Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Arsenal reap the rewards of an old-school striker, Thiago Silva turns back the clock and Ten Hag’s tactics hit a snag

FERGIE TIME: Brighton and Hove Albion's Evan Ferguson (second left) celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. Picture date: Saturday January 21, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Leicester. PIC CREDIT: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

1) Striking duo offer a blast from the past

Fast-paced, tactically intricate and dramatic to the last, Arsenal v Manchester United was a heavyweight clash that lived up to its billing. It also showcased two models of centre-forward that were meant to be extinct: the old-fashioned target man and the old-fashioned poacher. Spearheading United’s attack, Wout Weghorst pressed with zeal and offered a focal point for United’s free-roaming wide men. It was his peeling run, drawing Gabriel to his left, that afforded Marcus Rashford the angle to blast home the opener. Eddie Nketiah pressed with similar intelligence but dropped deep when required to link with his midfield. Both his goals were straight from the school of the penalty-box predator, ghosting in at the back post to meet a cross and jabbing home a loose ball from practically underneath the crossbar. In the age of the all-round No 9, both these moulds of striker had supposedly been consigned to the past. Both players proved their worth in a match that certainly belonged to the present. Alex Hess.