5 things we learned from the Premier League this weekend
The Magpies have won four of their last five games.
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Your support makes all the difference.Newcastle muscled their way into the Premier League’s top four as an eventful weekend drew to a close.
Eddie Howe’s Magpies won for the fourth time in five outings to climb into the Champions League places as Leicester, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest all made significant moves in the developing battle at the other end of the table.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at what we learned from the latest round of top-flight fixtures.
Howe’s that?
Newcastle may just be on to something. The Magpies secured their fourth win in five games when they got the better of Tottenham on Sunday afternoon to climb into fourth place in the table. Unbeaten in seven games, they have lost only once all season and have conceded the fewest goals in the division, testament not only to their new-found spending power, but also the transformation they have undergone on the pitch under head coach Howe.
Xhaka all trades
Granit Xhaka’s Arsenal rehabilitation has brought unexpected dividends. The Switzerland international looked to have no future in North London three years ago when he found himself angrily at odds with the club’s fans. He has since worked his way back into their affections with consistently-impressive performances and added an unexpected firepower to his game with three of his 17 goals for the club having come in his most recent seven games, two of them in the last two.
Are you watching, Gareth?
With less than a month to go before England open their World Cup campaign against Iran, two men who could force their way from the periphery into the midst of manager Gareth Southgate’s thoughts did their respective causes little harm. Dominic Calvert-Lewin marked his return from injury with the opening goal in Everton’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, while Newcastle’s Callum Wilson produced a stunning finish to put his side ahead at Tottenham.
Stevie who?
There is such a thing as new manager bounce. Three days after Steven Gerrard was handed his cards following Aston Villa’s 3-0 defeat at Fulham, caretaker boss Aaron Danks, who took the bold decision to drop skipper captain John McGinn, presided over a 4-0 win against Brentford. A side which had tasted victory in just two of its previous 11 Premier League games this season surged into a 3-0 lead within 14 minutes to leave Gerrard wondering what might have been.
Ecstasy and agony
A day is a long time in football. Nottingham Forest were on cloud nine on Saturday afternoon after Taiwo Awoniyi fired them to a shock 1-0 victory over Liverpool, a result which suggested an immediate return to the Sky Bet Championship was not a foregone conclusion after all. A little more than 24 hours later, they found themselves still propping up the rest of the table with neighbours Villa and Leicester also having secured priceless wins over Brentford and Wolves respectively to climb clear of the bottom three.