Premier League digest: Talking points, tactics and total football as Mark Hughes and Alan Pardew gain revenge It is only fair their efforts on Saturday should be recounted too, as Stoke and Newcastle ended 38 and 41 years of waiting against their exalted opposition. After a difficult first half against Chelsea, Hughes sent out a different side in the second half in both style and mentality; their passing was sharper and not as aimlessly direct as before, while the effort to isolate John Terry apparent. Hughes then changed the personnel (this after introducing the impressive Stephen Ireland for the injured Charlie Adam early on), granting Oussama Assaidi an opportunity. Assaidi, who has shown the briefest glimpse of his ability so far, vindicated Hughes" decision by scoring the late winner. Even more impressive was Pardew's Newcastle, who restricted United to just eight shots in 90 minutes (three of them blocked) and generally controlled the tempo of the game with Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye superb; the decision to include Vurnon Anita in the midfield, and overwhelm United's two-man set-up, was astute from the manager. Only Tom Cleverley and Antonio Valencia managed over 80 per cent passing accuracy in United's midfield, while the entire team were less accurate than Newcastle - vindication of Pardew's pressing tactics. For all the words of how Moyes was given little in the summer, Pardew was also given just Loic Remy on loan, although retaining Cabaye looks one of the season's best pieces of business. It is inevitable Mourinho and Moyes will be examined - and maybe even questioned - after their defeats. But praise is deserved for Hughes and Pardew - no matter how begrudgingly administered for some - after both enjoyed the last laugh this weekend. Cardiff need to realise what games are truly big It is not yet Christmas, but Cardiff have amassed enough results worthy of a £9.99 DVD stocking filler. Manchester City, title favourites, beaten by the head of Frazier Campbell; Manchester United, famous Manchester United, denied three points in the final minutes under the burning south Wales floodlights. Most crucially of all, Swansea were beaten; it does not matter how or why, just that they were. That amounts to seven points in three games that could have easily yielded none. Add the burgeoning Everton of Roberto Martinez's design and that is eight points from four entirely losable fixtures. Those points should find Cardiff in relative mid-table safety, yet they find themselves in 15th and just a point from the relegation zone, adding just six to that tally. The 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace narrowed that gap and typified the problem of Cardiff's season: they have raised their efforts for most of the marquee fixtures, but have struggled otherwise, 2-1 win at Fulham excepted. They were unfortunate to lose to Tottenham at home, and even worried Chelsea and Arsenal before quality told, but showed little of that against Aston Villa and Newcastle. Draws against Stoke, Norwich and Hull were ultimately disappointing. It is reasonable for a newly-promoted team, not yet acquainted with the Premier League razzmatazz, to raise intensity against the famous sides. But ultimately, consistency against the teams in direct opposition for survival is what is needed to remain in the division - particularly if they are capable of troubling and taking points from the top sides in their slobberknocker style. Malky Mackay's side could have moved seven points clear of Palace, but instead are now just a solitary point ahead with their next four away games against Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City. It will worry Mackay how his side were outfought, albeit against a Tony Pulis side, in a game that may carry such importance in May. Cardiff were not quite second to every ball, but it seemed that way. The Welsh side's midfield attempted just five tackles - some statistic alone given the presence of Gary Medel - with just two successful; in comparison, Palace's midfield attempted 13 tackles with the triumvirate of Mile Jedinak, Kagisho Dikgacoi and Barry Bannan covering every inch possible. Ahead of them, Marouane Chamakh and Cameron Jerome gave the Cardiff defence little time on the ball. Indeed, both goals - scored by Jerome and Chamakh - were fashioned from determined Palace reaching loose balls before lethargic Cardiff. It is easy to regard the defeat as a victory for Pulis, but that is too simplistic. Cardiff must alter their mentality against sides that were not amongst the first glance of the fixture list upon its release in June, especially with West Brom and Sunderland - 15th and 20th - at home in December. With Mackay's job potentially linked to survival this season, his side need to quickly redefine what a big game truly is. Manchester City away-day woes not as bad as it seems In a season full of oddities, one persists above all: Manchester City cannot do away what they do at home. Their passes are not as incisive, their movement is not as inventive, their results are not as unerringly rousing and routine. They have seven wins from seven at home with 25 goals scored, while the 1-1 draw with Southampton signals just two wins from eight on their travels. Not since the Bolivians and Venezuelans, with their stadiums upon the