Premier League weekend: Five talking points

After the 11th round of matches, the Premier League is slowly starting to take shape.

A total of 21 goals were scored over the course of 10 encounters, with one red card also being brandished.

Here, Sports Mole has picked out five of the biggest talking points to have arisen from the most recent batch of fixtures.

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With 10 Premier League matches gone, Burnley were the only side in the top flight to have not tasted victory. Not only that, the Clarets were the only team in England's top four divisions to have not celebrated earning three points. But, what is it they say? Eleventh time's a charm!

When Ashley Barnes rose highest inside the penalty area to break the deadlock against Hull City, if there had been a roof on Turf Moor, it would have been blown off. Barnes's goal proved to be the winning one and while manager Sean Dyche had remained positive publicly, the relief that he felt must have been unrivaled. Burnley remain bottom, but are now just two points from safety. Perhaps their season starts now.

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If anyone in the Manchester area has the phone number of a good chiropractor, feel free to pass it on to Sergio Aguero. The 2-2 draw with Queens Park Rangers may have seen Manchester City fall eight points behind leaders Chelsea, but without the Argentine, the situation would be even bleaker.

Of City's last nine Premier League goals, Aguero has scored eight of them, including both at Loftus Road on Saturday evening. Right now, he is carrying City in a way that is akin to Luis Suarez's exploits on Merseyside last term. Manager Manuel Pellegrini has been quick to stress that his side is better off in terms of points than at this point 12 months ago, but that is largely Aguero's doing. If the Citizens are to close the gap on Chelsea, his teammates need to step up.

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Of course, if Chelsea continue at their current rate, it will not matter one iota what Aguero and City produce. Right now, Jose Mourinho's men have won nine of their 11 games, having drawn the other two. As a result, they hold a four-point lead at the summit and with the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland to come after the international break, they could be over the hill and far away come December.

Their latest win came at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime. Last term, Mourinho was criticised for deploying negative tactics in a 2-0 win on Merseyside, but this time around his side dominated hosting Liverpool with measured attacking play. The home team were rightly angered by referee Anthony Taylor's decision not to award them a late penalty for handball against Gary Cahill, but on the balance of play, the Blues were worthy 2-1 victors. The big question now is can they match the accomplishments from back in the 2003-04 season of Arsenal, who went the entire campaign unbeaten? With Mourinho at the helm, you wouldn't bet against it.

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On the South Coast, fans of Southampton may well be dreaming of watching the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich turn out at the St Mary's Stadium next season. There are still 27 matches left to play, yet following the 2-0 win over Leicester City, there is a growing belief that the Saints can finish in the Champions League places this season.

Only time will tell if Ronald Koeman's men, who were tipped to struggle this term yet sit second, can pull off the unlikely. They are certainly built on solid foundations, having kept seven clean sheets this term, including shut outs in each of their last four outings. After a trip to Aston Villa, Southampton take on Man City, Arsenal and Man United - that will be a true test of their top-four credentials.

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Those that feel that it is rather knee-jerk to suggest that Mauricio Pochettino is in danger of losing his job at White Hart Lane, having only inherited it in the summer, should remember that his chairman is Daniel Levy! Since Levy took control of Tottenham Hotspur in 2001, 11 managers (be it permanent appointments or caretakers) have departed. It's fair to say that the businessman demands quick results, which he is not currently getting from Pochettino.

Sunday's 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Stoke City was Tottenham's fifth of the season and fourth in front of their own supporters. From the outside looking in, the major problem appears to be that Pochettino's players are either unable or unwilling to buy into his way of thinking. The Argentine likes his teams to push high up the pitch and keep hold of the ball when they win it back, both of which are proving tricky right now. And what about the future? All of a sudden, bookmakers have made Pochettino the 8/1 fourth favourite to be the next Premier League boss to be handed his P45.