Five things we learned this weekend: United show Rangnick hallmarks to hold Chelsea
We may not yet know how much he influenced Manchester United’s approach in their 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday but their approach bore some of the hallmarks of Ralf Rangnick.
Rangnick is expected to arrive at United this week to take up the role of interim manager until the end of the season, when he will become a consultant to the club.
And the German coach, who is credited with shaping modern-day high-pressing tactics, is poised to take over a team already pivoting in his direction under caretaker Michael Carrick.
At Stamford Bridge they became only the fourth team to deny the Premier League leaders victory this season with a disciplined, compact performance.
With Cristiano Ronaldo left on the substitutes’ bench, a front two of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho pressed aggressively when asked.
One such occasion, when Bruno Fernandes hooked a Chelsea set-piece clear inside the United area, led to Sancho dispossessing Jorginho and putting the visitors in front.
Apprentice Tuchel held by master’s prospective charges
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel began his coaching career under Rangnick but the apprentice could not get one over on his old master’s prospective new side this time.
The hosts bombarded United, especially in the first half, and finished with 24 attempts on goal to United’s three.
But through a combination of deep defending from the visitors and their midfield trio, alert goalkeeping from David de Gea, and questionable finishing from Timo Werner, they failed to convert their supremacy into goals.
Jorginho made amends for his error by sending De Gea the wrong way from the penalty spot after Aaron Wan Bissaka’s foul on Thiago Silva, but this felt distinctly like two points dropped by Chelsea.
Man City tighten up title race with West Ham win
It’s tight at the top of the Premier League, with Manchester City’s home win over West Ham United meaning just two points separate the first three.
City were unspectacular in their 2-1 victory, secured by goals from midfielders Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho, and despite Manuel Lanzini’s late dipping volley for the visitors.
It was enough to keep them hot on the heels of Chelsea, however, who they now trail by just one point. Liverpool are a further point adrift in what continues to look like a three-horse race for the title.
So low-key was the action at the Etihad Stadium that City manager Pep Guardiola named club groundsman Lee Jackson his man of the match for clearing the pitch during an extended half-time break following a blizzard.
For West Ham, meanwhile, back-to-back league defeats for the first time since April further checked their momentum, though they remain the best of the rest in fourth place.
Evergreen Vardy blooms amid snow
Jamie Vardy continued to enjoy an Indian summer even as Leicester City’s King Power Stadium turned into a winter wonderland against Watford.
Vardy struck twice before half-time – the first a brilliant dink from a narrow angle – as the Foxes won 4-2 against their Premier League-title winning former boss Claudio Ranieri’s new team.
The evergreen livewire, 34, now has nine top-flight goals this season, putting him behind only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in the scoring charts.
The clash between two of the division’s most open teams delivered the goal-fest that it promised.
Four of Watford’s six games under Ranieri have now gleaned five or more goals, while Leicester’s fixtures average 3.3 each.
Emmanuel Dennis and Josh King got among the goals again for the Hornets; they and Ismaila Sarr now have five goals apiece.
Ranieri may or may not keep Watford up, but either way it looks like it won’t be dull.
Brentford crank up pressure on Everton and Benitez
Rafa Benitez is the new favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post after his Everton side slumped to another defeat at Brentford.
The Toffees’ form has fallen off a cliff in the last two months, in which time they have taken just two points from seven top-flight games.
It all started so well for former Liverpool boss Benitez in the Blue half of the city, with four wins in his first six league outings at the helm.
But the injury to Dominic Calvert-Lewin in August has blunted Everton’s attack and they have now drawn a blank in their last three fixtures.
Despite piling on the pressure they did not come too close to ending that drought at Brentford, who ended their own five-game wait for a league win to climb above the visitors.
Ivan Toney scored the game’s only goal from the penalty spot – his only touch in the Everton box in a tireless shift that included more than his fair share of defending.