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

Man Utd struggle against brilliant Bournemouth as Fernandes watches on

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes watched on from the bench as his side fell to a damaging 3-0 defeat to AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford which extended their winless run to eight matches in all competitions and increased the pressure on head coach Michael Carrick.

The Man Utd boss insisted that it was a "pure football" decision to not start Fernandes. The playmaker hasn't been at his best this campaign, but the Red Devils struggled to create meaningful chances without their talisman.

It hardly came as a surprise. Since Carrick's first game in charge in January, Fernandes has the most assists (14) and has created the most chances (96) of any player in Europe's big-five leagues.

Furthermore, Bryan Mbeumo was the only member of their starting XI who had scored a Premier League goal for Man Utd in 2026, a statistic that highlighted the extent to which United have relied upon Fernandes for inspiration under Carrick.

Man Utd suffered their heaviest home Premier League defeat since December 2024 - which was also 3-0 to Bournemouth.

Old Trafford began to empty long before the final whistle, and those fans will no doubt be thinking about a tough set of games coming up - Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Saturday is followed by a home match against Aston Villa and then a trip to Liverpool.

Already enduring their worst-ever start to a Premier League season, that’s an ominous set of games for Carrick – with or without Fernandes.

But take nothing away from Bournemouth’s spectacular performance, defined perhaps most of all by Rayan, whose opener set the tone for a pulsating counter-attacking display by Marco Rose’s side.

It was the Cherries' third win by three or more goals at Old Trafford in the Premier League, with only Liverpool achieving that more often since 1992/93 (with four victories).

Following the 3-0 victory over AC Milan in midweek, and with Junior Kroupi returning to action off the bench for his first minutes of 2026/27, it capped a perfect week for the club.

The Rose era has emphatically sparked into life.

Liverpool’s new-look attack shows signs of clicking

The idea of Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool struggling to take off feels like a distant memory.

A scintillating display from Iraola’s new-look front four saw Liverpool storm into an early 2-0 lead, from which moment the result never looked in doubt. Indeed, such was the self-assurance of the performance it was hard to believe this was the club’s first Premier League victory at Anfield under Iraola.

Brighton & Hove Albion, on an outstanding run until now, were simply swept away by a Liverpool side led by Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola, Cody Gakpo, and Alexander Isak.

Wirtz’s shot, which deflected off Pascal Gross for an own goal, gave Liverpool the lead before superb work from Barcola down the right assisted Isak for his sixth goal in his last six Premier League appearances.

It leaves Liverpool just six points off the top of the table and, better yet, looking clearly-defined and cohesive under Iraola, the man tasked with bringing back the football of the Jurgen Klopp era.

Of course, Klopp’s Liverpool were built on a front three (Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Robert Firmino) who were supported by a hard-working midfield trio. That Iraola has taken this one step further - a fab four emerging - suggests he isn’t just reviving Klopp’s heavy metal. He's taken it to another level.

Brighton, meanwhile, were far too open as they suffered their first defeat in 10 matches in all competitions, stretching back to a 4-3 defeat at Chelsea in the Premier League.

That Chelsea defeat, plus a 3-2 victory at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup earlier this season, hinted at a defensive vulnerability on the road that Liverpool took advantage of on Sunday. In a brilliant season so far, here is something for Fabian Hurzeler to work on.

Jaissle’s big calls pay off as Newcastle win at struggling Palace

Newcastle United entered their match at Crystal Palace having lost three of their last four Premier League outings and conceding four goals in each of their previous two games on the road.

So it came as a surprise when new head coach Matthias Jaissle gambled on some big changes, leaving out Yoane Wissa in attack, plus Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman at the back.

Needless to say, his bold tactical calls paid off.

William Osula, replacing Wissa up front, scored the opener at Selhurst Park. The Denmark international has netted seven goals in his last 13 league games, having previously managed just two from his first 50 appearances in the competition.

Meanwhile, a much-changed defence kept a first clean sheet in seven matches, helping to lift the Magpies up into seventh spot.

Things suddenly look rosy for Jaissle. Not so much for Pierre Sage, who has won just one of his last seven matches in all competitions to leave Palace only one point above the relegation zone.

Hull will rely on home form to survive the drop

Dango Ouattara’s equaliser might have extended Hull City’s winless run to seven matches in all competitions but another impressive - and hardy - performance from Hull revealed their pathway to survival.

Hull are unbeaten across their last nine home games in all competitions, winning three, and last enjoyed a longer streak in April 2019.

It’s a run that includes all four of their Premier League matches this season.

That should bring comfort to Hull supporters concerned by the club’s downturn in results since the opening two weekends of 2026/27; resilience on home turf is crucial to any relegation battle.

Brentford, too, are enduring something of a downward trend. After such a strong start Keith Andrews will be keen to ensure the Bees' run of three Premier League games without a win comes to an end when they host Nottingham Forest next weekend.

Leeds show their defensive resilience again in Sunderland stalemate

Dreadful weather conditions undermined a difficult, physical, and ultimately fair 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light that once again proved Leeds United are among the most stubborn teams in the Premier League.

They have only conceded six league goals this season, just one more than the division's meanest defence, Arsenal.

Daniel Farke’s side have lost just a single Premier League game this season and, therefore, just six of their last 33 in the competition. Remarkably, that’s not too far off the loss percentage of champions. That they can prove as dogged in the howling wind and rain - and when confronted by a powerful Sunderland side - is testament to Farke’s coaching.

But it was arguably a more important point for Sunderland, who despite remaining bottom of the Premier League table have avoided defeat for just the third time this season.

Crucially, they have only lost one of their five matches at the Stadium of Light in all competitions, suggesting home form can keep them afloat even with Europa League football tiring legs and minds on Thursday evenings.