After the conclusion of Matchweek 5 of the 2024/25 Premier League season, football writer Alex Keble looks at the key talking points and tactical lessons, including:
- Man City v Arsenal is becoming an iconic rivalry
- Villa's bench the platform for a strong season
- Spurs look transformed after scare against Coventry
- Man Utd's defence is improving
- Lopetegui's tactics backfire badly against Chelsea
- Jimenez reminds us what a star he can be
- Forest's unbeaten start showcases Nuno's brilliance
- Ndiaye's display suggests Everton's first win is coming
- Diaz and Gravenberch give Liverpool a fresh look
- Lallana and Dibling provide hope for Southampton
Rivalry hots up between Man City and Arsenal
Within five seconds of kick-off after John Stones had scored a dramatic equaliser, Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhaes clattered into one another, steely and unapologetic. It set a new tone for this fixture; a tetchy and fractious mood that, hopefully, is a sign of things to come.
Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal was an instant classic. It had drama from start to finish, the action constant thanks predominantly to that bite and aggression – to that sense these two teams just don’t like each other any more.
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You want that from a title race. You want the players to get under each other’s skin, and it was always likely to happen in this fixture given Arsenal are now taking a Jose Mourinho-like approach.
Kyle Walker complained about Arsenal’s “dark arts” after the match. Bernardo Silva's take was: “There was only one team that came to play football." Stones said: “You can call it clever or dirty."
Animosity is brewing, and for the neutral that can only be a good thing. Like Arsenal versus Manchester United in the peak Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson years, or Mourinho versus Rafael Benitez, the Premier League is at its best when rivalries develop an edge.
It has taken a while for Man City v Arsenal to really get going. After Sunday, we have an iconic rivalry in the making.
Villa’s deep bench is driving another strong season
Unai Emery admitted he “didn’t understand why” Aston Villa had been so passive in the first half against Wolverhampton Wanderers, and wondered aloud whether his game plan might had been confusing for his players – before lavishing praise on his team for turning things around.
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“We changed completely,” he told the BBC. “We started pressing more, we started jumping more and we started taking some risks.”
From Emery’s perspective the secret to Villa’s comeback win was a psychological switch once his players shook off the tactical rigidity of the opening 45 minutes: “Sometimes you have to play with your heart,” he said, even when that means “not being organised like I usually want”.
What Emery’s analysis missed was the impact of Villa’s deep bench following another successful summer transfer window. High-quality substitutes allowed them to change their attitude and shift momentum.
Three substitutes shone in particular. Jhon Duran’s tenacity won the ball in the build-up to Villa's equaliser; Leon Bailey’s dribbling built the pressure that forced the corner from which Villa scored the second; and Ian Maatsen played a hand in assisting Duran for the third.
Villa's first-half and second-half performances v Wolves
| Aston Villa | Wolves | |
| First half | ||
| 0 | Goals | 1 |
| 2 | Shots | 10 |
| 42% | Possession | 58% |
| Second half | ||
| 3 | Goals | 0 |
| 7 | Shots | 0 |
| 70% | Possession | 30% |
Villa now have the strength in depth to pull themselves out of tricky situations, turning matches that they would have lost last season into significant wins.
It leaves the distinct impression of a side who are even better than the one that finished fourth last season.
Spurs look transformed after scare against Coventry
A week ago nobody could have predicted that beating Coventry City 2-1 in the EFL Cup would be the catalyst for Tottenham Hotspur’s recovery. In fact, in the 87th minute with Coventry leading 1-0, Ange Postecoglou looked on the precipice of a new low point.
But the late turnaround last midweek seems to have jumpstarted Spurs’ season. It could just be the sliding doors moment of the entire Postecoglou project.
Spurs were superb on Saturday afternoon. Their pressing was immaculate, boxing Brentford in and causing plenty of dangerous high turnovers, including for their equaliser.
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James Maddison was back to his old self and richly deserved his goal, but more than any one individual, Spurs simply glided through the contest with verve and tenacity. It was a characteristic Postecoglou performance of the sort we have scarcely seen in 2024.
Spurs’ Expected Goals (xG) total of 3.5 was their second-highest in a Premier League match under Postecoglou, and that is no surprise. They tore through Brentford.
Then again, Thomas Frank’s side made it surprisingly easy. Rather than sit back and squeeze the middle, as Arsenal did to beat Spurs the previous weekend, Brentford were oddly confrontational.
They pushed forward in high numbers, leaving themselves vulnerable to Spurs’ fast breaks, plus they relentlessly tried to pass out from the back, again playing right into the hosts’ hands.
Tellingly, only twice under Postecoglou has an opponent held more possession than Brentford’s 52 per cent on Saturday (Man City and Chelsea).
Perhaps we shouldn’t read too much into one good Spurs performance, then. But it’s hard not to get drawn in by what we saw: the real Spurs, waking up and playing with purpose again.
Man Utd’s defensive record is clearly improving
Man Utd's 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace doesn’t have a clean story to tell. It was chaotic. It was up and down. It was an encounter that could have ended in a well-earned United victory but just as easily a deserved defeat.
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Leaving aside the fact that Eberechi Eze’s glaring late miss spared Man Utd another week of crisis talk, it should be acknowledged that Erik ten Hag has improved the team’s defensive record.
Last season only Sheffield United conceded more shots than Man Utd's 660, and their number of Expected Goals Against (xGA) of 70.1 was the fifth-worst in the league.
