3 things we learned in the Premier League this weekend

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.

City reeling with string of poor outings

Manchester City has won just four of its last 15 matches in all competitions.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Saturday's 4-2 drubbing at the hands of Leicester City was the first time a side managed by Pep Guardiola has conceded three or more goals in successive matches after Chelsea outclassed the Catalan gaffer's lot a week earlier.

With that in mind, where should the fault lay?

For starters, Aleksandar Kolarov looks like a player motivated more by his own desires than those of the club, and his effort on Jamie Vardy's second goal was nothing short of insipid.

If Kolarov is going to be singled out, than so should summer signing Claudio Bravo. The Chilean international was signed in the summer from Barcelona for his proficiency with the ball at his feet. Those feet let him down on Saturday, as did his reach, as the 'keeper five inches shorter than the banished Joe Hart was narrowly abbreviated on many occasions at the King Power.

Bravo probably could have done better on Andy King's first-half curler, was desperately out of position on Vardy's second and made a mockery of his craft on the England international's third. Have to wonder what Hart thought watching that performance.

Bravo has conceded six goals in the last seven shots on target. Again, let that sink in for a moment.

With Guardiola adamant that the team play the ball out from the back, the John Stones signing appears more mystifying with each passing match. Neither he nor Nicolas Otamendi have convinced this season, and while fingers will undoubtedly be pointed at the gaffer, it's only fair to malign club director Txiki Begiristain for his failure to sign a defender capable of playing Guardiola's brand of football.

Arsenal shows resolve, again

Down 1-0 courtesy of a Charlie Adam penalty with half an hour gone in Saturday's tilt between Arsenal and Stoke City, Arsene Wenger's lot displayed a resolve that has been all but absent in recent campaigns.

Theo Walcott leveled just before the interval, and Mesut Ozil gave the Gunners the lead four minutes after the break with a looping header thanks to a deft lob from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Substitute Alex Iwobi scored his second goal in two matches 15 minutes from time to secure the result, as Arsenal fought from behind in a fixture that never seemed out of reach.

Fact is, Arsenal never appeared like a side poised for defeat.

Speaking postmatch in the bowels of the Emirates Stadium in the heart of Islington, Walcott acknowledged that something feels different this year.

"There's just something about us this season, we tend to just get results," Walcott admitted. "The use of the squad as well I can't praise enough, the amount of players that are ready when called upon like Iwobi today."

With a squad as deep as the Invincibles of 2003-04, Arsenal has depth all over the park, boasting backups who would start for most sides. That will be no more apparent than over the next month, with Gabriel and Rob Holding likely to deputise for an injured Shkodran Mustafi.

Unlike with previous years, an injury to a first teamer doesn't have the same consequences, and save for Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, players are replaceable all over the park.

The one question that remains: is this enough to finally win the league, or is the annual collapse a matter of months away? Even for the most cynical of Gunners faithful, it's too early to tell.

Chelsea & Costa: England's indomitable force

When video surfaced this week of a Montreal bus battling the perils of gravity and icy roads to collide with the rear ends of several cars, the scene bore a striking resemblance to Premier League table-topper Chelsea.

Even when well-matched by defensive-oriented sides, Antonio Conte's side appears an unstoppable force barreling downhill.

West Brom made a solitary mistake Sunday at Stamford Bridge, and Diego Costa made Tony Pulis' disciplined lot pay for its error. That goal was enough to give Chelsea it's ninth consecutive league victory, edging nearer to Arsenal's top-flight record of 14.

Costa appears a player reborn under Conte, and with a league-best 12 goals, opponents have become less interested in enraging the volatile striker than defending his elusive runs. Much of that is due to Costa himself, who has curbed his impassioned ways this campaign to great effect.

With a dozen tallies and five assists in the league, Costa has had a hand in more goals than any other Premier League player, with the Brazilian-born Spain international scoring six of his last nine shots on target.

Around the grounds

Scoring was the theme Saturday, with a half-dozen matches yielding an astonishing 29 goals. All six home sides scored at least three times, with Leicester topping the lot with a quartet at the King Power against Guardiola's reeling City.

On Sunday, matters were a bit more subdued, with a treble of 1-0 scorelines, though we'd be remiss not to mention how the age of a Karius is faring at Anfield. The shot-stopping summer signing continues to mystify, conceding twice as many goals in the opening stanza against West Ham as saves made.

Surely, Simon Mignolet is looking on from the bench wondering where he went wrong. Spoiler alert: he's not very good either. Full credit to Jurgen Klopp for playing a false No. 1.

Also, Tottenham suffered its third defeat in five matches across all competitions courtesy of a 1-0 loss at Manchester United. Harry Kane was dismal and Victor Wanyama couldn't pass gas, let alone the ball. Spurs now sit fifth, on the outside looking in, seven points adrift of rival Arsenal.

Elsewhere:

• Watford 3-2 Everton
• Burnley 3-2 Bournemouth
• Hull City 3-3 Crystal Palace
• Swansea 3-0 Sunderland
• Southampton 1-0 Middlesbrough
• Liverpool 2-2 West Ham