Five things we learned from Saturday’s Premier League games, from Manchester United’s character to Palace’s XI

Manchester United showed character to hold off Southampton (Man Utd via Getty Images)

United show character to go with class

On the face of it, this might look like the kind of straightfoward 3-2 victory against lesser opposition that Manchester United should routinely collect, especially at Old Trafford. Certainly the United of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s pomp rarely missed such opportunities to rack up points and goals, to the glee of the home crowd.

But this was a different kind of performance, one that stuttered for 45 minutes as Southampton took the lead. Particularly at fault in that early period was a United midfield which was barely coherent as a unit, more a collection of inadequate parts, with Andreas Pereira and Scott McTominay struggling to get any grip on the game and Paul Pogba unusually subdued.

The second was totally different. McTominay began playing fast passes between the lines. Pogba was suddenly more energetic and influential. And Pereira was transformed, assisting Romelu Lukaku after he had curled in a brilliant goal of his own, his first in the Premier League. Pereira is out of contract in the summer, but showed exactly why Solskjaer clearly rates him so highly, and repaid the faith. This was a United win which required guts and grit – and it was their first under Solskjaer in the league achieved coming from behind. LO

Are City slowing down or showing the mark of champions?

Are Manchester City slowing down? It took them 59 minutes to get their breakthrough against West Ham on Wednesday and it was a similar story today here, with Riyad Mahrez finally breaking Bournemouth’s resilience on the 55-minute mark. The Algerian’s goal came as a major disappointment for the hosts who, up until that point, had done well to frustrate City’s game plan.

The electric, utterly overwhelming approach which typically defines the champions – as embodied in their 6-0 demolition of Chelsea – seems to have faded somewhat. In its place, a patience and quiet sense of assurance has emerged. Of course, with the club stretched across four competitions still, this is to be expected as Pep Guardiola’s men bid to preserve their energy and focus.

In those games where City aren’t looking to steamroll opponents it may leave them more vulnerable to upset and surprise, but if they can continue to churn out the results then surely that’s all that matters? SL

Wolves have the potential to bridge the gap

It didn’t take the 2-0 victory over Cardiff City to prove that Wolverhampton Wolves have put together quite the team, but the way that they knocked the Welsh side for six so quickly displayed a killer instinct that few teams possess down the league table.

Wolves have cleared the magic 40-point barrier with ease and can concentrate on the battle for Europa League football with Watford, Everton and West Ham. But on this evidence, you would have to favour Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

In Raul Jimenez, they possess a striker that already delivered double figures in front of goal, while the seven players who have scored more than the on-loan Benfica forward this season are all playing for top-six clubs. If Wolves choose to keep the striker for next season and invest smartly once again in the summer transfer window, they could well become the side that bridges the gap to the top six next season. JdM

So long and farewell to Huddersfield

And that will be that for the Terriers. While not yet mathematically guaranteed, the 1-0 defeat by Brighton not only allowed the Seagulls to put some much-needed breathing space between them and the relegation zone, but leaves Huddersfield Town needing 26 more points to hit the 40-point mark, with just 27 remaining.

Even if the bar is set lower than normal this season, Huddersfield will be playing in the Championship as they showed few signs of throwing any punches against a Brighton side who were the only side in the Football League not to have won a league game in 2019.

More alarmingly is that Brighton were the side who kicked on after Florin Andone’s breakthrough, and from the body language and mentality of the Huddersfield players, they already know their season is up. JdM

Palace still don’t have a best XI, but does it matter?

Crystal Palace put a comfortable amount of distance between themselves and the relegation zone with a 3-1 win at Turf Moor, Burnley’s second defeat in five matches. The impressive attacking display was a welcome one for Roy Hodgson ahead of their clash with rivals Brighton on Saturday.

The Palace manager is known for having his favourite players and can be stubborn in his approach to team selection, but a number of changes and inconsistencies in the team suggest there still is not a set first 11.

Max Meyer, easily the most technically gifted player in the squad, is rarely given a chance to play but was chosen in place of James McArthur, perhaps with next week in mind. Eyebrows were raised when Wayne Hennessey’s name was on the team sheet with Vicente Guaita on the bench and there was a start for Cheikhou Kouyate. All three gave good accounts for themselves in Lancashire and hand Hodgson a selection headache ahead of next week’s match.

Palace are now in the unfamiliar position of having a number of good options in several areas which points to a less settled team, although the variety of options to suit different opponents can help to propel them up the table. JW