Man City's 8-0 victory over Watford made the biggest splash of the weekend while Chelsea's late rally in defeat to Liverpool was the talking point of Sunday, and yet beneath the surface a more interesting story is developing. Manchester United's defeat, plus Leicester City's win against Tottenham, suggested that the Big Six may well be broken up this season.
Six matches in and only three of the top six are as expected. Bournemouth will probably fall away – their wins and losses always seem to come in streaks under Eddie Howe – but West Ham and Leicester could be there to stay.
Here are three tactical talking points from the Premier League action:
1) Solskjaer needs to rediscover narrow tactics of early 2019
Injuries might have left Man Utd with few attacking options, but their 2-0 loss at West Ham was as much a tactical issue as a personnel one; Solskjaer has emphasised pace on the flanks over the summer in an attempt to mimic the style of football deployed by Alex Ferguson in the 1990s, and the system was entirely inappropriate for this match.
When Solskjaer was caretaker manager he looked to funnel attacks through the middle, crowding this area of the pitch to create narrow short-passing attacks via Juan Mata, Paul Pogba, and Jesse Lingard. This now-abandoned approach should be reinstated to give United greater control and purpose. On Sunday, Mata was completed isolated in the number ten zone and therefore forced to move into the channels, where Marcus Rashford also drifted.
Consequently West Ham's defensive shell was barely troubled as the visitors dallied on the ball in harmless wide areas. Solskjaer might be light on numbers, but he should have picked Lingard here and instructed him to stay close to Mata for creative support.
What is most damning for Man Utd is that West Ham didn't even play particularly well. A full-blown crisis looms.
2) Smith's nervousness is making Villa too negative
Aston Villa sit 18th in the table and, with one win from six, should begin to worry about their chances of survival this season. Their poor start to the campaign could be highly significant because at the moment manager Dean Smith is being too negative. If Villa develop an inferiority complex they won't stay up.
Just as in the late collapse at Spurs in Villa's first game of the season, they became very anxious in the final 20 minutes at the Emirates, unnecessarily dropping ultra-deep to absorb pressure despite 10-man Arsenal having performed poorly up until that point. It was being too deep that cost Villa in the end, the defensive mix-up between Tyrone Mings and Neil Taylor that led to Arsenal's equaliser caused by overcrowding in the six-yard box.
Smith should take the blame for his tactical reshuffle. In the 68th minute, just seven after Wesley gave Villa the lead, he substituted the dangerous Trezeguet for Ahmed Elmohamedy, a right-back playing on the wing. It was a very nervous change that set the tone for Villa's subsequent collapse. The manager must remain brave and confident in matches - or Villa will make a habit of losing leads.
3) Chelsea benefit from less frantic tactics
One of the most important reasons for Chelsea's porousness this season is their propensity to race out of the blocks, pressing so aggressively that they become tired by the hour mark – when huge gaps in midfield begin to open up. N'Golo Kante's return to the starting line-up certainly helped solve the problem on Sunday, but as important was Frank Lampard's tactical change.
As in the Super Cup, Chelsea sat much deeper, cautiously allowing Liverpool's defenders to have the ball and absorbing pressure when necessary. This meant the hosts' fitness levels were higher towards the end of the match, leading to a final 20 in which Lampard's side were unlucky not to equalise.
Liverpool's 4-3-3 leaves a lot of space on the flanks because the forwards never track back, so by keeping themselves fit - and in the contest - Chelsea were able to exploit this late on; Trent Alexander-Arnold was repeatedly overwhelmed down Mohamed Salah's side. In future, Klopp must respond quicker, switching to a more resilient back three far earlier than his injury-time change.
Best of the Week – Sheff Utd's tactical versatility in denying Everton
Chris Wilder's side like to play with the ball, their 3-5-2 a complex formation involving frequent positional swaps and, of course, overlapping centre-backs. However, none of that was on display at Goodison Park where Sheffield United sat back and defended doggedly. They held a meagre 30% possession, grinding out a 2-0 win despite having just two shots on goal all match.
Wilder was clearly banking on Everton's poor chance conversion - and he was right to do so. Moise Kean needs more time to adapt to English football while Richarlison is only really dangerous with space to run into, which explains why United were able to hold firm. Their tactical adaptability puts them in a very strong position to avoid relegation.
Worst of the Week – Watford's passivity at the Etihad
The scars of their 6-0 defeat in the FA Cup final clearly hadn't healed, because Watford weren't just defensive at the Etihad, they were completely passive. Their tactics appeared to be: sit deep, retreat even deeper, and wait for City to score. There was no pressure on the ball and no sense of resolve.
Man City's opener within the first minute of the match summed it up. Kevin de Bruyne has been peeling off to the right wing all season, and yet when he did so on Saturday he found acres of space to cross for David Silva's goal. That's because Will Hughes, nominally a left midfielder, had already dropped unnecessarily into defence to make a back five – marking no-one.
