Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Anthony Knockaert could make all the difference fro Brighton, Pablo Zabaleta is fed up with West Ham’s ill-discipline and Kevin de Bruyne is drawing more praise

Mark Hughes was in no doubt he had witnessed the favourites for the title. “Clearly I would say that after being beaten 7-2 but they do look significantly better than anybody else in the league in terms of our experience,” he said. Of City’s potential rivals Hughes has guided Stoke to a 1-0 win over Arsenal, a 2-2 draw with Manchester United and endured a 4-0 home reverse against Chelsea. “We’ve faced Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United and we’ve acquitted ourselves fine. But they were just very clinical. The difference was De Bruyne’s understanding of what needed to be done. The quality of his passing, the weight of his passes and his understanding of the angles in terms of releasing people. You can see the reaction of his team-mates. As soon as he gets on the ball they expect him to put the right ball in at the right moment with the right pace. That’s the influence that he has on the team.” Jamie Jackson

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