1
Rice takes controversial red in stride
While Mikel Arteta fumed at the perceived injustice in Declan Rice’s sending off against Brighton, there was a far more measured response from the England midfielder. Despite admitting he had been “shocked” to see the referee, Chris Kavanagh, show him a second yellow card for obstructing Joël Veltman from taking a free kick, Rice acknowledged that a first dismissal on his 245th Premier League appearance had cost his team victory as they head into the first international break already playing catchup to Manchester City. “I just wanted to apologise to my teammates, which I’ve done, and to the fans,” he said. “When you get sent off, it’s never nice, you get a sense of guilt over you, and I was lucky that my teammates really helped me out and we didn’t lose the game. I’ll learn from it.” Ed Aarons
2
Grealish on the comeback trail
Erling Haaland grabbed the headlines as usual but it was also good to see Jack Grealish return to the stage at last. Making his first start since his high-profile omission from England’s Euro 2024 squad, Grealish was excellent during Manchester City’s win over West Ham. He was constantly ready to take on Aaron Wan-Bissaka, linked well with City’s other attackers and more than justified Lee Carsley’s decision to hand him an England recall for this month’s Nations League fixtures. “He was aggressive without the ball, but especially with the ball against Wan-Bissaka and made good actions,” Pep Guardiola said. City’s manager has clearly not given up onthe £100m man whose form dipped after playing a key role in City’s treble win two seasons ago. Last year was a write-off. Grealish struggled to stay fit and fell out of Guardiola’s best XI but City will be even harder to stop if he is back to his best. Jacob Steinberg
3
Gravenberch flourishing in new role
The heaviness – and familiarity – of Manchester United’s defeat put an almost certain end to Casemiro’s time at the club. With Sir Jim Ratcliffe sat gloomily in the stands, it may hasten Erik ten Hag’s tenure towards a time that Ruud van Nistelrooy becomes caretaker manager. Casemiro’s dreadful 45 minutes was full of self-inflicted, scatterbrained mistakes but another Dutchman in Ryan Gravenberch had a little to do with it. He dominated central midfield in both halves. Arne Slot’s most obvious Liverpool innovation so far is making a holding midfielder out of his compatriot. Fifty years ago, Bob Paisley converted Bill Shankly’s final signing, Ray Kennedy, from bustling striker to brilliant attacking midfielder. In repurposing Gravenberch perhaps Slot can make a high-class Liverpool player of Jürgen Klopp’s final addition. Klopp never got to the bottom of Gravenberch. Next up for Slot’s renovation expertise: Darwin Núñez? John Brewin
4
Trippier more than a squad player
As Tottenham equalised and then dominated at St James’ Park, Kieran Trippier warmed up furiously. But with Tino Livramento occupying his preferred right-back role, Trippier was not one of the four substitutes Eddie Howe introduced. Given that Howe has recently handed Trippier’s old captain’s armband to Bruno Guimarães it is easy to see why a defender who turns 34 this month is apparently so keen to leave. Howe though says he still cannot do without Trippier’s qualities and desperately hopes he does not depart before the closure of the Turkish and Middle Eastern transfer windows this month. Did Newcastle make a mistake in not selling the full-back to Bayern Munich last January or is Howe right and does Trippier still have one last hurrah on Tyneside in him? Whatever the truth he is still far too good to be merely a squad player. Louise Taylor
5
Could Cottagers rue Stansfield sale?
