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 over the weekend.
Fluid front three works for Chelsea
Diego Costa's antics threatened to throw a wrench in Chelsea's plans. His omission from Saturday's match against Leicester City dominated the headlines, but his absence didn't affect Chelsea's performance in the slightest.
A 3-0 win over the reigning Premier League champion put to rest any notion of Chelsea's debilitating dependence on its leading scorer.
With Eden Hazard as a false nine and with Pedro and Willian on the Belgian's left and right, the Blues were just as mobile and threatening in attack as they are with Costa.
Hazard thrived in the role against Bournemouth on Boxing Day, his presence spanning across the pitch. That day, he completed the most dribbles in any single Premier League match (13) since April 2013, running straight at Bournemouth's defenders.
Again on Saturday, the 26-year-old was influential and calm when chaos descended upon him. Take a look at Marcos Alonso's opening goal: As the ball bobbled around in front of Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, Hazard simply slotted it to the vacant Spaniard.
Partners Pedro and Willian gave Hazard necessary support in the build-up. Despite the trio's lack of size - none is taller than Willian's 5-foot-8 - they're a handful for defenders. Pedro's dazzling backheel flick-on in the sequence prior to his own header was an example of their irresistible movement.
Conte's flexibility as a manager may not get a lot of credit, but he's demonstrated early in his Premier League tenure that he can make tweaks and still produce results.
"It's important to have another plan in your mind. To play without a No. 9 is another solution," Conte told reporters, according to the Evening Standard. "We showed against Bournemouth and today, we played without a No. 9 and won 3-0, 3-0.
"It's important to always play as a team, and to have different solutions is important for me and the team. Sometimes to change your plan is important."
Everton's counter-attack stings City
Everton's measured performance against Manchester City gave Pep Guardiola an important lesson in English football: Playing without the ball is just as important as keeping it.
Although the stats point favourably in City's direction - Guardiola's side managed 71 percent possession and produced 13 shots to Everton's five - the 4-0 defeat indicates a systematic collapse.
The Toffees maximised the chances they did create. They jumped on second balls and exploited Yaya Toure's slow reaction time to set up Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas for the first two goals of the match.
Everton's counter-attack stunned City, which often lost its positioning and shape once it conceded possession. On the first goal in particular, a mix-up between John Stones and Toure led to a situation in which the former ended up in midfield and the latter in defence. It was one of many misplays between the pair.
(Courtesy: NBC Sports)
City actually managed to conjure some good goal-scoring opportunities in the first half. Kevin De Bruyne popped up behind Everton's defence and sent inviting balls into the box - except no one reached the end of them.
Following Mirallas' strike, the visitor all but surrendered. Allowing 18-year-old Tom Davies to gallop through the midfield for Everton's third tally, City's defence couldn't track runs or clog gaps. It looked more like a headless chicken running about the pitch.
Guardiola is simply stuck with a team that cannot execute his plans. Neither does it appear he has a Plan B. It is right and fair that he sticks to his philosophy of possession-based football - no one can dispute the success he's enjoyed with it, and it's the way he thinks is best - but it's also clear City doesn't know how to cope when it loses the ball. There is no security in transition, and just as little confidence in goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
United's resilience not enough
Both Manchester United and Liverpool had a significant share of the ball in Sunday's 1-1 stalemate, and more than enough chances to win the game. Neither side should be happy.
The draw ended United's nine-match winning streak, and robbed Liverpool of its first win in 2017.
But it's a fair result.
The home side did show impressive urgency and resilience to claw back a point. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 84th-minute equaliser came after successive waves of attack, the scrappy header from the big Swede handing United a well-fought point.
Ibrahimovic's role in United's success remains a big one. The 35-year-old now has 14 goals in his first 20 Premier League outings - matching the adaptable efforts of Alan Shearer and Sergio Aguero.
Related: Ibrahimovic rescues United in feisty draw with Liverpool
It didn't come without help. Mourinho's decision to introduce the tall and lanky Marouane Fellaini instead of speedster Marcus Rashford confounded conventional wisdom, as did Henrik Mkhitaryan's switch to left back, but it was the Belgium's height that contributed to the equaliser. Long-ball tactics prevailed.
The match highlighted United's struggles to score at Old Trafford, as it has just eight goals in the past 10 league games there. Liverpool netminder Simon Mignolet made several key saves to frustrate Mourinho's men even more for the majority of the 90 minutes.
The fact that United had to chase the game affected its approach. A careless handball by Paul Pogba gifted a penalty to James Milner, who's now converted all six of his spot kicks this season.
Liverpool made life extremely difficult for the world-recording signing, often crowding him with two players at a time. Pogba was unable to dominate in midfield, and culpable for making several mistakes.
It was one of his worst performances since his £89-million transfer from Juventus.
Around the grounds
Hull City gave debut manager Marco Silva a maiden Premier League victory on Saturday, coming from behind to defeat a porous Bournemouth side. The win put the Tigers on the verge of escaping the relegation zone, but the task ahead remains a tough one: Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool are all on the coming schedule.
Meanwhile, West Ham posted its highest-scoring triumph at London Stadium despite the absence of the revolting Dimitri Payet. As long as Michail Antonio is playing, however, the Hammers have a chance. Antonio contributed assists on all three goals in West Ham's 3-0 success over Crystal Palace - equalling Mesut Ozil's season-wide total in just 18 minutes.
Elsewhere:
- Tottenham 4-0 West Brom
- Swansea City 0-4 Arsenal
- Watford 0-0 Middlesbrough
- Sunderland 1-3 Stoke City
- Burnley 1-0 Southampton