Andes, has there been such disparity between home and away results. Manchester has no mountains, but Manuel Pellegrini would move some to remedy his side's issues away from home. But despite the hand-wringing, frustration and incredulity, there is some comfort for City. It does not come in the form of a solution, but rather acknowledgement that such struggle is not rare. In the corresponding fixtures last season (excluding Cardiff, as they were in the Championship), City are just two points worse off. Indeed, the hard-fought draw at St Mary's is a better result than last season's chastening 3-1 defeat. Since becoming title challengers, City have relied on home form. Last season, they won just nine away - less than Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. Even their title-winning season consisted of just two points dropped at home all season with all five defeats coming away. History does not necessarily make their current malaise acceptable but does allay fears that it could completely derail their title aspirations. It also offers a salivating alternate reality, one of a Man City side who could still produce their dazzling form at Eastlands and then replicate it elsewhere. There are also precedents of foreign managers, new to the Premier League, taking time to adapt on the road. Only Jose Mourinho truly settled in his first full season with Arsène Wenger (eight wins), Rafael Benítez (five wins) and Roberto Mancini (eight wins) not excelling. It is for Pellegrini to figure out the formula that has evaded his predecessors, though some things are not in his control. Despite Sergio Aguero, a goalscorer once again on Saturday, and Alvaro Negredo working well in tandem and Yaya Toure becoming an Ivorian wrecking ball of increasing finesse, it is difficult to play against the energy and quality Southampton displayed. Not for the first time this season, City have faced a team who have tried to make home advantage count by raising intensity, pressing high up the pitch and giving City's players little room to operate. Toure only made one goalscoring opportunity, while Negredo did not have a single shot. As City's reputation builds as being beatable away from home, more teams will look upon it as a chance to win three points they have no chance of getting in Manchester. It is up to Pellegrini to combat that - but history is not on his side. Substitutes show fine work from Wenger and Martinez Before Everton kicked off against Arsenal, manager Roberto Martinez suggested substitutes could be decisive. Not only is the Spaniard a fine football manager, but it now appears he can also tell the future. With the game moving towards a goalless draw with 10 minutes remaining, Tomas Rosicky - part of Arsène Wenger's wonderfully ludicrous triple-substitution - found the second prong of the trident, Theo Walcott, with an excellent ball. Walcott headed the ball across goal, eventually reaching Mesut Özil, eventually sending Arsenal seven points clear. But Martinez knew what was coming. It was for Gerard Deulofeu, improving with every touch of the ball, to make good on his manager's promise with a fantastic equaliser just five minutes after coming off the bench. Martinez would later say there is a good arrogance about the on-loan Barcelona player, but then, he is learning from an arrogant Spaniard in the dugout. It is most certainly a good arrogance, a refreshing display of bravery at a club that has pandered to its plucky, underdog status for far too long. To send on the raw winger for the more experienced Kevin Mirallas was courageous from Martinez, possibly reckless - there will be acknowledgement that Arsenal scored just 24 seconds after his arrival, a potential reflection on the away side still readjusting when he came on. But he ended the debate emphatically, in Arsenal's area, quickly after. Both Wenger and Martinez showed courage with their substitutions (a triple substitution shows more than most, the footballing equivalent of tackling Grendel's mother). To remove Aaron Ramsey, one of the league's in-form players, is not something a manager should do often - yet it worked with Mathieu Flamini providing a better platform for Rosicky, Özil and Walcott to operate. For Martinez, the decision to not remove the carded James McCarthy or Gareth Barry for Leon Osman was bold, instead taking off Steven Pienaar and allowing the magnificent Ross Barkley to impact even further up the pitch. The interesting thing both Wenger and Martinez have achieved, and what these substitutions show, is how mechanical both teams are (if such a word can be used for sides so free in movement). Both managers know exactly what role every position offers: for Arsenal, the fullbacks push high, while one midfielder sits, facilitating movement from the five players in front. For Everton, fullbacks also push high, while a two-man midfield axis allows two tricky wide players, a number 10 and a strong centre-forward to operate. This means substitutions are often like-for-like, often enterprising, often impactful. There are minor tweaks to the system, of course, but good players replace good players. Wenger, 17 years at the club, has perfected it. Most impressively, Martinez is moving towards that already after a matter of months. World Cup draw provides sub-plots and panic If the World Cup draw prompted a cut-throat