Perhaps lost in the shenanigans taking place elsewhere on transfer deadline day was the curious case of Jay Stansfield. On Friday, Birmingham paid a League One record £15m for their former loanee, a rare positive in Blues’ relegation last season. He scored in last week’s EFL game for Fulham at St Andrews. At Ipswich, Fulham were short on firepower with Rodrigo Muniz yet to hit the stride of last season and Raúl Jiménez appearing only late on. Stansfield’s finishing skills might have been of use; Cottagers fans have been patiently waiting for his first-team breakthrough. Instead, the large fee aids Fulham’s profit and sustainability while Marco Silva appears unimpressed by a highly promising youngster’s departure. “It was a plan from ourselves, me and him, for him to stay with us this season, to fight for the position, to be able to score goals and to help the team,” said Silva. “It’s about business, it’s not a normal number for that type of club.” John Brewin
6
Ndiaye the maverick may save Blues
Amid the fallout from Everton’s desperate defeat to Bournemouth, there were some positives to be taken for Sean Dyche. Iliman Ndiaye’s full Premier League debut appeared to ignite Everton’s season but, after being withdrawn, his team fell apart. He has an element of the maverick about him in his No 10 shirt, swaggering down the left wing, doing as he pleases with an array of tricks. He seems very unDychian in his approach but could be a real asset for the Toffees. The Senegal international was dynamic, playing a part in the second and his only personal disappointment was failing to get a goal for himself, seeing two shots well saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga and firing another over. “I was really impressed,” Dyche said. “There’s a future day, you feel for, because of their performances. But at the end of the day, I felt I was monitoring these players when they’re ready. I think he is and he’s delivered that today and he’s played very well.” Will Unwin
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7
Sancho adds to Chelsea unknowns
Jadon Sancho’s introduction to the Chelsea crowd before the match was applauded dutifully, but it is clear fans will have to be won over. There is too much suspicion about the club’s direction despite the array of talent. Pedro Neto lasted 68 minutes of his home bow with little impact as Enzo Maresca threw an array of mercurial talents into the mix with little consequence. João Félix, Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku all failed to prevent two points from slipping through Chelsea fingers. Whether Sancho, the fallen England international, can navigate Chelsea through future encounters remains to be seen. If he can’t, Maresca’s theory will quickly be tested that “now it is not that kind of Chelsea, so sometimes if you don’t win it is normal”. After an outlay of more than £1bn, it is still that kind of Chelsea. The only variable is whether it is board or fans who buckle first. Matthew Dunn
8
Penny drops for Durán at Villa
Throughout the summer it was hard to remember Jhon Durán was an Aston Villa player. He made it clear he fancied a move to Chelsea and then crossed his arms on Instagram amid bids from West Ham. Villa knew they were getting a colourful character as well as an extraordinary talent when they signed the Colombia striker from Chicago Fire in January last year. Durán teased it last season, his late double against Liverpool in May offering a reminder of his ability. Across little more than 90 minutes this campaign, the 20-year-old has two match-winning goals in three substitute appearances. The movement and execution of his header at Leicester was sublime. “He doesn’t seem to have let anything in the summer affect him,” said the Villa captain, John McGinn. “Maybe the penny has dropped. He’ll get his opportunities, chances and his goals. Even his attitude off the pitch … the way he is around people, around the staff – it has improved a lot – and it’s great to see.” Ben Fisher
9
Johnstone hopeful for England revival
Sam Johnstone believes he can revive his England career if he establishes himself at Wolves. The £10m signing from Crystal Palace, where he lost his first-team place to former Nottingham Forest keeper Dean Henderson, impressed in his debut in the 1-1 draw at the City Ground after being selected over José Sá. The former West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa keeper, who has kept a clean sheet on all four of his senior international appearances, said that when he was playing regularly at club level over recent years, Gareth Southgate, Carsley’s predecessor as England manager, selected him for the senior squad. “Firstly I need to concentrate on Wolves and settling in and putting in the performances,” he said. “Then if you put in the performances, hopefully England comes back around. It has changed, obviously, with the new manager, but it would be good to get back in now and play. As you’ve seen previously, when I’m playing, I do tend to get in the squads, but again, it’s new now.” Peter Lansley
10
Martin sticks to his beliefs despite errors
Russell Martin is the latest Premier League manager grappling with the challenge of balancing an attractive style of play with the need to grind out results. Despite his team’s struggles, particularly on Saturday when Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Jack Stephens were unable to deal withBrentford’s press for their first two goals, Martin remains committed to his possession based approach that secured promotion to the top flight. “We made two mistakes that we were punished for, which is frustrating and disappointing. The details and structure of the team are not right. The players are doing what I’ve asked but the positions are not right. You get punished in the Premier League … It’s about taking a breath in that moment, that’s my job to get rid of the tension,” he said. While it is clear how Martin sees his team playing – they manage to execute that for portions of the game – the jury is still out on if that is the best long-term strategy. Sticking to this style has left Southampton without a point. They are already behind in the race to retain Premier League status. Yara El-Shaboury