10 thoughts from surprising weekend of Premier League action

theScore examines the most important developments and discusses the biggest talking points from another rip-roaring weekend in England's top flight.

Rudderless Wolves keep sinking

Wolverhampton Wanderers are wandering indeed.

Sunday's 4-0 hammering at the hands of fellow Premier League strugglers Leicester City - at home, no less - leaves Wolves 19th in the table. The only reason they aren't right at the bottom is their "superior" goal differential over Nottingham Forest; through 12 matches, Wolves have five goals, easily the fewest in England's top flight. Attacking firepower was an obvious concern entering the campaign, as it was last season, but this is even worse than expected.

Wolves attempted 21 total shots at Molineux and came up empty. Leicester, meanwhile, scored with all four of their efforts on target. The latter, in part, can be attributed to some finishing luck. But Wolves' ineptitude in front of goal is, unfortunately, no surprise. The 2022 version of Diego Costa isn't fixing that.

There's no clear path forward, either. Firing Bruno Lage hasn't changed anything.

Michael Beale, Wolves' top choice for the managerial job, turned them down to remain with Queens Park Rangers in the second tier. Julen Lopetegui also spurned their advances. That left the club with no choice but to give caretaker boss Steve Davis the keys until the new year.

"It's nice now to be able to look forward," Davis said before the defeat to Leicester, who entered the match without a point away from home on the season. "It's nice to know there is some longevity in it."

Probably not much, though.

Wake-up call for Arsenal

When Southampton and Arsenal broke for halftime Sunday at St. Mary's, few could have envisioned anything other than a win for the Gunners. Granit Xhaka's opener in the 11th minute promised to bring another three points for Arsenal, who had won the last 18 Premier League matches in which they scored the first goal.

Arsenal kept going at Southampton, attacking them from the left and right, and when the Saints attempted to wrestle possession from the visitors, they met nothing but resistance. In one three-minute spell, Southampton took five successive corner kicks. Arsenal's defense cleared each one.

But the league leaders surrendered their authority in the second half, letting the hosts score an equalizer off a passage of play that began with the goalkeeper and ended in the back of their net. Arsenal capitulated in midfield, and with a bit more quality, Southampton could have even won the game.

Mikel Arteta will take exception to that. If Arsenal want to consolidate their status as true title contenders, they can't drop their guard the way they did in the final 45 minutes. Fans will criticize the officiating, and there's certainly something to be said about the roughhousing Gabriel Jesus and Kieran Tierney endured. But the north London side lacked the poise and professionalism to see out a game it could have realistically won.

Fortunately, Arsenal remain atop the Premier League and are well ahead of where they thought they'd be. Salvaging a point from a match of such difficulty could prove handy. But it also comes with a warning that deserves their attention.

Mirage or turning point for Villa?

Never before had Aston Villa scored two goals so quickly in the Premier League.

Life after Steven Gerrard must be sweet.

Villa needed just six minutes and 41 seconds to build a 2-0 lead Sunday against Brentford, giving their fans something to celebrate just days after tumbling to 17th in the standings. The 4-0 victory that followed at Villa Park immediately extinguished memories of Gerrard's miserable spell as manager, which ended after Thursday's despondent defeat away to Fulham.

Villa looked disinterested and disorganized that evening, making Sunday's change of attitude all the more surprising. Under the temporary supervision of caretaker manager Aaron Danks, Villa attacked Brentford with urgency, fired more shots on goal (11) than they had in any other Premier League game this season, and, more importantly, played to win from the opening whistle. It felt like Villa had been liberated from tyrannical rule; such a turnaround can only paint Gerrard in a dreary light.

Now, it's up to Villa to make it stick. Many teams enjoy the buoyancy that comes with a firing, but many more struggle to turn instant relief into meaningful and long-lasting change.

Newcastle built on solid foundation

Newcastle United's spending spree could have gone awry. The club's controversial Saudi owners could have dropped huge sums on the biggest names they could find. Instead, the club followed a sensible strategy that, while still costly, allowed manager Eddie Howe to cultivate a balanced side with quite possibly the best defense in the Premier League.

