Premier League weekend: Five talking points

As champions Manchester City recorded a 3-1 victory over Liverpool, they brought down the curtain on the second round of Premier League fixtures.

Once again it was an exciting selection of encounters, with 23 goals scored from 10 matches.

Here, Sports Mole has looked back over each of those games to pick out five of the major talking points.

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Last season, Liverpool conceded too many goals to win the title. As part of his £100m+ spending spree this summer, Brendan Rodgers has added three defenders to his squad, but at present, it appears to have had little impact. Had Southampton been more clinical last weekend, they would have left Anfield with at least a share of the spoils.

On Monday night, new defensive signings Alberto Moreno and Dejan Lovren were exposed against Manchester City. Their fellow title challengers scored far too many goals against Liverpool last term for Rodgers's liking, and it would seem that the same is going to happen this time around.

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Louis van Gaal will be only too aware that his Manchester United side is in major need of quality reinforcements in both defence and midfield. Yet, while nobody can doubt the ability possessed by Juan Mata, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, what they do not provide the United attack with is pace.

Hence the pursuit of Angel di Maria, which is expected to be completed today. The price tag of £59.7m may be excessive, but United showed at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland that they are crying out for some speed and trickery in the final third of the pitch.

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Having spent £30m on the Argentine last summer, most Spurs fans had probably written Erik Lamela off as a hugely expensive misjudgment in the transfer market. After all, injuries and poor form limited the playmaker to just 17 appearances in all competitions last term.

It would seem that he has been revitalised by the presence of his compatriot Mauricio Pochettino in the Tottenham Hotspur hotseat, though. He set up two goals during the 4-0 rout of Queens Park Rangers and was a constant thorn in the side of the West Londoners.

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For years, Arsenal have always been accused of lacking the mental strength to win the Premier League title. They were often easily bullied by the opposition and at times last season were humiliated in the bigger encounters, including their trip to Goodison Park in April.

This time on Merseyside they showed some real character. Trailing 2-0 at the break, the Gunners rallied late on, with goals from Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud securing what could turn out to be an important 2-2 draw. In campaigns gone by, Arsenal would have not battled back.

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Following the loss to Spurs on the opening day of the campaign, Sam Allardyce looked to be a man on the brink. West Ham United fans were making their feelings known, just as they had done for large parts of last season and the pre-season break.

Yet, Allardyce's men may have brought their manager some extra time. He promised that they would play a more attractive brand of football, which is exactly what they produced away at Crystal Palace. Summer signing Mauro Zarate and Stewart Downing scored great goals, while Carlton Cole wrapped up a 3-1 win. For once, Allardyce will have enjoyed Sunday morning's headlines.