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Pep Guardiola

Premier League big six review: Man City march on, Man United edge Spurs

Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham

A tight game which could have gone either way, Jose Mourinho's men were victorious thanks to Anthony Martial's late strike. Tottenham were guilty of switching off at the back, allowing the Frenchman to latch onto Romelu Lukaku's flick-on and finish past Hugo Lloris.

Dele Alli had missed an excellent chance just moments before, but this was a game rather low on attacking quality and clear-cut opportunities. Tottenham were impressive in shutting down midfield and forcing United to go long in the first half, but the visitors to Old Trafford were a little trigger-happy with shots from range and somewhat conservative in possession.

Still, Mauricio Pochettino will have been pleased with elements of his side's performance, while Mourinho's plan of absorbing pressure and breaking at speed ultimately paid off. This was a big win for United after their five dropped points against Liverpool and Huddersfield, but a trip to Chelsea next weekend represents another stern challenge.

Arsenal 2-1 Swansea

Arsenal had to come from behind at the Emirates after Sam Clucas' goal midway through the first half, which was set up by a lovely pass from Tammy Abraham following Laurent Koscielny's inopportune slip. The Gunners were crowded out in the opening 45 minutes, unable to find the tempo or intricacy required to unseat the Swans' well-manned rearguard.

The hosts' task could have been made even harder on the stroke of half-time had Jordan Ayew squared for Abraham for a tap-in. Instead, the Ghanaian tried to lift the ball over Petr Cech and was left to explain himself to his incandescent strike partner.

As it was, Sead Kolasinac brought Arsenal level in the 51st minute and Aaron Ramsey struck the winner before the hour. The Welshman's goal was made possible by a raking Granit Xhaka diagonal, the type of which the Switzerland international had been close to successfully executing throughout the first half.

Liverpool 3-0 Huddersfield

Huddersfield were pretty comfortable defensively for much of the opening period of Saturday's game at Anfield, but they struggled to get hold of the ball beyond the halfway line. Liverpool have deservedly fielded heavy criticism for their shakiness at the back so far this season, but this match was an illustration of the defensive benefits Jurgen Klopp's proactive approach can bring - namely keeping the opposition far away from goal - when it is executed well.

Liverpool regularly shifted to a back three in possession, right-back Joe Gomez tucking infield to help guard against potential counter-attacks while Alberto Moreno pushed forward on the left. Their first real chance did not arrive until the 26th minute, when Mohamed Salah exchanged a one-two with Roberto Firmino and shot straight at Jonas Lossl, with the Egyptian guilty of missing a penalty shortly after. Yet once the Reds got their noses in front through Daniel Sturridge, forcing their opponents to come out and play in the process, there was only going to be one winner.

West Brom 2-3 Manchester City

A clash of styles at The Hawthorns, yet while the scoreline may suggest this was a close encounter, in truth it was anything but.

West Brom, predictably, packed men behind the ball - there were times when every single outfielder was in the home side's half of the field. Leroy Sane still managed to find space on the left-hand side of the box to open the scoring, while the limits of such a deep defence were exposed when Fernandinho found space on the edge of the box add a second in the 15th minute.

The league leaders averaged 78.3% possession and made a ludicrous 929 passes on Saturday; more importantly they fashioned some golden opportunities, particularly as the game got stretched in the second half, and were unfortunate not to win by a bigger margin.

With nine victories and a draw, City have made the best ever start to a Premier League season after 10 games. Worryingly for the rest of the division, Pep Guardiola's side show no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea

After some jittery episodes in recent weeks, this victory over Bournemouth was reminiscent of the 2016/17 version of Chelsea. Antonio Conte's side controlled the vast majority of the game, looked particularly dangerous in transition and gave up very few chances throughout the 90 minutes.

Bournemouth built up a head of steam on a few occasions, but the Blues did a terrific job of taking the sting out of such moments and then turning the screw at the other end. Cesc Fabregas brought direction and authority in midfield, while match-winner Eden Hazard buzzed around the final third with intent. Had Alvaro Morata brought his shooting boots to the south coast, Chelsea could have won this by two or three.

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