Gunners’ $38m bargain of the year; Reds’ ‘unacceptable’ issue: Premier League Talking Points

Leandro Trossard inspired Arsenal as the Premier League leaders restored their five-point lead.

Erling Haaland hasn’t given up hope that Manchester City can catch the Gunners, while Liverpool are back to square one after a dismal defeat at Bournemouth.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are bouncing back – and likely saving Graham Potter’s job, while there was plenty of refereeing controversy across the weekend.

Here’s the biggest Premier League Talking Points!

Trossard already an Arsenal bargain

If Arsenal lift their first Premier League title since 2004, the £21 million ($38m AUD) invested in signing Leandro Trossard will prove one of the bargains of the season.

Trossard already looks a shrewd acquisition by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after his three assists inspired Sunday’s 3-0 win at Fulham.

Arsenal only swooped for the Belgium forward after their bid for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhailo Mudryk was usurped by a bigger last-minute offer from Chelsea.

But, while Mudryk is still adapting to the Premier League, Trossard has hit the ground running at Arsenal after four years’ experience of English football with Brighton.

The 28-year-old’s latest display of creativity and intelligence paved the way for the Gunners to record a fifth successive league victory and move them a step closer to the title.

With 11 games left, Arsenal have a five-point lead over second placed Manchester City and Trossard was happy to play his part.

“A perfect win for us. I’m really happy with it. I always try to contribute. Today it went my way,” he said.

“Same as last week. Eleven finals for us. We’ll take it game by game. Today we did a great game.”

Arteta was full of praise for the star man, saying: “He got three assists and could have scored two. I think he was really impressive.

“Not only that, he had an injury three days ago which could have taken a week, or another 10 days, but he was really willing to come back early and the doctors and medical staff did a lot of good work.

“It makes a big difference in the team. We needed him today and his contribution was superb.”

Gabriel Jesus also made a welcome return from injury off the bench, and will play a crucial role in their title bid. But Trossard has helped to lift Arsenal in Jesus’s absence – showing that they won’t be overly reliant on the Brazilian moving forward.

'Nothing is decided': defiant Haaland expects City charge

Erling Haaland has warned Arsenal that Manchester City still believe they can win a fifth Premier League title in the last six seasons.

Haaland scored the second half penalty that sealed a gritty 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday, briefly moving the champions within two points of Arsenal.

Although Arsenal reopened their five-point advantage less than 24 hours later, the City striker is convinced there will be more twists before the title race is decided.

Pep Guardiola’s side face a crucial clash with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on April 26.

And Haaland is determined to ensure his debut season in English football, which has so far produced 34 goals for the Norwegian in all competitions, ends on a high note.

“With this gap, we just have to focus on ourselves,” he said. “We have them (Arsenal) at home and a lot of games left to play still.

“Nothing is decided yet. This is England. This is what I’ve been watching my entire life.

“I enjoy every single second of it. It’s good to be in the middle of it.”

Liverpool's 'unacceptable' problem

Trent Alexander-Arnold admitted Liverpool did not play with enough desire during their miserable 1-0 defeat at lowly Bournemouth on Saturday.

Philip Billing’s first-half goal punished sloppy Liverpool defending as the Reds crashed back down to earth after last weekend’s historic 7-0 rout of arch rivals Manchester United.

Mohamed Salah missed a second-half penalty to compound Liverpool’s frustration against a team who started the day at the bottom of the table.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have dropped to sixth place, six points behind fourth placed Tottenham, and right back Alexander-Arnold was concerned with the lethargic way Liverpool approached a key contest.

“This is the time of the season when everyone knows what they are fighting for and obviously Bournemouth are in a relegation battle,” he said.

“They are fighting for survival. But every team in the league is fighting for something.

“I think looking back on it now, they probably wanted it more than us and that is something that is unacceptable and we need to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.”

Relief for Chelsea ... but 'not getting carried away'

The pressure is finally easing on Chelsea manager Graham Potter after the club claimed three-straight wins in the space of a week, shaking off a dismal run of just one win in 11 prior matches.

The Blues beat Leicester 3-1 and had another two goals ruled out for off-side, with their finishing the crucial difference over the misfiring Foxes.

Potter said after the team’s Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund midweek: “Has the weight been lifted off my shoulders? Yes, in some ways.”

But, he said, “I’m not getting carried away.”

Chelsea’s top four dream still seems improbable – they are 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, albeit with a game in hand.

But there are plenty of reasons for optimism. Premier League record signing Enzo Fernandez continues to develop into the midfield superstar that Chelsea believed he could be, bagging a brilliant assist for Kai Havertz to score a goal of the season contender.

Mykhailo Mudryk added his first assist against the Foxes, with the Ukrainian winger finally finding his feet after a slow start at the club – and even showing positive signs when shifted to a central striking role.

Potter said: “He’s a young player that hasn’t that much experience, so each game he’ll get better and better. Mykhailo’s attitude is fantastic, I love his approach.”

In another positive sign, Chelsea showed adaptability during the game, with Potter expertly reshaping the team mid-match. He started with three at the back, then shifted to 5-3-2 at halftime before moving to a back four in the final 20 minutes. The bold decision to bring off Joao Felix at halftime was crucial, with Conor Gallagher helping to stifle James Maddison’s influence in the middle of the park.

There’ll be no getting carried away at Stamford Bridge, but with struggling Everton this weekend, the opportunity for further improvement is clear.

Referee drama strikes again and again

It was a weekend full of refereeing controversy.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was furious after Casemiro’s yellow card for a wayward tackle on Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz was upgraded to a red card after a review on the pitch-side VAR monitor.

“Casemiro played over 500 games in Europe and never once got a red card. Now he has two in the Premier League,” United manager Erik ten Hag said. “His absence is not the issue. We will deal with that. This game was influenced by the referee.”

Ten Hag was also upset at missed penalty calls in United’s draw with the bottom-placed Saints.

“Well, what I think is the inconsistency (means) players don’t know any more what is the policy,” Ten Hag said.

“I think it’s all across. I mean, you see yesterday, Leicester-Chelsea, then VAR is not coming on the line.

“Today it’s coming on the line and then it’s two penalty situations, but they don’t come on the line.

“I think especially the first one was for me clear and obvious handball, so what is the policy?”

Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui was furious after being denied a ‘very clear penalty’ in their 2-1 loss to Newcastle. When the game was still goalless, Newcastle keeper Nick Pope bodychecked Raul Jimenez – but was not given a penalty and red card by referee Andrew Madley, who was a significant distance away. He was not even instructed to review the video footage.

“For me it is a very clear penalty for us,” Lopetegui told Sky Sports.

“We are very unlucky with the referees. We were very unlucky in [the FA Cup match at] Liverpool and today too. It is a pity for us.”

Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp said: “Pope is incredibly lucky …

“It’s no doubt it’s a foul. And because he’s not trying to play the ball it would be a penalty, a red card and a ban for him. That’s how important this decision was … What a big mistake.”

Aston Villa coach Unai Emery was also frustrated after his side drew 1-1 with West Ham, with the Hammers rescuing a draw thanks to Said Benrahma’s penalty. West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta went down under minimal contact from Villa’s Leon Bailey.

Emery said: “I watched it and I respect the referees 100 per cent. But my opinion today is that it is a very soft penalty.”

There is always refereeing drama, but this week was simply next level.