Tottenham fans grow tired of Wembley life while Jose Mourinho finally finds time for a Manchester United academy gem - 10 THINGS WE LEARNED

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The notoriously hectic winter schedule got under way in earnest this week as the Premier League completed its second round of fixtures in the space of four days.

Squads were rotated, star players rested but Sportsmail was still on hand to report on every match and bring you the best analysis from each of them.

RALPH ELLIS looks at 10 things we learned from this week's Premier League games...

David Silva was the star of the week as he scored twice to secure another Manchester City win

1. Fans grow tired of Wembley way 

It seems Tottenham fans can’t wait to get back to White Hart Lane as the novelty of playing Premier League games at Wembley begins to wear off. The gate for the 2-0 win over Brighton was variously published at either 46,438 or 55,124, but either way that’s the lowest league attendance of the season following the 62,202 against Stoke at the weekend which also set a new low.

It’s a far cry from the 83,782 who wrestled with the North Circular and the tube trains at the start of last month to see their epic 3-1 win over Real Madrid.

Swathes of empty seats at Wembley were seen as attendances for Tottenham continues to fall

2. Mourinho makes an exception for McTominay

Jose Mourinho, rightly or wrongly, has never had a reputation for encouraging home-grown youngsters but it appears he’s making an exception for academy product Scott McTominay. 

The Lancaster-born midfielder, who has been with the club since he was recruited by the Preston branch of their youth scheme aged five, gave a polished performance as he was thrown into the starting XI against Bournemouth.

McTominay, 21 last week, gave the ball away only four times out of 47 passes, while only Juan Mata (40) played more accurate forward-half passes than his 24.

Scott McTominay has defied Jose Mourinho's reputation to break into his first-team plans

3. Have Manchester City unearthed a diamond?

Manchester City also unveiled a young talent in Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko who made his Premier League debut in the 4-0 win at Swansea. 

The 20-year-old, a bargain £2m signing in 2016 from Russian side FK Ufa before being sent on loan to PSV Eindhoven, is an attacking midfielder but was asked to play out of position at left back as a late substitute for Fabian Delph. Completely two-footed, in 17 minutes he looked totally comfortable in the position and will be one to watch for the future.

Oleksandr Zinchenko looked assured at left-back in Manchester City's win over Swansea

4. Tom Heaton out in the cold

England goalkeeper Tom Heaton is going to have a struggle on his hands to get back into Burnley’s team when he is fit again in January, never mind his World Cup hopes. 

Replacement Nick Pope has done so well for Sean Dyche’s side that it would be cruel to dump him when the club’s established No 1 finally recovers from the shoulder injury which has ruled him out since September. 

Pope, 25, a bargain £1.3m signing from Charlton 18 months ago, made seven saves to help secure the 1-0 win over Stoke that took Burnley briefly to fourth in the table.

Sean Dyche has a big decision to make on Nick Pope (above) when Tom Heaton returns

5. Kante's replacement? Yes, Ndidi

Leicester might struggle to hold on to Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi next summer if the 20-year-old Nigeria international continues his rapid improvement. 

Bought last January from Belgian club Genk for £17m as N’Golo Kante’s replacement, the 6ft 2in star is generating numbers that the Footballer of the Year himself would be proud of. 

In the 4-1 win at manager Claude Puel’s old club Southampton he fought 22 duels while making eight tackles, the most of any Premier League player during the midweek round of fixtures.

Leicester may already be worrying about clubs eyeing Wilfred Ndidi ahead of next summer

6. Luka Milivojevic sends Eagles soaring 

Wilfried Zaha has deservedly taken most of the headlines for Crystal Palace’s gradual clamber from the foot of the table but the performances of Luka Milivojevic have been just as critical. 

A peripheral figure in Frank de Boer’s five games in charge, the Serbian defensive midfielder has not missed a minute under Roy Hodgson. Milivojevic made 15 recoveries against Watford, helping keep his side in the game before the dramatic last-gasp goals that brought a 2-1 win.

Luka Milivojevic has been just as critical to Crystal Palace as star man Wilfried Zaha this season

7. Chelsea clean up their act

Like all top sides Chelsea can resort to the dark arts when they need to, but when things are going well Antonio Conte’s side don’t concede needless free-kicks. 

They gave away just four fouls in the 3-1 win at Huddersfield, the fourth lowest number of any Premier League side this season. 

Tottenham currently hold the record as the cleanest club in any individual game, making just two fouls in their 2-1 win over Liverpool in October.

Antonio Conte's Chelsea side committed just four fouls on their way to beating Huddersfield

8. It's Warnock o’clock in the Championship

Never mind the legend of Fergie time, Championship clubs have to worry about Warnock o’clock this winter. The added-time equaliser that Lee Tomlin scored to snatch a 2-2 draw for promotion-chasing Cardiff was the eighth time they have scored in the final 10 minutes of games this season. 

Boss Neil Warnock couldn’t claim credit for this one – he was in the stands at the time after being sent off – but those late goals have brought nine extra points.

Neil Warnock's Cardiff have scored eight goals in the final 10 minutes of games this season

9. Paul Tisdale fighting back at Exeter

Exeter’s FA Cup third-round tie with Premier League West Brom is going to throw extra pressure on the club to resolve the bizarre situation with manager Paul Tisdale’s contract. 

The 44-year-old, the second-longest serving boss in the English League behind Arsene Wenger, is now more than halfway through two years' notice served on him at the insistence of the club’s Supporters Trust when Exeter were bottom of League Two last November. 

Now fourth and also with a money-spinning cup run following their 2-1 replay win over Forest Green Rovers, Tisdale has played hard to get in talks on a new deal.

10. Big value from Smallwood

Richard Smallwood is turning out to be one of the best free-transfer signings of the season in League One as he helps his old boss Tony Mowbray revive Blackburn.

The 26-year-old midfielder, who came through the youth system at Boro when Mowbray was manager there, has been exceptional since moving from Rotherham in the summer. 

The 1-0 FA Cup replay win at Crewe was his 26th game of the season.