Premier League things we learned: The one Man United star who MUST be in the team of the season, manager emerges as top flight’s master of substitutes and the only way Southampton can bounce back

As Newcastle United painted Wembley Way black and white after winning the Carabao Cup final there was plenty of interesting sub-plots emerging back in the cut and thrust of the Premier League.

Both Brighton, who were left to rue missed chances away at Manchester City, and Bournemouth, who tripped themselves up at home to Brentford, saw their European ambitions dented, while Chelsea fell flat minus Cole Palmer at Arsenal.

Ruben Amorim actually had a smile on his face as Manchester United pummelled Leicester City, but there were confrontations between players and fans over in west London as Tottenham were booed off following defeat at Fulham.

Meanwhile, Everton left it late to salvage a draw against West Ham, Nottingham Forest strengthened their Champions League hopes with a 4-2 win at Ipswich Town, and Wolves all-but secured safety for another season after kicking Southampton while they are down.

In the newest instalment of this weekly column, Mail Sport picks out five of the most interesting talking points to emerge from the Premier League’s latest round of matches.

BEES BUZZING ON THE ROAD

Earlier in the season it was pointed out that Brentford were best of the best when it came to form at home, running amok at their GTech Community Stadium.

It became something of a gauntlet for Thomas Frank’s side but they have now flipped the script and taken that invincibility on the road.

Having not won any of their first nine away league games this season, Saturday’s impressive 2-1 win at Bournemouth made it five consecutive wins on the road for the Bees.

In fact, if you include the 0-0 draw at Brighton prior to this winning streak, Frank’s side have scored 14 goals and conceded just twice (once to Crystal Palace in a 2-1 win, and once at Bournemouth).

‘It’s a fantastic record, unbelievable,’ Frank said. ‘Now we just need to keep the away record and hopefully add five home wins.’

Having drawn two and lost seven of their first nine away games they were languishing near the bottom when it came to form on the road but their best-ever run in the top flight for away games has taken them to 11th in the travelling table behind Chelsea (8th) and Manchester City (9th).

Perhaps one of the keys to Brentford’s revival on the road is the fact that they have found a way to win games in a whole manner of ways.

That is so often key on the road when you are digging in and as Bournemouth wasted chances, Brentford remained resolute and scored from a corner and then a long throw.

‘A great, ugly goal,’ is how Frank described the winner.

But there is nothing ugly about how Brentford are sweeping aside teams up and down the country in their own back yards right now.

Trips to Carabao Cup champions Newcastle United and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal represent two of their next three games.

You’ve been warned, lads…

BRUNO IS TOTY CANDIDATE

When it comes to end of season awards, Manchester United should be nowhere near them.

It’s been a miserable campaign to this point and they are languishing 13th in the Premier League table.

But when those swanky award ceremonies do roll around at the end of the season and a Premier League Team of the Year is announced, Bruno Fernandes needs to be in it.

His virtuoso against Leicester City – two assists and a goal – was just the latest display to drag Manchester United to three points.

The Manchester United captain has 97 Premier League goal involvements since the start of 2020-2021 – 11 more than any other midfielder – and is only alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland when it comes to producing 25+ goal involvements for three straight seasons.

His work-rate and pitch coverage from the deeper role he is being deployed in by boss Ruben Amorim sees him quarter-backing a team like few of his peers across the league.

Sixteen goals and 15 assists this season may well quickly become a 20-20, or more, campaign and he is becoming impossible to ignore for end of season honours even in spite of the general team malaise.

There remains a firm belief around United that despite his greatness Fernandes remains one of the most under-appreciated superstars in the Premier League, taking a barrage of criticism week in, week out.

Against Leicester City he made the most final third passes (20), most ball recoveries (16), most tackles attempted (7), most tackles won (6), most chances created (4), most shots (4), most goal involvements (3) and had the most assists (2) of anyone on the pitch. He is in a league of his own.

So, maybe team woe will be held against him, god knows people don’t need much encouragement to bash the United captain.

