t want to get too carried away but I’m sure we will.”
The Red Devils now travel to Galatasaray for a huge Champions League clash, knowing defeat would see them ousted from Europe’s top club competition.
But after a dismal run of injuries and a lack of form in front of goal, the tide appears to have turned – and there’s plenty of reason to believe United can make a charge in both the league and continental competition.
THE ‘CORRECTION’ THAT SPARKED DARK HORSE’S ABSURD TURNAROUND
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery continues to prove he belongs in the upper echelon of European managers.
And it was a crucial tactical tweak from the meticulous Spaniard at half time that proved just as much.
Emery named Ezri Konsa, usually a centre back, at right back which subsequently meant Matty Cash would play slightly higher than his usual defensive position on the right.
However, it didn’t quite work in the first half as Cash picked up a yellow card after a rash challenge on Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur.
The right side of Villa simply didn’t have the same fluidity they enjoyed down the left with Lucas Digne at the back and John McGinn ahead of him.
With Cash at risk of being sent off and forward Moussa Diaby not able to get into the game, Emery switched it up at halftime.
Off came Cash and Diaby, with Leon Bailey and Youri Tielemans coming on.
It proved a masterstroke, as Bailey’s relentless runs coupled with Tielemans’ intricate passing laid the platform for Villa to assert control in the second half.
In fact, it was a silky no-look pass from Tielemans that slipped Ollie Watkins in between Tottenham’s centre back duo before he slotted home the winner in the 61st minute.
So, what was the exact reasoning behind Emery’s decision to make the game-changing double substitution at half time?
“We were struggling on the right side and tactically it was my correction,” Emery said in his post-match press conference.
“I needed to make a decision to correct it. Offensively as well, we weren’t attacking on the right like we were on the left. Cash was a risk on a yellow card, and the solution was Leon Bailey and Youri Tielemans, trying to get two players different.
“One did the passes and the other for the running. They did it.”
And that they did, as Villa now sit just two points off top spot and have the equal second-most goals scored in the league.
In fact, Emery’s troops ended the day in the top four at least 13 games into a Premier League season for the first time since December 27 2009.
Now that a third of the season has passed, the key question surrounding Villa will be if they can sustain their form throughout the congested festive season and come out the other side without any major injuries.
But so far, Emery and his band of Champions League hopefuls are proving themselves worthy of a spot amongst Europe’s elite next season.
HOW ‘WORLD CLASS’ REDS STAR COULD SHAKE UP TITLE RACE
Has Manchester City’s 1-1 draw against Liverpool proved we might have a title race on our hands?
Pep Guardiola’s side failed to hold on to their lead as Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold popped up in the 80th minute to score the equaliser.
The draw between the two heavyweights allowed Arsenal to go one point clear at the top after a gritty 1-0 win away to Brentford.
In fact, there’s just two points separating Arsenal from fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Each of those four teams have players that can swing the contest in their favour.
The likes of Bukayo Saka, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Ollie Watkins all spring to mind, but there’s a different Liverpool player who could have an even bigger say.
It’s Alexander-Arnold, who continues to impress in his hybrid role as a right back and a central midfielder.
The England international already had the tall ask of shackling electric City winger Jeremy Doku but his impact in midfield proved pivotal.
Just how far Alexander-Arnold can propel Liverpool in his unique role is anyone’s guess, but when Premier League great Gary Neville likens him to one of the best centre mids in the game, it could be the difference between winning the title.
“Man City have (Kevin) De Bruyne injured, who is world class in terms of delivery, striking of the ball and passing,” Neville said on The Gary Neville Podcast.
“Trent is the equal of him, and he’s a right back. Not a traditional right back, but that’s where he plays.
“He keeps going, his performances are out of this world. He’s playing central midfield for 50-60 per cent of the game, he’s going forward and scoring goals and achieving numbers that right midfield or right wingers don’t achieve.”
Likening Alexander-Arnold to De Bruyne is a big stretch from Neville but at age 25, time is on the Liverpool star’s side to truly rebrand himself as a dominant centre midfielder.
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