reaction from Football Association chairman Greg Dyke, the weekend's football may have seen him curled up in a dark room rocking back-and-forth. The reaction to England's group stage opponents - Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica - was largely an overreaction; Italy can underachieve heavily, while Uruguay have not developed as expected since their semi-final appearance in 2010. Costa Rica, if anything, have been underrated given how organised they can be. Spare a thought for Dyke however, and Roy Hodgson, and England's defence, as Luis Suarez twisted and turned his way around Anfield once more. Whether it was one goal or two against West Ham, the fact does not change: he is the league's top scorer after missing the first five through games through suspension. Everybody knows of Suarez's quality, of how he can score or create from nothing. But at St Mary's, Pablo Osvaldo - seven appearances and four goals during Italy's qualification - also twisted and turned, and also achieved something substantial from nothing. His punted finish over Costel Pantilimon, who is walking at 6ft 8in, demonstrated the quality he possesses and the quality Mauricio Pochettino is coaxing from him. When speaking of how the future resides with Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, James Ward-Prowse and other young Englishmen on the south coast, it must be remembered that Pochettino is part of their development. It must also be remembered the Argentine coach also helps the non-English players, players like Osvaldo. Even Bryan Oviedo, Everton's second-choice left back but very much first-choice for Costa Rica, enjoyed a good game at the Emirates against Arsenal. His cross eventually led to his side's equaliser, though the only true assist to Gerard Deulofeu's finish was his own audacious talent. Still, he scored the winning goal against Manchester United in midweek and has also filled in admirably for the injured Leighton Baines. With the World Cup draw complete, the countdown is officially on. Though the Premier League is still of primary importance, the sub-plot of Brazil 2014 will fascinate until May, with both those eligible for England and those eligible to hurt them. Besides, cheer up Greg - at the Hawthorns, Uruguayan captain and centre-back Diego Lugano was at fault for both goals in West Brom's 2-0 defeat to Norwich, his cumbersome style not good enough to stop Gary Hooper scoring the first. That's Gary Hooper of England, by the way. And so it begins. Stat #1: Liverpool v West Ham: Philippe Coutinho received more passes than any other PL player this weekend (72) When lyricising over Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, it is easy to forget the little Brazilian with stardust on his boots. Philippe Coutinho was excellent in his first six months at Liverpool but has taken time to recapture that form this season - mainly due to the injury sustained against Swansea, although he has also found himself marginalised on the left wing at the start of the season with Iago Aspas played central. However, with the injury to Sturridge, a fresh onus is placed upon Coutinho - though still on the left-hand side, he is far closer to both centre-forward Suarez and attacking midfielder Jordan Henderson (below). Though it was not his finest individual performance (even with eight shots and five chances created), Coutinho was imperative to Liverpool exerting control in the midfield, dropping deep and looking to pick out the runs of those moving ahead. His increased influence not only correlates with the absence of Sturridge, but the inclusion of Joe Allen. Allen, whose miss in the Merseyside derby launched thousands of Scouse fatwas his way, was excellent against West Ham. He was the main instigator of Coutinho's influence, passing the ball to him 14 times. That allowed Coutinho to attempt 64 passes, 13 of them to Suarez (above), all of them from a similar position as Liverpool looked to stretch the opposition. Coutinho and Allen formed a nice partnership in midfield (though Coutinho only went back to Allen twice, which shows the attacking intent of the side) and were responsible for the home side's control, accumulating 136 touches between them with Allen's passing accuracy of 91.7 per cent phenomenal. Stat #2: Fulham v Aston Villa: John Arne Riise has now had 89 shots for Fulham in the Premier League and has never scored - he had four in this game. Never change, John Arne Riise. Since joining in 2001, the Norwegian full-back has drilled his way in to the Premier League's conscience with left-footed efforts from anywhere within sight of goal. Here, at Craven Cottage, he came closer than normal to his first Fulham goal, forcing Brad Guzan into quick action. But much like the pattern of Sunday's game, Riise's space down the left-hand side is not necessarily a reflection on Riise alone. Granted, it does highlight that Riise is possibly braver than team-mate Kieran Richardson, who would allow himself to be pinned back onto the edge of his own box, targeted by the opposition (though Richardson, in fairness, has yet to play under Rene Meulensteen). Yet the freedom of Riise reflected on, mainly, the wonder of Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov panicked Aston Villa with his movement and desire to pull defenders both left and right. His influence (above) demonstrates the all-action performance of the Bulgarian, occupying the penalty box but also dropping as deep as the halfway line on the right-hand side. But most of his excellent play derived from the pocket of space he perpetually found on the left-hand side inside the Villa half. By dropping deep on the left, it served several purposes. Steve Sidwell could run into the space, as he did for the opening goal. Leandro Bacuna, meanwhile, suffered a torrid afternoon with the right-back playing as a defensive midfielder at times, such was his insistence to futilely follow Berbatov. The gap left by Bacuna would, eventually, allow Alex Kacaniklic to move onto Berbatov's sumptuous flick and draw a penalty from the out-of-position Bacuna. This also opened up space for Riise (note on the map how the trio of Berbatov, Kacaniklic and Riise loaded Villa's right-hand side), though his shooting boots from yesteryear remain somewhere in Rome or Merseyside. Stat #3: Sunderland v Tottenham: Tottenham are one of two teams (with Newcastle) to have not scored more than two goals in a Premier League match this season. In reality, Tottenham could have scored three or four against Sunderland. Jermain Defoe did as Roberto Soldado has done all season and found anything but the net - on this occasion, two of his six shots cannoned back off the woodwork. Sometimes, luck really does play a part, as does profligacy - the first shot on target in this match did not come until the 32nd minute. The set-up of Tottenham (above) was attacking, with Aaron Lennon and Nacer Chadli providing width; with Phil Bardsley and Ondrej Celustka naturally inclined to attack, this forced Wes Brown and John O'Shea to allow big gaps for Defoe to move into. It also allowed the midfield of Paulinho, Moussa Dembele and Lewis Holtby to operate. And so they did. Lennon, Holtby and Dembele created four chances each, while Chadli created two; substitute Andros Townsend, in 11 minutes and with just six touches, created two as well. Paulinho did not assist any opportunities but scored, moving into the aforementioned space created to prod home. In total, Spurs had 22 shots and stretched Sunderland (who made only four headed clearances all game), but only five of them were on target. What more can Andre Villas-Boas" side be expected to do? Maybe Kyle Walker compensated for the attacking Lennon a little too much and he should have joined the attack more, though the presence of Adam Johnson would have made that difficult. Or maybe that the most frequent passing combination consisted of Kyle Naughton passing to Chadli (21 times) reflects upon a team that is still adjusting to the departure of Gareth Bale, who could have taken those 21 passes and scored 20 goals. But sometimes, there is no real logical explanation for such a malaise other than the unlucky spin of a ball or an out-of-form player making the wrong decision. But with six points from six this week, it is still a platform to build upon; if the goals start coming, their season could improve dramatically. Stat #4: West Brom v Norwich: Nathan Redmond has collected an assist in three of his last four Premier League appearances. With Chris Hughton's job security reportedly in question, the Norwich manager used his nous to grasp the game's initiative, with winger Nathan Redmond key to that. With West Bromwich Albion fielding Uruguayan defender Diego Lugano for the first time since his move from Paris Saint-Germain, Norwich looked to use the pace of Redmond and Gary Hooper to exploit that, with the pair effectively doubling up on the centre-back of much doggedness but little quickness (below). Both Redmond and Hooper looked to stretch Lugano one way and then the other, something which worked when the flat-footed Uruguayan was slow to cut out a Leroy Fer through-ball to Hooper, who moved away from him to score. Redmond has been one of the summer's bargain buys since moving from Birmingham and demonstrated all that is good with his game against West Brom. Though his crossing was poor (completing just one of his 10 attempts), he was good with short passes and offered himself for counter-attacks. In a modern world of inverted wingers, false nines and flipping triangles, it was wonderfully retro to see a right-footed player careering down the right wing - though he popped up on the left for the assist to Leroy Fer - trying to get the better of left-back Liam Ridgewell and succeeding three times. However, this was also a game that saw West Brom have 26 shots (18 inside the box), partly attributed to Redmond's reluctance to track back - note how Ridgewell, who is not an attacking-minded defender, occupied the space in Norwich's half which the youngster left (below). It highlights how there is still things the talented youngster much learn. Stat #5: Crystal Palace v Cardiff: Barry Bannan created more chances than any other player in the Premier League this weekend. First, a confession: of Barry Bannan's six chances created against Cardiff, two of them were from his left-footed corners - something that would be entirely expected from a Tony Pulis side. Now, another confession: despite being a diminutive, ball-playing midfielder, Bannan is performing better than expected, even from open play. Bannan, frozen out at Aston Villa by Paul Lambert, is taking his opportunity at Palace. In a more