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3 things we learned in the Premier League's midweek clashes

Tony O'Brien / Reuters

With another round of Premier League action in the books, we take a look back at what happened in the English top flight on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Senseless shuffling stung by Hornets

Once Watford took the lead over host Arsenal for the first time in the Premier League era, there was never a convincing case from the home side that it could take anything from the encounter.

Hornets goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was called into action on a few occasions and Sebastian Prodl was rocked, but the visitor looked relatively settled and prevailed by a 2-1 scoreline at the Emirates Stadium.

There are so many probing questions that can be levelled at Arsene Wenger. Why was Theo Walcott benched after scoring a hat trick three days earlier? Why were Lucas Perez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also sacrificed after starring in that 5-0 battering of Southampton? Why was Gabriel Paulista selected ahead of Hector Bellerin?

In fact, why does Gabriel have a Premier League career at all?

Related - Deja Vu at Arsenal: 3 ways to ruin a title chase

Wenger's refusal to shift from a 4-2-3-1 setup - he's not a reactive manager, and seldom coincides making substitutes with changing the system during a match - makes Arsenal a wholly predictable proposition.

Kante sensational on Merseyside

There were times when there appeared to be three or four N'Golo Kante's on the pitch. He was everywhere, putting in 14 tackles compared to the three each from the next best in that department: Dejan Lovren and Jordan Henderson.

The Frenchman became the first Premier League player to surpass both a half-century of tackles and interceptions this season, and is thriving under Antonio Conte after being handed more attacking responsibility when it comes to his distribution.

"At Leicester, the plan was to stay compact and to go forward with the ball when we counter-attacked," Kante told the club website ahead of Tuesday's trip to Anfield.

"At Chelsea we play in a different formation. The way I play here is to protect the back three, to control the balance of the game from midfield, and to find the attacking players in the team with my passing.

"I am happy in this position and with the way I am playing it."

Overall, a 1-1 draw was a fair result, with Simon Mignolet stopping his sixth of 14 Premier League penalties for the Reds - more saves than any other Liverpool goalkeeper - when he thwarted Diego Costa from 12 yards.

Crouch the centurion

Few will begrudge Peter Crouch becoming the 26th player to reach 100 Premier League goals.

The gangly frontman scored a tap-in to open the scoring of Stoke City's visit from Everton - which ended 1-1 - to earn a late feat in a career which began with loan spells to the modest settings of Dulwich Hamlet and IFK Hassleholm.

Related - Tall order: How 100-goal Crouch went from 'freak' to national hero

Eventually he became one of the most popular footballers in England, encouraging kids up and down the country to celebrate with a copycat robot celebration and to attempt obscene acrobatic efforts that are only possible for Crouch and contortionists.

Crouch is famously a charismatic figure away from the pitch too, and his soundbites have often raised a chuckle.

Around the grounds

The performances of Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus lately have been extremely promising for Pep Guardiola's Manchester City revolution, but the growing influence of Yaya Toure has been a great surprise. The Ivorian seems to have been around for decades, but tucked away a penalty as City ran riot with a 4-0 triumph at a dire West Ham United.

Sam Allardyce finally got his first win as Crystal Palace manager in an impressive 2-0 victory at Bournemouth. The back three of Scott Dann, Damien Delaney, and James Tomkins defended stoutly, and the Eagles consigned the Cherries to a fourth straight home league match without victory.

Elsewhere:

  • Burnley 1-0 Leicester City
  • Manchester United 0-0 Hull City
  • Middlesbrough 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
  • Sunderland 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
  • Swansea City 2-1 Southampton

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