Jurgen Klopp’s mentality monsters reappear in defeat, Man United still haven’t hit rock bottom and Mykhailo Mudryk FINALLY begins to repay his £88.5m price tag – 10 THINGS WE LEARNED from the Premier League weekend

• The weekend’s league action was full of compelling storylines and controversy
• Both Manchester clubs suffered shock defeats while Villa thrashed Brighton
• Click HERE to listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s ‘It’s All Kicking Off’

We may have reached peak Premier League content this weekend with games abundant in goals and incident. The fallout from Tottenham’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool has dominated most of the discussion but matchday seven provided a raft of other compelling storylines. 

A brilliant Wolves performance derailed what looked to be an unstoppable Manchester City while Arsenal showed their title credentials with a comfortable 4-0 win on the south coast.

Elsewhere there was more misery for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United, who suffered their fifth defeat of the season in all competitions. 

And Everton, who are now level on points with a newly-promoted Luton side that achieved their first victory in the top flight for over three decades. 

There was also the small matter of Aston Villa putting six past Brighton to get the weekend underway on Saturday afternoon. It’s fair to say a lot went on. Mail Sport takes a look at 10 things we learned from the weekend’s Premier League action.

Jurgen Klopp’s side suffered their first defeat of the season in a controversial tie with Spurs

Pep Guardiola saw his team suffer a shock 2-1 defeat to Wolves at Molineux on Saturday

Man City are fallible 

Pep Guardiola’s team suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday having recorded six wins from their opening six games. 

The glaring omission from the team that took to the field against Gary O’Neil’s side was Rodri, who was serving the second of his three-game suspension. 

And the Spaniard’s absence was certainly felt as the Premier League champions started with a midfield duo of Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes. The introduction of Kalvin Phillips in the 65th minute did little to improve the situation. 

Guardiola is unlikely to be unduly concerned by their first dropped points in the league. However, the summer departures of stalwarts Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez, coupled with the absence of injured Kevin De Bruyne, show this current City iteration is still some way off perfection.

Whilst the manner in which Craig Dawson and Max Kilman defended Erling Haaland, restricting him to a single shot in the tie, could provide a template for future opponents to follow. 

Kai Havertz has the backing of his Arsenal teammates

Arsenal made up ground on City with a comfortable 4-0 victory against a Bournemouth side still looking for their first win under new manger Andoni Iraola. 

The main takeaway was the decision to let summer signing Kai Havertz take the second of two penalties awarded to the Gunners at the Vitality. 

Martin Odegaard, who had dispatched the first in the 44th minute, was felled and presented the German with a chance to open his account for Mikel Arteta’s side. 

Arsenal continuing to spread the penalty taking responsibility is no surprise. But the way in which the team rallied behind the ex-Chelsea forward and made a pointed effort of imploring the fanbase to show their support indicates their awareness of the chatter about his slow start to life at the Emirates. 

Arteta will be hopeful the £65m signing can now prove his worth and play a major part in their pursuit of the Premier League title. 

Ex-Chelsea man Kai Havertz opened his account for Arsenal in a 4-0 win over Bournemouth 

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Luton grabbed their first win of the season against fellow strugglers Everton last weekend

Luton might be okay

Luton became the first of the newly-promoted sides to taste victory this season. In doing so they claimed their maiden top-flight win in over three decades. 

A triumph coming at the expense of a rival for survival will be all the sweeter and breed genuine confidence they can achieve their ultimate goal this campaign. 

Carlton Morris’s 31st minute winner at Goodison Park saw the Hatters climb out of the relegation zone ahead of another massive game against Burnley on Tuesday night. 

Rob Edwards’s side are still huge favourites to make an immediate return to the Championship but with the bottom five already starting to get cut adrift, they’ll fancy their chances being better than at least three of them. 

Brentford might be dragged into a relegation battle

From a message of hope to one of concern. Brentford in many ways have been the proto Luton. Until this season they boasted the division’s lowest wage bill and massively over-achieved to establish themselves among the Premier League’s middle class. 

But seven games into the campaign Thomas Frank’s side must be weary of getting dragged into relegation scrap. 

The Bees have now gone six games without a win in all competitions having enjoyed a fairly kind early season schedule compared to many of their rivals. Frank admitted his side were ‘struggling’ to convert performances into wins but remained confident their displays would ultimately be rewarded. 

‘Right now, we are in a spell where we are struggling to get over the line and get three points,’ he said after their 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest. ‘What we are a big believers in is that, if the performances are good and we are going in the right direction, the points will come.

‘If you look at everything, we should have won this game.’

There’s not yet any need for panic and the absence of talisman Ivan Toney is being acutely felt, but Brentford can ill afford to continue their winless streak in upcoming fixtures against the likes of Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. 

