MANCHESTER: Arsenal and Liverpool's thrilling 2-2 draw yesterday allowed Manchester City to end the weekend on top of the Premier League.
City did just enough to sneak past bottom-of-the-table Southampton 1-0 on Saturday to lead Liverpool by one point and Arsenal by five after nine games.
Manchester United's latest defeat at West Ham heightened the speculation over Erik ten Hag's future, while Tottenham also suffered another disappointing away day at Crystal Palace.
AFP Sports looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend:
The Gunners were installed as favourites for the title when City's influential midfielder Rodri was ruled out for the rest of the season last month, but Mikel Arteta's men are feeling the strain of a depleted squad themselves at the minute.
Captain Martin Odegaard has been sidelined for nearly two months by ankle ligament damage.
William Saliba was missing against Liverpool due to suspension, while injuries to Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber during the game forced Arteta into cobbling together a defence.
A five-point deficit to the champions is far from insurmountable this early in the campaign and after a difficult start that included trips to City, Aston Villa and Tottenham in their opening six matches.
However, Arsenal can ill-afford to see that gap increase before the November international break with two tough away games to come.
They travel to a Newcastle side badly needing a win next weekend before facing the in-form Chelsea.
"That's the reality that we have at the moment and we have to face it," said Arteta."
United had cause to curse their luck at the London Stadium as a VAR intervention controversially awarded West Ham a stoppage time penalty that Jarrod Bowen converted to give the Hammers a 2-1 win.
But the Red Devils had only themselves to blame for a fourth league defeat of the season that leaves Ten Hag's men down in 14th.
As has been their problem all season, United squandered a series of big chances during a dominant spell in the first half.
A return of eight goals in their first nine games is United's worst in the Premier League era and no side in the division has under-performed their expected goals figures more this season.
How much longer the United board can continue to stand behind the Dutchman remains the major question as a challenge even for the top four becomes more distant with every passing week.
United are seven points adrift of the Champions League places and face fifth-placed Chelsea at Old Trafford next weekend.
The fact that Tottenham's only away league win this season came in a 3-0 rout of United last month sums up the campaign for both so far.
Palace were without a win until Spurs arrived at Selhurst Park and rolled over in a 1-0 defeat that saw manager Ange Postecoglou and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario question their heart for a battle.
"We play good football but maybe sometimes we lack the desire to fight," said Vicario.
The contrast between Tottenham's home and away form symbolises the inconsistency that continues to dog Postecoglou's men in the Australian's second season in charge.
Spurs have racked up 11 goals in their three home wins against Everton, Brentford and West Ham but taken just four points from five away games to slip down to eighth. - AFP