We highlight the key takeaways from Saturday's action-packed Premier League fixtures.

Brighton grit shows they can stay among elite

When the final whistle blew and the Brighton & Hove Albion players collapsed to the turf, exhausted and elated after surviving an onslaught to hold on to a precious victory at the Etihad Stadium, the atmosphere was more like a giant-killing in the cup than a Premier League win.

But results like this help to establish Brighton as one of the big boys. 

Their superb run to two points off the top of the Premier League has been built on flowing, attacking football, yet on Saturday the league’s top-scoring club (with 24 goals) showed something else: gritty, backs-to-the-wall defensive steel.

The performance of title contenders? It’s too soon to say, but Brighton fans can dare to dream after seeing a completely different side to their game – and learning from past mistakes. 

They held 64 per cent possession in their 2-0 loss at Liverpool last weekend, and 74 per cent in the 4-3 defeat at Chelsea in August. Saturday's 38 per cent possession marked a radical change in approach from head coach Fabian Hurzeler. Who knows where it could take them?

Manchester City, meanwhile, know where they must improve after back-to-back defeats defined by wastefulness in front of goal. They passed up glorious chances at the Etihad, amassing 1.92 Expected Goals (xG) from 20 shots, ending a Premier League game without a goal for the first time since 17 January.

Alonso's solution to Joao Pedro absence?

Joao Pedro's injury was always going to leave a gaping goalscoring hole in Chelsea’s attack, but manager Xabi Alonso appears to have found the answer.

Until sweeping aside Manchester United 2-0 on Saturday, Chelsea had lost both of the games the Brazilian had missed this season, without scoring.

Danny Welbeck had led the line in the 3-0 defeat at Brentford, while Morgan Rogers had been deployed up tfront in last weekend's 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Against Man Utd, however, Alonso handed the role to Pedro Neto, and it paid off.

The three forwards around Neto took advantage of poor Man Utd defending, with Rogers and Cole Palmer scoring, while Estevao had two goals ruled out for offside.

Significantly, Rogers moved level with Joao Pedro as Chelsea’s top Premier League scorer, on five goals. Palmer, meanwhile, notched his 50th Premier League goal in 105 games, becoming the third-fastest Chelsea player to reach the milestone behind Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (84 matches) and Diego Costa (85).

As for Man Utd, there was positive early signs and they were arguably the better team in the first half, with Matheus Cunha having a goal ruled out. But, their defensive woes returned after half-time to haunt them. Rogers ran through a gaping hole in the middle of the defence to open the scoring, while Lisandro Martinez was sent off for a reckless challenge from which Palmer converted the resulting penalty.

Man Utd fans chanted in support of Carrick, but his side are winless in nine games across all competitions and this latest defeat increases pressure on the manager.

Brentford’s scoring consistency has them chasing European elite

Brentford’s 2-0 victory against Nottingham Forest, coupled with Man City's 1-0 defeat, means the Bees are now the only Premier League team to have scored in every match this season.

That consistency has been crucial in keeping them in touching distance of the top four in another impressive season under Keith Andrews, with just one defeat, alongside five draws and three wins.

They are now sixth, only two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League places - and fifth might be enough, as it has been in each of the last two campaigns.

In contrast, Forest failed to score for the fifth time in the league this season, despite having 15 shots, as Oliver Glasner once more lamented his side's profligacy in front of goal as they drop into the relegation zone.

Bournemouth form underlines smooth succession

After some difficult early results under Marco Rose - albeit with late conceded goals undermining strong performances - AFC Bournemouth have exploded into life.

Their 2-0 victory over Leeds United made it six wins in a row in all competitions, and all to nil, a magnificent sequence that proves Bournemouth can juggle domestic and European football – and proves Rose can build on Andoni Iraola’s foundations.

A wonderful late assist from the returning Eli Kroupi, involving a nutmeg and a no-look assist, was the icing on the cake for the Cherries. 

Daniel Farke’s Leeds are struggling for goals, scoring just two in their last five and winning none, and were unlucky with Dominic Calvert-Lewin opening the scoring but seeing his strike ruled out for handball. 

De Zerbi's Spurs have found steady rhythm

They were helped, of course, by an early red card for Jean-Philippe Mateta but what will most please Spurs supporters about Saturday's win was its routine nature; the unfamiliar sense of calm, order, and rhythm at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side have now won three Premier League matches in a row, a feat last achieved in February 2025.

In all three wins Spurs have looked cohesive as a unit, playing carefully crafted De Zerbi football. The players are forging relationships, building confidence, and building trust – in each other and from the fan base.

After a couple of difficult seasons domestically, Spurs appear back on the up. 

Crystal Palace faced an uphill task after going down to 10 men and will continue to do so for the next few games. 

Mateta, their top scorer last season with 12 Premier League goals, will be out for three matches, bad news for a Palace side who have failed to score in each of their last three games in the competition.

Suzuki error makes up for Fulham's goal-shy forwards

Zion Suzuki, Johan Manzambi, and Nicolas Jackson looked set to be the heroes for Aston Villa once again, but after a string of high-quality saves, and after Manzambi assisted Jackson for the game’s opener, the striker’s sixth goal of the month, things took an unexpected turn.

Suzuki’s own goal – dropping the ball into his net from a corner – rescued a point for Fulham, doing the work Alvaro Arbeloa’s forwards could not.

Fulham produced an xG of 2.2 but did not capitalise on a series of glorious chances.

It follows the story of their season. Going into the match Fulham had scored 3.2 goals fewer than their 'Expected Goals' and as a result winning 3.2 fewer points than “expected”. 

If Alvaro Arbeloa’s attackers could find their shooting boots, Fulham could rocket up the table.

Promoted sides are up for the fight

Coventry City’s impressive victory over Sunderland provided further evidence the three sides promoted from the Championship are not here simply to make up the numbers.

Last season, two of the three promoted sides – Leeds and Sunderland – avoided relegation and, if the current trajectory continues, all THREE could stay up this time around.

Coventry’s home form alone might be enough to keep them up. They have recorded two big wins in their last three matches at the CBS Arena, beating Newcastle United 4-1 before this 3-1 victory over Sunderland.

Meanwhile, Hull City and Ipswich Town played out a thrilling 2-2 draw, leaving both on 11 points and creating a healthy gap between themselves and the bottom three.

Bottom side Sunderland have now lost to both Ipswich and Coventry this season – a sign of danger after last season’s feelgood campaign, when they finished seventh and qualified for Europe for the first time in 53 years.

Is that European adventure taking its toll? A midweek game against Dinamo Zagreb leaves them with less time to prepare for Chelsea’s visit next weekend.