advanced role than his time at Villa Park, Bannan's eye for a pass and vicious, curling left-footed balls have proved an important asset to Pulis" side. Yet, against Cardiff, he showed a more mature side: he was more economical in possession and only misplaced four passes, all of them forward. The same number of forward passes - four - created four chances from open play; this was a responsibility his team-mates trusted him with as Marouane Chamakh made a team-high 11 passes to him. The onus upon Bannan was also highlighted by 35.3% of play coming down his left-hand side, with almost 40 per cent of it in the first-half. His performance was helped by Cardiff's gallivanting right-back, Kevin Theophile-Catherine. As the Frenchman moved forward, Bannan found space and time stationed out wide, while also moving inside when needed to assist defensively. Publicity-shy Brazuca World Cup ball deletes Twitter account Trendy Pulis signed up to design Versace Spring collection United unveil plans for statue to honour David Moyes Hurst: I regret nothing, brave England are going all the way Celtic to play without keeper to keep Scottish Premiership competitive Manchester City's transformation from world-beaters at home to clueless away side, tactically explained Things we miss about the Premier League: Man Utd's calamity keepers Between the excellence of Schmeichel and Van der Sar, there was a wonderful interregnum where United fielded only comedy keepers. The greatest of the lot was the clownish Massimo Taibi, whose through-the-legs masterpiece against Southampton remains one of the Premier League's most beloved moments. Now we must make do with merely a calamitous Manchester United defence, which is marginally less amusing. Andy Carroll (@AndyTCarroll) ploughs a furrow usually confined to uninspired online comments sections Stereotype of the week Samuel Eto'o lives down to the assumption that overseas players don't much fancy Stoke on a cold day by bringing not one, but two hot water bottles with him, ensuring optimum toastiness on the bench. This novel take on warming up failed to prevent Chelsea's defeat, but presumably did have the desired effect of making adorable Samuel feel all nice and cosy. 5 - Number of players Blackpool have managed to get sent off this week, two against Derby on Saturday and three on Tuesday at Yeovil. 100 - Number of Premier League assists Frank Lampard has made during his career. He's second behind only Ryan Giggs in the all-time list. Meanwhile in ... Hiroshima J-League winners Sanfrecce Hiroshima retained their title on a dramatic final day, after Yokohama Marinos, who started the day two points clear, lost at Kawasaki Frontale. Unfortunately the trophy was presumptuously moved to Kawasaki, so Hiroshima were forced to embark on the most underwhelming league-winning celebration of all time, by hoisting a piece of card with a picture of the trophy on it. 19 - Number of Newcastle's 20 Premier League goals this season have been scored by French players. Their last top-flight goal scored by an Englishman came from James Perch almost 12 months ago, and considering that Alan Pardew has only fielded three English players in the Premier League this term - Steven Taylor (no goals since May 2011), Mike Williamson (no goals for Newcastle at all, in 113 appearances) and Sammy Ameobi (24 Premier League apps, 0 goals) - they may have to wait as long for another one. 97 - Years combined since West Brom (35), Everton (21) and Newcastle (41) last beat Manchester United at Old Trafford. Before this season that is. Now all three of those barren sequences are over, and United fans are beginning to wonder when their own team will next win at Old Trafford. No doubt Swansea (who've never beaten Manchester United away) and Cardiff (who have done, but not since 1954) are already looking forward to visiting the Theatre of Dreams next month. 10 - Players have scored against a former club in the Premier League this season, following the efforts of Cameron Jerome (v Cardiff) and Steve Sidwell (v Aston Villa). Some have opted for the respectful non-celebration (Aaron Ramsey v Cardiff), some have preferred the over-celebration (Robin van Persie v Arsenal) and some haven't quite known what to do. So what is the correct protocol? Messrs Lampard (v West Ham), Shelvey (v Liverpool), Sessegnon (v Sunderland), Caulker (v Swansea), Campbell (v Manchester United) and Chamakh (v West Ham) have all encountered precisely that dilemma this term. 31 - Average age of Fulham's starting XI on Sunday against Aston Villa with eight players in their 30s, the oldest team fielded in the top-flight this season. Villa, beaten 2-0 at Craven Cottage, didn't have a single 30-something in their entire squad of 18. The only other team who started with eleven under-30s this weekend was Southampton, who kicked-off with three teenagers in their line-up against Manchester City. 17 - Number of own goals which have been scored in the current Premier League campaign, following this weekend's selection of unintentional miscues, slices and deflections. Sunderland are easily the most proficient in this area, having found the (wrong) target five times, while Swansea have been the division's most frequent recipients (four). Phil Bardsley and Martin Skrtel, with two each, have been the most deadly in front of (their own) goal.