3 things we learned in the Premier League this weekend

As we wait patiently for Monday's meeting between Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion, theScore takes a look back at what happened in the English top flight's nine other matches this weekend.

Kane is still improving

Harry Kane scoring in local spats is as synonymous with London as expensive pints, and the manner of his brace in Saturday's 3-2 victory at West Ham United showed he's still improving. The evidence has been clear since he shook off his annual August woes.

(Courtesy: Sky Sports)

The way he flung his head at the ball to divert in the opener exhibited how quickly he can improvise, and his left-footed finish for his second required a swift, smart stab at the ball. He'll wrestle, harry, and risk hacks and jabs to etch his name on the score sheet - and he's only becoming more single-minded and clinical in his methods.

At his current rate, he could surpass Alan Shearer's record of 260 Premier League goals when he's 31 years old. No wonder he has his manager purring.

Related - Hunting Shearer: Kane, Lukaku chase Premier League scoring record

"He is one of the best strikers anywhere, not only in England. I find it hard to find the words to describe him. I am in love like the fans are in love, like his teammates are in love," Mauricio Pochettino said after Tottenham Hotspur's weekend win.

Vardy needs to change his penalty routine

The best penalty takers in England over the past 20 or so years - players like Matt Le Tissier, Graham Alexander, and Mario Balotelli - tended to favour accuracy from 12 yards, picking out hard-to-reach bottom corners with cool, side-footed efforts.

Jamie Vardy, as in most aspects of his game, instead opts for head-down velocity. He focuses on smacking the ball as hard as he possibly can, only momentarily glancing at the goalkeeper before putting his attention on putting lace to leather.

His refusal to wait for the netminder to shift his weight to one side, or to simply target a piece of mesh, means that the majority of his spot kicks are blasted down the middle. On Saturday, Liverpool's Simon Mignolet presented the benefits of doing your homework.

The save meant Leicester City wasn't able to draw level in the East Midlands, and limped to a 3-2 home defeat. Vardy can continue to try his luck by smashing the ball - Carlos Tevez was often fortunate with a similar method - but he should be mindful that the next goalkeeper will be bouncing on his toes, preparing for a rocket right to his chest.

A pain in Niasse

Ronald Koeman's peculiar jettisoning of Oumar Niasse when he arrived last summer is over, and the Senegalese forward's return paid off with three goals in four days.

His double in Saturday's visit from Bournemouth came via a cameo off the bench, with his work rate and physicality helping address some of the dearths in his manager's squad.

Niasse's performances are slightly inconvenient for Koeman, though. Amid questions over his management after a significant summer spend has yielded no detectable improvement at Everton, the Dutch handler's judgement of players must now be questioned.

Related - Poll: Which manager will leave his post first?

Why was Niasse still cast off when Romelu Lukaku was sold? Why did Dominic Calvert-Lewin have to wait over a month for his third league start of the campaign when he already had two assists to his name and there was an obvious lack of pace in Koeman's ranks? Why was Cuco Martina a surefire starter over Jonjoe Kenny?

A 2-1 dismissal of the Cherries doesn't silence Koeman's detractors. He's no closer to knowing what his best team is.

Around the grounds

Alvaro Morata's first Chelsea hat-trick helped down Stoke City 4-0 in Staffordshire on Saturday. It was a commanding performance against an admittedly depleted home side, but the Spaniard wanted the scoreline to ring in the ears of the Blues' title rivals: "We sent a good message to all the Premier League," he told the club website. "Chelsea is in the fight for the title and it's the thing that we want."

Tomer Hemed would've probably been sold if Brighton & Hove Albion managed to bring in a couple of strikers on transfer deadline day, but he's become an early hero of the Seagulls' maiden Premier League venture. His link-up play was key in Sept. 9's 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion, and he hooked in a neat 51st-minute winner to see off Newcastle United in Sunday's bout on the south coast.

Elsewhere:

• Burnley 0-0 Huddersfield Town
• Manchester City 5-0 Crystal Palace
• Southampton 0-1 Manchester United
• Swansea City 1-2 Watford

Monday: Arsenal vs. West Brom

Two conflicting approaches meet at the Emirates when Arsene Wenger's possession-based system looks to pull apart the rusted chain that Tony Pulis strings across the top of the 18-yard box. Arsenal has the upper hand in this fixture, only having dropped points to West Bromwich Albion at home twice (2004's 1-1 draw, 2010's 3-2 loss) in the past 15 years. However, the Baggies' 3-1 victory over the Gunners in March and the spirited midweek defeat to Manchester City should give the West Midlands side some confidence heading into the tie.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)