Thomas Frank’s side are now winless in six games after a 1-1 draw against ten man Forest 

Ollie Watkins (middle) bagged his second hat-trick of the season in Villa’s 6-1 win over Brighton

Ollie Watkins is the most in-form striker in the league 

The most shocking result of the weekend came at Villa Park where Unai Emery’s team thumped fellow hipster darlings Brighton 6-1. 

Along with Newcastle, who were another of the 2021-22 season’s big overachievers, the three sides have now traded 5-1, 3-0 and 6-1 wins. 

Saturday’s contest revealed the frailties in Brighton’s approach just at Newcastle’s 5-1 win against Villa on the opening day highlighted that of the Villains. And Ollie Watkins’s hat-trick – his second of the season – proved his run at the end of last season was no fluke. 

The 27-year-old has now registered seven goals and three assists from 11 games in all competitions and is on pace to best his numbers from last season before the end of this calendar year. 

Emery’s arrival in the West Midlands has transformed the fortunes of several Villa players and Watkins may be chief among them in a season ahead of a major international tournament. 

Gary O’Neil can mix it with the best of them

Despite impressive displays against Man United and Liverpool, Gary O’Neil was already started to feel the pressure from a Wolves fanbase still mourning the departure of Europa League winning-Julen Lopetegui. 

Saturday’s 2-1 win against Man City therefore, built on the back of a shift in approach, was a timely display of his abilities in the dug out. 

The former Bournemouth manager did away with his preferred 4-2-3-1 in favour of a back five that was content to soak up pressure and funnel the majority of their attacking output through the red-hot Pedro Neto. 

It may not be the most transferable blueprint but O’Neil at least has a well earned scalp under his belt to show for his team’s early-season promise. 

After coming close to beating top six opposition, O’Neil’s side claimed victory against City

Man United suffered their second successive league home defeat against Crystal Palace

Man United still haven’t hit rock bottom

There’s precious little left to say about Man United and their start to the season. Just when supporters think it can’t get any worse, it does.

Saturday’s home defeat to Crystal Palace was their fifth of the season in all competitions and their second in a row at Old Trafford. 

Injuries are certainly some mitigation for their plight. And the most recent alignment to Sergio Reguilon, brought in on a short-term basis to plug the gap left by stricken fullbacks Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, leaves Erik ten Hag with yet more to ponder. 

The Red Devils desperately need results in their two fixtures before the international break starting with a home game in the Champions League against Galatasaray on Tuesday night. 

There’s life in Mykhailo Mudryk

Chelsea and more specifically Mykhailo Mudryk finally got the rub of the green in a London derby win at Fulham. 

Despite winning the xG battle in every league fixture this term the Blues had tasted victory only once before Monday night’s win and sat 15th in the table. 

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are unlikely to receive any sympathy from neutrals after their summer spending spree but Chelsea have suffered with injuries and the inconsistency associated with young squads. 

The former Tottenham boss saw his support of Mudryk rewarded with the game’s opening goal, his first since completing a £88.5m move in January. And will take heart from their continued defensive excellence. 

The 22-year-old Mudryk has been emblematic of his team as a whole. Immensely talented but wasteful when presented with chances and incredibly susceptible to losses in confidence. 

However, if Monday’s performance proves to be a turning point for the Ukrainian it could also spell a change in fortune for the west London club. 

Mykhailo Mudryk (right) finally scored his first goal for Chelsea at the 24th time of asking

Joel Matip scored a late own goal as Tottenham left it late to beat Liverpool in a dramatic Premier League clash on Saturday

Klopp’s mentality monsters are back 

There are few things capable of creating a siege mentality like the feeling of injustice. A glorious defeat can be one of the most galvanising tools for a manager. it is one of Klopp’s most used tools. 

In his first successful Liverpool team the German manager watched as his side lost a League Cup, Europa League, Champions League and Premier League before claiming their first trophy. 

Klopp’s is obviously one of the finest tactical minds of his generation but his brand of management is virtually unstoppable when his instructions are carried out by players with unflinching adherence and cheered on by fans with an unshakable belief. 

Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, which came amidst a slew of contentious and outright incorrect decisions, provided Klopp with his most powerful motivational tool yet. 

They may have left London without any points but Liverpool 2.0 are checking off the markers required to challenge for major honours. 

It’s better to be lucky than good 

Ange Postecoglou’s remarkable Spurs honeymoon continues. His side sit second in the league and are unbeaten after seven games having faced Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool. 

Tottenham claimed another late victory in front of their fans to climb to second in the table 

The Australian has breathed new life into Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma while James Maddison is an early shout for signing of the season. 

Man United fans will decry decisions that went against them in August’s 2-0 defeat just as Liverpool fans bemoan their series of unfortunate events at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. 

But Spurs and their jubilant fans don’t care. 

With their north London rivals facing Man City in Sunday’s marquee clash Tottenham could feasibly go into the international break at the top of the table with a real opportunity to claim an unlikely spot in the top four. Or maybe even more.

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