The Mapgies' ascent to the top four is thanks largely to the steady performances of Howe's back line, which has allowed less than a goal per game through 12 matches. With the effervescent Kieran Trippier patrolling the right flank, Sven Botman and Fabian Schar clearing lines, and the underrated Dan Burn providing exceptional cover for Matt Targett at left-back, Newcastle enter every game with the confidence that they can protect even the slimmest lead. They're hardly the biggest names in football but surely the most important ones on Tyneside.

That's not to say Howe's team can't play attractive football. It's just not going to score a pile of goals. Callum Wilson is clinical, not prolific. Joelinton provides more help in midfield than he does in the opponent's area. Miguel Almiron's scoring spree is welcome but unsustainable. Alexander Isak is promising, but he needs time to acclimate himself to the rigors of the Premier League.

That's why Newcastle's back four must bend and not break, as it did when Tottenham Hotspur tried and failed to mount a comeback in Sunday's second half. Schar and Botman again showed their composure. Burn caused turnovers. And though Trippier lost Harry Kane on the corner-kick routine that allowed Spurs to cut Newcastle's lead in half, the English defender more than made up for it in other areas of the field.

Newcastle are doing more than enough of the little things right to maintain serious hopes of reaching the Champions League for the first time since 2002.

Where's the ingenuity in Conte's team?

Lucas Moura didn't have a telling impact on the game following his introduction midway through the first half. He didn't produce a key pass, nor did he attempt a shot on goal. But his efforts highlighted - rather than addressed - the dearth of creativity in Antonio Conte's side.

Tottenham are primarily a counterattacking team, but the absences of Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison have blunted Spurs in that respect. Quality service from deep is scarce when Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier are aimlessly punting balls forward, but the hard-working duo of Kulusevski and Richarlison atone for this weakness: They ride challenges and bounce off bodies to retain possession, then spring quick attacks from which Kane and Heung-Min Son often profit.

Rodrigo Bentancur can launch himself upfield in a discount impersonation of the injured pair, but don't expect him to offer much inventiveness thereafter. That's not his game.

So, with less explosiveness in attack, Spurs need patience and imagination behind Kane and Son. They need something more intricate. They need someone to map a route through organized defensive lines. Moura's unrefined cameo showed Tottenham don't have anyone who can do that.

The result is desperation and confusion. Nine of Spurs' 13 first-half shots were struck from outside the box or the edge of it. The Tottenham players with the most key passes were Kane - who should be on the receiving end of chances - and plodding deep-lying midfielder Oliver Skipp.

It was uninspiring, to say the least. It was also alarming, as the deserved defeat to Newcastle followed Wednesday's 2-0 loss at Manchester United - arguably the worst performance of Conte's Spurs reign.

There's work to do.

Here are the main talking points from Saturday's matches ...

Liverpool can't find consistency

Jurgen Klopp offered several explanations for Liverpool's 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. None of them, however, pass the litmus test.

Klopp first bemoaned the number of chances his players missed at City Ground, suggesting his team played well enough to win. Then he pointed fingers at the Premier League's unforgiving fixture list, arguing Liverpool couldn't possibly play three times in six days without losing energy along the way. Finally, the German manager mentioned the short squad at his disposal and the injuries that robbed him of his usual starters, including Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota.

But none of these excuses conceal the core issue behind Liverpool's early-season struggles: a sheer lack of conviction and consistency from a group of players that has rarely, if ever, shown such significant cracks in the armor.

The challenges facing Klopp and Co. are nothing new. He's complained about the Premier League's schedule-makers many times over the years. He's also dealt with injuries in the past. He and his players know how relentless the Premier League can be.

So what's different? Klopp's side doesn't appear to have the confidence to win close games anymore. In years past, Liverpool would always find a way to top troublesome opponents, even if they required a late goal or generous offering from the match official. Now, opposing squads sense they can nick a point or three when the Reds stumble out of the gates. And that's happened quite often: Liverpool have conceded first in seven of their 11 Premier League matches this season.

This is a team that barely trailed at all last season. Now the Reds face a deficit every other game - and they don't always muster a response.

Awoniyi's unforgettable moment

Taiwo Awoniyi surely had this one circled on his calendar.

