Football writer Alex Keble highlights the hot topics and tactical lessons from Saturday.

Haaland shows no sign of slowing down under Maresca

Manchester City had to cling on at the end, but a brace from Erling Haaland – taking his season tally to eight already - was enough to maintain the league leaders' 100 per cent start to the season.

Haaland was emphatic once again, denied a hat-trick only by a marginal offside call, and although that is par for the course, we have quickly learned that he will be just as lethal – and equally as important – under Enzo Maresca as he was for Pep Guardiola.

Haaland has now netted 100 non-penalty goals in the Premier League, reaching this milestone in fewer appearances than any other player (139).

It leaves Man City with seven wins from seven, which is the third-longest winning streak ever at the start of a Premier League season, behind Chelsea in 2005/06 (nine) and Liverpool in 2019/20 (eight). They are now six points ahead of Arsenal, who visit Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

However, there might be some concern about the number of goals City’s defence is leaking. Another two here at the Etihad Stadium against Ipswich Town made it nine in their last four matches in all competitions.

Ipswich, meanwhile, are proving that goals will not be a problem this time around. In 2024/25 they scored just 36 goals (0.9 per game) on their way to relegation. So far under Gary O’Neil they have netted 11 times, or 1.6 times per match, including twice against Arsenal, Manchester United and now Man City.

Neto shows Chelsea's attack is not just ‘JP Morgan’

A battling 2-0 win at Everton has strengthened the title credentials of a Chelsea side clearly benefiting from the coaching of Xabi Alonso.

Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers played a big part, as ever, but Pedro Neto stole the show with two goals, proving that for all the talk of "JP Morgan" (Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers), Chelsea have a blistering front four, not three. On this showing, a new nickname is in order.

The first goal of Neto’s brace came just 43 seconds into the second half, the third time Chelsea have scored in the first minute of a half this season, suggesting Alonso delivers a good team talk.

The tactical work on the training ground is also evident, and nobody is benefiting more than Neto, whose goals capped a strong performance in his new hybrid role as a right wing-back/right winger. It is Neto’s positional shifts that move Chelsea's formation seamlessly between a 3-4-3 and a 4-2-3-1, which on this occasion bamboozled the Everton defence into twice giving Neto space to score.

A first Premier League clean sheet since 17 January (ending a run of 22 games without one) is another sign of Alonso’s coaching taking shape at Chelsea, although Everton’s ongoing profligacy in front of goal was also a factor.

Thierno Barry consistently gets into good positions but he missed a glorious headed chance in the first half with the score at 0-0. He has now missed 14 big chances (a situation where a player is expected to score) in the Premier League this season, more than anyone else.

Nevertheless, Chelsea will feel they deserved their gritty, hard-fought win, with a potentially serious injury to goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (replaced by Mike Penders, who made his Premier League debut) the only negative on a day where Alonso’s vision for Chelsea truly came together.

Liverpool's new-look frontline is coming together for Iraola

The Andoni Iraola era hasn’t always gone smoothly so far, but after this victory at Brentford we can say with some confidence he has got Liverpool’s star-studded frontline clicking.

There has been plenty of noise surrounding the Reds' big-money signings from last summer, with Florian Wirtz, in particular, in the firing line. Those voices may quieten after Liverpool came back from 1-0 down to beat nine-man Brentford courtesy of goal involvements for Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola, and Victor Munoz.

Wirtz’s brilliant touch and through-ball set Munoz away to score the equaliser, before Barcola’s cushion header assisted a superbly-taken winner by Isak, who has now scored five Premier League goals this season.

Wirtz was the most impressive of the quartet, as one stat neatly captured: Wirtz became the first player to create nine or more chances from open play in a Premier League game since Sadio Mane against Burnley in January 2021 (also nine).

Iraola promises fast attacking football and here was evidence that his more direct approach than Anfield predecessor Arne Slot can produce explosive moments from those four forwards in particular.

The caveat, of course, is that both goals came after Brentford were reduced to 10 men, thereby simplifying the task. The challenge for Iraola’s forwards now, beginning with Brighton & Hove Albion at home next Sunday, is to do it against 11 men – and from the first whistle.

Brentford, however, will be disappointed to have succumbed to that second-half pressure, having been good value for a 1-0 lead.

Yehor Yarmoliuk’s red card on the stroke of half-time ultimately changed the pattern of play, although Keith Andrews will not be disheartened by a gutsy display that had all the usual Brentford hallmarks, as the Bees suffered their first defeat of the season.

Villa’s rebuild is back on track thanks to Manzambi

When Aston Villa began the campaign with a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Brighton there were fears Unai Emery’s rebuild job – following a huge summer of incomings and outgoings – was going to be a challenging one.

Victory at St James' Park on Saturday evening has put most of those fears to bed. Villa are now unbeaten in six matches in all competitions (winning four) and supporters are in no doubts about who to thank for that upturn in form.

Johan Manzambi scored the only goal of the game against Newcastle United, and has now scored the opening goal in three of Villa's last four matches across all competitions, reflecting the energy, tenacity, and sharp-edged quality of Emery’s new star player.

Indeed since his first start for Villa on 19 September, only Man City's Haaland (six) has been involved in more goals among Premier League players in all competitions than Manzambi (five – three goals, two assists), while he is only the fourth Villa player to either score or assist in each of his first three Premier League starts for the club.

How Newcastle could do with a player in that kind of form. They have now lost three of their last four Premier League matches, and it doesn’t get any easier. The Magpies play three of their next four games in all competitions away from home before welcoming Arsenal straight after the next international break.

Iwobi winner is a vital reset for Arbeloa’s Fulham

Sometimes in the Premier League a single goal can completely change the picture.

Alex Iwobi’s first-half strike at Craven Cottage was enough to give Alvaro Arbeloa his first Premier League victory as Fulham head coach, ending a six-match winless streak and lifting his side out of the bottom three in the process.

The Cottagers’ second in a trio of successive matches against the promoted clubs was billed as a must-win, yet with the points secured, all of a sudden Fulham’s position does not look so precarious: on five points from seven matches, they are only three points shy of their tally at this stage last season when Marco Silva’s side went on to finish in 11th spot.

“I am very happy, especially for the supporters, they deserve this win,” Arbeloa told BBC Match of the Day. “We deserved it in other matches, but we couldn't get it; today was finally the day.”

Iwobi’s goal could prove to be a monumental one in the Arbeloa era – and it could be similarly big for Hull City, who after a fast start are now five Premier League matches without a win and, implausibly, only four points above Fulham.