This weekend, two embattled teams finally managed to grab three points for the first time in a while, a struggling contender seems to be reversing their poor run of form, the set-piece boys were at it again, and Erling Haaland continued to score goals at an alarming rate. Here are all the winners and losers from this gameweek.
Everyone at Fulham can breathe again, perhaps no one more than Marco Silva. Some might argue that Fulham just needed a win this weekend after losing the last three games in a row, but I believe they needed more than a win. They needed a win in dominant fashion against a lacklustre Wolves side battling relegation to remind themselves that they're not on the same caliber as the teams around them at the moment. A 3-0 win will do nicely to lift the mood around Craven Cottage as they prepare to face Everton next weekend.
Thomas Frank's appointment as Tottenham manager presents an opportunity to assess whether successful mid-table managers can make the leap to a top club in the league and succeed. In that regard, Tottenham's shaky start to the season has not been ideal, both for Thomas Frank and for the reputation of other mid-table managers in the league. They've had some bright spots this season, like beating Manchester City at the Etihad, but for the most part, the performances have been a mixed bag, and they currently sit 6th on the table. However, Saturday's loss to Chelsea must have been extra painful for Tottenham fans. It's been so long since Tottenham beat Chelsea in the league that the tie seems one-sided now. It was exactly the kind of opportunity Thomas Frank needed to seize and deliver to build a better rapport and connection with the fans and the club. However, on the night, Tottenham came out in sixes and sevens, especially after Lucas Bergvall was withdrawn due to injury; they never looked like they were going to offer a serious threat on the night. Someone needs to let Thomas Frank know that this is not how London derbies are supposed to go down.
Last gameweek, Erling Haaland did not score, and it seemed like the rich vein of scoring form he was enjoying had ended. It turns out that was just a bump in the road. The big Norwegian struck twice on Sunday as Manchester City beat Bournemouth 3-1 to move to second place. That brings Haaland's goal tally in the league to a whopping 13 goals already and makes him the highest goalscorer. In fact, if you combine the goals of the players who are second and third on the list (Danny Welbeck and Antoine Semenyo, both with 6 goals), they fall one goal short of Haaland's tally. Whatever success Manchester City might experience this season probably rests heavily on Haaland's ability to keep scoring goals at an incredible rate.
Newcastle, on a four-match win streak, had the perfect opportunity to keep the streak going when they faced a West Ham side that looks to be in disarray at the moment. Instead, they lost 3-1 and will now go into the Champions League game in midweek with a lot less confidence. The loss leaves them 13th in the table, having lost more games (4) than they've won (3) in the first 10 games of the season. For a club like Newcastle with the kind of ambitions they have, it's poor, very poor. Eddie Howe and his team will be looking to rectify things as quickly as possible because while he definitely has a lot of goodwill in the bank, it surely won't take more than a few more performances like this one for murmurs to begin at Saint James Park.
First win on the board for the Portuguese at West Ham must feel so good. Everyone thought Nottingham Forest was stupid to let Nuno go, and that West Ham was lucky to pick him up when they did. But it immediately became apparent that the task of rebuilding West Ham would be bigger than everyone thought. Nuno has been experimenting, trying so badly to put the right pieces together and field a team that can play the type of football that Nuno is known for, but nothing has worked, until now. Not only will that win feel sweeter because it came against a much better Newcastle team, but it also came after West Ham had gone behind after only eight minutes. This is Nuno football at its core: determined, unflinching, principled, tenacious. It seems like the man's message is now getting across, and he can begin to build on this foundation.
I don't think much needs to be said here. After ten games, Wolves are bottom of the table with zero wins and only have two points. The sides immediately above them are West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Burnley. Two of those teams probably won't be in relegation places for long, and the other, Burnley, has already amassed ten points. It's looking bleak at the Molineux as all indications point to relegation after a few exciting seasons in the Premier League.
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EPL GW10: Winners And Losers