Premier League wrap-up: 3 talking points from this weekend's action

With another round of Premier League action in the books, we take a look back at what happened in the English top flight this weekend.

Chelsea gets an Arse kicking

Just like against Liverpool eight days earlier, Chelsea was out of ideas. The intensity was nowhere. This time, it was Arsenal that stirred the scrambled positioning at the back.

The passing and pace of Arsene Wenger's squad does merit praise - Alexis Sanchez has everything in his locker to thrive in a solitary striking role, and Mesut Ozil has the attributes to give Sanchez every opportunity to do so. It was an exhibition of Wenger football, conveniently landing just days after his 20th anniversary in charge of the Gunners.

Related: How Arsenal tore Chelsea to shreds in throwback performance

But there's no disguising the fact that Antonio Conte's side was spineless and roundly mocked by the home side's tricks and flicks.

The Italian needs to be tougher in his decisions to make it work at Chelsea. N'Golo Kante isn't a box-to-box player, and should be lodged back between the midfield and defence where he belongs. Branislav Ivanovic is a creaking, rusty right-back the Blues should get rid of. There's no easy way to slot Cesc Fabregas into his XI.

Noble hammers West Ham futility

"Eleven goals (conceded) in three games is laughable and it's not good enough," said Mark Noble after West Ham United's 3-0 home defeat to Southampton. "When you are losing it is (a flat atmosphere). I think we could have kept playing 'til tonight and we wouldn't have scored."

The captain's words are harsh, but ring true. West Ham was poor in every department on Sunday. Any remnants of the defensive organisation under Slaven Bilic's predecessor Sam Allardyce were gone; the midfield was easily nullified by the Saints' three of Oriol Romeu, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Steven Davis; and the attack mustered just one shot on target.

The Hammers generally took the field like nonchalant businessmen treating themselves to another steak lunch, unabashed by the sorry state of the balance sheets.

Right now, West Ham is in the red - positioned 18th following last season's top-four challenge - and failure to take six points from upcoming tilts with Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace, and Sunderland could lead to redundancy for Bilic.

Finally, Rooney was dropped

Manchester United found its groove in a 4-1 beating of Leicester City, and it's no coincidence that occurred with Wayne Rooney's posterior parked on the substitutes' bench.

Related - Mourinho: Rooney still 'a big player for United' despite benching

Why that took so long is baffling. His insular performances make him an odd choice for captain. He lacks the goals to be a striker and the incisiveness to be a successful No. 10. The true value of his sweeping long balls to the flanks is minimal, and his role this season simply got in the way of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

At 30, he looks gassed - tired by a career that began at breakneck speed when he was 16, then beaten down by his abject performances when skippering England - and could be on his way out of Old Trafford next summer.

An Everton homecoming, perhaps?

Around the grounds

Bournemouth deservedly got the better of Everton on Saturday, taking the lead through a Junior Stanislas dazzler into the top corner, then retaining its intensity and keeping Romelu Lukaku shackled to see out a 1-0 win. Eddie Howe is going to keep the Cherries up again, despite not having a clue who his best strikers are.

The ginger barnet is greying. His eyes are teary blue rather than steely blue. Indeed, David Moyes is looking weary on Wearside. Sunderland was up 2-0 after an hour on Saturday due to a brace from the effervescent Jermain Defoe, but Crystal Palace stormed back via goals from Joe Ledley, James McArthur, and Christian Benteke. The incredible comeback left questions over whether Moyes can cut it at a big club after being shattered in his stints at Manchester United and Real Sociedad.

Elsewhere:

• Liverpool 5-1 Hull City
• Middlesbrough 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
• Stoke City 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
• Swansea City 1-3 Manchester City

Monday: Burnley vs. Watford

Somewhat unexpectedly, Watford is one of the league's most entertaining teams to watch. In Monday's matchup, Walter Mazzarri's meaty throng travels to Burnley - a side that's struggled for goals lately and could be further lacking in potency given the four-match ban handed to Andre Gray for his egregious use of social media in 2012.