Football
Iain Macintosh, ESPN.com writer 6y

Arsenal dominate, Paul Pogba returns, Tony Pulis in trouble

Well...no one saw that coming, did they? A resolute and determined Arsenal outplaying Tottenham in all departments and securing a fully deserved victory? Pick the bones out of that narrative. There are positives for Spurs though. People keep saying, "Mauricio Pochettino isn't that good; he hasn't won anything yet," as if transforming a team of sporadically decent also-rans into back-to-back title contenders isn't worthy of a medal in itself. Well, this performance was vintage Tottenham. It was disjointed, incoherent and almost entirely without merit. You see how far they've come?

Performance of the Weekend

Well, obviously it's Arsenal, isn't it? Welcome to the alternative reality where the Emirates is a cauldron, Mesut Ozil is adored, Alexis Sanchez is ferocious and Arsene Wenger is worshipped like a deity. Can it last? Could this be a vision of the future, a future characterised by success and happiness and a feeling of fulfilled potential? You never know. If they can do it against it Spurs when no one gave them a prayer, they should be able to do it against Burnley and Huddersfield in the next 10 days, shouldn't they? But we've been here before...

Goal of the weekend

Too often this season, Liverpool have been frustrated by teams who neutralise their counter-attacking ability by dropping deep and filling the space. When that happens, they need something special to break the deadlock. A moment of genius to change the mood. And for that, they have Mohamed Salah. There were high hopes for Salah when he signed this summer, his performances in Italy having far outshone his rather sad and brief period at Chelsea. But he has surpassed all expectations thanks to astonishing finishes like his first effort Saturday at Anfield, and also for the lightning fast, clever runs that led to the second. 

Guess who's back?

Paul Pogba's back. And with him, Manchester United can begin to reassert themselves. It's been a tricky four weeks for the Red Devils, with two defeats allowing Manchester City to stretch out in front of them. But they have an added dimension with Pogba, an ability to surge forward and take the initiative. A goal and an assist isn't a bad return for 70 minutes of football against a tenacious opponent. It's a testament to Pogba's improvement since his return to Old Trafford last summer that they've missed him so much while he's been away.

Dive of the weekend

We like Oumar Niasse a lot here. Perhaps he's not the shiniest jewel in the Premier League's crown, but he works hard, he's enthusiastic and he's actually a better finisher than people give him credit. But he is almost certainly heading for a retrospective ban after a dive that couldn't have been more obvious had he had a spring board assembled inside the penalty area. However, his popularity here endures after a (now deleted) message on Twitter claimed that Niasse had responded to angry Palace fans who barracked him at full-time by laughing and "doing the diving motion with his hands."

Life is cruel

Constantly criticised for the fleeting moments of carelessness that marred his otherwise gleaming potential, it seemed that John Stones was finally offering the sort of consistency and assuredness that few thought possible of him. Even for England, against an in-form Brazil, he looked imperious at the back. All of which makes the moment that he pulled up and clutched helplessly at the back of his leg the saddest moment of the weekend. Pep Guardiola confirmed afterwards that he'll be out for four to six weeks. He'll be much missed by Manchester City. Eliaquim Mangala isn't quite as good on the ball. 

Deepening trouble #1

Tony Pulis gave a spirited defence of his managerial record on Friday to the press corp, and again on Saturday in his programme notes. But on the pitch, the argument was rather less convincing. Pulis is right to point at the progress made under his aegis, the Baggies have a far better squad now than when he took over. The problem is that they don't look it. They haven't won since August and they never looked like winning, or even not losing, on Saturday. In the past, the arguments with detractors have been about style. But it's about results now and they've been grim.  

Deepening trouble #2

The optimism of the summer has now completely dissipated. Swansea City ended 2016 wracked by well-founded fears of relegation and 2017 looks likely to end the same way. Burnley is not an easy place to go, but very few places in the Premier League are these days. Apart from Swansea, of course, but that's not helpful. Paul Clement's side didn't have a shot on target until injury time and Burnley arguable could have scored more. This is not what anyone expected when 2015's hottest European talent, Renato Sanches, rocked up in the transfer window. 

Welcome to the Premier League

Watford's Marvin Zeegelaar would have been warned about the Premier League before his arrival. He'd have been told that it might lack the finesse of other European divisions, but it's fast and it's hard and it can be unforgiving. But did anyone warn him about Andy Carroll? The West Ham striker caught Zeegelaar hard with an arm across the snout after just six seconds, or as ESPN FC's own Michael Cox pointed out on Twitter, before the broadcasters had even put the clock on the screen. Andy Carroll, ladies and gentlemen, the absolute polar opposite of the freshly baked cookie you're given when you check into a nice hotel. 

Game to watch next week

After a big result on Saturday, we are obliged to ask the question: Can they do it again? Can they do it week in, week out? They dropped too many points in the opening weeks of the season to be considered title contenders, but they are closing the gap on Manchester United and they are now only four points off second place. But it will mean nothing if Burnley can't win straight-forward home games against the likes of Arsenal. Wahey! Keep your eyes on this one on Sunday. 

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