Ben Mattinson: 5 Things We Learned in the Premier League Last Weekend

In the ever-evolving landscape of the Premier League, standout performances and pivotal changes define each season. From rising stars to managerial shake-ups, the narratives surrounding clubs and players shape the excitement of the league.

In this week’s roundup, we delve into the key developments, including Cole Palmer’s transformation into a central playmaker for Chelsea, the contrasting fortunes of West Ham and Manchester United, Bukayo Saka’s relentless rise at Arsenal, Nottingham Forest’s impressive form under Nuno Espírito Santo, and Ipswich’s struggle for stability.

Palmer is Best As a #10

Last season Chelsea opted to play Palmer as a RW and it’s here where he managed to score 22 goals and get 11 assists in just 34 appearances in the Premier League. However, out wide he always had a tendency to cut inside on his left foot as he was less effective as a touchline winger.

Now he’s moved centrally permanently, Palmer is at the heart of every attack for Chelsea and key in the build-up of every goal. As a #10, Palmer is able to drift to either wing, drop deep into midfield, and find himself in more space to be able to play killer final balls on transitions.

Summerville & Bowen Save Lopetegui but Get Ten Hag Sacked

West Ham went into the season with big expectations from a lot of fans due to such a busy transfer window, however, new manager Julian Lopetegui has struggled for consistency and a clear identity for the club in its new era. Despite a 4-1 win over Ipswich recently, they followed that up with a 4-1 loss against Tottenham.

All throughout the season they’ve looked defensively shaky and toothless up top. But the goals by Summerville and Bowen have bought Lopetegui time to implement his ideas and attempt to find some consistency. On the other hand, a loss for Man United then led to their sacking of Erik Ten Hag this week. One era comes to an end whilst the other hangs by a thread.

Saka is Inevitable

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has been consistently improving each year and just when you think he couldn’t continue to improve, he has. Against title rivals Liverpool, despite coming back from a spell out injured, Saka was the one to open the scoring.

A ball over the top of Liverpool’s defense from Ben White led to Saka running in behind, turning past Robertson and smashing a shot into the roof of the net. There was a clinical side to this attack – an inevitability. Once he was through, it was clear he was going to score.

Forest Get the Best Out of Wood

Another week, another Nottingham Forest win. They’re continually impressing under manager Nuno Espírito Santo and now climb up to 7th place. Forest have some key players missing through injury such as Morgan Gibbs-White, Taiwo Awoniyi and Danilo, but in their presence it’s striker Chris Wood who’s stepped up. 2 goals against Forest’s rivals Leicester City took his tally up to 7 goals in 9 games this season.

Now Wood has already got half of the goals he got across 31 games last season (14).

Ipswich Need to Stop Leaking Goals in Premier League 

Another game week passed with Ipswich still in search of their first Premier League win of the season, instead they recorded their 3rd straight loss. But this 4-3 defeat to Brentford began with Ipswich getting a 2-0 lead in the first half, then their defensive frailties enabled Brentford to get back into the game to score 3 goals to lead 3-2.

After another goal from summer signing Liam Delap in the 86th minute they then weren’t able to hold the game at a draw and conceded in the 96th minute. Ipswich will need to have more defensive solidity if they’re to avoid relegation.