Three talking points from the Premier League weekend
Arsenal secured their fifth straight Premier League victory, ending the weekend with a six point lead at the summit, while Liverpool halted their poor streak of defeats.
Erling Haaland netted a brace to help Manchester City rise to second place, and Nuno Espirito Santo marked his debut victory from the West Ham bench.
AFP Sport examines three key discussion points from the Premier League weekend.
Slot reverts to successful approach
Arne Slot returned to fundamental tactics to halt Liverpool's troubling four game losing streak in the Premier League, resulting in a 2-0 triumph over Aston Villa.
The Dutch coach invested approximately £450 million ($592 million) on several prominent recruits during the summer transfer period, yet only Hugo Ekitike among the newcomers featured in the starting lineup for Saturday's encounter.
Alexander Isak, who has yet to find the net in the Premier League, along with Jeremie Frimpong, sat out due to injuries, while Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz remained substitutes.
Andy Robertson and Conor Bradley were selected as the wing backs, enabling the title holders to achieve their first shutout in 11 outings across all tournaments.
The hosts were fortunate against the sharp Villa outfit, which struck the frame of the goal on two occasions before Mohamed Salah notched his 250th strike for the team after a blunder by Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez.
The scrutiny on Slot has lessened, though he faces major choices on optimising his costly roster, especially ahead of a tough visit to Manchester City next week.
Haaland the prolific scorer
It is simple to take Erling Haaland for granted, given Manchester City's exceptional forward's prowess.
The Norwegian added two more goals on Sunday versus surging Bournemouth, bringing his total for the season to 26 in 16 outings for club and international duty.
He joins just two other players in history to achieve two or more goals in four or more successive Premier League home fixtures, following Robbie Fowler and Luis Suarez.
Bournemouth's David Brooks conceded that devising a strategy to counter the rampaging 1.95 metre (six feet, five inches) forward feels nearly impossible.
Haaland offered a light hearted comment when questioned about his substitution just shy of a treble.
"A number of fantasy league managers might not have been too pleased," he remarked to Sky Sports, alluding to the fantasy game where points are earned from actual player displays.
Pep Guardiola's City side continues to chase steadiness, but with Haaland performing at this level, they appear certain to vie for the championship.
Tottenham discord
Tottenham sit fifth in the Premier League and remain undefeated in the Champions League this term.
However, it appears friction is simmering within the squad, with solid outcomes so far concealing some lacklustre showings.
Acting skipper Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence seemed to disregard head coach Thomas Frank as they exited the field after a feeble 1-0 setback to Chelsea on Saturday, marking their 10th reverse in 12 clashes with the London foes across all competitions.
Frank's squad drew boos from supporters post match after managing just one effort on goal and posting their meagre expected goals of 0.05, the lowest since the 2012/13 season.
The ex Brentford manager minimised the episode with Van de Ven and Spence, describing it as "one of the minor matters".
"They have delivered strongly up to now this campaign and all are disappointed," he continued. "We approach things differently, so I do not view it as a significant concern."
Nevertheless, it proved an awkward scene, one that requires his attention.