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In Mour-ning?

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho gives no excuses, Ronald Koeman looks like a dead man walking, and how much would Liverpool pay for Lewis Dunk?

Seven things we learnt from this Premier League weekend, with big losses for United and both Merseyside clubs

ANOTHER Premier League weekend is in the books and it's fair to say it was a thriller.

Goals were flying in from all angles in Super Sunday's double-header, as Everton lost 5-2 to Arsenal and Liverpool capitulated to a 4-1 loss against Tottenham.

 Huddersfield beat Man United 2-1 in arguably the scalp of the weekend
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Huddersfield beat Man United 2-1 in arguably the scalp of the weekendCredit: Reuters

Chelsea battled back late to overcome Watford while Manchester City strengthened their grip on the title race with a hammering of Burnley.

Manchester United suffered a shock defeat to Huddersfield, while there were also wins for Newcastle, Bournemouth, Leicester and Southampton.

But what can we take away from another thrilling three days of action?

Check out our seven biggest takeaways, below...

Weekend Round-Up: Watch the best Premier League action from Saturday and Sunday
Goals of the Weekend: Watch the best strikes from this week’s Premier League action

More From Mourinho

 Jose Mourinho had no excuses for United losing to Huddersfield 2-1
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Jose Mourinho had no excuses for United losing to Huddersfield 2-1Credit: Getty

For once, there were no excuses from Jose Mourinho on Saturday evening.

No referee to blame, not even the Biblical weather.


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Instead, he turned his guns on his own team, comparing their performance to those more typically seen in friendlies.

Hats off to him for that but it’s eerily familiar of what happened in his second spell at Chelsea when he went on record to publicly question the desire, attitude and the application of his squad too.

And we all know how that turned out, don’t we?

The Brighton Rock

 Lewis Dunk played like a future England captain on Friday night
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Lewis Dunk played like a future England captain on Friday nightCredit: Rex Features

As someone who’s watched Lewis Dunk at Brighton for longer than I care to remember, it was always assumed that he’d probably have to move on to have a shot an international cap.

Not now.

With promotion to the Premier League shining a much brighter light on him, the centre half has been deservedly earning rave reviews right across the board.

Jamie Carragher almost soiled himself in praise of the 25-year-old as he kept West Ham at bay on Friday night.

So here’s a word of advice for Gareth Southgate... step out of your big club bubble and take a trip to the seaside.

There’s a future England captain waiting for you at the AMEX.

Red or Dead

 Dejan Lovren had a shocker of a Sunday against Tottenham
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Dejan Lovren had a shocker of a Sunday against TottenhamCredit: AFP

How much would Liverpool pay for Dunk, especially after Dejan Lovren’s latest horror show for the Reds?

At fault for both of Spurs’ opening goals, the calamitous Croatian was subbed by Jurgen Klopp after just half an hour in Liverpool’s 4-1 defeat to Spurs at Wembley on Sunday.

What made it worse was that he was replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. That’s how bad he was.

And if you’re feeling sorry for him, well, don’t. He’s on £100,000 a week.

Can’t Play for Toffee

 Everton suffered another humbling defeat at home to Arsenal on Sunday
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Everton suffered another humbling defeat at home to Arsenal on SundayCredit: PA:Empics Sport

Losing 5-2 at home is bad enough. Every team can have an off day, after all.

But Everton’s defeat to Arsenal on Sunday was, make no mistake, a battering that should have all Toffees fans worried.

It’s not simply that they conceded five goals but the fact that it could and should have been double that.

The Gunners piled up 30 attempts on goal in the game, 14 of which were on target, and they had nearly 70 per cent possession too.

The result leaves Everton with just eight points, their worst points tally in the Premier League after nine games since 2005-06.

A visit to Stamford Bridge in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday could be the final nail in the coffin for Ronald Koeman.

A Mark-ed Man?

 Mark Hughes is quickly becoming a contender for the sack at Stoke
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Mark Hughes is quickly becoming a contender for the sack at StokeCredit: PA:Empics Sport

So who’s next for the chop? Maybe it’s Koeman or perhaps it’s Slaven Bilic but, for me at least, it has to be Mark Hughes at Stoke City.

Sparky’s now had four years at the Potters and after they dropped into the relegation zone after a 2-1 home defeat to struggling Bournemouth, there must now be questions about whether he’s the right man to bring about better times at the bet365 Stadium.

It’s not just his bang average win ratio of just 35 per cent, more the overriding sense that, well, nothing ever happens at Stoke City.

Yes, it’s great for them that they’re staying in the Premier League but where are they going? Really?

"What we have here are owners who understand football and who understand there isn't a straight line between success and failure,” said Sparky at the weekend.

Like Leicester’s owners perhaps?

Power Serg

 Sergio Aguero equalled the Man City goal-scoring record against Burnley
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Sergio Aguero equalled the Man City goal-scoring record against BurnleyCredit: AP:Associated Press

So Sergio Aguero duly equalled Eric Brook’s long-standing Manchester City goalscoring record on Saturday when his penalty against Burnley made it 177 goals for the Citizens.

Some of Sergio’s stats are staggering.

Since he joined City in the summer of 2011, the Argentinian has averaged 28.16 goals per season at a rate of one goal every 109.5 minutes he plays.

And it’s taken him just 262 games to reach Brook’s total.

But here’s the thing. Sergio Aguero has never been selected in the PFA Team of the Year, despite all his many achievements.

He wasn’t even picked when he won the Golden Boot in 2014-15.

And even more weirdly, he still can’t speak English.

Hair-brained idea

 Is West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic the "Samson" of football?
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Is West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic the "Samson" of football?Credit: Reuters

A former Stoke City star was the subject of some cruel online abuse too this weekend as his performance for West Ham in Friday night’s game against Brighton left a lot to be desired.

Yes, Marko Arnautovic was taken off at the London Stadium after a performance so dreadful that Jamie Carragher accused him of being “Ronaldo in his own mind”.

We have a theory. It’s not the team or the new stadium. It’s his hair.

In fact, ever since he lost his trademark top-knot Arnautovic has never been the same player (not that he was all that in the first place).

He’s like football’s Samson.

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