Three clean sheets from five matches is a big shift, and indeed only five clubs have conceded fewer shots this season than United’s 49. Their xGA of 6.4 is the 10th-best.
It’s a solid foundation upon which to build a better 2024/25 season. If they can only stop being so wasteful in front of goal they can finally start to build some momentum.
After all, only Southampton have underperformed their xG by more than Man Utd’s difference of 4.53.
Lopetegui's tactics backfire badly
Chelsea have been lavished with praise for their big win at the London Stadium, but frankly this was one of those encounters that was lost by one team, not won by the other.
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West Ham United got it all wrong. Julen Lopetegui’s 5-4-1 formation looked undercooked, the confusion within the ranks clear from the outset as players left huge gaps between the lines horizontally and vertically. Chelsea practically walked through the middle.
The biggest fault was using Edson Alvarez out of position as a centre-back. He man-marked Nicolas Jackson but lacked the speed or positional awareness to do it successfully.
The first two goals were the direct result of Alvarez being caught out of position, and although we could go into further detail on the build-up – how West Ham’s formation left space pretty much everywhere – there isn’t any need when the flaws at the back were so glaring.
Jackson’s first-half brace was the same simple move, twice. Dropping off before spinning behind, he easily pulled Alvarez out of position and then left him behind.
Jackson's goals v West Ham
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First goal
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Second goal
First goal
1 / 2
Second goal
2 / 2
Jimenez strike reminds us what a star he can be
Between 2018 and 2020, when Wolverhampton Wanderers finished seventh in consecutive seasons, Raul Jimenez scored 30 goals and assisted 13 more in 73 Premier League appearances.
It’s easy to forget just how good he was before the fractured skull against Arsenal in November 2020 sent his career off-course.
Four years on, at the age of 33 and playing for a Fulham side on the up, Jimenez deserves this success in the later part of his career.
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Jimenez’s goal in the fifth minute on Saturday was a bolt of electricity; a flashbulb memory of the player he once was.
Jimenez's goal v Newcastle
The start of a perfect Cottage day. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/9KdcBl4lim
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) September 21, 2024
It was also his eighth goal in his last nine Premier League starts, a quiet hot streak that has gone under the radar largely because Fulham had little to play for at the end of last season.
Jimenez's stats v Newcastle
But after scoring in successive league matches for the first time since December, Jimenez is starting to get some recognition.
After the tough time he’s had over the last few years, let’s hope it’s just the beginning.
Forest’s unbeaten start showcases best of Nuno
Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their first five matches of a Premier League season for the first time ever, after their 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.
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It is further evidence that Nuno Espirito Santo was a smart appointment and the right tactical fit for a team whose main strength is rapid counter-attacking forwards flanking Chris Wood.
Forest’s 40.6 per cent average possession is the third-lowest in the league and they rank second in the Premier League for "fast breaks", with 10. It is pure Nuno, and the best use of a squad designed to sit deep, absorb pressure and burst forward on the counter.
Brighton were always likely to be vulnerable to that kind of football and so it proved. They won’t be the last team caught out by Forest.
Ndiaye's display suggests Everton's first win is coming
“I thought we’ve delivered a good performance,” Sean Dyche told the BBC after the match. “There was a big shift in our play today.”
That is a fair analysis of a display that, with better finishing against Leicester City, could have produced Everton's first victory of the season.
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That is why being bottom of the table isn’t quite as alarming as it looks, even if their tally of just one point from five matches is their worst start to a season since 1958/59.
There are green shoots for sure, and optimistic Everton supporters will feel particularly hopeful about the performance of goalscorer Iliman Ndiaye, a new signing from Marseille who looked very much the part against Leicester.
Ndiaye took his goal superbly and created four chances for his team-mates, more than anyone else on the pitch.
His ingenuity, coupled with Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s upturn in form, suggests a first win of the season isn’t far away.
Diaz and Gravenberch give Liverpool fresh look
Concern regarding Liverpool’s quiet summer window has been cast aside by Arne Slot’s ability to reinvigorate and reintegrate members of the squad who struggled for form or game time under Jurgen Klopp.
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Luis Diaz started 32 Premier League matches last season but never quite looked right, whereas in 2024/25 he has already scored five goals from five matches. Only Michael Owen in 2000/01 and Mohamed Salah in 2020/21 have scored more for Liverpool in the opening five games of a Premier League campaign, both netting six times.
Ryan Gravenberch is another player excelling. He has completed 298 passes and made 10 interceptions so far in the Premier League, on both counts the third-most in the Premier League among midfielders.
Yet again, he was a metronomic presence at Anfield on Saturday; the calm distributer and counter-presser making the Slot project tick along nicely.
Gravenberch's pass map v Bournemouth
Lallana and Dibling provide hope for Martin
Ipswich Town's dramatic late equaliser was a gut punch for Southampton and Russell Martin; the sort of moment that could deflate the team for a long time to come.
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It is Martin’s job to keep their chins up, and it’s a job made easier by the performances of two Southampton players a generation apart.
When Adam Lallana made his Southampton debut, Tyler Dibling was six months old. The two combined for Southampton’s opener on Saturday in what could be the start of a fruitful relationship.
Dibling's opener v Ipswich
A goal made in Southampton ✨ pic.twitter.com/UVdaVmPFmc
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) September 21, 2024
Dibling, 18, has always been highly rated by the Southampton academy and he has grabbed his chance with both hands so far. Meanwhile Lallana, 36, already has two Premier League assists this season.
If they can form a strong relationship in the final third, Saints stand a chance of turning all that possession into goals.