EPL 2017/18: 5 talking points from gameweek 4

The Premier League returned after the international break and there were lots of unexpected outcomes once again. This weekend saw the reigning champions Chelsea claim their third straight win while the early favourites, Manchester United dropped points at Stoke.

After their humbling of Liverpool, Manchester City will now be the favourites for the title. We also saw Arsene Wenger's men get back to winning ways and last but not least, Harry Kane putting behind him the cursed month of August in style.

Here are some of the talking points from an exciting weekend's action:

#1 Liverpool brought back down to earth

In the early kick-off on Saturday, Liverpool headed to Manchester in a confident mood, fresh from their big 4-0 triumph over Arsenal just before the international break. Their performance against the Gunners had drawn plaudits from all corners and some were even tipping Jurgen Klopp's men to be in contention for the title.

However, the international break seems to have broken their flow as they were brought back down to earth by the ruthless Manchester City who ran out 5-0 winners.

It all went wrong from the moment Sadio Mane was sent off for Liverpool. Although at 1-0 down, even with 10 men, it was not an impossible task for the Reds. But their defence really let them down and Gabriel Jesus capitalised, scoring in first half stoppage time. It was shocking to see Jesus left completely unmarked inside the box.

Liverpool's fragile backline was tested on numerous occasions and perhaps the Reds were lucky in the end as the score could have easily been 7-0 to City!

To make matters worse, their attack will be without Sadio Mane for the next few games.

#2 Manchester United's juggernaut stalled by the Potters

Choupo Moting scored his first two goals in the Premier League on Saturday

The Red Devils had gotten off to the perfect start before the international break rolled by. They had won all three games, scoring 10 goals without reply. Their rhythm was evidently disrupted by the international break as Stoke City's Eric Choupo Moting scored two goals that ended their perfect start to the season.

It was the first goal Manchester United conceded in the league in over 535 minutes since Harry Kane scored against them in May.

Jose Mourinho was left frustrated in the end as the points were shared by both teams despite United enjoying nearly 63% of the possession. Although one result does not necessitate the ringing of the alarm bells at Old Trafford, it was nevertheless two costly points dropped by United. This also means that United are level on points with their rivals, Manchester City.

With the Champions League beginning this week, the next few weeks will provide a real test for Jose Mourinho. The Red Devils face Everton, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea in their next few games.

#3 Gunners all smiles but not at Sanchez's sight

Alexis Sanchez replaced Danny Welbeck in the 75th minute

Arsenal returned to winning ways at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, which came as a relief to Arsene Wenger. The Gunners completely dominated the first half as Bournemouth could not create any chances for themselves.

Arsenal's record signing, Alexandre Lacazette got on the scoresheet along with Danny Welbeck, who already has three goals to his name this season, just one short of his best ever tally in the league for Arsenal.

In the second half, with the game won at 3-0, Wenger decided to throw on Alexis Sanchez. It was evident that his efforts to engineer a move away from Arsenal would not be forgotten easily by the Gunners fans as the Chilean forward was jeered by sections of the home crowd. Wenger has backed his talisman though and is confident that Sanchez will win over the fans with his performances.

Indeed, it will be interesting to see whether Sanchez starts Arsenal's next game at Chelsea next weekend which will undoubtedly be a cracker.

#4 Spurs the real deal away from Wembley

Harry Kane opened his account for the season on Saturday with a brace

Tottenham Hotspur left behind their Wembley hoodoo and bagged a very impressive 3-0 win at Everton, just the Blues' third defeat at Goodison Park since Ronald Koeman took charge. Spurs were, however, the worthy winners and have now won both their away games, scoring five and conceding none.

The real icing on the cake for the Spurs fans would be Harry Kane's goals. The 24-year-old striker failed to score in the month of August yet again, but with the arrival of September, was back amongst the goals for Tottenham. It is a timely return to form as Spurs entertain Borussia Dortmund at home in the Champions League before taking on Swansea City at home again.

Now that Kane is back amongst the goals, there will be a sense of optimism that a Wembley win is just around the corner for Mauricio Pochettino's men.

#5 Frank De Boer could be the first one to be sacked this season

The Dutchman's time is running out and he cannot afford another defeat

Crystal Palace have just failed to turn up so far this season. The Eagles slumped to their fourth straight defeat, at Burnley, and have now failed to score a single goal so far this season. In fact, Frank De Boer's men are the only team yet to score a goal this season and that is despite having the likes of Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha, Yohann Cabaye and Andros Townsend in their ranks.

De Boer even abandoned his favoured back three formation to adopt a 4-3-3 for their trip to Turf Moor. Although their performance was a major improvement - Palace carved out 4 big chances and also had 30 touches in the opposition's penalty box, their most this season - the game ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Eagles.

The word is ripe that De Boer may be replaced by the former England and Liverpool manager, Roy Hodgson. But even that might not change Crystal Palace's fortunes at this stage as they play Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea in succession after entertaining Southampton at home next weekend.