Premier League hits and misses: Liverpool pass latest test in Bournemouth victory

             As Jurgen Klopp said in his post-match interview, Liverpool do not go into any game expecting to win but realistically, they were never going to lose at Bournemouth. The stats and form all pointed to another Liverpool victory and they ultimately glided to an easy three points.
The game turned on Nathan Ake's injury and once Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain flicked home past Aaron Ramsdale, there was only going to be one outcome. Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah were outstanding and linked up with one another for two of the goals, with similarly impressive performances across the park.


           Perhaps the biggest positive was their clean sheet, having not kept one in 13 games in all competitions heading into Saturday's match, with the returning Alisson making only one clear save. That will give Liverpool huge confidence going into their midweek Champions League fixture against Red Bull Salzburg, which they must at least draw to make the last 16.
All in all, it's another game ticked off for Liverpool in an incredibly congested run of fixtures and they passed the sometimes tricky Bournemouth test with flying colours. Klopp even joked at the end of his press conference he could not yet think about Christmas because he still had to travel to Qatar for the Club World Cup, but maintaining their 11-point lead at the top of the table over this period would surely be present enough.

Saturday felt like a moment in time on both sides of Manchester. It was the day Manchester United finally got going, finally started playing. It was, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer put it, the 'Manchester United way'.
Seven years on from their last title, and even longer since Solskjaer's last appearance for the club, what is that 'way'?
It's domination of the ball at home - something they have not quite mastered yet - but away from Old Trafford it's counter attacking football, and not in the direct, negative sense.

Each and every time United won the ball in their own half, the first thought was forward. They advanced fast, never less than three players busting a gut to reach the penalty area. Daniel James, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford were magnificent.
Solskjaer said it was a Manchester United performance in his mould. Beating Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola in the space of four days is quite a feat, considering this week looked to be the beginning of the end of the Norwegian.
But for City, this was the day the title looked out of their reach. Guardiola insisted he was happy with the performance, but how could he be, given they were carved open at will in a chaotic and brilliant first 30 minutes.
Their defence was the weakness again, and Pep's apparent avoidance of realisation he has an issue is a stick repeatedly used to beat him with. Will this prompt January movement? Or will Fernandinho finally move back into midfield?
Stubbornness has worked for the Catalan in the past, but at the moment, City's season is at stake.

Another game, another win for Leicester City and this one was pretty convincing. They had arguably not been at their best for a few games, but still managed to grind out the victories. However, Sunday's 4-1 win against Aston Villa saw them at their free-flowing best.
They did have to bide their time, but similarly to Nathan Ake's injury in Liverpool's win against Bournemouth on Saturday, it was an injury to Tyrone Mings that seem to sway the game. Jamie Vardy scored his opener almost instantly after the defender had come back onto the field, although he was still struggling and had to be replaced not long after.


From then on, Leicester were always going to win. Jack Grealish's deflected strike did pull one back for Aston Villa at the end of the first half, but the Foxes dashed any shred of confidence their opponents had when Jonny Evans headed home seven minutes after the restart.
Brendan Rodgers' side should have scored another few in the second half - James Maddison twice put efforts wide, Caglar Soyuncu smashed a shot into Tom Heaton's face and Harvey Barnes also forced a save from the Aston Villa goalkeeper. Rodgers himself said after the game that they should maybe have won by a greater margin, but didn't want to be greedy. He already has a nine-goal win this season after all.
And let's not forget, Leicester made history with their win. They won an eighth successive Premier League game - a club record for the longest such run in the top flight - and are tightening their grip on second place with every victory. Liverpool still have a monstrous fixture list to contend with and should they slip, the Foxes are ready to pounce.