SPURS NEED A WEMBLEY WIN

Tottenham’s impressive display in their 1-2 home defeat by Chelsea gave the lie to suggestions they are unable to perform at Wembley, their home for the season while White Hart Lane is rebuilt, but the sooner they get a win there, the better. Spurs have lost eight and won just one of the last 10 games they have played at the national stadium, a record that has created talk of a ‘Wembley curse’. Their loss to Chelsea, who prevailed through Marcos Alonso’s 88th-minute winner, brought an end to a run of 14 successive home league wins.

IBRAHIMOVIC LOSS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR MAN UTD

Zlatan Ibrahimovic could scarcely have enjoyed a better maiden season at Manchester United, scoring 28 goals in 46 games and inspiring his side to League Cup glory before injury curtailed his campaign. But while Ibrahimovic thrived, United’s other forwards struggled, with nobody else in the squad mustering more than 11 goals. New striker Romelu Lukaku is a far more mobile player than Ibrahimovic and his movement has opened up space for United’s other attacking players to exploit.

WENGER WOES RETURN

A new season has brought familiar problems for Arsene Wenger as Saturday’s 0-1 defeat at Stoke highlighted his team’s Achilles heel once again. Having battled back for a dramatic 4-3 win over Leicester in their season opener, Arsenal had shown a rare glimpse of the kind of fighting spirit often missing from their play. But just eight days later they reverted to type with a tame surrender at the hands of old nemesis Stoke. Most alarming for Wenger was the limp manner in which his back three allowed Jese Rodriguez to gallop through unchecked for the 47th-minute winner.

MANE’S IMPORTANCE TO LIVERPOOL DEMONSTRATED IN ONE MATCH

Last season, Liverpool’s fall away from the title challenge coincided with Sadio Mane’s season-ending knee injury, with the £37-m addition having his campaign cut short in a major blow to Jurgen Klopp’s plans for the year.

The 25-year-old has wasted little time making up for his injury pain, scoring Liverpool’s first goal of the season in the 3-3 draw with Watford last weekend before netting the crucial winner in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. The Senegalese international has the X factor that few players in the league can boast, and if Klopp can keep him fit for the entire season, the attacking midfielder can be the difference between a top-four challenge and a genuine tilt at the title.