Manchester City needed others to carry the attack while Erling Haaland endured a rare three-game drought, and Phil Foden answered the call. The 25-year-old struck twice in a 3-2 win over Leeds, turning into a reliable match-winner as City continue to build momentum. The contest turned chaotic after half-time, but Pep Guardiola hailed Foden’s influence and underlined how important the victory was after two defeats, with City moving back to second and closing the gap on Arsenal to four points. Foden spoke of his hunger to play and score, framing his goals as personal standards rather than a bid to prove anyone else right, and is increasingly acting as a leader in City’s evolving side.
Tino Livramento emerged as Newcastle’s creative fulcrum in a 4-1 victory at Everton. Deployed at right-back, he frequently drifted inside to function as a hybrid playmaker — oscillating between a No.8, a midfield quarterback and the occasional overlapping full-back. He completed more final-third passes than anyone (18) and was central to Newcastle’s best sequences, raising the team’s tempo whenever he had the ball. Eddie Howe’s tweak to get Livramento more involved reshaped their approach and offered a fresh dimension supporters will relish.
Newly promoted Sunderland, whose summer spending drew scrutiny, look to have found a promising balance under Regis Le Bris. A 3-2 comeback win over Bournemouth moved them up to fourth and extended their unbeaten run at the Stadium of Light. The match underlined the value of squad depth: substitute Brian Brobbey needed less than 10 minutes to score the winner. Granit Xhaka has been influential, sitting joint-top of the league with four assists, and his experience and game-changing presence have been vital. Le Bris praised his finishers and the link between starters and impact substitutes, while cautioning about a testing run of fixtures against Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle.
At the Etihad, Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half introduction transformed Leeds’ attacking threat. Replacing Dan James at the break, the 28-year-old scored and won a penalty in a brief but fearsome cameo that unsettled City’s defence; his physicality gave Leeds a focal point and helped force Manchester City to work harder despite the loss. Durability remains a concern given his injury history, but the performance showed he can still influence Premier League games when fit.
Tottenham’s struggles run deeper than Guglielmo Vicario’s high-profile error in a 2-1 defeat to Fulham. Thomas Frank defended his players after supporters booed and singled out those targeted, but argued that even without that mistake Fulham looked likely to extend their lead. Spurs appeared stale and disjointed in attack and unnecessarily open at the back, with home form especially worrying. Only Burnley have recorded more Premier League games with an xG under one than Tottenham this season (eight), and the team are registering their fewest shots on average since records began. Frank now faces Brentford at home and must tackle structural problems rather than treat this as an isolated blip.
Samuel Chukwueze impressed on his first start for Fulham, vindicating Marco Silva’s suggestion that he had been ‘knocking on the door.’ After limited minutes earlier due to injury and selection, the Nigerian winger produced a lively display at Tottenham, repeatedly troubling Pedro Porro and forcing top defensive interventions from Micky van de Ven. With two assists already from earlier cameos, Chukwueze looks to be adapting to Silva’s system and could become a valuable attacking option.
Igor Thiago delivered late to secure Brentford’s 3-1 win over Burnley. With just 23 touches all game he still converted an 81st-minute penalty — his fifth for the club — then followed with an instinctive finish for his 11th goal of the season. That made him the quickest Brentford player to reach double figures in the Premier League and places him in unexpected contention in the Golden Boot conversation with half the season remaining.
Bournemouth’s slide deepened as they failed to win in November and conceded at least two goals in each of their last four matches. Andoni Iraola lamented the timing after his side surrendered a 2-0 lead at Sunderland: despite a positive start they could not see the game out. The losses of key players over the summer are beginning to show, and Bournemouth must regroup quickly ahead of a run of home fixtures against Everton and Chelsea before Christmas.