Chelsea are title favourites, Coutinho is not Liverpool’s most important player and maybe Jose Mourinho was right: Eleven things we learnt this weekend
Antonio Conte's men — literally — fought to the end to secure a stunning win at Etihad, while Alexis Sanchez scored three and Bournemouth completed one of most remarkable comebacks
BOURNEMOUTH came from behind to claim a sensational victory over Liverpool, while Chelsea won the Premier League’s biggest clash so far in another exciting weekend.
Eddie Howe’s men came from 3-1 down with just 14 minutes remaining to win 4-3 in stoppage time.
Meanwhile, Manchester United’s top-four chances took another hit as they were pegged back late on at Everton — but Chelsea and Arsenal were rampant as they claimed impressive away victories at Manchester City and West Ham respectively.
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Antonio Conte’s men sit three points ahead of the Gunners after 14 games, with Liverpool and City a point further behind.
Here are 11 things we learnt after another pulsating Premier League weekend
No match is over until the final whistle
THIS weekend more than ever proved the old adage to be true.
Bournemouth looked down and out when Emre Can restored Liverpool’s two-goal advantage which had been halved by Callum Wilson’s penalty.
But the introduction of Ryan Fraser was an inspiration — and the Cherries completed a stunning comeback with goals in the 76th, 78th and 93rd minutes.
Chelsea are the real deal
NEVER has a 3-0 defeat been such a God send.
Following Chelsea’s humbling at Arsenal, Conte changed the system — and the Blues have won eight on the spin.
They were initially impenetrable, as they didn’t concede for the first six victories.
But in their previous two, they came from behind to secure the three points — against Tottenham and City no less.
Jose Mourinho doesn’t trust enough of his players
IT’S clear that the ‘Special One’ is having a problem finding players in he can rely on.
In Phil Jones, he seems to have a member of the backline he can trust and who has bought into his ideas.
But the whole defensive structure of United doesn’t fill anyone with confidence — except perhaps the opposition.
The introduction of Marouane Fellaini was a clear sign Mourinho didn’t believe the defenders on show were strong enough to cope with Everton’s attacking determination.
Pep Guardiola's City inherit petulance of Barcelona side
DESPITE their mesmeric beauty, Barcelona were prone to reacting unfavourably when things didn’t go their way.
They were famously unhappy with Mourinho celebrating reaching a Champions League final with the Inter Milan fans at the Nou Camp — and perhaps that’s a winner’s curse.
City showed shades of that petulance with their implosion at full-time of the defeat to Chelsea.
Leicester are in serious relegation battle
LEICESTER are in trouble. They are just two points clear of the relegation zone — and are in serious battle to avoid making history in a different way.
Jamie Vardy isn’t firing and they’re even losing against direct relegation rivals.
They issue is they had no objective at the start of the season as nothing was ever going to match last season’s achievements.
Dimitri Payet is a luxury player
HIS quality is not in doubt — on his day, he is one of the best in the Premier League.
But West Ham are in 17th place, and they need fighters, not the odd bit of magic up top.
Payet would be excellent for the top teams, but isn’t going to pull his socks up and scrap in the nitty-gritty games.
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a goal scorer
THE Swede has been the subject of much criticism this season.
Ibrahimovic has been accused of slowing United’s play down — and missing too many chances.
But his stunner against Everton was his eighth in the Premier League — and 45 in 50 appearances in 2016.
Matip more important that Coutinho
WHEN Philippe Coutinho was ruled out for five weeks, it was assumed his absence would hit them hard.
But they were just as majestic in attack — with Sadio Mane and Divock Origi providing the spark.
It's, in fact, Joel Matip's absence at the back which is the big loss.
Liverpool haven't lost with the Cameroonian in the side, and were all over the place at the back without him against Bournemouth.
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ALEXIS SANCHEZ hit three and Harry Kane scored two as Arsenal and Tottenham hit five each.
The pair have been in stunning goal scoring form with the Gunners ace now joint-top goal scorer in the league with 11.
While Kane is continuing to find his form following a period on the sidelines with injury as he made it seven in the Premier League this season.
Tony Pulis is enjoying arguably his best spell in management
WELSH boss has enjoyed his time in the Premier League.
Pulis established Stoke as a top-half team, and miraculously kept Crystal Palace in the league when relegation seemed inevitable in 2014.
But he has led West Brom above United before the Red Devils’ draw with Everton — and they currently sit seventh.
Crystal Palace have quality
WHAT should the Eagles be aiming for — top ten or 17th place?
Alan Pardew’s man have the quality, and they showed it with their impressive win over Southampton.
But that victory ended a six-game losing streak — and they just need to find that balance.
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After a dreadful start, Stoke have turned a corner
FOLLOWING just two points from their first six games, Stoke were rock bottom — and there were serious question marks over Mark Hughes’ future.
But a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford sparked a stunning turnaround and the Potters have lost just one of their subsequent seven games,
The 2-0 win over Burnley at the weekend has seen them climb up to ninth.