Manchester United get Old Trafford buzz back, Cesc Fabregas fights for Chelsea future, what do Arsenal fans really want?

Six things we learnt: Phelan presses his Hull claims, Janssen gives Pochettino a selection dilemma and Moyes already looking the wrong way

Old Trafford has been buoyed by the arrival of Jose Mourinho and his signings of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Getty)

Old Trafford gets its buzz back

Friday night football is here and, like all thing television related, it’s here to stay. The introduction of an extra evening of football to slot in during the week is not to everyone’s taste – especially those who are forced to embark on a 600-mile-plus round trip as Southampton supporters did for Friday’s 2-0 defeat by Manchester United – but what the TV companies want, they get.

Yet the most noticeable thing about United’s victory wasn’t the fact that the match wasn’t taking place over the weekend, but that the noise that was once a given at Old Trafford had returned. The arrival of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jose Mourinho has restored the belief among United fans that they have a divine right to win the Premier League.

Of course, that isn’t true. But when clubs travelled to United to take on Sir Alex Ferguson’s sides throughout his 27-year reign, there was a feeling of inevitability among the crowd, that of course they were going to score and that the three points were already guaranteed.

That feeling was back on Friday night, and whether it was due to fans enjoying the atmosphere of a Friday night more than an early afternoon kick-off the following day or the optimism that their new signings have brought, it should be a warning sign to other clubs.

Fabregas presses his claim to regain Chelsea place

Cesc Fabregas could easily push for a move away from Chelsea after seeing Antonio Conte leave him among the substitutes for his first two Premier League matches, yet the midfielder has shown no signs of unrest and came off the bench in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Watford to have a pivotal say in the result.

As the ball broke in front of Fabregas, he struck a beautiful first-time through ball to Diego Costa that enabled the striker to run in behind the Watford defence and score a late winning goal, and Conte openly praised the impact of the Spaniard to a degree that he should probably expect to start their next Premier League game – providing he’s not deployed for Chelsea’s EPL Cup match against Bristol Rovers on Tuesday.

Even though they can boast a 100 per cent record so far, Chelsea are yet to convince, having conceded in both the wins over West Ham and Watford. Conte is yet to land on his favoured line-up, and it looks like Fabregas is doing all he can to ensure he’s part of the final product.

Janssen gives Pochettino a selection dilemma

Mauricio Pochettino has made no secret of his desire to partner Harry Kane with another striker, but who should bite the bullet to accommodate new signing Vincent Janssen? On Saturday it was Dele Alli, with Christian Eriksen, Eric Lamela, Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier making up the midfield, and for 68 minutes it didn’t work.

Yet the introduction for Alli, noticeably for Eriksen as Pochettino chased the win, gave Spurs a way of penetrating the stubborn Crystal Palace defence, and it was the England international who won the corner that led to Wanyama’s winning headed goal.

Yet why would Pochettino choose Eriksen, the man who provided 13 assists last season along with six goals, to be the one to drop out the side? So too Lamela, who has shown his best form under Pochettino and has been tipped to push on even further this season. The problem for Pochettino is that the misfit in that line-up may well be Janssen himself.

What do Arsenal fans really want?

Arsene Wenger out, spend some money, sign some players, won the Premier League. There’s always something wrong at Arsenal these days. The first two matches for the Gunners have seen protests against their manager overshadow the games themselves, yet the picture is much cloudier than that.

Arsenal need a defender, there’s no doubt about that, given that Per Mertesacker is out until the New Year and his replacement in Gabriel Paulista is also sidelined. That business should have been completed a long time ago, but the striker issue is a bit more understanding.

Wenger currently has Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez available to play in attack, along with the unproven Chuba Akpom, while Joel Campbell was also in contention until he departed for yet another loan spell with Sporting Lisbon. With Danny Welbeck ahead of schedule in his return from a serious knee injury, Arsenal aren’t exactly short of options in attack.

With Lyon demanding £60m for Alexandre Lacazette – a 25-year-old striker who failed to make it into France’s Euro 2016 squad despite Karim Benzema being banned – there’s no guarantee that he will come in and do a better job than Giroud or, when fit, Welbeck. There’s also the degree of replacing Wenger, who has developed a pedigree for ensuring Champions League football remains a given at the Emirates and in more recently years has brought silverware back to the club.

Arsenal supporters are quick to call for change, but when that change is a seventh-place place finish and no more big European nights – as United displayed so memorably under David Moyes – then it no longer seems that appealing.

Phelan stakes his claim for Hull job

Two wins from two matches is more than any Hull City fan will have dreamed of given the current state of the club, and it has led Mike Phelan to press his claim to handle the club’s transfer business before it’s too late, even though he’s not their manager.

Phelan has plenty of credentials to fall back on given his time at United under Sir Alex Ferguson, and given he already has a deep understanding with the players – as signalled by their desire to fight for him this season – Hull should look no further than the dug-out for their permanent replacement for Steve Bruce.

Moyes is already looking the wrong way

Arriving at a new club brings to challenges for new managers. Getting wins on the board while the morale lift engulfs the squad is crucial, as to is keeping the fans on your side. So while David Moyes is being honest by warning Sunderland fans of yet another relegation scrap, it won’t have gone down well with supporters who believe the Black Cats should be much higher up the league table than their normal near-miss with relegation.

Having suffered back-to-back defeats to start life at the Stadium of Light on the wrong foot – one of which came against north east rivals Moddlesbrough – Moyes is already up against it, and by looking over his shoulder at the drop zone already, it doesn’t spead the right message among his squad.