But if voters are honest with themselves, Fernandes is playing as one of the finest players in the country right now and deserves to be recognised as such when all is said and done in May.

CITY NEED DOKU TO FIND ANOTHER GEAR

When Liverpool came to the Etihad Stadium recently, Jeremy Doku left Trent Alexander-Arnold’s head spinning.

Doku completed 15 take-ons against Liverpool, the second most in the Premier League since Opta records began in 2003-04. He dribbled past Trent Alexander-Arnold 12 times.

Against Brighton at the weekend it was 13 dribbles in a performance brimming with dynamism and electricity. Only he didn’t create a chance all match. He is simply too talented for this to be the case.

Doku is blessed with fundamentals – crucially searing pace – that many of his peers would dream of having.

He can obliterate any full-back in his way, no matter how good they are, but like many 22-year-olds he is not the finished article with his final ball so often missing the mark.

City are moving towards a squad restructure this summer but Doku is not one they should give up on yet – and they won’t.

But finding a way to unlock his final ball should be one of the priorities for Pep Guardiola and his staff this summer.

‘I need speed up front,’ Guardiola said after the 2-2 draw.

‘Jeremy was outstanding with how many times he brought the ball to the byline.’

If Doku can add a final ball to his speed and directness, he will become one of the most feared attackers in the league.

Until that happens defenders will expect to look up and see his crosses sailing over their head.

SILVA’S SUBS ARE BEST IN CLASS

There must be no sweeter feeling for a manager than when they send on substitutes who go on to determine a game in their favour.

And there is no better tinkerman in the league this season than Fulham’s Marco Silva with Sunday’s 2-0 win over Tottenham a case-in-point.

Goals from Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon, who both started on the bench, secured victory against this hopeless Spurs side.

But it is no fluke, far from it.

Fulham have scored 13 goals via substitutes this season, a league best ahead of Bournemouth (12), Arsenal (9) and Brighton (8).

Factor in too that Fulham’s substitutes’ exploits have won Silva’s side 12 points from their tally of 45, with last-gasp wins against Chelsea and Brentford, as well as the second half demolition job of Tottenham.

‘This is the reason why you make changes, always looking to try to improve something or to give different things to the team,’ Silva said.

‘I felt that the second half, Tottenham started well, we needed a reaction in that moment.’

There is an air of the Eddie Jones ‘finishers’ tag he put on England rugby when he was in charge about this Fulham group.

Where other substitutes across the league know they are there to keep a seat warm, Muniz and Co know well and good that they need to be ready to make an impact at any moment.

If Silva guides this group into Europe next season best believe he’ll be giving a nod of appreciation to the bench that has come through for him time and time again.

SOUTHAMPTON MUST CLEAN HOUSE TO BOUNCE BACK

Southampton have been relegated for a while now.

Not officially, sure, but they’ve been all but down for months and after losing at the weekend even boss Ivan Juric threw the towel in.

Asked if they could stay up, he simply said: ‘No, absolutely not.’

So you start looking to next season, start looking at the rebuild and if Southampton want to bounce straight back they need to clean house far beyond just removing Juric, who has been an unmitigated disaster since replacing Russell Martin.

The likes of Tyler Dibling, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Kyle Walker-Peters will have Premier League offers come the summer and all may move on.

But Southampton should seriously consider a major clear-out in a bid to reset the culture, which has been a losing one since this season kicked off.

‘I’m going to speak for myself personally, of course, it’s embarrassing,’ Joe Aribo, the club’s joint-top scorer on three league goals, told the Daily Echo after losing to Wolves.

‘We play football to win. I’m a winner and it’s just a difficult time in my career for me, obviously, with what’s going on with results. I think the boys have to stick together.

‘We have to just work together and let that pride kick in for us and have some pride and dignity.’

Southampton have nine games left to get three points, thus avoiding the infamy of a worse points total than Derby County’s 11, a record low to this point.

Regardless if they are the worst ever or second worst ever, the club is trending in the wrong direction and a widespread shake-up is in order to stop this ship from sinking even further.

Just look at Luton this season…