The Premier League weekend continued with two intriguing fixtures to take in.
Here’s what we made of it all.
What happened?
📸 PAUL ELLIS – AFP or licensors
Tottenham recovered from a first-half setback to put Aston Villa to the sword in a 4-1 win.
Meanwhile at Old Trafford, Manchester United and Chelsea had to settle for a point after their cagey 1-1 draw.
Player of the day
📸 Ryan Pierse – 2024 Getty Images
The goals may not have flowed for Dominic Solanke at Tottenham after a one-in-four hit rate but he more than made up for it against Villa.
A quickfire brace provided Ange Postecoglou’s side with some much-needed breathing space against their rivals for Champions League qualification.
Dominic Solanke has scored more Premier League goals vs. Aston Villa under Unai Emery than any other player (4).
A quick-fire double for the forward. ⚽️⚽️#TOTAVL pic.twitter.com/VwxheCmxcI
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) November 3, 2024
Comparisons with Harry Kane are probably still some way off but Solanke has proved he can rise to the occasion when required.
Stat of the day
10 – Since the start of last season, Spurs have won 10 Premier League matches in which they conceded the first goal; the joint-most of any team, along with Manchester City. They’ve won three of their last four after going 0-1 down. Resilience. pic.twitter.com/zSUow6Wp9Z
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 3, 2024
What this means
📸 PAUL ELLIS – AFP or licensors
There’s a new London team propping up the top four with Chelsea replacing Arsenal with a superior goal difference.
But Spurs are just two points behind while United have leapfrogged West Ham into 13th with 12 points from their first 10 games.
What they said
📸 ADRIAN DENNIS – AFP or licensors
Ange Postecoglou continuing to trust Tottenham’s process: “We stick to our principles and when we do that we are hard to stop. I felt the momentum was going our way, we knew we would finish strong and if we upped it a couple of gears, like we can, we knew we would be hard to stop.”
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery refuses to make excuses for his side’s hammering: “We are disappointed and frustrated because our supporters were here with us. They were trying to push us and they did it. We competed like we were preparing the match but the result was completely different.”
Moisés Caicedo on his Old Trafford equaliser to BBC Sport: “It was the chance to score a goal. I did it. I’m so happy. We knew if we waited for a long time [to equalise] it was going to be complicated. We deserved to win. We knew it would be a tough game but we were prepared for it. I’m so happy for the team. It was a great fight.”
United’s scorer Bruno Fernandes is already looking forward to working with their new manager: “I am a big fan of Sporting and watch a lot of their games. Rúben Amorim brought the excitement back to the club – it was a little bit split when he came [to Sporting]. He transformed everything and brought everyone together.”
What comes next?
A bona fide London derby as Brentford head to Craven Cottage to take on neighbours Fulham.
📸 Ryan Pierse – 2024 Getty Images