The Nigerian forward spent six years at Liverpool. He didn't make a single appearance for the club. Following his arrival at Anfield in 2015, the Reds shipped him out on loan seven times - to six different clubs - before selling him permanently to Union Berlin in 2021. After thriving in Germany, he returned to England this season as one of Nottingham Forest's high-profile summer signings.

While the 25-year-old doesn't seem to harbor any ill feelings, scoring the winning goal against the Merseyside outfit will undoubtedly carry extra significance regardless of what else happens this season.

"To score against Liverpool is a day I will never forget," Awoniyi said after the match. "I will always be grateful to Liverpool for scouting me from Nigeria, and scoring against them is amazing."

Football's "immutable law of the ex" strikes again.

De Bruyne's unfair advantage

Sometimes, even an outstanding team like Manchester City needs a moment of pure individual magic to get out of trouble. Kevin De Bruyne delivered that Saturday, helping secure a 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion with an exquisite goal that settled what was becoming a nervy, uncomfortable outing for Pep Guardiola's side.

Leading 2-0 and seemingly cruising early in the second half, City found themselves knocked off kilter by Leandro Trossard's goal in the 53rd minute. The visitors, having finally scored their first goal since Oct. 1, were clearly energized. Suddenly, they were zipping the ball around the slick Etihad pitch with purpose, pulling Manchester City apart and retaining possession in a manner so commonly associated with their hosts.

De Bruyne put an end to that, though, connecting on a picturesque strike from 25 yards out that satisfyingly curled into the top corner. Game over.

De Bruyne's vision and passing ability are his most lauded traits, but his long-range shooting is a critical part of his arsenal - it's key to both his personal success and that of his team. Shooting from outside the area is often dismissed as wasteful, and it's true such shots typically yield lower-quality scoring chances. But when the Belgian star is the architect, the threat of a shot from distance can force the opposition to step out and open up defensively, creating lanes and pockets of space for others to exploit.

Combined with City's unceasing movement off the ball and the intimidating presence of Erling Haaland, De Bruyne's ability to unpick a lock with either a shot or a pass makes Guardiola's team nearly impossible to stop.

Rediscovering winning mentality

Spending £60 million to acquire a 30-year-old defensive midfielder is not the wisest allocation of funds, even for a club with unlimited resources. And no, Casemiro was never going to be the answer to all of Manchester United's midfield issues. But the decorated Brazilian - more than just about anyone else in the Red Devils' squad - is, quite simply, a winner.

For United, a club trying to rediscover its once infallible winning mentality, that matters.

United didn't sign him for his scoring ability, of course, but Casemiro's last-gasp header that earned a point against Chelsea on Saturday - and the impassioned celebration that followed - showed how the former Real Madrid stalwart is quickly becoming a leader at his new club. With Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly intent on sulking his way out of town instead of using his lofty status to uplift the whole team, Casemiro's presence has become even more crucial.

The five-time Champions League winner understands what it takes to galvanize a unit. With Erik ten Hag imposing his style and a culture of accountability while Casemiro provides some much-needed know-how, United truly appear to finally be on the right track.

The list keeps growing

Jota. N'Golo Kante. Reece James - most likely. Raphael Varane could be the latest name on the list of players who will miss the World Cup due to injury.

The French defender left Saturday's 1-1 draw against Chelsea in tears after suffering an undisclosed ailment in the second half. Varane was visibly distraught, his teammates consoling him before he slowly walked around the outside of the pitch and straight down the tunnel. With the World Cup less than one month away in an uncompromising and oversaturated schedule, players know that any injury suffered now likely spells the end of their World Cup hopes.

Ten Hag said it's too early to know the extent of Varane's issue, but the Frenchman's intense reaction was concerning. Should he miss significant time, his absence will be a huge issue for Manchester United and, indeed, France. Varane's budding partnership with Lisandro Martinez has been key to United's recent resurgence, while the reigning World Cup champion is already facing multiple key injuries heading into Qatar.

A word, too, on the reaction of Chelsea fans to Varane's misfortune. Jeering or shouting at any injured player is crass and disrespectful, but with the additional context of the World Cup - something of which every fan is aware - any supporters making crude gestures or shouting at a clearly devastated Varane deserve to be singled out and shamed.

That kind of reaction to an athlete's misfortune is truly bizarre. When fans actively celebrate an injury, it's clear football's tribalistic nature has gone too far.