Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
1 Impetuous Liverpool lose control
If emotion is carrying Liverpool towards a glorious farewell to Jürgen Klopp, then Old Trafford required cooler heads. Harvey Elliott’s point-rescuing contribution as substitute stood out because, for all his energy, he played with intelligence, seeking to progress the ball and tempting Aaron Wan-Bissaka into conceding a penalty. The likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and even usual pass-master Alexis Mac Allister had allowed a red mist to consume them. Luis Díaz, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez – a modern “Crazy Horse” yet more madcap than Emlyn Hughes – were also guilty of impetuousness. On the sidelines, Klopp himself looked in danger of exploding, particularly after Kobbie Mainoo was granted space to score. With so little time in between matches, minds as tired as the legs, little wonder nerves are fraying. Liverpool must hope Manchester City and Arsenal develop the same anxieties that allowed what should have been an easy win at Old Trafford to slip away from them. John Brewin
Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool
2 Postecoglou makes right call
Ange Postecoglou’s significant half-time intervention against Nottingham Forest moved Tottenham closer to next season’s Champions League and showed he is not afraid to take decisive action when required. Postecoglou rightly said Spurs lost their way following Chris Wood’s first-half equaliser, and it could have become a deeply uncomfortable evening after Forest dominated the latter part of the first half. Postecoglou hooked Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr, with Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Rodrigo Bentacur injecting energy in midfield. Such was the collective improvement, though, it was easy to imagine a particularly fiery half-time in Tottenham’s dressing
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